Johnson House
Banksia Room
Story by Occupational Therapist Amanda
The children in Johnson House Banksia room have been enjoying weekly pirate-themed motor skills group sessions.
Through the group, the children gain practice participating in a structured group, following a visual schedule of the group’s activities, turn-taking, and building motor skills. At the start of each group, we review the visual schedule before singing a pirate ‘hello’ song and checking in for group time with our photo name tags. We sing and dance to a couple of action songs that children select from a song choice board. Last week’s picks were ‘Goldfish’ by The Laurie Berkner Band and ‘What Shall We Do with the Grumpy Pirates?’ by Paul Lindsay.
After singing, we read ‘Go, Go, Pirate Boat’, by Katrina Charman, a story about pirates that is sung along to the tune of ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’. The children then took turns “feeding a shark” by tossing beanbags into a large shark mouth. Next, the children had the option to dress up and wear a pirate hat or eye patch while they tested their balance as they “walked the plank.”
We returned to the mat and the children took turns choosing ocean yoga poses for us to try as a group while we focused on taking deep breaths while holding each pose. Group time concluded with a goodbye song.
Murray House
Wattle Room
Story by Educator Jessica
Today our friends in Murray House Wattle room gathered on the mat for story time, eagerly showing their curiosity and excitement as they explored the ‘Dear Zoo’ lift the flap book with Jessica. She engaged them by inviting them to be good helpers by opening the boxes to check what the zoo had sent. This interactive approach captivated the children’s attention and encouraged active participation.
As the children recognised different wildlife animals, they learned new words. They also tried to repeat descriptive words and phrases such as “too heavy” and “too jumpy,” enhancing their vocabulary and language skills. This collaborative activity fostered a sense of wonder and enjoyment, creating a positive and enriching learning experience for everyone involved.
After lunch, the children displayed their curiosity and enthusiasm as they explored what was behind the cardboard doors in our new classroom set up. Eager to investigate, they took turns opening the doors to discover the animals hidden inside. Their faces lit up with excitement as they made their discoveries, eagerly sharing their observations with Jessica. Jessica responded by imitating the different animal sounds, which added an extra layer of fun and engagement to the activity.
The children enjoyed this interactive exploration. Linking our learning environments to texts we have been interacting with fostered their curiosity and provided an opportunity for imaginative play and learning about wildlife.
Family Day Care Sydney Wide
Story by Educator Support Officer Alix
The Olympics recently took over the curriculum planning for many of Family Day Care Sydney Wide’s services, both near and afar!
It has been so insightful to observe the different learning trajectories that Educators followed, pursuing the children’s own ideas and knowledge about the Olympics. Many services set up their own ‘mini-Olympics’, allowing the children to explore the different types of sports that athletes participate in.
At Kate’s Family Day Care in Lane Cove, the outdoor area was set up with a lined running track, on which children practiced their hand to eye coordination and balancing with egg and spoon races. They explored ordinal numbers with their own levelled medal podium for first, second and third (of course with accompanying medals) and they deepened their cultural understanding learning about the different nations’ flags.
Aunty Fleur and Uncle Deon’s Dual service in Queens Park set up some wonderful hands-on experiences to encourage the symbolism of the Olympics to connect with our younger children. Outside they had set up their own track and field events, such as javelin.
Simone’s Family Day Care over in Mona Vale included the Olympics in many elements of the learning environment for children. On the window there were printed pictures of different Olympic sports, the home corner was turned into ‘Café De Paris’, the playdough was yellow with green fine motor resources and Australian Animals (Go Aussie!) and a small world play was set up for an equestrian event.
Community Playgroups
Story by Playgroup Coordinator Rebecca
Recently at Baby Time Playgroup, families were invited to make sensory bottles for their children. They filled clear plastic water bottles with variety of items, ranging from chickpeas and lentils, which make a noise when shaken, to pom poms and feathers, which encourage children to look at shapes and colours and are quieter.
While making the sensory bottles, parents and carers were encouraged to consider things such as the weight of the bottle, what sound it might make and what their child might like to look at.
When the sensory bottles were finished, playgroup staff secured the bottle lids using a hot glue gun. This step is vital to ensure that children cannot remove the lid and put the sensory objects in their mouths.
How and why are sensory bottles beneficial for children?
The clear bottle allows the child to see what is inside and what is making the noise. This helps children to make a connection between the noise and the item in the bottle. Using their hands and arms to manipulate the bottle exercises their muscles, which in turn stimulates fine and gross motor co-ordination. Talking with children about the shapes, colours and sounds of a sensory bottle supports the development of their language skills. Sensory bottles can also have a calming effect on child as they focus their attention on what is happening within the bottle as they move it around
Sensory bottles are easy to make at home and provide endless developmental opportunities for your child and as such they are a fantastic addition to your child’s toybox.
