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For further information, please refer to Yarragin, Garrin and Djila/Buluk/Mingu's individual learning journey's, programs, reflections and correspondence to families that can be provided on request, as required.

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All educational programs are displayed on walls in each room for reference.

VEYLDF is the basis for our programs at Nagambie. Curriculum decision making is based around each child's knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities and interests. Our routines are organised in ways to maximise opportunities for learning.

-Sarah Villinger, Educational Leader

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For further information, please refer to Yarragin, Garrin and Djila/Buluk/Mingu programs/plans/overarching curriculum.

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For further information, please refer to Yarragin, Garrin and Djila/Buluk/Mingu learning environments.

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Our acknowledgment to country is embedded into our programs, Djila, Buluk and Mingu. We start our day with our acknowledgement extending it on ways we can help care for our Country, bird, plants, and animals.

Amy 14/11/25

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Follow on post from Train Excursion entries in QA6 and QA2.

The Train excursion to Seymour provided the children with a rich learning experience. They explored public transport, community spaces and social interactions. We had great verbal and written family feedback on this excursion.

See social media post here - https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Fimi9uwDz/

Marshelle Worden

XPLOR post

28/10/25

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Follow on from "First Responders" post QA6.2

The Garrin Room has a role play set up in the home corner with uniforms/hats and mobile phones. We have also been reading the book "Ouch" from the Ambulance Victoria website.

Marshelle Worden

XPLOR post

16/10/25

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We have been engaging in a lot of cooking in the Garrin Room through children's interests. Once a fortnight we go on an outing to IGA to collect ingredients for what we will be cooking. The children have a say in what we cook, as well as parent input (see attached XPLOR post). This opportunity creates a rich learning experience for the children in which they collaborate and use mathematical concepts. Link to social media post here - https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1ABVLoEWiu/

Marshelle Worden

XPLOR post

10/07/25

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🐠 Ocean-Themed Sensory and Science Activity

A Hands-On Learning Experience Inspired by the Sea

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🐠 Ocean-Themed Sensory and Science Activity

A Hands-On Learning Experience Inspired by the Sea

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We recently introduced a new ocean-themed sensory water play activity, and it has quickly become a favourite in our learning environment! Designed to stimulate curiosity and support early science exploration, this hands-on experience allowed children to dive deep into imaginative and sensory play.

What Was Included?

The ocean-themed setup featured:

A large tray filled with shredded paper "sand"

Real sea shells, smooth pebbles, and plastic ocean animals like sharks, turtles, and octopuses

Blue-tinted water with droppers for experimenting

Glass gems and beads representing water bubbles and ocean treasures

This open-ended environment provided a perfect blend of sensory stimulation, creative play, and early scientific investigation.

Children’s Voices in Action

As they explored, the children’s excitement was evident. Their comments showed real wonder, discovery, and social awareness:

“It’s turning blue!” — as they squeezed water into the paper and watched it change color.

“It’s making bubbles!” — observing the interaction of water with the gems and materials.

“Sharing with friends is nice.” — a beautiful moment of cooperation and kindness as children took turns using the tools.

These spontaneous remarks captured not just their learning, but also their growing emotional intelligence and communication skills.

What Were the Children Learning?

- Sensory Exploration

Children explored different textures—from the crunch of paper to the smoothness of stones and the slick surface of plastic animals—activating multiple senses.

- Early Science Concepts

They experimented with:

Absorption (watching paper soak up colored water)

Volume and measurement (using droppers and cups)

Cause and effect (mixing materials and observing changes)

- Language and Communication

Engaging in dialogue, asking questions, and naming sea creatures helped children strengthen vocabulary and social communication

- Fine Motor Development

Using droppers, scooping water, and placing small objects supported fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

A Space for Wonder and Connection

Children were deeply engaged, working both independently and collaboratively. They created underwater scenes, made up stories about the sea creatures, and worked together to share tools and space. It was a joy to see such natural exploration, collaborative play, and genuine learning take place.

Reflections

This ocean-themed sensory tray was a perfect blend of science, creativity, and social learning. It sparked deep engagement and reminded us how powerful child-led, sensory-rich experiences can be in early learning.

