It is coming to the end of year for the project work and a wonderful time to reflect on the journey our teaching teams have made. Through music, drama, dance and story teachers have shared their ELP journey at the recent presentation evenings. The use of metaphor has helped many centres to frame their story and share in a humorous (often hilarious way) the trials and tribulations of their year, as well as their successes. We have had a paddling pool where a centre shared their EUREKA moments through the story of ‘Archimedes’ Bath”; another centre went on a rafting trip (complete with raft at the presentation evening) and navigated rapids in order to find calm waters.
All centres have amazed us by their creativity and their ability to honestly reflect on what has changed and why. Most have agreed that participating in the ELP has been the catalyst for change. It is a bit of a poignant time of year as I say goodbye to the centres that I have worked with, I know the world of ECE is quite small and that I will see many teachers again, however I will miss working with these teachers in their centres.
As the year does come to an end I always think about what has been and what is to come - next year looks slightly uncertain but will definitely be another adventure and I have learned that working with ELP certainly appeals to my adventurous side.
Some adventures that are looming quite soon are ones closer to home. For instance; how to harvest my fruit before the possum do? Although it is not just the possum I have to contend with, my growing family of chickens are getting more adventurous (do they get this from their human ‘mother'?) and have found a plum tree with quite low branches!!! Of ours not to be left out the geese follow and can reach higher than the chickens - so the crop is diminishing as I speak. To top this off we now have a resident peacock (peahen actually) who has come to stay, having abandoned her mate for the look of 3 handsome white male geese! I am worried what she will be partial to and think she can reach higher up my trees than the geese. I wonder what you get if you cross a goose with a peacock? My husband thinks Christmas dinner could be exciting - but rest assured whatever finds its way to our Christmas table (actually we don’t have a table but that's another story) will be free range but not from our garden. Have a very happy Christmas with many wonderful adventures
Alison