I decided this was a skill I wanted to improve on as many centres have different learning stories so I want to get an understanding on as many as I can Step one I wrote my own learning story from the observations I had obtained in the five first days. They were very basic and did not have a set layout. Step two Got an understanding of the centres layout through taking a sample of one of their and talking with the educators, from this I wrote up one that I believed reflected what I had seen Step three Showed my observations to my mentor teacher and spoke about changes I could make. I also noted the differences of mine to the one the educator wrote such as they only reflect on three outcomes rather then all five like I had done. Step four Wrote up a focus page on sand art to go in the children's kaleidoscopes, using the correct learning story format as the other ones in the folders. The layout is different for each learning story but contains same information. Step five Kaleidoscope feedback

Step oneStep two Step three Step fourStep five Feedback Right on track Changed the notes for each child Didn’t need to change anything

Learning about different methods of creating a learning story was interesting and gave me more information for the future. Although I saw a gap in what was put in the kaleidoscopes. The educators chose what was placed in the kaleidoscopes and the children or parents did not have a say in it. As I leant to do a kaleidoscope an did learning stories through my time at the Kindergarten I realized how much work goes into every individual one. I saw that the children loved looking at them and sharing them with their friends or family. This led me to believe that the gap was larger then I thought as children and parents should have a say of what goes in the kaleidoscopes. To fix this gap and maybe close it educators have to think about the children and parents as they make kaleidoscopes. This could be done through educator consulting the families and the children and asking them for an idea of one piece of work they would like in their kaleidoscope. Educators can then create a kaleidoscope reflecting what the child and family wants, this also shows a family centred practice which is used in the Earl Years Learning Framework.

I felt I needed to understand the process of planning for both the outside and inside environment so I would have more confidence in the area, which I now have and feel this is one of m strengths. Step one I talked to the staff about ho they plan for the inside and outside environment. Outside one group plans for half the yard and the other group does the other half. They said its based on the children's interests, parents suggestions and continuations from other activities such as drop painting to sand art. Step two Watched the staff plan for the two environments. They continued o children's interest and brought out new activities they thought the children may find interesting. Talked to staff and talked through possible ideas I could implement. Step three Implemented some activities inside and outside based on observations, extensions of activities and interests of the children. Got advice and feedback from my mentor teacher at the end.

My goal was to successfully plan the outside and inside environment using the focus children and the group, I feel I did this really well and through the process I noticed a gap in the way the kindergarten did it. I noticed that parents were not utilized as much as they could be. There were pieces of paper around so that parents could write down ideas but as I observed the parents I noticed this was not happening. As the Early Years Learning Framework is focused on family centred practice I felt that this is an area that could be worked on with the families so that they are more involved with the kindergarten. To create a more family centred practice the educators need to talk to the parents and fins out what is causing them not to give feedback. Maybe having an ideas boards with just sticky notes would be the way, as most parents don’t have enough time to wrote on a large piece f paper. The educators need to create a more family centred practice through their centre as stated by the Early Years Learning Framework. In the future centres need to have a open door policy with the parents so they feel feedback is always wanted and race or gender has no influence on the validity of the feedback.

Observed parents Greeted them and had small conversations Built up the confidence to ask parents about focus children and get consent Spoke to several at the Mothers day afternoon tea Greeted them and spoke to them about their children

I observed the parents and noticed the parents who like to speak to the educators. From this I observed the type of conversations they had so I had an idea of what was talked about As the parents brought their children In I started to greet them as I greeted the child. This enabled me to have a small conversation with them, such as what they had done on the weekend or just how they were. I asked the parents of my focus children for consent to take pictures and observations. As I did this one parent felt comfortable to hand e or bab daughter while she signed the form. I was able to form a stronger relationship with the parents of my focus children. As mothers day was coming up the kindergarten had a Mothers day afternoon tea. Through this I was able to connect with a lot more parents. I had a conversation with a parent in regards to her child being on the spectrum which I felt privileged to hear as most parents don’t talk about those things with students. I was also able to have a lot more conversations with other parents in regards to their children and what they liked. As I finished my placement I found I was able to greet parents with better ease and feel more comfortable approaching them. I felt I had built some good relationships with some of them and found that they were very welcoming to me.

The earl years framework supports educators having a family centred practice as this allows the families to feel part of the centre. The centre did this really well in regards to parents as they are the primary care giver of the child. I noticed though that grandparents and other carers appeared to feel less supported in the centre, communication between the educators and other caregivers was also less. This is the gap I noticed and I believe needs to be filled. There are so many different family setups that parents can not be seen as the only carer of a child as there are always many more. So in regards to other cares the centre needs to be more forth coming and have more communication with them. The way forward would be having another way for other caregivers to give ideas about what the children are interested in. Days need to be celebrated such a special person day so that the educators can meet the other care givers with the parents there. Other caregivers need to also feel supported and part of the community so educators need to approach them and try to tart a conversation so that other caregivers can see that interest is being taken in them. This will be supported through the outcomes in the Earl Years learning Framework and the Victorian Early Years Learning Framework.

As I took my observations I noticed art was a particular interest of the group and they loved new art experiences. Through the art experiences they were able to work on their wellbeing as they enjoyed working with others and having a go at the new challenges that came wit the new art experiences which influenced part of my planning. Observations such as these influenced my planning through weeks 9 and 10 shown in the programming slides I analysed these through the Early years Learning Framework, the interest of the child and theorists. As my centre was a Montessori based one the children learnt through play, this cause Vygotsky (1978) to become a theorist that I followed. The children needed someone to show them what to do with the art experiences but one they knew they became the expects and were able to show each other, through this collaborative learning they were able to learn new ways to do the art activity as the children came up with idea themselves.

Shaving cream printing Sand painting

Bubble painting Balloon painting Drop painting

Day one The class included an Autistic child, which I was able to pick out due to signs she was making and mannerisms, I felt a lot more at ease with working with as I work casually at a special school. Day two Reading was a big thing today with children reading to me and others, showing care and empathy that they understood the story. Day three I spoke to all the parents about what is happening and why I need their consent, I found this really easy as all the parents were more then happy to have their children focused on Day four I already have some craft ideas but I think I will have a harder time planning the outside environment Day five My observations also got better as I looked at the mentors observations and found that they only did 2-3 learning outcomes so I changes it on mine. Day six I plan to start getting right into work or conversations with the children and the families so I'm not standing around as per my mentor teachers observations of what I could improve on. Day seven Today I made one change in the room but I will have ideas through the observations I get each day. Day eight I have started to connect with families more and have a stronger connection with the children. Day nine Today was mothers day afternoon tea, I found this gave me time to really connect with the parents. I was able to have some really nice conversations with some of them.

Day ten I had my evaluation this week and I am really happy with how I went, I plan on taking my mentor teachers observations on board and really making the changes in the last week. Day eleven I took my time today, it was very exhausting as the children were hyped up from the dinosaur incursion. I found I had to pull a lot of children up for talking. It was challenging but a good experience. Day twelve I brought in a fish game I made yesterday, the children loved it. It was a great feeling knowing they loved what I hade created. Day thirteen Today was my birthday!! The educators made me feel so special and we made biscuits with the children, I really felt apart of the group. I also got a special Happy Birthday sung to me which was very special. Day fourteen Today was my second last day of placement and I feel I have really grown. I will be really sad to leave everyone as I have made lots of connections. Day fifteen My last day was today and I was so sad. I feel like I have grown so much and made so many connections with children and the staff.