Montessori Journey, Outside

Outside

Shaded play area
Our well equipped and maintained playground is shaded by the natural environment with many gardens which the children nurture and care for. The outdoor playground equipment is selected according to the age group of the children. The layout and maintenance of all outdoor equipment and surfaces are carefully selected to minimise the possibility of injury to the children. Outdoors we cater for children who want to play in solitary play thru to children that want to run and climb using their gross motor skills, we have creative play, quiet areas, areas where dramatic play can be supported, it includes many and varied experiences for the children.

Our outdoor environment is an extension of our indoor environment, it gives the children opportunities to explore which provides them with many learning possibilities. The playground includes a bike track, a shaded teaching area which has multiple uses for small and large group play opportunities, A large covered sand pit, an extra large timber fort which has lots of different areas to support many skills including a climbing wall, slide, clatter bridge, net bridge, monkey bars and more. We have a climbing dome, shallow wading pool, musical playground and three timber cubby houses. We also have the moveable equipment which we offer at different times to support different skills. We have a trampoline, carpentary table, the use of the A frames which can be made in many configurations for different skills, balance buckets, balance boards, water trough. The quiet area, books, puzzles, colouring in, painting, construction and much more.

Montessori believes in teaching the children to support the environment and maintaining it by:
• Using compost bins for food scraps
• Caring for animals found in our environment
• Not to strip trees or flowers/bark/branches
• Care of plants in our environment
• Children plant seeds to develop an appreciation of nature
• Children participate in keeping the environment clean. Eg sweeping paths, raking the leaves and the sandpit when
needed.
• Putting the equipment away after each use, working as a team to get the job done.

Teachers on duty
Staff station themselves at specific stations outside for optimal supervision of the playground , Staff are mindful not to get in consumed conversations with parents at the expense of the safety of the children. If parents need an in-depth discussion a suitable time will be arranged. All staff either hold a Senior first aid certificate or are in the process of updating it.

Sun protection
As we are a sun safe centre the children remain in the indoor environment between the hours of 10 and 3 daily, leaving plenty of time to explore our fun filled playground. We take certain measures to protect the children from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays. Staff will set up most outdoor activities in the shaded area. Opportune moments will be used to teach children why we need to protect ourselves from the sun.

Sunscreen
We understand that some parents may prefer that their children do not use sunscreen due to the unknown risk involved with putting chemicals on the skin. Please advise the office or put it into your enrolment form your preference in this matter, otherwise sunscreen will be applied on all children.

Hats
Hats should stay on firmly, offer protection to the face, ears and neck – Legionnaire type hats and hats with brims of 8-10 cm are the best for providing shade, caps are not acceptable. Children without hats will have to play in the shade. Please name your child’s hat.

Clothing
All children wear full shirts, no singlets, full hats. Some fabrics offer better protection from the sun than others. Further information about protective clothing and sunglasses are available through the Queensland Cancer Sun Smart Shops.

This Centre is a recognised Sun Smart Centre with the Queensland Cancer Association.

Behaviour Management
Staff are conscious of fostering within the children safe playground behaviours through the appropriate use of equipment. Children need guidelines and acceptable limits within which they are free to make their own decisions. With this in mind we aim to assist children to become self-disciplined who know and understand the limits set.

If children carry on with challenging behaviour we adopt the rule of thinking timeout, we let the child know they will have this if they carry on the unacceptable behaviour eg. Hurting or disrespecting other children, physically, emotionally, psychologically, themselves or staff. Thinking timeout is done only until the child settles and they can rejoin the group or activity. Thinking timeout is always done in the same area that the incident has happened so that the child can see what acceptable behaviour is, which is displayed by the other children.

At the end of timeout staff always discuss with the child acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and any learning’s that can be gleaned from the situation. Staff actively seek to discuss differences between the guidance strategies used by family members and will constantly evaluate situations and use it in a constructive way within the Centre. Please read our behaviour policy.

Guidelines for the Centre
The Centre promotes a policy on peace, war toys and fighting type games, degrading name-calling and jeering are not permitted at the Centre.