Moonee Ponds Early Learning Centre in Moonee Ponds, Victoria | Nursery

Moonee Ponds Early Learning Centre

Locality: Moonee Ponds, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 9372 9697

Address: Level 1, 767 Mt Alexander Rd 3039 Moonee Ponds, VIC, Australia

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21.01.2022 Explorers Program Self Portraits. In this Art Class, the children made portraits of themselves using recycled materials. The children looked in the mirrors and talked about their reflections. They spoke about their own features, discussing the shape of their eyes and the length of their hair. Self-portraits are a fantastic way for children to explore their sense of self and build their self-identity. It helps develop a sense of awareness of themselves and others. During this art class, the children’s fine motor skills are being developed. The children also learn cause and effect as they glue the different sized materials to the cardboard.

21.01.2022 To mark the last day of National Recycling Week, the Explorers Program worked collaboratively to come up with an idea to turn recycled boxes and material into something special. To begin the class, we spoke about where the boxes have come from and explained that we will be upcycling them. After a discussion and looking at the materials each child had chosen, the children decided to create a robot; which was later named Jenny. This project challenged children, requiring them... to problem solve, reason with each other, use their imagination to create an idea and work together as a team. Children’s physical development is enhanced when they explore found materials. They not only build their eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills but also their ability to determine sensory input including sight, touch and hearing as they noticed how the materials looked and felt. The children also gained important knowledge about the tools and materials as they learned techniques and practiced skills like joining, adhering, cutting, taping and gluing. #NationalRecyclingWeek #ExplorersProgram #Sustainability #Upcycling

17.01.2022 Yesterday, the centre had a visit from the Earth Crusaders who came in to run an eco-incursion. During the incursion, the Beanstalks and Grape Vines children were involved in an interactive story that showed the children what happens when things go down the storm drains. The Grape Vines room also discussed the importance of reducing plastic and made their own bees wax wraps which can be used to wrap their sandwiches when they go to school in a few months!

16.01.2022 Yesterday, the Grape Vines children went on an excursion to explore and familiarise themselves with a learning and teaching environment at St Monica’s Primary School. Upon arrival, the children recognized the Aboriginal and National flags of Australia, so they decided to recite their acknowledgement to country. The Grapevine's children had an opportunity to explore the school’s library and sat down to read a story which the librarian had picked out for them. The book was call...ed ‘Starting School’ by Jane Goodwin. The children also had the opportunity to meet a foundation teacher and see the classrooms where the foundation children learn. Before we could leave, we met the assistant principle who invited the children to stay and listen to the grade fives practice an Indigenous song. The Grapevine's children reciprocated and performed their acknowledgment to country and sang 'Inanay'.

15.01.2022 Today Moonee Ponds ELC celebrated Diwali by exploring patterns and lights. Learning about patterns teaches children about seeing connections and making links. Through understanding patterns, children learn to make predictions, to understand what comes next, and make logical connections. #Diwali #Rangoli #Festivaloflights

14.01.2022 Team building with our Educators. Last week, our educators worked together to upcycle wooden pallets to create resources for the centre. We are very proud of the tee-pee, bridge and gate that our educators built together as a team. We invite families to have a look at them in our yard when you are in next.

10.01.2022 To our valued families, children and the broader Moonee Ponds community, we’d like to let you know that Moonee Ponds Early Learning Centre has recently been acquired by Only About Children (Oac). The transition between Advance Childcare and Only About Children is currently taking place with full operation by Oac to commence as of March 2 2020. We are very grateful to our families, educators and the broader community for all your support over the years and we wish you all the very best in your onward journey with Only About Children.

09.01.2022 Tinkering Tool Shed The Children in the Grapevines room have shown great interest in tools. Following on from this interest, the educators have developed a tinkering tool shed, introducing real tools to foster and extend on the children’s learning. A variety of tools were explored such as, hammers, pliers, screw drivers, measuring tapes and screws and nails. The Children also had the opportunity to connect and measure different types of materials and disassemble up-cycled electrical equipment while exploring how things work. This experience provides opportunities for Children to strengthen their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and connects to the community and their home life. Providing real tools extends the children’s vocabulary as they are able to share their ideas and talk about experiences from home.

07.01.2022 On Friday, Moonee Ponds ELC ran our first sustainable art class as part of the Explorers program. Resources were sourced from resource rescue, reverse art truck and donations from families from our recycle station in the foyer. The art classes focus on teaching children about sustainability and giving new life to resources that would otherwise be recycled/end up in landfill. This week, the younger children will have an opportunity to be a part of the Explorers Program as the art class will be offered to the Blossoms room. The sign up sheet can be found in the foyer near the kitchen.

04.01.2022 The Bushfires across Australia as we know have devastatingly impacted countless Australians and Australian Wildlife. We are working with the talented Narrelle Cahill, our Centre Manager at our soon to open sister centre in Fitzroy who is an experienced sewer, to sew pouches for injured wildlife that have been affected by the devastating fires across Australia this Summer. How can you help? Please drop off any left over fabrics or material that you have at home to Moonee Ponds... ELC by Friday 10 January to be sewn into pouches that will hopefully help our injured wildlife recover. These fabrics must be clean and in good condition. Narrelle and her team of experienced sewers will hold a ‘sewing bee’. The pouches will then be donated to a Wildlife Sanctuary in Diamond Creek that will work to distribute these pouches as necessary to the areas across Australia that need them most. Thank you so much for your help and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected during this very difficult time.

02.01.2022 For National Recycling Week, the children and educators discussed reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill. We talked about different ways we can reduce waste, such as buying less and upcycling different materials. We had a look at a picture of a mountain of clothing, which illustrated how much clothing we throw in the rubbish every 10 minutes in Australia. The children suggested handing the clothes on to someone else when they grew out of them and buying second-han...d clothes from the op-shop. We also had a look at some Ingenious ideas for upcycling old pencils, furniture, toilet rolls and tin cans. During our Playground to Plate class the children upcycled a wooden crate by turning it into a planter box and also made a planter out of a large tomato can. Working together, the children produced beautiful upcycled planter boxes and planted succulents in them to take home. Please feel free to take home one of the succulents from Playground to Plate display table. #NationalRecyclingWeek #PlaygroundToPlate #Upcycling

01.01.2022 Great recycling tips below

01.01.2022 Today, the centre had a visit from Katie Smith, the children’s youth and services librarian at Sam Merrifield Library. Katie spoke to the children about the different activities and resources that the library offer and shared a few of her favourite books with the children. The children told Katie about the libraries that they have visited and their favourite books and DVD’s that they have borrowed from the library. Community connections provide a sense of belonging and social connectedness. As children grow and develop, connections to the outside world help them to find their place in the world, develop understandings of how society works, and recognise and understand the shared values that underpin our society.