We look forward to diving even deeper into ocean exploration in the coming weeks!

Kaylar Murrell 22/09/2025

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Goal:
To promote life skills, healthy eating habits, cultural learning by embedding weekly cooking sessions into our regular program.

Rationale:
Cooking is a valuable, hands-on learning experience that supports children’s development across multiple domains. It fosters teamwork, mathematics (measuring, counting), literacy (following recipes), fine motor skills, and personal responsibility. Through cooking, children also engage with cultural traditions, develop healthy food choices, and gain confidence in everyday life skills.

Based on feedback from children, educators, and families, and in line with the VEYLDF—particularly Outcomes 1, 3, and 4—we identified a need and opportunity to embed cooking more intentionally and consistently into our program.

Current Implementation:
As visible in our community calendar (September) and seasonal planning calendar (September–December), cooking sessions are now a consistent, scheduled part of the weekly curriculum. These sessions are clearly marked and planned in advance, with children involved in both the planning and preparation stages. Our “Recipe Book” documents the meals and snacks we prepare together and encourages literacy through reading and writing recipes.

Cooking sessions are:

Child-led and interest-based

Culturally inclusive, featuring diverse recipes

Documented with photos and reflections

Linked to broader program themes and events (e.g., seasonal changes, celebrations, healthy eating initiatives)

Often shared with families and the wider community (e.g., through “Grateful Neighbours” events)

Outcomes and Reflections:
Children have shown increased enthusiasm and independence during cooking sessions. They are engaging in meaningful conversations about food, sharing experiences from home, and demonstrating pride in their creations. Educators have noticed improvements in collaboration, problem-solving, and self-regulation during these sessions.

Families have responded positively to the shared recipes and photos, fostering stronger connections between home and our program. The cooking experiences have also supported community building, particularly through shared meals and events.

Next Steps:

Continue to document recipes and expand the “Our Recipe Book” with child-written content and photos.

Involve families in cooking sessions or recipe contributions.

Introduce simple nutrition education alongside cooking activities.

Create opportunities for intergenerational cooking with community visitors.

Evaluate and adapt recipes to include more sustainable, low-waste practices.

Linked VEYLDF Outcomes:

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity.

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators (through recipe reading/writing and discussions).

Kaylar Murrell 09/09/2025

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🐛 Caring for a Caterpillar – A Learning Experience in Quality Area 1

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🐛 Caring for a Caterpillar – A Learning Experience in Quality Area 1

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At our Service, we recently introduced a real-life experience for the children by caring for a caterpillar as part of our program. This activity provided a rich opportunity to promote learning through observations and curiosity– Aligning with Quality Area 1: Educational Program and Practice of the National Quality Standard (NQS).

Why a Caterpillar?
Caring for a caterpillar helps children understand and appreciate the natural world, the life cycle of other living beings, and the importance of caring for living beings. It provides a hands-on way to connect with early science concepts and to encourage a sense of responsibility.

Learning Outcomes Addressed (VEYLDF):

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world – They learn to respect and care for living things.

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners – They engage in inquiry, make observations, and reflect on changes over time.

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators – They express their ideas, ask questions, and verbally describe what they see.

What We Did:

Set up a small caterpillar habitat in a recycled box with food (such as fresh leaves collected by the children from outside)

Encouraged children to observe the caterpillar daily, discussing it's movements, size, and changes.

Read books and watched videos about the butterfly life cycle.

Provided drawing and writing materials for children to document.

Discussed the importance of caring for living beings.

Link to Quality Area 1:
This experience demonstrates how intentional teaching and responsiveness to children’s interests can support meaningful learning.

Kaylar Murrell 15/05/2025

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QA1-1.2 Practice-Educators facilitate and extend each child's learning and development.

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QA1-1.2 Practice-Educators facilitate and extend each child's learning and development.

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As per post "When I'm feeling kind" QA5 5.2 25/03/25

The children have been reflecting on their emotions during different moments of the day, as well as at group time when they place their photo on the emotion they are feeling. The children are moving their photos throughout the day while their emotions change, as well as speaking about and identifying their emotions.

