Learning Through Play Environment

I teach at Haeata Community Campus, East side of Christchurch, New Zealand.

This year we want to become more meaningful in the way we use our spaces.  Hikuawa (Year 1-2 - Age 5 and 6), make up one team of 9 teachers (some covering release and reading discovery teachers) and 90 Ākonga (learners).

We work in an innovative learning environment and take up half of one Hapori (building) which is designed to hold 300 students.  The other half is made up of Komanawa our bilingual provision.

Following are some photos showing how we have purposefully set up space to enable us to deliver our Haeata Curriculum.

Our quiet space designed for Ākonga to have a quiet space to be.  Comfortable, low lighting, sensory.  The hanging egg chair adds gentle movement.  Ākonga are encouraged to use this space to calm down, have a rest and refresh.

Clipboards are available everywhere.  Here a student has written about bean seeds in the garden.

Our Kai (food) area.  This is where the Ākonga can cook.  Where they can eat food.  They can choose to eat at a table or sit on a mat.  Ākonga are encouraged to go here to eat their Kai (food).

An area set aside for communication fluency - numeracy, reading,writing, digital communication.  Holds many of our books.  This will be valuable when we begin our Kaupapa Ako (main) Workshops.  Workshops invite (no child is made to go) Ākonga to learn specific goals from for example, their personalized education plan or maybe a new skill they would like to try.

Art and craft - open shelves so the Ākonga can choose materials they would like to use for their learning.

Construction, plenty of room for spreading out.

Dramatic play space.

One of our two glass classrooms with air conditioning.   Shut the door and you are in a quiet room.  Used for a variety of purposes such as collaboration, dramatic play, and being quiet or noisy.

You can just see our learning narrative journals.   

Construction area.

Outside with the mud kitchen.

An outside tray for exploration.  The Ākonga are free to move outside as they need to.  Our backyard is fully fenced.