I have been listening recently to Paul Tripp’s podcasts, which focus on many topics but share one key theme—transforming children’s lives. One of his ideas is that children (and adults) are interpreters. We are always thinking, and our thoughts shape the choices we make, the words we speak, and the way we act. Nothing we do happens in isolation.
So how do we form our identity? Everything we say and do flows from what we believe; about who we are, who God is, what life is about, what we value most, where we turn for help, and what gives us peace and security? At a practical, everyday level, we don’t just live by the facts, but by how we understand those facts. That is why two people in the same situation can respond in completely different ways.
At Channel, this term, our Biblical thread is “relishing play.” Play is one of the most powerful ways children make sense of the world. It helps them connect ideas in new ways. When children explore, experiment, and get their hands dirty, they experience creation firsthand, something far more transformational than simply learning facts about it. Playful joy can also be an attitude towards life because of what God has done for us we have freedom to nurture curiosity, to foster discovery, to explore and experiment in His world.
We do this through unstructured and structured play in our outdoor learning program, bush kinder, recess and lunch times and in hands on learning often seen in Science and Hass lessons. The Arts also play an important role in allowing students to interpret the world through music, drama or visual arts and whole school productions. And what about reading? Tomorrow we will watch children and parents show their creativity in the Book Week parade!
Let the children play – as play shaped by the Biblical worldview will provide them with opportunities to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.
Margaret Louw - Principal
