Park Orchards Kindergarten

The children have been creating 3D sculptures with beads and wire. These experiences support children's fine motor development, as well as hand/eye coordination. They have been experimenting with patterns as well as searching for specific colours and shapes to add to their wires.

Who am I? Identity is a key outcome of our learning frameworks and links strongly to a sense of belonging and inclusion. This week, children worked with a wide range of recycled materials to create a self-portrait. They chatted about facial features, hair colour, accessories and much more as they worked. Just as the children we teach and learn with are unique, so is their art.

Working together to make a tunnel that's big enough to crawl through. This one took a couple of attempts, but perseverance and problem-solving skills were highlighted as the children worked together to remodel and use their construction.

Over 55 stalls of fresh food, beautiful arts & crafts, great coffee, delicious food, live music, a balloon twisting magician and a friendly, vibrant atmosphere for everyone to enjoy!

"The emu, possum and goanna are all at the meeting place. There's a baby in a coolamon under the stars." Sophie

Indigenous perspectives are embedded in our curriculum, but this week were highlighted in recognition of the importance of National Reconciliation Week. We have shared books such as "Somebody's land" by Adam Goodes, counted in Woiwurrung language and explored what 'reconciliation' means. Through various discussions and experiences, the children described it as "caring about other people, being kind to everyone and working together".

The children worked out how to take turns with a favourite piece of equipment - make a list! They added their names to a clipboard, let friends know when it was their turn, counted down when a turn was finishing and so on. Social skills and literacy in action!

Me and my brother get ice creams at the milk bar. I throw the wrappers in the bin because it’s not caring for the earth when you throw it on the ground. Harper

We are thinking about how we care for our environment and this week invited the children to paint a place they love to be or visit, and consider how they care for that space. There were so many gorgeous reflections about the beach, Nan's house, sport, camping and much more. We'll continue to explore our Acknowledgement of Country and what it means to care for the "land, waterways, sky and community".

Thank you to Museums Victoria for our fantastic visits this week! So much information shared, fossils to explore and bones to measure. We loved the Muttaburrasaurus!

Over 55 stalls and entertainment! Hope to see some Kindergarten families at the next Park Orchards Market!

Dinosaurs! Children in Red group enjoyed a visit from Drama Toolbox this week, dramatising stories about dinosaurs through music and movement. Children in Green group will be visited by Museums Victoria next week to explore bones, fossils and ideas they have been pondering about dinosaurs, their diets, habitats and extinction.

These materials supported children's interest in dinosaurs and measurement, exploring mathematical language. They measured bones and placed them in length order. They're also exploring the teeth of various dinosaurs - carnivores, herbivores and omnivores!

Along with natural treasures from the garden and local community, the children have been exploring the texture and possibilities of clay. It's such a fabulous medium! Children observed its temperature, what happened when they added water, how some of the tools could be used and much more.

We welcome all our families back for another term!

We've been getting acquainted with some Spiny leaf insects this week. Teresa brought these from home and the children were fascinated by their appearance and movement. We chatted about wings, laying eggs, camouflage, diet, habitat and much more.

The next Park Orchards Market is on Saturday 20th April from 10am until 2pm. Over 55 stalls of fresh food, beautiful arts & crafts, great coffee, delicious food, live music, a balloon twisting magician and a friendly, vibrant atmosphere for everyone to enjoy! A great way to support small business and the community.

We hope all our families have had a lovely term break. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back for another term of fabulous learning opportunities. See you next week!

What a wonderful first term we've had together! Happy Easter to all families celebrating!

We wish our community a great term break, full of special memories and we look forward to seeing everyone again in Term 2.

Can you spot it? A small group of children had noticed a caterpillar making its way up the tree trunk, when we saw some movement from a spider that had been wonderfully camouflaged!

Potions to run faster, potions to turn into a butterfly and a potion to be a giant! Following children's interests, we planned this experience, which also included opportunities for science and exploring reactions.

