The children in preschool room have also enjoyed making nest cakes for Easter this term. The children helped to mix melted chocolate and rice krispies together and then carefully put the mixture into some cake cases, ready to take home for a nice treat! Activities like this helps to promote children’s hand - eye coordination and their motor skills, it helps to aid their listening and comprehension skills as they follow instructions.
The children have been exploring the sensory area. We added props to use to investigate the different texture we could feel when touched and squashed. Sensory play supports language development and motor skills. It encourages ‘scientific thinking’ and problem solving.
Treyvon, Leroi, Eliezer and Destiny were exploring different ways to make marks in the sand, Eliezer was scooping up the sand using his hands to fill the bucket to make a sand castle, He said, “Look, I can use my hands to fill the bucket. I’m going to make a castle”. The children are able to communicate with each other and learn to develop and extend their vocabulary.
Jaebe was enjoying the ‘Book Area’ and had lots of different books to choose from. We have a complete area dedicated to books to give children the opportunity of independent reading. ‘Story Time’ is something that is implemented in our daily routine and allows children to join in with others and share ideas.
The pre-schoolers had lots of fun getting creative with paints. Leo and Selena were sharing ideas with one another and both decided to make handprints! Painting is one of the most enjoyable activities for children and also a fantastic way of supporting their learning and development and fine motor skills.
The children had lots of fun creating their own ‘superhero masks’ for comic relief. We had a variety of activities dedicated to Red Nose Day and the children were able to contribute their thoughts and feelings in ‘group discussion’ why we are lucky and what we are grateful for.
In pre-school we have been learning about ‘Our Differences’ and what makes us unique. We watched some clips of the Paralympics and shared stories about the differences we share. We believe teaching the children from a young age about the importance of diversity and inclusion. We want to help them understand and recognise the differences in gender, cultural background or physical abilities, this will guide them to become more considerate of others and the world around them. The children enjoyed playing with their doll ‘Ayesha’ and handling her with such care.
The children made a fantastic effort dressing up for ‘World Book Day’. They shared their favourite stories with each other and created book marks to take home. We encouarge children to write and make marks using various mark-making materials as this will provide numerous opportunities to develop their skills, such as; fine motor skills, making meaning/expressing ideas, phonics. Creating drawings that represent their thoughts and ideas empower children to become confident and feel validated when praised.
We have been exploring the sensory water. We investigated using cups and bowls to search through the mixture of water and bubbles to find the hidden pom poms. We were speaking about what the bubbles smelt like and when we listened very carefully we could hear them pop! Sensory play is an excellent way of supporting a childs development. Not only does water play encourage a child to use their motor skills, it also supports language development, but above all, it encourages a child to use their imagination, develops creative thinking which plays an important role in problem-solving.
