The teachers in the Early Learning Centre (ELC) believe that it is never too early or difficult to discuss real life concerns and social justice matters with young children. It is at this young age that values, beliefs and attitudes form within the minds of children. Hence, teachers and the educational program that they offer can have a huge impact upon the formation and development of these.

We are passionate about sustainability and thinking of ways to embed this into the curriculum. Recently, we have been exploring the concept of ‘endangered’, what does this mean, and in particular, what does this mean to our living animals and the environment. This has resulted in the children learning about the orange-bellied parrot as well as other endangered birds.

The children in the Wattle Room have been learning about the environment and, in particular, endangered birds.

In connection to this, we have been exploring how to care for the environment. This has been explored by introducing the children to ‘Eco Warriors’, with the children taking on a range of environmental roles, including Waste Warrior (collecting rubbish); Water Warrior (saving water); Sparky Warrior (saving electricity); and Green Thumb Warrior (caring for the garden).

We will continue to explore and revisit these concepts, values and attitudes throughout the year.