The Early Learning Village (ELV) at Australian International School (AIS) has unveiled new facilities! There’s a new library and an Innovation Lab for STEAM learning. This is part of the school’s ongoing commitment by the AIS preschool in creating engaging spaces and learning environments for pre-nursery and infant care – so they can thrive. Book in a time to have a look around
New library with enhanced learning environment
The new library for P1 (2 years) to Year 2 (8 years) students is a vibrant and welcoming space in the Early Learning Village. There are more than 30,000 books and learning resources that encourage imagination and exploration. The school hopes that ELV students starting from infant care can develop a love of reading, inquiry and independent learning here.
Says the AIS team: “The new space is significantly larger. There’s a variety of different spaces that highlight different text types and genres, languages and authors from all over the world. This enables our library team to curate a more diverse and expansive collection. Children now have an array of spaces to read together or be read to. They can also interact with books or snuggle up and enjoy a book by themselves.”
The new ELV library also provides students with a dynamic space for developing essential skills. These cover research, inquiry, information literacy, and digital literacy. Early Years and Elementary students can now have lessons in the same space. This facilitates connections between older and younger students and siblings at AIS.
Nurturing cultural understanding and literacy
There will be many opportunities for students of AIS Early Learning Village to use the new library. All classes will have a weekly session led by Library Specialist Teachers. During this time, the children will learn and read together as well as discover new books and authors according to their current interests and topics of learning. They will also gain library proficiency, text concepts and research skills.
The library also plays a central role in celebrating cultural diversity and important events at AIS throughout the year. Through themed displays, curated book lists, storytelling sessions and author visits, the space becomes a vibrant platform for learning about occasions. They include ANZAC Day, Deepavali, Ramadan and more. This helps infant care to AIS preschool students at the Early Learning Village deepen their understanding of the world around them through literature and storytelling.
Access for the AIS preschool and infant care community
AIS acknowledges the importance of parents as the first teacher – the school welcomes families in the new library before and after school. Families can choose books to read together in the welcoming space or bring the books home for more reading time.
Every Friday afternoon, the AIS Early Learning Village Library Specialist holds a Once Upon a Shelf session for introducing new books and genres to families. During this session, families can bring a book to share or read stories in their heritage language.
Says the school, “We look forward to welcoming AIS families as we open the doors to imagination, learning, and connection in our inspiring new library.”
A space for STEAM exploration at the early learning village
Adjacent to the library is the Innovation Lab. This is a dedicated teaching space used exclusively for teacher-led sessions during class time. Here, AIS students starting from P2 (2 years old) explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) through hands-on activities and creative play.
Within the learning environment of the lab are various tools and materials. This helps students connect what they are learning in the classroom. They develop their skills in innovative thinking. This is by completing STEAM challenges that require collaboration skills, communication skills, problem-solving and design thinking. This happens when they work together to code robots to complete simple tasks, or design play structures that can survive natural disasters. These activities integrate literacy with problem-solving, coding, robotics and collaborative learning experiences.
Says the AIS team, “The Early Learning Village Innovation Lab is a fun, exciting place for our students to learn more about the world around them. STEAM education makes learning more engaging and relevant. This sparks curiosity, prepares AIS students for future careers and promotes lifelong learning.”
See this learning environment at AIS Early Learning Village
Want to experience the new library for young learners from pre-nursery and infant care upwards at AIS preschool? There are personalised tours of the Early Learning Village. You can book one at their website here.
The Australian International School is at 1 Lorong Chuan.
6653 2958 | ais.com.sg