We have been trying to find new ways to practise the fine motor skills children need to develop before they begin to write at school. In order to develop these muscles and to focus on using pincer grips and hand eye co-ordination we put small plastic bugs into dishes. The children then used plastic tweezers to try and pick them up. The activity developed into sorting, counting, sizing and general identification of the bugs which was quite a challenge for the staff too!
The role play area was transformed into a vet’s surgery and the animals were lined up for treatment. The pink dog had a very bad leg and the poor blue bird (possibly an extinct Dodo) had a very sore tummy. We are happy to report that after the treatment given by the children they are both doing well.
Jolly Jo sports involved the children chasing hula hoops, running races around cones and colour matching with discs. On Wednesday we had a lovely time with the musical instruments as the children played drums, bells, shakers and bells as they marched around to music.
On Thursday the children made biscuits and were able to practise their weighing and measuring skills. They also made some impressive animal masks and we talked about the different noises that animals make.
On Friday the children made some individual Elmer the elephants from the popular story. They stuck small squares of coloured paper onto the outline of the elephant which resulted in some lovely cheerful elephants. In the garden we have been playing lots of games to keep us warm in this cold weather. These include: What's the time Mr Wolf, Please Mr Crocodile and Hide and seek.
New words we have learned this week
Rhythm
Tweezers
Ideas to continue this weeks fun at home
Make some musical shakers using small objects in a secured and covered pot. Shake along in time to your favourite music. It keeps you and your child fit and can shake off those January blues.
Next week we will be beginning to celebrate the Chinese New Year which is the year of the Rooster.