Our Program
Our Program and Flow of the Day
3 & 4-year-old kindergarten programs are funded and delivered by Kindergarten teachers. The program is integrated and long day care not sessional. The integrated model enables children to access kindergarten throughout the day in a well -paced program.
Throughout our Early Childhood program, children are able to make their step from home and family into a wider community in a warm, healthy and supportive way.
We work with the Neo-Humanism approach to the Early Years Learning Framework where it is strongly founded on a deep understanding of child development, nurturing the child’s curiosity, joy and happiness and the understanding that love is all there is.
The program has a balance between teacher-led activities and child directed play. Play is the essential avenue by which children come to understand their physical and social world. In our kindergarten program children can develop verbal, conceptual, physical and social/emotional capacities.
Our program includes:
- Morning circle- Neo Humanism discussions/chanting and meditation.
- Walking adventures into the community
- Child directed indoor and outdoor play
- Group circle time with songs, poems and movement
- Sport program (term 1 and term 4)o.
4 -Year - Old Program
3 Year Old Program
- Younger children are challenged; older children learn to nurture, support and lead others.
- All children are engaged at play at their own developmental level, which encourages individual differences to be embraced and celebrated.
- Children develop a connectedness between learning experiences and build co-operative learning skills such as sharing, turn-taking, mentoring and negotiating.
- Children interact with others who have similar or different capabilities, needs and interests, which in turn deepens and extends their own understanding.
- Children show increased pro-social behaviour (caring, tolerance, patience, support)
Morning Circle
Morning Circle – Baba Nam Kevalam – Love is all there is……
The circle of love and connectivity – is unique to Neo Humanist Education.
Circle of Love – A Collection of Songs for Children (CD Muisc)
The children at Sunrise Preschool in North Fitzroy have been singing songs every morning since the centre opened in 1994. For many years, the founders, parents and educators who passed through the centre dreamed of recording a CD of the songs with the children’s voices at the fore – but it seemed like it would remain a pipe dream. When the current director of Sunrise, Didi Madhu, saw Melanie Robinson and Declan Kelly, two new parents with strong musical backgrounds, arrive at the school at the beginning of 2015, she took a chance and brought them together.
What began as a simple kids’ album quickly gained momentum and Circle of Love was released on Monday 7th December 2015.
Featuring 12 classic children’s songs – such as ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ and ‘This Little Light of Mine’ – the songs on Circle of Love are performed by the preschool’s children and educators, accompanied by an amazing line up of grandparents, parents, past-parents, cousins and other friends of the family from Melbourne’s music scene.
Paul Kelly sings the iconic Peter, Paul and Mary song ‘Puff The Magic Dragon’ and Dan Kelly sings the classic ‘Joy Like A Fountain’, while Melbourne indie singer/songwriter Emma Tonkin lends her gorgeous vocals to three songs on the album. Mick Turner (Dirty Three) plays guitar and Helpmann Award winning composer Iain Grandage plays piano, with all songs recorded, mixed and mastered by Paul Kelly’s son Declan Kelly.
Circle of Love on CD, iTunes and Spotify
You can purchase Circle of Love on CD for $20 if you pick up the CD from the Sunrise office, or $25 if you would like the CD posted. Payment can be made via direct deposit to the Sunrise bank account. Please include your name in the transaction description and then email or call the office and leave your details.
Our Activities
Morning Circle is the circle of love and connectivity.
Morning Circle is a specialty in Neo – Humanist Education.
It is a time when the children gather to enjoy each others company and explore their own inner thoughts and emotions.
Key elements present in these lessons are songs, dances,
meditation, visualisations and yoga.
Story telling and stories are an integral part of Morning
Circle. They are used to inspire, encourage contemplation and express virtues such as honesty, courage, respect, love for animals, plants and all people. The role of teachers in these lessons is to provide a structural foundation to equip children with the skills and
opportunities.
Morning Circle – Baba Nam Kevalam “love there is”
Adventures Indoor and Outdoor Play
Our adventures support children and aligned with Neo – Humanist Educations philosophy, which promotes learning respect and love for all of creation as well as a realisation of the interconnectedness of everything.
Outdoor Adventures
Outdoor play encourages the children to explore, satisfy their innate curiosity and understand the world.
Through play we embrace children’s ability to explore, create, problem solve, collaborate and imagine. Furthermore, “invite open -ended interactions,
spontaneity, risk -taking, exploration, discovery, and connection with nature, this links in with our philosophy of environmental consciousness and fosters an appreciation of the natural environment, develop environmental awareness and provide a platform for ongoing environmental education, road safety and to further fosters relationships between children and to build relationships and engage within the community.
