We have been continuing with our theme of mini beasts this week. The wide range of activities on offer have given the children the opportunity to problem solve, discuss nature, understand growth and decay, and to look at the environment in which we live.
This week we have been practising mixing our own paint. The children enjoy adding powder paint to water to try and create the perfect texture and colour. Whilst this may create rather a mess, it gives the children a valuable learning experience in how materials can change and develop by adding different substances and textures. We encourage the children's independence in working out for themselves how to create the pictures and models that they want. Learning how to think for themselves is a valuable asset in their learning journey through school and beyond.
Spring and summer has provided us with many opportunities to look at growth and new life. This week we have planted cress seeds and beans and observed our butterflies emerge from their chrysalides.
The continuing theme of mini beasts and growth has provided many other opportunities to develop skills. For children to be able to write and use small motor movements as they grow, it is important to strengthen wrists and fingers by using materials such as playdough. This week we have made salt dough with bug prints in them. Another excellent way to develop small motor skills is to use tools like tweezers. We have a set of larger coloured tweezers and the children have been enjoying using them to pick up small plastic bugs hidden amongst pasta and other objects. This developed into a race of who could pick up the most and is an excellent example of how we learn and develop through play activities.
It is interesting to see the games that children develop for themselves. Everyone has a story of how a child was given a present and prefers the box! This week the tyres in the garden were used to put cars in and roll them around, small coloured bricks were used as foods in the kitchen area, and some amazing creations were developed using boxes, sellotape and string.
On Friday we released our butterflies and sang as they flew off over the fence.
Words we have learned this week:
Release
Tweezers
Ideas to continue this weeks fun at home:
Plant cress on some cotton wool or put some seeds in a small pot with your child and then observe how it changes and grows.
Use paper plates to make ladybirds or beetles by colouring them in or painting.
This week we have been practising mixing our own paint. The children enjoy adding powder paint to water to try and create the perfect texture and colour. Whilst this may create rather a mess, it gives the children a valuable learning experience in how materials can change and develop by adding different substances and textures. We encourage the children's independence in working out for themselves how to create the pictures and models that they want. Learning how to think for themselves is a valuable asset in their learning journey through school and beyond.
Spring and summer has provided us with many opportunities to look at growth and new life. This week we have planted cress seeds and beans and observed our butterflies emerge from their chrysalides.
The continuing theme of mini beasts and growth has provided many other opportunities to develop skills. For children to be able to write and use small motor movements as they grow, it is important to strengthen wrists and fingers by using materials such as playdough. This week we have made salt dough with bug prints in them. Another excellent way to develop small motor skills is to use tools like tweezers. We have a set of larger coloured tweezers and the children have been enjoying using them to pick up small plastic bugs hidden amongst pasta and other objects. This developed into a race of who could pick up the most and is an excellent example of how we learn and develop through play activities.
It is interesting to see the games that children develop for themselves. Everyone has a story of how a child was given a present and prefers the box! This week the tyres in the garden were used to put cars in and roll them around, small coloured bricks were used as foods in the kitchen area, and some amazing creations were developed using boxes, sellotape and string.
On Friday we released our butterflies and sang as they flew off over the fence.
Words we have learned this week:
Release
Tweezers
Ideas to continue this weeks fun at home:
Plant cress on some cotton wool or put some seeds in a small pot with your child and then observe how it changes and grows.
Use paper plates to make ladybirds or beetles by colouring them in or painting.
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