Our curriculum

Curriculum at Little One’s Garden is the amalgamation of what happens there to foster children’s learning in order to provide them with an environment which stimulates their curiosity and inspires them to engage in meaningful learning.

At Little One’s Garden our Curriculum is based on Principles and strands of Te Whariki and is influenced by RIE and Regio Emilia approach. We endeavour to provide a stimulating environment to children which can inspire them to engage in meaningful learning and take new risks and challenges.

Care is curriculum

Kimberley Crisp states that, “CARE is the curriculum of life. CARE is the key that unlocks and cements relationships. No CARE No trust. Know CARE Know trust. It is never enough to say we love children. They must feel the results of our CARE. People don't CARE about how much we know till they know how much we CARE ”. We believe that when children’s love banks are full, they engage in authentic play. Therefore our motto is to provide a caring, respectful environment for children where they build trustful relationships with each other and their teachers.

Children as agents of their own life

We believe that children are agents of their own life and have every right to participate in the decisions that affect them. We value child initiated play. Individual and group interests of children are noticed, recognised, responded and extended by teachers through documentation. Teachers  show through documentation  how children’s learning is linked to prior experiences, prior knowledge and the thinking about how knowledge, skills and dispositions will be challenged, stretched and taken into new learning spaces. This wall documentation consists of narratives, photos, art, teachers’ reflections, parent comments and connections to the wider learning community. We have both E-portfolios and hard copies of portfolios so that children can revisit their learning as often as they want.

Environment as a third teacher

At Little one’s garden environment is used as a third teacher. We have a very resourceful and rich environment that caters for the needs of children and excites their curiosity to engage in experiences of their choice. All through the day children are given opportunity to engage in experiences like painting, playing with blocks, musical instruments, natural resources, water play and much more. Our environment is literacy and numeracy rich as well, where children get many opportunities to engage in experiences that enhance their literacy and numeracy skills to get ready for school. Our outdoor environment has been aesthetically designed with a water feature so that children can engage in deep play outdoors as well.

Rhythms and rituals of the day

Each day’s rhythm and routine helps the child to feel safe and secure as they develop at their own speed..We start our day with a beautiful ritual of lighting a candle at breakfast time and make sure that routines like eating at morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea time are cherished by children as they socialise with their peers while eating a nutritious meal. The rhythm of the day includes free play time, group time, clean up time and outdoor play time. Children are provided many opportunities during the day to engage in free play  as we believe that children engage in deep and authentic play when they are given uninterrupted time to be creative and expressive.