Johnson House
Preschool
Story by Educator Kunhee
Engaging in dramatic play is a favourite experience within the Johnson House preschool program. The children’s recent interest in this has linked to finding treasure and pretending to be pirates, and this week we transformed this adventure into a real-life experience. It all began with the creation of treasure maps. Initially, the children eagerly participated in drawing their own unique treasure maps on brown paper, just like the ones used by pirates. Later in the week, the children were provided with instructions on where and how to find treasures hidden in our outdoor playground. Each child was assigned a specific role and equipped with tools such as binoculars and the treasure maps we had drawn. With everything in place, we were all ready for our treasure hunt. The treasures had been hidden throughout the playground earlier in the morning, and the children engaged eagerly in this and enjoyed finding the treasure in lots of different locations! Experiences such as these foster the children’s imaginative play skills and help them to co-operate and work together toward a common goal.
Murray House
Toddlers
Story by Educator Deepa
Earlier this week in Murray House toddlers we planted some pumpkin seeds into our biodegradable pot. A group of children sat around me and talked about what vegetables they like and what vegetables they don’t like. Pumpkin was a popular answer, along with potatoes, for vegetables that they like. Today we looked at how the seeds had grown up and we planted all of them in our big garden bed, before watering them.
Gardening helps children to engage their curiosity, learn to be resourceful and gain self-confidence. It also builds skills and knowledge around sustainability and promotes an interest in nature.
Community Playgroups
Story by Playgroup Coordinator Rebecca
At our Pathways Playgroup this week we made fruit kebabs. Fruit kebabs are a fun, healthy and refreshing treat, and making them is a great way to encourage your child’s creativity, strengthen their fine motor skills, help them develop independence and boost their self-esteem.
There were bananas, strawberries, blueberries, rockmelon and watermelon for the children to choose from. Using tongs, the children were encouraged to choose the fruit they would like to eat, and to then use the sticks to make a fruit kebab. Using tongs to pick up the fruit and then fingers to get the fruit onto the stick required the use of the fine motor muscles in the children’s fingers and hands, muscles that are important for learning to write.
The children were able to look at the different shapes and textures of the fruit they chose, and some children even chose fruit that they would not usually eat. Having a choice helps children feel like they have some power and control over what they do and is an important step in growing up.
Some of the children counted how many pieces of fruit they could fit onto their stick, while others were more interested in making patterns and talking about the colours of the fruit.
Please take care over the holiday break. We look forward to seeing you all again in Term 4
