We were pleased to welcome Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to our Carlton Learning Precinct (CLP) service.
Premier Allan was taken on a tour of our service by Early Learning Manager Alistair where she could observe the children engaging in group singing with the educators, as well as other play-based experiences.
Shortly afterwards it was time to present several of the children with their Kinder Kits. The Kinder Kits are provided by kindergarten services in Term 1 to the families of children enrolled in funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten across Victoria.
The Kits are packed into an eco-friendly backpack, made from recycled materials, and when opened reveals a felt board that children can interact with using the felt stickers provided. Inside the Kits are books by Australian authors, educational toys and activities created by Victoria designers and businesses, as well as tips to help families engage with the Kit and their child’s learning. The purpose of the Kits is to inspire creativity and imagination, encouraging children to create their own stories using the items inside.
Naomi Green, Co-Founder of Tiger Tribe and the backpack design, said she wanted the backpack to be more than just a bag. “We wanted it to be something you could play in and around,” she said. “So, trying to create a bag that was versatile but also had play value was a big challenge.”
Liam, Ozzy, Oly, Mikayla and Anaya excitedly sat down with the Premier and were ready to open a Kinder Kit. She and the children took items out of the kit and spread them across the table so that everyone could have the chance to interact with everything.
The children had a lot of fun playing with the Wild Dough, created by Mel Haque. It’s a soft scented dough that helps children work their finger muscles as they roll and shape it. The children divided the dough up with the Premier and they all created different shapes and animals with it.
When the Premier asked the children at the end what their favourite items in the Kit were, Oly and Mikayla both said they liked playing with the Beeswax Crayons, created by two Maria’s who wanted to focus on sustainability and safety. Meanwhile, Anaya had fun with the felt stickers, created by Naomi Green, maker of the Felt Stories Garden.
