Up in the Air, Down on the Farm and Everything in Between
The week of 20–24 April at Redfern Cottage was one of those weeks where every room was running a completely different world. Tiny Wanderers were gazing skyward, imagining themselves aboard hot air balloons and helicopters. Little Explorers were knee-deep in farm animal sensory play. The Preschool 3–4 group was tracking the quiet, remarkable journey of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. And the Preschool 4–5 children were sitting with something weightier: the significance of ANZAC Day and what it means to remember. Four rooms, four themes, and all of it purposeful.
Up, Up and Away: Air Transport with Tiny Wanderers
Young children are natural wonderers, and there are few things that spark curiosity quite like the question of how something as heavy as an aeroplane manages to lift off the ground. This week, Tiny Wanderers explored the theme of air transport, learning about different types of flying vehicles including aeroplanes, helicopters and hot air balloons.
Through creative play, craft activities and group discussions, children began to build an understanding of how people and goods move through the air. At this age, the goal isn't technical comprehension; it's imagination and inquiry. Children who spend time wondering how the world works develop the curiosity and reasoning skills that underpin all future learning. This week gave them plenty to wonder about.
Meet the Animals: Farm Play with Little Explorers
The Little Explorers group spent the week on the farm, exploring the animals that live and work there. Cows, sheep, chickens and pigs took centre stage as children learned about each animal through sensory play, songs and stories carefully chosen to connect them with the sounds, movements and characteristics of each creature.
This kind of immersive, multi-sensory approach to learning is exactly what early childhood research supports. Children don't just hear about animals; they move like them, listen to sounds associated with them, and engage creatively with what they've discovered. Language development, social skills and early science thinking all get a workout in what looks, from the outside, like a very good time.
From Caterpillar to Butterfly: Life Cycles with Preschool 3–4
There is something genuinely compelling about the butterfly life cycle, even to adults. For three and four year olds encountering it for the first time, it's close to magic. The Preschool 3–4 group explored this theme through stories, discussions and creative activities, tracing the journey from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.
What makes this theme so valuable in an early learning context is what sits underneath it: the concept of change and growth. Children at this age are themselves in a period of rapid transformation, and drawing connections between their own development and the natural world builds both scientific thinking and emotional understanding. The children showed great curiosity and interest throughout, which is always the clearest sign that a unit of learning has landed well.
Lest We Forget: ANZAC Day with Preschool 4–5
The Preschool 4–5 group took on ANZAC Day with the seriousness and sensitivity it deserves. Educators introduced children to the importance of remembrance and the significance of ANZAC Day in an age-appropriate way, guiding discussions about respect, bravery and community before moving into creative experiences including poppy making and quiet moments of reflection.
Getting this balance right in an early childhood setting takes real skill. Children this age are capable of more emotional and conceptual depth than they're often given credit for, and when educators create the right conditions, meaningful understanding follows. By the end of the week, these children had begun to grasp concepts that many adults still find difficult to articulate: that remembering matters, that bravery takes many forms, and that community is something worth protecting.
Come and See for Yourself
Every week at Redfern Cottage, our educators design learning experiences that meet children where they are and take them somewhere new. If you're looking for an early learning centre in the Redfern area where your child will be genuinely known, challenged and cared for, we'd love to show you around.
Book a tour at Redfern Cottage today.
