Daily Activities & Observations 

Morning Reflection Circle (9:00-9:20 AM): Children discussed what they liked about spaces that they had discovered over the week

Construction Challenge (9.30-11.00 AM): Creating the spaceships out of big cardboard boxes, tape, and reused materials

Space Food Experience (11:30 AM-12:00 PM): Guided a series of tastes (fruits that have been freeze-dried) and prepared space-smoothies as astronauts do/did

Week Documentation (2:00-3:00 PM): Took the learning of the children in spaces and documented it into digital displays of the families

Professional Practice Elements Engaged 

Professional Teaching Standards - Standard 3 (Plan and Implement Effective Teaching): Effective teaching involves planning, implementing and reflecting on practise: 3.1 - Develop Ambitious Learning Goals:  

  • Establish objectives to make children work on a large-scale construction  
  • Rewarded perseverance where the requirements of engineering became difficult to cope with   
  • Helped children to refine and make alterations in their designs  

3.2 - Plan, Structure, sequence learning programs:  

  • Week was structured in terms of a logical progression to the identification of interest to its idle delve into it  
  • Every day was built upon and expanded the prior learning  
  • Culminating experience gave children opportunity to express what they have learned  

3.3- Apply Instructional Methods:  

  • Scaffolding: Scaffolded only enough support to construct cardboard with success (Vygotsky, 1978)  
  • Asking: What do you suppose would happen if...?" What would we do to make this to be stronger?  
  • Modeling: Modeled joining skills, and promoted problems solving autonomously 

Playing with Children and Provision of Playful Opportunities 

The adult playing with the children can also prolong the learning process provided they do it sensitively (Pramling Samuelsson & Fleer, 2009): Co-playing Example: Joined children in their cardboard-made spaceship as the mission control  

Mark: Engineer: Mission control! We have no air!  

Me: O no! Astronauts, what you planning? The question is what happens to space travelers in the case of an emergency?  

Mark: [Complex problem solving and dramatic play of 20 minutes]   

 

Playful Integration Learning:   

  • mathematical concepts: distance to the spaceship, inventory supplies   
  • Literacy development: development of mission logs, reading of space books to come up with ideas  
  • Scientific thought: testing stability of structure, space environments discussion 
  • Social skills: role negotiating, material distributed resource sharing, collaborative planning 

Creativity Across the Service and Curriculum 

Innovative and Problem-Solving: Creative learning environments also lead to creativity and issues with a problem (Davis, 2018):  

Children in these environments were found to be able to create around problems where tape would not combine with shiny cardboard - they were resourceful enough to think of clamps, string, and even wedging items together  

Creativity: Spaceship interiors carried with them the creative visions of the individual as well as a functional need (windows, controls, storage, etc.)  

Creative Documentation: Children assisted in photographing their constructions and explained their construction to their families by dictation 

National Quality Standards - Quality Area 6 (Collaborative Partnerships)

Good relations with families can increase children's learning and wellbeing (Halgunseth et al., 2009):  

  • Family Engagement: Made space week digital slideshow to view in front of family 
  • Children left video messages to their families telling them about how they learned  
  • Home assignments sent "space exploration activities do not stop" Invited families to next showcase event of Space Museum 

Assessment Through Play Observation 

Play-based assessment offers genuine solutions to the learning and development of children (Pyle et al., 2018). I wrote what had happened in connection with five children having various personalities and having different abilities working together:  

  • The project was organised by Lucile (natural leader) Creative thinker Jojo (creative thinker) conceived new features  
  • Austin (percevering worker) did not quit when difficulty ensued A detail-oriented child (Niki) saw to it that safety features were made a part of it  
  • Justin (inclusive friend) also ensured that each of them had a role  

 

Outcomes EYLF Achieved:  

  • Outcome 1: The children believed in their capacities and felt proud of successes (Department of Education and Training, 2022)  
  • Outcome 2: Ensured teamwork, equity, and embracing everybody in the team  
  • Outcome 4: Demonstrated creativity, curiosity and persistence  
  • Outcome 5: Was able to present ideas clearly and listen to what other people had to say