Child: Bella (4 years)  

Date: Term 2, Week 4  

Focus: Collage using textured papers and natural materials.  

 

Throughout the past 4 weeks, we have been exploring the idea of creating a portable fairy garden that we could leave outside at night for the fairies to come to when we have all gone to sleep. This idea was initiated by Bella, who felt inspired by the natural resources and textured paper that was introduced at the beginning of the term. 

 

Throughout the past 4 weeks, Bella has been exploring these textured papers and natural materials, focusing on investigating how we can use the textures to create a fairy garden. Bella has been actively engaging in strong verbal communication with her peers, sharing her ideas and also supporting that of others. Bella has loved sharing stories about the fairies that live in this garden, expressing her empathy by talking about the way the garden would need different rooms for different family members, connecting and linking her worlds. 

 

She has been using her imagination and storytelling to redefine her understanding of empathy and awareness of others. When others in the group shared their ideas, Bella has been welcoming to acknowledge these and add to them. 

George: We can have a workshop for the daddy fairy because my daddy has a workshop in the garage!

Bella: Yes! We can make the garage here!

 

Bella has carefully observed each resource available, brainstorming what each object could be used for. This exercised her critical thinking and fine motor skills as she shaped each acorn around the blue crumpled paper to represent a pond for the fairy garden. 

Bella: This is the pond, and the sparkles are fish! 

 

Bella has been one of the main protagonists and an expert in these classes, exploring the resources available and exercising her mathematical understanding of spatial awareness, and scientific understanding of different textures and materials, to assess the suitability of each resource and whether they are fit for the intended purpose or not. 

 

We have been supporting with developing her literacy by providing accurate names of the resources, such as acorn, pinecone, lichen, and stepping up her language by introducing scientific words to support her mathematical understanding of scale such as microscopic, centimeters, millimeters. 

 

In the coming weeks, we would love to introduce mixed media with natural dyes, and perhaps digital fish projections to place in her ‘fairy garden pond’ to further emphasise her growing imagination and critical thinking. Bella’s communication and growing sense of leadership have been the driving force in the past 4 weeks, and we would love to continue to support this aspect of her learning. 

 

Learning Highlights:  

✔ Exploration – tried layering and cutting materials independently (Te Whāriki)  

✔ Communication – shared her idea of “making a fairy garden” with peers (Te Whāriki)  

 

What Bella Said: “This is the pond, and the sparkles are fish!”  

 

Next Steps: Introduce mixed media with natural dyes next session.  

 

Reflection: Loved her imaginative theme – could develop into a group project.