Celebrating Learning & Play
Celebrating Community Engagement at Kingston LDC
At our service, community is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that by connecting with the world around us, children can deepen their understanding, build empathy and develop a strong sense of belonging.
This year we have welcomed a variety of external visitors to share their knowledge and experiences with the children. These sessions are always rich with learning opportunities, encouraging children to ask questions, engage meaningfully and gain insight into the many roles people play in our broader community.
So far this year, we have had visits from:
Delta Dogs – Teaching children about dog safety and how to interact with pets respectfully.
Denison Dental – Helping us celebrate Dental Week by promoting healthy oral hygiene.
Tasmania Police – Talking about the important role the police play in keeping our community safe.
Kidsafe – Supporting National Road Safety Week by educating families on proper car seat fittings and sharing valuable results with our service.
Parent Guest Speaker – Sharing a unique and exciting story about preparing for a trip to Macquarie Island, sparking curiosity and conversation.
We are also incredibly fortunate to be located next to OneCare Bishop Davies Court, where our 3 to 5-year-old children visit every fortnight. These visits involve organised art and craft sessions with the residents, creating meaningful intergenerational connections. The joy, conversation, and creativity shared during these sessions are truly special – for both the children and the residents.
We strongly believe that community engagement is a vital learning tool. It empowers children to become active participants in the world around them and supports the development of their social, emotional and cognitive skills. By fostering these connections, we are not only supporting individual growth but also strengthening the fabric of our local community.
From the Team at Kingston Education and Care Service
Fostering Friendships at Launceston Preparatory School OSHC
This term, the children and educators have been focusing on creating, developing and strengthening friendships in OSHC. They have been engaging in small group activities and exploring new experiences together, including creating tie dye socks.
Using their imagination and creativity, the children designed their own patterns with the rubber bands by folding, twisting and scrunching their socks. They also refined their fine motor skills during the challenging task of having to tie the rubber bands around their socks.
The children then picked their own colours and had a blast soaking their socks with dye! Once the socks were set, washed and dried, the children could not contain their excitement and wore their colourful sock creations all afternoon.
It was wonderful to see children working together on their designs, with the older children collaborating with the younger ones to share their skills and knowledge. This experience provided an opportunity for the children to connect and strengthen their friendships.
The children also engaged in loose parts play and deconstruction. They excitedly put on their safety glasses and used real tools to pull apart an old laptop and a broken remote-control car, discovering circuit boards, cogs and even motors hidden inside.
This hands-on exploration sparked curiosity and problem-solving as the children pulled apart everyday items. It developed their fine motor skills, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of technology while fostering teamwork, communication and imagination.
As educators, we are so proud of how these learning experiences have helped the children to strengthen their friendships and social skills through play, and we are excited to provide new play and learning opportunities next term!
From the OSHC Team at Launceston Preparatory School