As Term 2 unfolds, the Rainbow Lorikeets children are settling well into the rhythm of our days. Friendships are gently forming, trust is growing, and the children are becoming more at home in our Little Shearwater.
Their play continues to unfold in new and meaningful ways. Each day brings moments of creativity, collaboration, and wonder, alongside the natural challenges of learning to share space, ideas, and friendships. Whether they are creating cozy shelters and homes with cloths, chairs, and mattresses; mixing flower and leaf potions in the garden; or weaving stories with the treasures they find, we see the children exploring not just the world around them, but each other.
With our mixed-age group of children from three-and-a-half to five-and-a-half years old, we witness the natural unfolding of each stage in the early years of childhood. The younger ones, still carried by the dreamy world of imitation, find comfort near our care, while the older children begin to stand more firmly in their emerging will, bringing leadership and creative initiative into their play. In this living tapestry of the early years, moments of harmony arise alongside the gentle challenges of learning to meet and understand one another.
We see this expressed in the joyful busyness of their days—kneading bread dough, chopping fruits, washing the painting boards and making other meaningful contributions. While the younger children often remain close, delighting in these practical tasks, they also venture into the garden, returning with bright eyes and open hands to share their discoveries. The older children, meanwhile, confidently plan grand adventures and weave rich stories inspired by the treasures they find.
Self-directed play is at the heart of our program and the essential work of childhood. Through play, children explore the world, express their inner lives, and quietly build the foundations for lifelong learning. In these moments, they are active creators—imagining, initiating, collaborating, problem-solving, and transforming the spaces around them into rich and meaningful worlds.
It is a delight to see, each day, the children becoming more at home in their own bodies—moving with freedom and confidence, climbing, jumping, and running with joy. During our outdoor play, the children are also engaged in purposeful, life-giving work that nurtures their growing will. Gardening has become part of our daily rhythm—planting, weeding, tending the soil, and watering.
Our storytelling continues to nourish the children’s hearts and imaginations. In recent weeks, they were especially touched by our puppet story of a little mushroom that became a shelter for friends—a quiet refuge of safety and kindness that echoes the friendships blossoming among us.
In the spirit of Steiner education, we hold close the understanding that through play, children prepare for life. In their imaginative and joyful work, they quietly shape the capacities for creative thinking, resilience, and deep human connection—treasures that will accompany them on their life’s journey. It is a joy and a privilege to walk alongside them in these precious early years, witnessing each small but meaningful step toward the unfolding of their true being.
Fernanda de Falco
Rainbow Lorikeets Preschool Teacher
