Intellectual Development
Intellectual development includes building skills such as pre-reading, language, vocabulary, and numeracy, which begins from the moment a child is born. The brain acquires a tremendous amount of information in the first year of life even before infants can speak. Children of this age continue to advance their skills in observing and interacting with the world around them. They also make tremendous leaps in how they process, store, and use information.
Centre Incursions
The children are further challenged and stimulated through a variety of external programs brought to the centre such as science shows, egg hatching programs, kindi farm , first aid workshops for children, multicultural performances and visits from local community people, such as the local fire fighters and police officers.
Fun
Projects
Children’s learning is extended through participation in special projects, including such topics as rocks and minerals, volcanoes, egg hatching, dinosaurs, insects and how plants grow. Through projects, the children are given the opportunity to extend learning in all areas of development to gain a higher understanding of the topics being researched.
Learn with Technology
Children have daily access to technologies such as computers, with programs that extend understanding of literacy, numeracy, scientific concepts, and allow for the expansion of memory skills and associative skills. Children also use technology to document their own learning, such as taking digital photos of their work, and assisting in printing and displaying these images.
Sustainability Programs
There are many opportunities for the children to engage in daily sustainable practices, through such programs as the sustainability monitors in the preschool rooms, recycling water at meal times, and growing our own seasonal vegetables and herbs. Sustainability classes are also held to help enhance learning on sustainable practices.
How Intellectual Development Milestones Are Achieved
In the Nursery
In our nursery, the educators provide learning environments that are flexible and open-ended, allowing children to explore and express wonder and interest in their environments. The educators will further provide babies and toddlers with resources that offer challenge, intrigue and surprise, support their investigations and share their enjoyment.
For Explorers
In our explorers room, the educators recognise and value children’s involvement in learning. They respond to children’s displays of learning dispositions by commenting on them and providing encouragement and additional ideas.
For Pre School
In our preschool room, the educators provide opportunities for involvement in experiences that support the investigation of ideas, complex concepts and thinking, reasoning and hypothesising. The children are given opportunities to experiment with cause and effect, use trial and error, and problem solve using a wide variety of thinking strategies.