Charity
At Fareacres, we have in the past carried out a few initiatives which have been charity driven in order to develop the understanding of the children in our care, of the needs of others. We collectively gathered food for the food bank, and also knitted squares for premature babies. For each of these initiatives the children were involved and encouraged to participate fully, in order to have a deeper understanding of why we should help others.
Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, there are a variety of areas of learning that can be developed through engaging in such charitable initiatives. These include:
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Communication and Language
- Understanding the World
Continuing this charitable tradition, we are going to make ‘Christmas boxes’. A Christmas box is a simple shoe box which has been decorated by the children at home and filled with non-perishable goods and then donated to homeless people around Christmas time.
The boxes can contain:
- Tinned food (soup, meat, fruits etc)
- Crackers
- Cereal bars
- Biscuits
- Dried fruits
- Single Christmas cakes
- Chocolates
- Deodorant
- Wet wipes
- Sanitary towels
These are just a few examples of what the boxes can contain. These will be collected in nursery, with all boxes to be submitted by Friday 14th December 2018.
Being charitable helps to develop a child’s sense of citizenship and their ability to feel empathy for their fellow human being. In order to create a better world, at Fareacres, we believe that the Early Years is the best place to start. So please start to talk to your child about collecting things for a Christmas box, so that we can donate them just before Christmas time.
Weekly Experiences
In Gants Hill this week the children have been exploring cooked jelly with toy spiders in. Young children learn and develop through play, but especially through unstructured, exploratory play. Jelly play focuses on exploring and experimenting with different materials without any end goal such as to build or make something. This allows young children to make their own discoveries using their senses, curiosity and knowledge. Jelly play is a very sociable activity, but one that doesn’t rely on solely on words, however, it can also be a way of encouraging speech, for example by describing sensations, textures etc., and helping your child build their vocabulary.
Spiders in Jelly GH
Spiders in Jelly GH
The children in Rainbowfish room South Woodford have been exploring cooked noodles. Babies particularly love this type of play and parents don’t have to be too worried if they put it in their mouth as it’s all completely edible! The children pulled and tugged at the long strands and feel the texture of the noodles with their fingers and toes. It’s wonderful as an early fine motor activity for babies and develops sensory awareness.
Cooked Noodles SW
In Gants Hill this week the children have been making bread roll cauldrons. Cooking activities are a great resource that staff can utilise to help children develop in a variety of areas of learning. Through the process of cooking, children are able to develop skills such as, turn taking, counting, fine motor skills, speaking, listening and attention, just to name a few.
Ingredients:
Crusty Bread Roll
Tomatoes
Carrot
Cucumber
Sweetcorn
What to do:
1. The children with adult support will remove the top of the bread roll.
2. Scoop out the middle of the roll.
3. Add small chopped pieces of tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn and carrot in to the cauldron. (Their choice)
4. Use a thin strip of carrot as a handle to the Cauldron
5. Enjoy
Bread Cauldrons GH
Cauldrons GH
The children in Stingrays room South Woodford have been making divas ahead of Diwali next week. Celebrating different festivals help the children to understand the importance of bonding together, sharing joys and celebrating happiness with togetherness. The children have decorated their diva’s using a range of materials and resources. There are many benefits to this activity; it helps develop fine motor skills plus it’s a great for hand-eye coordination. It’s open-ended so even the youngest children can express their creativity.
Here are some comments made by the children:
"Wow" - Ibbi
"More shiny" - Wren
"Diva more" - Rodrigo
"Very nice" - Arjun
Making Divas SW
In Gants Hill this week the children have been making pumpkin pictures. The children have used fruit to enhance their painting experience. They used a variety of fruit to provide a more sensory way to create pictures and explore the texture of the paint. This also encouraged the children to interact within a small group, thus developing their personal, social and emotional skills. This creative activity has enabled the children to engage with a sensory form of making marks with a desired effect.
Pumpkin Printing GH
Pumpkin Printing GH
The children in Sharks room South Woodford have been looking at a tarantula skin. Jennifer has brought this in from home, which her pet has recently shed. Please be assured that we did not allow any children to touch it, however through discussion this has allowed the children to learn about growth and decay which is incorporated in the understanding the world area of learning within the EYFS.
Here are some comments made by the children:
"Thats his bottom" - Ariya
"It’s scary" - Veeraj
"It’s big and black" - Suki
"It’s furry"- Xavi
Tarantula Skin SW
In Gants Hill this week the children have been exploring pumpkins. The children explored through their sense of touch by feeling the outside and insides of a pumpkin. They smelled the inside of the pumpkin and they used their curiosity while exploring. Practitioners placed pumpkins of different shapes and sizes around the setting as a mathematical extension. The younger children sat on the pumpkins while others rolled them across the floor. One child collected pumpkins by placing them one at a time onto the tray, counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6.
Here are some comments made by the children:
“The inside of the pumpkin looks like cobwebs” – Vanishka
“Pumpkin is slimy” – Zayd
“It looks yucky inside” – Jeran
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6” - Amaiya
Exploring Pumpkins GH
Exploring Pumpkins GH
The children in Starfish room South Woodford have been talking about Halloween and making ghosts. The children have used some cotton wool to decorate their ghosts using buttons as eyes. The children were able to manipulate the different materials to achieve the planned outcome. This activity has aided the children’s development of self-regulation as they had to wait for the cotton wool to be stuck properly on the card before putting the eyes on the ghosts. When the children successfully completed their ghost, they got a great sense of pride and accomplishment increasing their self-esteem.
Here are some comments made by the children:
"I go trick or treating with mummy and daddy" - Eitan
"I dress up as a pumpkin" - Saanvi
"I go to a Halloween disco as a witch" - Isla T
"At Halloween you go trick or treating" - Mae
"We dress up as a pumpkin" - James F
"We knock at the door and then we say trick or treat and we get candy" - Jayce
"We put candles in pumpkins" - Noah
Making Ghosts SW
Making Ghosts SW
Making Ghosts SW
Making Ghosts SW
Making Ghosts SW
Some children dressed up for Halloween:
Halloween
Halloween
Halloween
Top 5 Children’s Quotes of the week:
- "I am playing with an ambulance they take you to hospital" - Samuel B
- “Baa Baa Sheep” – Bhavik
- "I making a helicopter I am going on it to Dubai" - Jessica
- “I can see you” – Vidhula
- "Spider has 8 legs" - Aaron
Activity of the week:
The winner of activity of the week is Jennifer (SW). Jennifer has planned a lovely activity to encourage the target child to talk about the things they observe. This activity uses paint with straws to blow the paint around the paper to create fireworks. This effect will be discussed as the activity is ongoing, and the fact that it is a different type of way to use paint, the child will be motivated to participate. The extension asks the children to mix the colours they are using in order to extend the ability to discuss what they are observing.
Quote of the Week:
‘Those who are happiest, are those who do the most for others’
-B.T.Washington (American educator)
Thank you for taking a glimpse into our Fareacres Learning Community
Until next time...