The next Park Orchards Market is on Saturday 16th March from 10am until 2pm. It’s a great opportunity to support small businesses and community groups. There’ll be over 55 stalls of fresh food, beautiful arts & crafts, great coffee, delicious food, live music and a friendly, vibrant atmosphere for everyone to enjoy!

This week, a number of children in Green group have enjoyed playing “Catch and count”. The children use numeracy and social skills, chatting about what they’ve caught as they game progresses.

So lovely to welcome the children to Red and Green groups! We are getting to know each other, building connections and a sense of belonging within our Kindergarten community.

This letter was written by one of the friends in Green group. „Kinder is fun. I love it.“

The first Park Orchards Market for 2024 is on Saturday 17th February from 10am until 2pm. It’s a great opportunity to support small businesses and community groups. There’ll be over 60 stalls of fresh food, beautiful arts & crafts, great coffee, delicious food, live music, a magic show, balloon twisting and a friendly atmosphere for everyone to enjoy!

first Park Orchards Market for 2024 is on Saturday 17th February from 10am until 2pm. It’s a great opportunity to support small businesses and community groups. There’ll be over 60 stalls of fresh food, beautiful arts & crafts, great coffee, delicious food, live music, a magic show, balloon twisting and a friendly atmosphere for everyone to enjoy!

We are ready and excited to welcome you to the 2024 Kindergarten year! If you have any questions about your orientation visit, please don’t hesitate to contact us - 9876 1618.

Limited places are available in our Monday / Tuesday 4 year old group for 2024! For more information about our programs, Free Kinder or enrolment, please head to our website - www.parkorchardskinder.org.au - or call our Enrolment Officer on 0437936522.

What a special week we've had, celebrating our time at Kindergarten together! Thank you to our Kindergarten community for a fabulous year. Best wishes to all our children heading to school in 2024! We look forward to welcoming everyone else back to Kindergarten in the new year, along with new families, ready for more great adventures!

No need to cry or pout, we've just got word from Santa's Helpers that Picture Plates and Cups are on their way from the North Pole! Keep an eye on your emails and social media for further updates regarding distribution.

Detailed Christmas drawings are emerging in the children's work. Many have been chatting about their trees and what is on the top!

For Green group families joining us for the Community Carols at Domeney Reserve on Sunday night, please meet us side stage at around 6.20pm.

Welcome to our Christmas Market! Park Orchards Market is a lovely boutique market with over 60 carefully curated, quality stalls for you to explore. We don't do boring, so you won't see multiples of the same stalls, selling the same things here! There's fabulous pottery, hardy plants, succulent plant arrangements, bath & body products, candles, jewellery, handmade cards, clothing, toys, woodwork, unique gifts, exquisite art & craft items, organic fruit & veg, artisan cheese, pasta sauce, handmade pasta, bread, cakes, slices, condiments, eggs, honey, spice blends, wine, artisan gin, pet treats, pet accessories, great coffee, delicious hot food and so much more! The perfect place to do some Christmas shopping!

Talented young buskers will entertain you with balloon twisting, a magic show and beautiful live music! Santa will be making a special visit too!

We also have plenty of seating around the oval or bring a picnic rug & stay a while to enjoy the friendly atmosphere. Lots of playgrounds for the kids to explore.

We are a dog friendly market: must be on a short leash, be well behaved and under your full control for the comfort and safety of others market goers.

Easy, free parking in nearby streets.

Disabled parking available on Bowmore Avenue, near the market entrance.

Wheelchair friendly.

Gold coin donation at entry gate is greatly appreciated. Proceeds are donated to local community groups, schools, kindergartens etc for special purchases and projects.

Venue: Park Orchards Primary School: 1-3 Bowmore Avenue, Park Orchards. Vic. 3114

We would love you to visit!

Our love for sensory experiences continues! This week we planned a printing experience, using our feet. Wonderful language, such as cold, ticklish and slippery was heard and many children came back for second, third and more turns! They selected colours, tried patterns and much more. Great opportunities to practise taking off and putting on shoes and socks too.