To say that kindergarten in 2020 has been a little different to usual would be an understatement! We are so proud of the resilience, adaptability and patience that all of our Beacy Kinder children and families have shown this year while we have navigated our way through onsite kinder, lockdowns and remote learning.
As I write this, we are in the middle of stage 4 lockdown. With kinder currently only available for children of permitted workers and vulnerable children, we have closed our Woods St service and are offering kinder for eligible children at our O’Neil Rd facility. We have a rotating roster of two staff onsite, while the remainder of our educators are at home supporting children with remote learning.
I’m so proud of the way our teachers and educators have stepped up to support the kinder children with their remote learning. Spending most of their time sitting at a computer or iPad has been a big shift from the way they usually spend their work days, but they have all done an amazing job! Some of the things Beaconsfield Kindergarten has implemented to support children while at home have included:
- a fortnightly program with activities that encompass the learning areas we usually cover at kinder, including movement, fine motor (manipulating smaller objects with the hands and fingers), sustainability, language and literacy, science, dramatic play and numeracy
- take home packs, with activities to complete and resources to use at home
- regular Zoom sessions, which have included things like the teacher reading a story, a sharing time for children and secret in a box
- activities posted on our communication app, Storypark, with families encouraged to share photos of their child’s work, or of their child engaging in the activities
- individual goals for each child, based on areas that they were developing at kinder
- recorded videos of our educators singing and moving to familiar songs, with children encouraged to join in as they watch
- reflections encompassing photos that have been posted by families completing the activities
- some events throughout the lockdown period to bring a bit of extra fun to lockdown and remote learning!
Of course, a huge thank you is also needed for the families who have worked with us and supported their children in their learning and development this year. At times like these, the strength of a community really comes out, and our kinder community has shone!
Below are examples of some of the activities children have been encouraged to complete at home during remote learning.
Nicole (Centre Manager)
