Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 mins

Tune In: Watch the episode

30 mins

Find Out: Play-based learning to develop curiosity

30 mins

Take Action: Take it further

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1

Start by watching the Bluey episode Rug Island.

Bluey 'Rug Island' - ClickView (https://clickv.ie/w/WAgx)

Rug Island synopsis: On Bingo and Bluey’s Rug Island, a pack of felt pens can be anything - bananas, campfires, even a snake! But Dad will need to embrace his inner kid if he wants to make it his home.

Step 2

Reflect on the episode using the following prompts:

I wonder how Bingo felt when Dad said he couldn't play with her?
I wonder how Bingo felt when Dad washed ashore of Rug Island?
I wonder how Bingo felt when Dad wanted to give the "chocolate egg" back to the neighbours?
I wonder how Dad felt when he was officially made a kid of Rug Island?

Note: Using questions that begin with “I wonder…” is a great way to get children sharing their own ideas; ‘I wonder…” questions don’t necessarily have a correct answer, leaving children open to explore and share their own ideas without fear of being wrong. Some other tips for asking quality questions are:

Position yourself as curious about the world but also about the child’s thoughts
Ask genuine questions (those that you don’t know the answer to)
Try to avoid judging answers as right or wrong (posing questions such as “I wonder…” questions helps to take the wrong and right out of the answer and allows children to explore and test their own ideas without fear of being wrong)
Work to invite a genuine response rather than expect a specific response
Acknowledge and praise children’s thinking. “I really like the way you thought about...”

For more evidence-based advice on developing oral language in children, click here.

Find Out: Play based learning to develop curiosity

Preparation

Create your own 'island' learning space. Pile some pillows into a low hill, and cover them with rugs or blankets. Arrange potted plants as foliage around and spread soft animal toys around. A wooden toy box, container, or even a small cardboard shoebox could make a great treasure chest. You could even create a water effect by placing blue paper or cellophane around the island.

Spread your Sea Life Images out amongst the sea (these could be coloured and decorated by children). A rope ladder or other rugs could be used to create a bridge across the water. A large container or cardboard box could serve as a ship, with or without a facade cut from a large piece of cardboard and painted appropriately. Or you could use a towel or a large piece of cardboard as a raft. Alternatively, create the rug island outside, making use of the sandpit, cubby house, and natural foliage.

Set up a table close by with art supplies and paper.

You might like children to help create the space outlined below so that they feel a sense of ownership .

Children actively construct their own understandings and possess the capacity to initiate and lead learning. Viewing children as active participants opens possibilities for educators to move beyond pre-conceived expectations. Respecting and working with each child’s unique qualities fosters self-confidence and enhances meaningful learning. Processes like exploration, collaboration, and problem-solving, along with developing dispositions like curiosity, persistence, and creativity, enable children to navigate the world responsibly and take charge of their learning. Find out more here.

Step 1

As children transition back into the learning space from watching the episode, draw their attention to the set up by asking some or all of the following questions:

What does an island look like?
What might you find on an island?
Has anyone been to the beach before?
What did you do?
Was the sand smooth, or rough? Hot, or cold?
Could you taste anything weird? Why do you think that happened?
What could you hear?
Who might be on an island? What kinds of people visit or live on an island?

Step 2

Ask children to sit calmly on the banks of the island and imagine they are playing in the ocean. Provide shallow trays of water for them to slowly run their hands through. Invite children to explore the island by posing the following questions:

How does it feel? Cool? Slippery? Slimy? Damp?
Is the water deep or shallow?
Can you grab the water? How does it feel running between your fingers?
Can you feel the water when you hold your hand still? Can you feel it when you scoop it with your hand? Does it feel different when you open your fingers and drag them through the water?
How does touching the water make your heart feel? Redirect children to the Zones of Emotional Regulation chart. Yellow can also encapsulate feelings of calm and being pleasantly at peace.
Are there different kinds of water? Or, where are all the different places you have seen water? Out of the tap, in the bath, in a river, at the beach? How did they act or look different?

Water play is a highly sensory experience with a huge range of learning opportunities. Water play offers sensory experiences that enhance motor skills, language development, and social-emotional well-being. Children learn through actions like pouring, scrubbing, and stirring while also exploring new adjectives and verbs. It’s a dynamic way to engage their senses and promote focus and relaxation

Find out more about the benefits of water play here.

You could repeat this activity with a bucket of sand, asking children to compare the sensations, as sand is not quite as solid as other things, but not quite the liquid of water.

Step 3

Give children a toilet paper roll to use as a telescope. Alternatively, they could make a cylinder with their fingers. Prompt children by asking:

Imagine what you can see from the island. Who or what might be going past? Pirates? Whales?

Does the telescope make it easier or harder to see? Describe what you mean. Lead children to talking about the black space, the edges of their vision, and how to focus their vision.

Step 4

Direct children's focus on the sea life images. You could pose the following questions

What sea life can you see? What do they look like? Spotty? Striped? What colours? Shiny?
Can you name the types of sea life? Do they remind you of anything else you have seen? A stripy fish might remind children of a zebra; it doesn't matter if children know the actual name. Allow them to be creative. What about an orange fish, or even a pizza fish?
What do you think these creatures feel like? Slippery?
Do these creatures make any sounds?
How does a fish move? Can you show me? How about an octopus? What about some of the other sea life, how do they move?

Step 5

You could then invite children to imagine they are pirates. Pose the following questions:

What does a pirate look like? What do they wear?
What does a pirate say? How do they sound?
What does a pirate do?

Step 6

Discuss with children what treasure is. Encourage children to gather something special from around the room to put into the treasure chest or create a drawing.

Encourage children to use the art supplies to draw a treasure map.

Step 7

Ask children:

How would it feel to find some buried treasure? Can you show me what that would look like?

How would it feel if someone stole your buried treasure?
You might like to refer children to the Zones of Emotional Regulation chart.

Displaying the Zones of Emotional Regulation chart is helpful for students to visualise their feelings and lead them to build their emotional vocabulary, shifting them away from rote responses like “good” to more nuanced responses like “curious”, “excited”, or “worried”. Find out more about teaching emotional intelligence here.

Step 8

The educator can gradually step away as children continue to run the experience of the island themselves and further develop it.

Take Action: Take it further

Children could create a pirate hat and/or flag, with their personal symbol on it
You could read The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, and further explore the different shapes, patterns and colours of different fish
Encourage children to create their own island, pirate, or surfing style game in future sessions
Create a time capsule treasure chest of photographs and bury it somewhere in the yard
Grab some connector pens and see what you can make - fish, a spear, a fire, or something from your own imagination!

Curiosity - Nature Play and Wonder

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