CASE STUDY
ZOE WALKER-MUNRO
REBECCA WILLCOX
THE RIGHT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR ARCHIE TO THRIVE
O
n his first day of Kindy, Archie was just like every other four-year old, excited to start his new chapter. “We had no doubts that he would settle in comfortably,” said mum Renae. At drop off, he did not cry and was happy for Mum to leave. “When we picked him up in the afternoon, the teacher mentioned that Archie had an outburst when it came to rest time,” said Renae. “On the second day of Kindy, the teacher said he had another outburst, she also mentioned that he was highly sensitive to touch and sounds throughout the day.” Puzzled by the behaviour that Archie had not exhibited before, over the following days, Archie had what resembled an anxiety attack over everyday things. Concerned he wasn’t going to fit into the Kindy world, Renae began to look for an alternative. “I wanted to find somewhere Archie would feel comfortable so he didn’t miss out on the learning experiences he was so eager for. I was also aware that he needed help to learn the social and emotional skills required in the learning environment.” After a lot of searching she decided to start Archie at Sprouting Minds. “I was drawn to the fact the teacher to child ratio was 1:6 and that the maximum number of children in each class was 12,” Renae explains. “I thought that would be a much
K I D S O N T H E C O A S T.C O M . A U • K I D S I N T H E C I T Y.C O M . A U
gentler way to introduce Archie to a learning environment with other children.” Sprouting Minds differs from other forms of education because they involve smaller groups of children and are shorter sessions of two to three hours. The class is a combination of various purposeful play areas and set group activities. “The classes manage to cover pre-literacy, prenumeracy, fine motor skills and sensory learning whilst still being fun and relaxed,” explained Renae. “The format works both as a sole education source for children who do not attend Kindy and also as a supplementary form of education for children who attend another service.” Zoe Walker-Munro and Rebecca Willcox, teachers and co-founders of Sprouting Minds, believe that Prep has taken a more structured approach to learning in recent years, and that children can struggle with the pressures of this giant leap into formal schooling. “We feel that supporting the acquisition of the traditional non-academic skills and traits such as social skills, language skills, independence, self-regulation, concentration, emotional maturity, confidence and resilience can have major benefits in a successful transition into the Prep year,” Zoe said. “These skills are so important as they are what allow our
children to learn and grow.” In this new environment, Archie soon returned to his ‘old self’ and he hasn’t suffered an anxiety attack since. “I could clearly see that Archie was developing resilience and using his newfound social and emotional skills out in the big world,” said Renae. Making the leap into a learning environment away from parents can be a frightening time for children but it is also such an important time. “If they are not prepared for ‘big school’, it can affect their learning outcomes throughout school,” Renae said. “A gentle start will not only grow their confidence but they will gain a host of school readiness skills that they will certainly use over the coming years.” For a sensitive child like Archie, it was the perfect way to introduce him to an educational environment. “He feels safe, and excited to attend Sprouting Minds because he trusts Bec and Zoe to look after him. He gets to relax, have fun and learns at the same time,” Renae said. “For Archie, it was an overwhelming change from being home with me full time to attending somewhere unfamiliar with lots of people. The Sprouting Minds classes bridged that gap, so he could feel comfortable in an unfamiliar environment.”
www.sproutingmindseducation.com.au
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