The DO Planet Program is about encouraging Day One children to understand, respect and care for the natural environment
Sustainability is central to the Day One philosophy, and DO Planet provides opportunities for children to gather knowledge about the natural world and how individual and collective actions can have an impact.
This Program is also about getting children out and about into nature and/or bringing nature and animals to them, so they can really, truly experience it for themselves.
DO Planet: Milestones
Nursery & Toddlers
- Pointing to indicate choice
- Awareness of belonging
- Holding own spoon
- Using the senses
- Touching & tasting to collect information
- Sharing the same experiences
Senior Toddlers
- Making comparisons
- Drawing on known knowledge
- Sharing descriptive words
- Collecting information through the senses
- Identifying the properties of soft & hard
- Practicing trial and error
- Collecting and sorting items
- Playing with water and noticing the flow
- Awareness of living and non-living things
- Attributing own needs with those of animals
- Noticing the weather
- Using vocabulary to describe the major features of the Earth
- Observing simple life cycles (young and old)
Pre-Kindy & Kindy
- Planning and implementing investigations
- Answering questions about what, when, why & how
- Increasing the ability to observe
- Improving the ability to record information & show representations
- Describing observations in detail
- Exploring the garden
- Contributing to sustainability
- Commenting on relationships and making generalisations
- Reflecting on own learning
- Sharing knowledge with others
- Tracking changes
- Identifying detailed characteristics
- Describing cause and effect
- Observing life cycles: e.g. chickens lay eggs and they hatch into chicks
How the DO Planet Program is Implemented
Educators create opportunities for children to learn, by establishing safe environments for children to observe with all of their senses, and providing a vocabulary for children to label and understand their observations. They create opportunities for surprise and discovery, while providing materials and experiences for children to gather knowledge about the natural and physical world.
Within the DO Planet program, children are introduced to the scientific method, and they are encouraged to collaborate to find solutions to problems. After the activities are over, Educators encourage the children to reflect on what they’ve observed, gently providing a vocabulary with which they can label and describe their discoveries.
Examples of DO Planet Activities
Nursery & Toddlers
- Sensory play with autumn leaves
- Explore the garden
- Touch feely books about animals
Senior Toddlers
- Plant plants in the garden
- Interactions with live animals
- Watch animals
- Read books about animals
- Care for the classroom
- Sing songs about the Earth
- Look at other countries on the map
Pre-Kindy & Kindy
- Plant vegetables and using the produce for eating
- Interactions with live animals
- Explore life cycles
- Read stories about animals
- Recycle
- Talk about the world
- Make bird feeders
Register your interest today and start the process to secure your child a place at Day One.
