Today was our excursion day … or as Zarah put it ‘it’s our journey day’!
As the children of the Ocean Adventurers Room have shown such an interest in learning about their community the Ocean Adventurers educators decided to take the children for a walking excursion to see what we could discover about where we live and learn.
Before we set off on our walk we all sat down together to discuss our road safety rules and excursion guidelines. The educators were so happy to see that the children remembered all of the important rules and guidelines from the last excursion. As we lined up to leave the children were excitedly chatting about what they though we would discover outside the centre walls.
We set off up the road to our first stop was viewing the local high school. The children were so excited to get some waves from the teachers and students of the school and we also spotted a skeleton in a science lab window. We passed the local primary school and into the park where we discovered a family of ducks and looked at the storm water drain which had collected LOTS of rain water. We ventured down the path into the cul-de-sac where we said hello to some of our neighbours, we viewed some beautiful roses, we saw 3 caravans, waved to some council workers and said hello to the children in another early learning centre.
This excursion was a wonderful chance for the children to view and experience the natural community outside of the immediate environment within the centre. This excursion also allowed the children to further develop their sense of belonging and being connected with and contributing to their world.
What a wonderful day !
Excursions form a vital part of a child’s early education. They expose a child to a range of different experiences and enable them to gain a sense of the world in which they find themselves. Excursions encourage a child to embrace the unfamiliar and often every sense is employed in observing and understanding what they’re experiencing.