October has been a month of settling into our classroom routines and gradually building up our work. As the children become more familiar with the rhythm of the classroom, they are receiving more lessons and taking on new challenges, allowing them to develop their skills and explore new areas of learning.
An important part of this process is learning to use their work journal effectively. As they receive more lessons, the children are increasingly able to plan their work, choose specific follow-up activities and take responsibility for their learning. This valuable tool promotes independence, organisation and autonomy in decision-making.
We are also becoming more familiar with our silent working time in the early morning. This peaceful period gives the children an opportunity to focus on activities that require particular attention and concentration. Little by little, they are discovering how dedicating time and attention to a task helps them complete their work and experience the satisfaction that comes from their own efforts.
As we get to know one another, we are seeing the beginnings of a stronger classroom community. The children are increasingly willing to help one another and are learning that everyone plays an important role in creating an environment where all feel welcome and included. Through our Grace and Courtesy lessons, we explore the values and social skills that help us live and work together respectfully. We also revisit the classroom rules that the children themselves have helped establish, encouraging them to understand why these shared agreements are important.
Two Great Lessons
This month, we have presented two of the Five Great Lessons: The Coming of the Universe and the Earth and The Timeline of Life. These stories introduce fundamental ideas in geography, science and biology, inviting the children to explore the origins of our planet and the development of life.
Through the first story, we explored the Big Bang, the formation of matter and the different states of matter: solids, liquids and gases. We discussed how temperature changes and powerful forces, including volcanic activity, shaped the early Earth over millions of years. Experiments led by our returning children helped bring these abstract concepts to life, allowing everyone to observe scientific processes and discover how everything is interconnected.
Our second Great Lesson took us on a journey through the history of life on Earth. The children explored how the planet gradually developed the conditions necessary for the first simple forms of life to emerge in the oceans. From these beginnings, living things evolved and diversified, eventually inhabiting water, land and air. We discussed how environmental and climatic changes influenced evolution, leading to the extinction of some species and the emergence of others. The timeline helped the children appreciate the extraordinary amount of time and change required for Earth to become a place where human beings could exist.
Alongside these special presentations, lessons from other areas of the curriculum continue to be part of our everyday classroom life, with children building on their knowledge through individual and collaborative work.
As October comes to an end, we are pleased to see our classroom community taking shape. Despite some changes and instability within the staff team, the children have continued their daily routines and learning with consistency. Maintaining a familiar rhythm has helped them continue to settle in, build relationships and develop their independence.
The children can’t wait for our Castaween Celebration! We hope it will be a very special and fun occasion for everyone!