Weekly Experiences
In Gants Hill children have been exploring playdough. This is a sensory activity where children manipulate the dough and use different tools to mould their dough. Through these manipulations, children develop eye-hand coordination, the ability to match hand movement with eye movement. They also gain strength and improve dexterity in their hands and fingers, critical areas of physical development for writing, drawing, and other purposes.
The children in Rainbowfish room, South Woodford have been using a tray full of oats and some trucks to make tracks. This activity is easily accessible for the age groups as the tray is placed on the floor. This frees up the children to use their senses to explore and begin to notice that their actions are making marks, which is a stage in the developing of emergent literacy. Activities of this type are also on a larger scale which helps to develop the gross motor skills of the children participating.
During this activity, the children commented:
“Whee” - Arabella
Oat Play SW
Oat Play SW
The children at Gants Hill the children have been using a clever experiment to observe what happens when colours mix. They used bicarbonate soda and food colouring in water to see what would happen. This is a lovely activity which clearly display to children the mixing of colours and help them understand the primary and secondary colours.
Colour Experiment GH
Colour Experiment GH
The children in Stingrays room South Woodford have been exploring the difference in texture that pasta has when water is added. The children added both cold and warm water at different times, which in turn meant that they experienced the texture of the pasta when hard, and how it softens with the addition of water. These activities are fantastic for language development, as there are so many cues for conversation and for the use of a specific vocabulary. The practitioners ensure that the children participating are having their individual needs met and challenged.
During this activity, the children commented:
"Yummy pasta" - Rafe
"Yum more" - Aaran
"It’s not for eating" – Anna
Pasta Play SW
Pasta Play SW
The children at Gants Hill the children have been making cards for Eid. 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 cards 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.
Eid Cards SW
The children in Sharks room South Woodford have created an obstacle course and have used chairs and hula hoops to create a tunnel. The children all took turns to crawl through the tunnel and used their gross motor skills to get to the other side successfully. The children were all very excited to participate and this meant that the fact they were taking turns was challenging. This type of activity, with the help of practitioners, will develop the turn taking skill, which is so important for personal, social and emotional development.
The children commented:
"I’m going under the chairs" - Arjun
"I’m going through the jungle" - Isobel
“My turn now” – Rodrigo
Obstacle Course SW
Obstacle Course SW
The children at Gants Hill the children have been learning about the festival Eid. Saba brought in resources from home. Learning about how people of different religions celebrate also helps children to understand a range of beliefs and cultures and encourages them to think about the place of traditions and festivals in their lives.
Celebrating Eid GH
Celebrating Eid GH
The children in Starfish room South Woodford have been budding carpenters this week and have used sand paper to prepare their wood, ready for painting. The children were using this technique for the first time and they were exploring how to get the best effect. Once sanded, they painted their wood and displayed this in the room for all to see. Practitioners gave clear instructions for the children to follow which helps develop their communication and language skills, in particular the aspect of understanding.
The children commented:
"It sands the wood, my daddy does this" - Jessica
"It makes a funny noise" - Daisy
"It feels rough" - Isla T
"It looks like a volcano" - Xavi
"I see wood like this in my garden" - Eitan
Carpenter SW
Carpenter SW
Activity of the week:
The winner of activity of the week is Kerry (SW). Kerry has planned an activity to encourage a child to achieve a C&L: Speaking next step. Kerry has planned to use favourite items of the child's from home. As the children are of the 8 - 20 month age range, this will involve interaction from parents. All research shows that when settings work in partnership with parents, the outcomes for the children are improved. The use of children's items from home, will only encourage them to be more involved in the activity, and possibly use single words, if not more. The activity extension requires those who are capable to say single words, to use the resources in the room to use more language.
Top 5 Children’s Quotes of the week:
- "I know about Shakespeare" - Leonard
- "I will wait for my turn” - Julia
- "My daddy spoke Spanish on holiday, Ola" - James
- "I’m a big girl in Starfish" - Frederika
- "I have a baby brother at home now" - Ariya
Quote of the Week:
“I believe that spending time outdoors when we are young can play a role in laying the foundations for children to become happy, healthy adults.”
The Duchess of Cambridge
Thank you for taking a glimpse into our Fareacres Learning Community
Until next time...
