This term, the St Peters Campus Reception students have embarked on their final Unit of Inquiry around the theme 'How We Express Ourselves'. The central idea guiding our exploration is, "People celebrate and share events with others." Last week, we began by brainstorming special events and occasions that we celebrate. The children identified a wide variety, including Christmas, Easter, birthdays, baby showers, funerals and Australia Day. It was fascinating to see the breadth of their knowledge and experiences come to the surface during this discussion.

After brainstorming, the children selected one event to base their play around, and this quickly became an exciting provocation for deeper thinking. As the Receptions played, they shared their prior knowledge and engaged with each other to expand their understanding of the significance of these events. It was wonderful to observe them asking questions, sharing their wonderings, and using an online library to research more about the celebrations they were enacting.

In addition to learning about different events, the children naturally began incorporating emotions into their play. Using our Kimochi characters and feelings, they explored the feelings that people may experience during these milestones and celebrations. For instance, a baby shower play scenario developed into a rich narrative where babies were cared for, and later, families moved houses – an extension of celebrating life’s transitions.

This play-based provocation has set the foundation for further inquiry into milestones, events and celebrations. As the unit progresses, the children will have the opportunity to share their own milestones and special events with others. They will also plan a birthday party for a special class friend and mark the milestone of completing their first year of schooling with our "stay up late" night. To conclude the term, we will also share the nativity story with our campus community as part of our collective celebration as we turn our thinking to Christmas.

We look forward to witnessing the children’s continued exploration and learning as they express themselves through these meaningful events!

Laura Benger and Melissa Robson
Reception Teachers