Marshie

25/03/25

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Worm habitat discussions, video recorded by Sarah Villinger 08/11/24.

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Group time worm habitat discussions in Garrin-Taungurung language

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Group time worm habitat discussions in Garrin-Taungurung language

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This group time activity is an extension from 23/10/24

'Abbey (educator) is expanding the children's knowledge further by adding Taungurung language on the back of the flash cards. This is to further embed Indigenous perspectives within the program reflecting on our RAP action 'curriculum planning' and build an understanding on Indigenous culture.

RAP actions:

https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/raps/44964/nagambie-preschool-and-childcare '

This group time activity aligns with:

Our Service philosophy: Child Centered Practice, Connection to place and time, Collaborative partnerships and continuous improvement.

RAP Action: Curriculum planning

VEYLDF

Learning Outcome: Community, Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.

Learning Outcome: Communication, Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

The children are participating in a group experience to expand on their knowledge of Taungurung language. The children are creating an understanding on how to convey and construct meaning.

Data created by Abbey King, 12/11/24.

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Worm habitat discussions, video recorded by Sarah Villinger 23/10/24

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Group time worm habitat discussions in Garrin.

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Group time worm habitat discussions in Garrin.

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The Garrin learning community have been working hard on establishing their knowledge to create a worm habitat. The team have been learning about how to care for and provide our worm habitat with the most nourishing foods possible.

One way the children have expanded their knowledge has been through meaningful discussions with educators during mat time. The discussions have included what foods might be a healthy addition to the worm habitat and what foods might be deemed an unhealthy addition to the worm habitat.

Extension

Abbey (educator) is expanding the children's knowledge further by adding Taungurung language on the back of the flash cards. This is to further embed Indigenous perspectives within the program reflecting on our RAP action 'curriculum planning' and build an understanding on Indigenous culture.

Data collated by Sarah Villinger and Abbey King, 23/10/24.

Updated by Sarah Villinger, 31/10/24.

RAP actions:

https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/raps/44964/nagambie-preschool-and-childcare

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As per post "Helmets for Yarragin 21/06/24 QA2 QA2.2" Helmets have been embedded into everyday practice in the Yarragin, with a focus of explaining to the children it helps to keep us safe. On this day I observed a child using a helmet in her imaginative play, clipping it onto the rocking horse stating "need helmet, be safe". This is a great way to see the children's understanding of what we have been embedding into our program.

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Following on from "Vegetable Garden 14/09/24 QA1 QA1.2" The children have been watering the plants and checking on them. The plants have begun to really take off. The children consistently indicate to the watering cans to water the garden while we are enjoying outdoors within our program

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Extending on the voices captured from our families as per post 19/07/24 QA6, 6.1 "Family voices within Yarragin's program" we have started to prepare our garden for new plants by weeding and turning over the soil. We were very lucky to have received a donated snow pea plant from one of our families which was purchased from the local Avenel Market. The children were very excited to plant this new addition to our garden.

This reflects on our Service Philosophy

child centered practice, connection to place and time, collaborative partnerships and continuous improvement.

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Exploring the worm habitat. Providing our worms with the best diet!

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Exploring the worm habitat. Providing our worms with the best diet!

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After discussions during mat time relating to the worm habitat and their healthy eating habitats the children have begun saving their food scraps at meal times to further support the development of a healthy environment for our new worms. Conversations have been occurring amongst the children and educators during these meal times about what the worms can eat and what they can't eat.

Reflecting on the 29/08/24 "Exploring the worm habitat. Providing our worms with the best diet!"

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Exploring the worm habitat. Providing our worms with the best diet!

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Exploring the worm habitat. Providing our worms with the best diet!

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The Garrin team have been busy educating themselves on how to create a healthy worm habitat. Abbey and the children have been discussing the importance of good nutrition to better assist with a healthy worm environment.

This is reflecting on Garrin's post "Exploring the existing worm habitat" dated 11/07/24.

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Today the children were exploring the yard with Abbey. Abbey looked inside the worm habitat to see if there was any movement. This prompted discussions amongst the Garrin program to see what learnings we could extend on relating to sustainable practices and re-building our worm habitat. VIA Xplor post, Kate Schneider.

