Outdoor and Nature Play
Young children need regular, vigorous, physical activity, active play, to develop and grow properly. Active play strengthens bones, muscles and the brain and establishes connections between all of them. A physically active lifestyle is crucial for life-long health and physical and emotional wellbeing. An organised sport/game will be facilitated by an educator such as cricket, castle ball, soccer, basketball, Oz tag, AFL, steal, capture the flag and hockey. Outdoor free play is encouraged through the provision of skipping ropes, tennis racquets, balls and other equipment for use in the main playground.
Cognitive development comes naturally along with learning through discovery play when children use their processing skills to observe the world around them and ask questions about it. Children instinctively enquire about the natural world and the things that have changed or grown. We promote area 2 in MTOP ‘Children are connected to and contribute to their world’ by incorporating experiences such as gardening, composting, bug hunting, mud kitchens, forest school play and recycling.
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Artistic and Creative Play
Free Play is important for healthy brain development, allowing children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, cognitive and physical abilities. Free Play is a tool for developing a child as a whole. Children during their time at COOSC are free to make their own choices and are able to access an array of resources available at the Centre at all times. Resources include Lego, Duplo, Magnetics, Mobilo, Wooden blocks, Kapla blocks, Wegits, Zoobs, cars, fairies, dinosaurs, marble run, and puzzles.
Engaging in art or craft can promote visual, motor and social development. Using art as a vehicle for expression is enriching because children can use it as a communication tool. Studies have shown that artistic activities can also help children learn other subjects such as reading and math. Various art and craft activities such as painting, sculpture, construction, drawing, collage, knitting, chalk drawing, weaving, movie making and photography are facilitated daily by passionate educators.
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Imaginative and Discovery Experiences
Imaginative play is considered important for the development of children’s cognitive and social skills. Sociodramatic play or the make-believe play with others, allows for ideas to be passed around, built onto and understood by the many different players. We support this with experiences and resources such as dress ups, a play kitchen, sandpit, drama, puppets and loose parts play.
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Vacation Care Experiences
Our Educational Leader will program a variety of imaginative, creative, investigative, and active learning experiences for children to engage in. Resources are always available for play based learning and child initiated activities. We aim to cater for the entire age range thus our program is frequently split into a junior 5-8yrs and senior 9-12yrs program where age appropriate experiences will be offered. A range of incursions and excursions are organised that reflect the My Time Our Place framework for school aged children.
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