Our connected curriculum

A rich curriculum. Personal care at every stage.

Stories, numbers, science, creativity and everyday independence connect through purposeful play. Educators notice each child’s next steps and plan experiences that revisit, deepen and extend understanding.

Our 40-week curriculum

40 weeks of connected learning. Carefully planned for every stage.

Our curriculum brings together

Knowledge
Literacy
Mathematics
Science
Engineering & technology
Art & music
Social-emotional learning
Practical life
Munch & Move, yoga, meditation and physical development

Five age-specific pathways connect purposeful learning with your child’s interests, strengths and readiness. Educators observe, revisit and adapt, guided by an individualised learning plan.

Families stay connected through updates about their child’s current learning and individual progress.

Our family magazine

Explore our curriculum and approach to care, including the knowledge and science overview on page 13.

Download family magazine (PDF)View curriculum overview

English PDF · 22 pages · 20.4 MB

See the depth behind our curriculum

Lungs and breathing. Week 3, five stages.

Hands on the chest, breathing games and moving scarves or pinwheels help children explore how breathing works. Preschoolers predict, test and compare breathing before and after movement, then draw or explain what happened.

Our A3 parent poster shows the setup, activities, core knowledge, key vocabulary and what this can develop across all five age groups. Younger children learn that lungs help us breathe; ages 4–5 also explore the windpipe, oxygen, blood and carbon dioxide. Educators adapt each experience to the child.

View Week 3 poster Download A3 poster (PDF)

The printable poster is in English. Read the selected examples below in your chosen website language.

Week 3: Lungs and breathing. Teaching setup, STEAM experiences and what these can develop across ages 0-5

Read the selected learning examples

0–1 years

What children do: A familiar educator notices the baby's natural chest or tummy movement and says "in... out". Share a clear lungs picture and watch a large lightweight scarf move in the air. Pause and respond to the baby's gaze, movement or sounds.

What we teach: Lungs help us breathe. Educators use accurate words in short phrases; babies are not expected to say the words or recall facts.

Words we introduce: lungs, breathe, inhale, exhale, air, oxygen, chest

What this can develop: Shared attention, noticing movement, anticipating what happens next and connecting words with an experience.

1–2 years

What children do: Watch or feel chest movement if comfortable. Copy a simple breathing game and see air move a large scarf or an age-safe pinwheel with adult help. Notice breathing before and after gentle movement; hear "slow" and "fast".

What we teach: Lungs help us breathe. Educators show the idea and repeat the words through pictures, songs, movement and play.

Words we introduce: lungs, breathe, inhale, exhale, air, oxygen, chest

What this can develop: Copying actions, linking words with movement, noticing simple changes and beginning to use slow/fast language.

2–3 years

What children do: Place a hand on the chest if comfortable. Try a breathing game or blow an age-safe pinwheel with close supervision. Notice breathing before and after movement. Make a simple paper wind-catcher, test what moves it, change it and try again.

What we teach: Lungs help us breathe. Air moves in and out. Breathing often becomes faster when we exercise.

Words we introduce: lungs, breathe, inhale, exhale, air, oxygen, chest

What this can develop: Describing and comparing, linking moving air with a visible effect, and trying a simple change to a design.

3–4 years

What children do: Notice chest movement and play breathing games. Predict what will happen when they blow a supervised feather or pinwheel, then test it. Compare breathing before and after movement. Draw or build to show what happened and explain it.

What we teach: Lungs help us breathe. Air moves in and out. Breathing often becomes faster when we exercise.

Words we introduce: lungs, breathe, inhale, exhale, air, oxygen, chest

What this can develop: Making predictions, testing an idea, comparing observations and showing an explanation through drawing or making.

4–5 years

What children do: Use breathing games, supervised feathers or pinwheels to explore moving air. Predict, compare breathing before and after movement, and record what they notice. Repeat using the same short interval. Make a paper wind-catcher, change one feature and retest; draw or explain the result.

What we teach: Air travels through the nose or mouth, down the windpipe and into the lungs. Oxygen moves from the lungs into the blood. Carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the lungs to be breathed out.

Words we introduce: lungs, windpipe, oxygen, carbon dioxide, blood, inhale, exhale

What this can develop: Recording and comparing evidence, explaining how body parts work together and improving a design after testing.

These experiences are adapted to age, interests and readiness. Children can choose to observe. We do not use breath-holding competitions or force deep breathing; babies use large, safe props.

Language and reading

From first conversations to confident readers.

