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Developing our sense of belonging in the Cocoon

We have begun our year in The Cocoon by introducing the Unit of Inquiry, Who We Are. Our early investigations have focused on our families and made us curious about where and with whom we belong.

“I am in my family” Indiana

“Woodleigh” Amelie

“I have a family”, Mila

“I do ‘acro-kids’ not at my home though”, Walter

“I have a mum and dad, oh and a sister Harlow” Oscar

“I live near Luca”, Spencer

“I went to another kinder now I’m here”, Elle

“Is this the Cocoon here? So the Cocoon is Woodleigh school” Elijah

As we explore our relationships and the groups we belong to in the wider community, we learn more about each other’s identities. We are looking forward to celebrating diversity and making the connection that relationships are crucial to our sense of belonging.

“I have a Woodleigh leaf”, Aaren

As the children explored Derinya Reserve, they found and collected lots of Woodleigh leaves so we could do art with some. We decided we could create our very own individual leaf on a mobile.

“It’s our own Woodleigh flag”, Tom

“They are gum leaves. It means respect,” Mila

“It’s to tell us to share and care”, Amelie

“Show love”, Arlo

“Respect everything”, Luca

“Yeah, like the land”, Seb

“Only take what you need”, Noah

By learning about the relationships, experiences and interests which help shape the children’s lives, educators play an essential role in helping the children develop their sense of identity and belonging. As they play, learn, and try new things in the ECC, the children are developing

As we develop this unit of inquiry, we plan to support the children to develop a deeper understanding of themselves as significant, respected members of our community.

Many of the games and learning invitations offered in the early weeks of the program have been carefully planned to build a sense of belonging through collaborative work. Working in small groups with others helps children learn to play cooperatively, help peers, show empathy, and feel the sense of satisfaction of teamwork. All educators have observed the children developing these skills through routines, visual cue cards and the development of our classroom agreement.