THE JUNIOR PREP’S ‘DAY OF EXPLORATION’

The St Peter’s JP Department held a ‘Day of Exploration’ on Thursday, 29 March.

This awareness that play matters, is not new. However, with the increasing pressure on schools to educate for a growing technological and ever-changing world, as well as the need to develop 21st Century skills, the concept of play has been seen as a luxury that children don’t have time for. Play’s positive contribution to learning is not a new realisation, but at St Peter’s we have become increasingly aware of the impact of play on learning. 

A day of ‘exploring and creating’ was planned and the teachers set about collecting boxes and recyclables in order to facilitate the day. Glue, tape, string, pegs and other materials were ordered. The children were given projects, relating to the learning, which had taken place in class recently.

The girls sprang into action and the projects, scaffolded through the grades, created an energy and concentration, which was so focused that the girls barely stopped working and building all day. They had to be encouraged to break for snacks and lunch and did not seem to need any playtime. There was attention to detail and the learning was unmeasurable.

During our 'Day of Exploration' we, as a school, attempted to make the importance of ‘learning through play’ more understood as well as bringing the concepts of passion and work closer together!