Guest blog post from our fantastic TRT  

Cath who helped  create an exciting water play experience!

A quick Introduction for those of you who have not meet me, I am Cath and I have been doing relief teaching at il nido on and off over this year. And for those that have not worked or been to il Nido it is a great place to be – they really encourage children to explore, lead the play experience, express who they are, learn in a way that works for them, they are challenged, supported and there is always fun! Whenever I turn up I can’t wait to have a look around and see what is happening, often I don’t know what something is and frequently it changes from one child to the next what a creation could be! There have been water fountains, secret gardens, superhero caves, musical explorations; marble runs made from recycled material and so much more. It is engaging, inviting, exciting and you never know what is going to happen next! For an educator this is a great place to be!

-Cath Aimers 

So down to business! If you heard giggles of glee on Wednesday the 27^th of November this might just be why.

In Australia 37 Degree days …. means… hats, sunscreen, shade and water play…..so what to do…how to make it interesting and fun?!

After setting up a few things around the yard it was decided that a hanging sprinkler would be perfect for the kids to run through and play with! Charmaine helped work out some resources and it was time to create! After starting with an old plastic tube and putting some holes in using a screw driver we hung the tube up under the shade shelter and realised that too much was pouring out the end and not enough through the small holes. With team work Sarah another staff member worked out that blu tack would plug one end. By this stage the children were getting involved as they arrived for the day and were watching team work being modeled by the staff, they naturally started asking questions and helping with the hose and cutting the rope to hold it up.

It took quite a while to get it just right, a few different children helped problem solve of how to get the water to run through, after taping the connections, lowering the rope, raising the hose and removing the spray hose connection it was ready!

The children spent a lot of time running through, catching water with their buckets, washing items, wetting their hats, trying to use their mouths to catch the rain. In this play experience children used many different skills all at once from team work to negotiation, problem solving and sharing. A great sensory experience, it made sure children were cool, they were learning through play and it was such a joy and wonder to watch. I think I even saw a few staff run through too.

Written by Cath Aimers (TRT).