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Through our RAP Inquiry we have been having discussions relating to imbedding Indigenous perspectives within the educational program. We have been having discussions relating to Indigenous perspectives with Indigenous families and linking with the Taungurung Dictionary to begin building our understanding to implement it in the program. We have been using a slow pedagogy approach to maintain our learnings as an educational team.

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Using tweezers
Indy-Lee Eeles
2/05/2024

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Indy-Lee Eeles  19.04.2024
Using droppers in the Garrin room

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Miranda Anthony 15-04-2024
First time using scissors

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We have been doing more activities to help with fine motor development.
Kate Schneider 15-04-2024

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While in our room the children spotted 2 parrots in our front yard. “Look!! Birds!” a child exclaimed. The children came running to the window. While watching the parrots we spotted the parrots taking bird seeds from our diy bird feeders that we hung in multiple spots around the yard and out the front of our service.
Although the parrots are not baawang it was still exciting to see birds eating from our bird feeders.

Taylah Pryde 05/04/2024

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Baawang (magpie) - Responsive teaching and scaffolding 

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Baawang (magpie) - Responsive teaching and scaffolding 

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One morning we had an influx of magpies visiting our yard, this sparked an interest among some of the children.
The children were asked “what do you know about magpies?” We got our trusty iPad out and googled magpies where we were able to make a mindmap on everything we had learnt. “What is the Taungurung word for magpie?” We downloaded the Taungurung language app to help us with our question.
The children initiated finding items in our garden to make nests for the Baawang. To do this they collected leaves, flowers, sticks and small plants and then weaved them into a basket shape.
Following on from making nests for the Baawang a child asked “what do magpies eat?” And “what do they eat?” After another google search we decided to make our own bird feeders to continue to promote the Baawang to come into our yard.
The children asked to add magnifying glasses to our space to look closely at the feathers they find in our yard.

Taylah Pryde 22/03/2024

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Block Building- Construction- Responsive Teaching and scaffolding 

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Block Building- Construction- Responsive Teaching and scaffolding 

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Kate Schneider 18/03/2024
I have also discussed with the Garrin room about how we can continue to add to this is the coming future eg. Asking parents what their jobs are, and asking them to supply a photo of what it may look like on a random day of the week, also asking the children to draw a picture of a building which we can then transform into building one. We have also talked about bringing in bigger blocks and materials for them to build bigger and wider buildings.

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Miranda 3/4/24

Today we followed on from an interest in building and developed some plans for our towers. The children learnt that a square has four sides, that we can trace around the blocks or draw them freehand on the page to represent the blocks, and that we can use paper and pencils to communicate our ideas. Throughout we engaged in counting focusing on sequencing and one tone correspondence.

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Educator Abbey King-Documented by Sarah Villinger January 2024

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The Garrin children had a fascination for books. The educational team in Garrin made the most of this opportunity by embedding early literacy in the program and began to extend on the children's learning by incorporating words other than what was documented within the story. As an example this included education relating to mathematical concepts and STEM learning.

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1.1.2, Responsive teaching and scaffolding. The children in Woriyp Room have a strong interest in birds. The children are regularly looking in an Australian animal encyclopaedia. From this interest whenever I walk into the Woriyp learning environment I take the time to talk to the children about the birds, specifically Magpies and Crows. I spoke with the children about the Taungurung Indigenous names for these two birds Baawang (Magpie) Waang (Crow). In this photograph you can see children staring into the trees late one afternoon talking about Baawangs nest and her young. Sarah Villinger, 25/09/23.

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QA1-1.1 Program-The educational program enhances each child's learning and development.

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QA1-1.1 Program-The educational program enhances each child's learning and development.

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1.1.2-Each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program. Marshelle Lack, 27/10/23-Via Xplor post

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I was out in the yard and found this incredible creation on the ground and asked an educator about it. The educator told me that a child had created it whilst outdoors. It prompted a discussion amongst leaders and we thought it would be interesting for educators to spark a discussion with the children about sustainable practices within the service and how we can utilise resources gifted to us by nature. Element 1.2.2-Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and extend children’s learning through open-ended questions, interactions and feedback. Sarah Villinger 28/02/24.