Sea Week at TIGS Prep

September 18, 2020  

The children have enjoyed yet another term of enriching provocations, designed to capture their imagination and invite engagements that build on their natural interests and curiosities. We are very fortunate to have such a beautiful learning environment which has play spaces that are constantly transformed to meet the changing interests and needs of our children.
There are a few times each year where we relish in the global appreciation for the marine environment and our wondrous ocean. This week, we have been immersed in Sea Week. The 2020 Sea Week theme is the “Fifth Ocean Literacy Principle: The sea supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems”.

As educators, we have an opportunity to embed sustainability practices within our service, making children aware of their impact on the environment and ways to minimise it. It is imperative that we play an active role to assist children and families to understand sustainability issues, concepts and practices.
Sea Week is Australia’s major national public awareness campaign that focuses on community awareness and provides information that encourages an appreciation of the sea. Sea Week gives us a fantastic opportunity to promote educational issues of relevance to the marine environment.
An important element of the Reggio Emilia framework that we employ at TIGS Prep relates to our physical environment and how this shapes the children’s learning and engagement. This week, the educators enhanced the sealife experiences through the thoughtful set up of interesting and stimulating learning spaces and activities which influences how the children respond to stimulus and impacts their engagement.

Each time we create new areas for and with the children, the intent is always that it be used as an interest base which the children may then build on. Or rather, that this area will become the third teacher that encourages them to delve deep into their unique and powerful minds to become the independent, strong and knowledgeable selves that they’re so very capable of being.
What a fabulous way to end the term with great enthusiasm, showing such strong curiosity towards learning something new.

I can’t wait to see what is in store for you for Term IV.