After months of learning cooped up at home in front of a computer screen, pupils at Ballarat North Primary School are taking their learning outdoors with a new open air learning centre.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A large maths cupboard stocked with items children can use in the playground and a six-metre blackboard have captured all the playtime interest since being launched this week.
The junior school council raised $5000 from a cookie dough fundraiser during COVID and wanted to buy something to enhance the playground.
"We found this amazing maths cupboard, got it built and have filled it up with maths resources ... things like lengths and number lines, natural resources like pine cones, rocks painted with numbers, sticks with colours on the end," said prep teacher Olivia McLean.
Questions and activities to prompt problem solving and spark interest are also in the cupboard and on the board to help spark imagination and learning.
"They can do anything - shapes, symmetry, counting, whatever maths they want ... but we try to keep it open ended so they can come up with their own ideas."
Each grade will spend time this week exploring what's in the cupboard and how to use it.
IN OTHER NEWS
"We think children will take their learning from inside the classroom out as well," she said. "We wrote some questions on the outside of the cupboard this week ... how many ways can you make 15? And the preps have been out there thinking of all the different ways."
Ms McLean said the outdoor focus was part of a broader school approach to bring in more natural resources to spark imaginative and creative play and learning.
"We've been stuck inside with COVID and they've had to do a lot of online learning so it's just nice to be able to build learning outdoors and we want to give them the opportunity to do that."