Books, conversation and sound awareness grow together, with learning matched to readiness.

Babies and young toddlers

Responsive talk, songs, rhymes and shared books build vocabulary and connection. Under two, we focus on language foundations without formal phonics.

Two to three years

Stories, conversation and brief playful sound-and-letter experiences build familiarity, without expectations to decode words.

Preschool years

Children explore sounds and letters, blending and segmenting, early writing and simple texts when ready. Understanding and a love of reading remain central.

Our running library

A love of books, from centre to home.

We want children to discover rich stories and language from a young age, and choose books for enjoyment and relaxation. Our running library helps families build this healthy habit and continue their child’s learning together at home.

Reading aloud introduces new words, builds language understanding and sparks conversation. Sharing a story also creates warm, unhurried time together, long before children can read independently.

A new book every week.

Every child, including babies, chooses a book to take home. Read together in any language, return it in the library bag the following week and choose another.

BorrowRead togetherReturn & swap

Start with a few enjoyable minutes most days. Talk about the pictures, follow your child’s interests and revisit favourite stories.

Why shared reading matters

Before children can read for themselves, sharing books builds language, curiosity and warm time together. Research supports starting in infancy and continuing throughout the preschool years.

Read the findings for babies, toddlers and preschoolers

Babies and young toddlers · 0–2 years

Sharing books helps little ones learn words.

A study of more than 2,500 families found that children who were read to more often knew more words and understood language better at 14 months. At two years, reading together was also linked with stronger language and thinking skills. These findings were reported for children learning English (Raikes et al., 2006).

Raikes et al. (2006), Study of reading together in the first three years, Child Development, 77(4), 924–953.

Toddlers · 2–3 years

A daily story can help build school-reading foundations.

An Australian study found that children read to every day at ages two to three later had higher average Year 3 NAPLAN reading scores than children read to less often. The difference remained even when researchers took family background into account (Yu & Daraganova, 2015).

Yu & Daraganova (2015), Children’s early home learning environment and learning outcomes in the early years of school, pp. 63–82, as reported by AIHW (2022).

Preschoolers · 4–5 years

Reading before school can have lasting benefits.

Australian research found that reading to children at ages four to five helped their reading and thinking skills, including number skills. The benefits lasted until at least ages ten to eleven, with the strongest gains in reading and language (Kalb & van Ours, 2014).

Kalb & van Ours (2014), Reading to young children: A head-start in life?, Economics of Education Review, 40, 1–24.

These studies describe patterns across many children. Every child learns differently. The baby and toddler studies show a link with reading together; they cannot prove that reading alone caused the results.

Across the early years: A research review found that sharing books helped children learn words, talk, notice sounds and understand letters and how books work. Talking about the pictures and story helped language more than simply reading the words aloud (Shoghi et al., 2013, summarised by AIHW). Read the AIHW evidence summary.

What this means at home: Start with a few enjoyable minutes. Talk about pictures, respond to your baby’s sounds, let toddlers join familiar phrases and ask preschoolers what they think. Read in your home language and revisit favourites. Our running library helps every family make books part of everyday life.

Individual extension

Challenge when ready. Belonging at every stage.

Every child will have an individualised learning plan. Educators work with families to plan support, build on strengths and offer the next challenge.

During key learning moments, we commit to an extra educator above the required staffing minimum. Smaller groups allow more individual attention, targeted support and extension when children are ready.

Based on ability and readiness, not age
Children remain connected with their peers
Families are informed and involved
Plans are reviewed with families as children grow

Confident communicators

Every child deserves to find their voice.

Rich conversations, group time, show-and-tell and weekly opportunities to share a topic build listening, communication and confidence. Educators adapt these experiences to each child; participation is never forced.

Emotions, communication and independence

Strong foundations in life.

Emotional coaching supports naming feelings, calming, problem-solving and repairing relationships. Everyday responsibilities and Montessori-inspired practical-life experiences build independence.

Consent, body safety and a confident voice.

Our social-emotional program revisits body ownership, consent, boundaries, privacy and safe help-seeking every week. Children learn that their body belongs to them, they can say “no” or “stop”, and they must respect another person’s “stop”. They learn to tell a trusted adult if something feels wrong, confusing or unsafe—and keep telling until they receive help.

Teaching is gentle and matched to age and readiness: responsive care and respect for babies’ cues; simple words, stories and supported choices for toddlers; and puppets, role-play and everyday conversations for preschoolers. Educators explain necessary care, protect privacy and never require physical affection.

Come and meet us

See our learning and care in person.

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