It is becoming more an more difficult in our Queensland Prep Classrooms to promote the avenue of 'Play' as a valuable and useful tool for learning. With the implementation of the National Curriculum, it seems that "Structured Learning" has become the overall component and skill building has been forgotten. I believe little people need to interact with their world in order to fully comprehend and understand it. They need to interact with each other to better build their communication skills. They need to imagine it, to feel it and to connect with it. This is why I am holding on to it with sheer grit and determination as it is my strong belief that children learn 'best' through appropriate "Play Opportunities".
Last week little 'Stella' broke her arm, Lil had her needles and Sophie's mum was rushed to hospital.
No prizes for guessing what our 'Play Area' is this week!!! YEP! Kalkie Hospital is alive and well!
(nice pun, Mrs Ward) ;)
The children have been playing so well in the Hospital. They have been learning about the appropriate clothing for workers in hospitals.
How Hospital Staff communicate with Patients.
How to give needles, compassionately!! OUCH!
The safe ways to handle and keep medicines.
Gender equity - power to Female doctors and Male nurses !!
They have been responsible for cleaning up after themselves ... well, with a little prompting ... but they have been exceptionally good with it!
Time management ... I hear you say ....
How? How? HOW? With 24 children?? They all want to be in there at once!!
Well, this is how I do it....
The class is divided into 3 groups.
Group 1 - plays in hospital.
Group 2 - plays with blocks and builds Hospitals and car parks etc.
Group 3 - writes up Patient Lists and organizes Patients in the waiting area.
I ring a bell after 10 -15 minutes and they rotate to the next activity.
Long Live PLAY BASED LEARNING!!
To download a Free Patient List
