The first weeks of Senior Kindergarten have flown by in a flurry of ‘Looking Closely’ at how the children are relating to their new space, materials and each other.
It has been a time at ‘Looking Closely’ at each unique child. A time to reflect on how the use of their new environment reflects their natural curiosity, and their own unique identity. Slowing down, and “reflecting deeply” has been a personal teaching goal for the upcoming year. “Looking closely” and “reflecting deeply” will be guiding principles for myself and the children, as we journey together through a year of wonderful discoveries.
Creating ‘Habits of Mind’ sets a strong foundation for the children, as we take an inquiry based approach to learning. Looking closely, and noticing the details, is something that I very much want to encourage as part of our collaborative inquiry mindset.
Observational drawings are a wonderful introduction to ‘slowing down and noticing the details’. We will be using many of these over the year, as we look closely at ourselves, and the world around us.
Noticing the details is a skill that transfers to all areas of social and cognitive development, be it recognizing emotions of others, or using pictures as an aid for emergent reading. 
Reflection makes visible the children’s thinking, as well as my own, as we learn together. Documenting our thoughts, revisiting and reflecting, will guide the emergent curriculum as we cover the Kindergarten success criteria through the interests of the children. I am curious as to where our journeys will lead us forth. 
