Pre School 1 – Our First Off Campus Experiential Learning

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Our First Off Campus Experiential Learning

During the course of the unit ‘How the world works’, the  PS1 explored a variety of resources to understand and develop their understanding of the properties of  materials and how materials change in different situations. They inquired and explored to find out how materials were similar and different. They discovered how materials may change as a result  different processes such as: manipulating, cutting, gluing, heating and pouring them into different containers.

The PS1 had  their very first field trip on Friday, 19th January 2018,  to “Bring into Being”, an Arts center, to add more variety to their learning experiences and to provide them with an opportunity to make connections and apply the knowledge gained through the unit. The children were all very excited to use their creativity and imagination and practise using the tools and techniques they had acquired in manipulating clay.

This trip also afforded us the opportunity to work on our social and self-management skills. Before we left for Bring into Being (BIB), we spoke about how we can stay safe on the bus and during the trip. We talked about being responsible, helping one another and our teachers by listening, following instructions and staying with the PS1 group at all times.

The children were enthusiastic and eager to get into the bus for the drive to BIB where we were warmly greeted by Mr. Sangamesh Rajeshwar, the director who took the children on a tour around the center and introduced them to the ‘Harry Potter’- the man who created magic with his potter’s wheel. The potter showed the children how the wheel worked to create beautiful pots and diyas out of clay.

Mr. Sangamesh then worked with the children to make a tortoise each, inviting them to explore the clay that they were given, tools that were provided. The students then had to  choose an appropriate techniques to shape and manipulate their clay in order to make the body, legs, face and tail for the tortoise. They were also encouraged to create models of other objects such as their favourite toy. The children made helicopters, cars, baskets etc.

The visit ended with a treat of chocolate from Mr. Sangamesh.

The children came back happy and tired after the trip. They were all good listeners and principled during the trip. We look forward to many more experiential learning engagements off the school campus to allow us to link our learning with the real world.

Sharon and Pratima