At each developmental stage there are tasks to be mastered such as talking, listening, running, throwing or bouncing a ball and cutting with scissors. Our curriculum provides many opportunities for children to choose activities providing spontaneous skill practice.

In our classroom spaces, children have opportunities to engage in sensory exploration, drama play, block building, game playing, puzzle work, writing and drawing, and reading. Children will play with their peers, dress up, be immersed in constructing with Lego or blocks, re-create and make with play dough, read books, sort tiny objects, or write letters and draw pictures.

Teachers will watch and listen to children, document their play, take photos, offer resources to support and extend their play, or play alongside them. We believe that children learn as they pursue their passions and questions; our objective is to deepen and extend that learning. The activities are interesting, inviting, developmentally age appropriate, open-ended and process oriented. If a particular activity is popular we may choose to repeat it often (with slight variations) until the intense interest passes.

As an in-depth project begins to grow, the children continue to play in typical ways, engaging in role playing in the dress-up area, building with blocks, assembling puzzles, and exploring sand and water. Life in the classroom continues in its usual way, even as some children become absorbed in projects. During these times children are able to use various media to explore their ideas and represent their understandings whilst being engaged in exploratory work, sensory discovery.

Teachers will observe and work closely with children; facilitating their use of materials, asking questions, and offering materials that provoke children to stretch their thinking.

To carry out this approach teachers engage in an ongoing process of planning, analysing, observing, and evaluating the children's activities, ideas, needs and interest.

Social interactions with their peers and other people are also observed and recorded, class work transcribed, laminated and displayed. You'll see teachers watching and listening to children, documenting their play with photos and notes.

Throughout the Centre, you will see a display of photographs of children at ¡®play'. Through visual media and pictures of children busily engaged in daily activities displayed in graphic presentation. Their words recorded as they discuss what they are doing, feeling and thinking, and how they explain their interpretation of these experiences. The photographs are a valuable resource used in class discussions and incorporated into the curriculum.

A Portfolio is included into the Canberra Avenue curriculum. At the end of the year each child will receive a personalised portfolio that will summarise a child's year in the centre. The portfolio will display a collection of photographs, craft, artwork and written observations.

In preparation for kindergarten/primary school we introduce experiences and activities based on the following concepts and developmental areas:

• Language and comprehension
• Positive social interaction
• Positive and effective communication skills
• Problem solving and turn taking skills
• Basic mathematical and pre reading skills
• Understanding both natural and built environments
• Health and physical education awareness
• Cultural awareness and appreciation
• Self-confidence and self-esteem
• Rooms & Staff