I’ve always enjoyed working with children in the early years, and one of the reasons why I love this age is because of their natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. I recently read an article by Karen Stephens, where she said, “Throughout childhood, an involved adult close by, who enthusiastically shares and responds to children’s delight in discovery is very important.” When young children explore their environment, they develop their language skills by describing the things they can see, feel, hear and experience. Curiosity also helps children to discover how things work. In our Prep Science unit this term, students are learning about how objects spin, roll, slide or bounce, depending on their shape and how they’re made. As parents, and as educators, we all play an important role in nurturing children’s curious minds.

Last Wednesday, the Prep teachers led their students on a quest to find the mischievous gingerbread man, who went missing from their classrooms!  “Have you seen the gingerbread man?” I must have been asked this question hundreds of times last week. As each class followed clues left by the gingerbread man, they met some important people around the school, including the librarians, the chaplains, the nurses, and the lady at the front reception. They even got to sit in Mr Valese’s chair! This adventure is always a highlight of our year in Prep, and a wonderful way to introduce these new students to some of the special places in our big community. They still talk about the gingerbread man in Term 4! Such wonder, such delight! Such an eagerness to discover and learn.  (You can see some photos of their adventure here)

Psalm 34:8 encourages us to, Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. At Mueller College, our prayer is that students would not only discover new things about their world but would also discover the Creator – our Great God who made them, loves them and wants to know them personally.

Melody Lean

Term 1 – Week 3 News