This week’s activities

Making pizzas

This week the children made some simple pizzas. They helped to roll out the pastry, spread the tomato puree and grate the cheese.  All of this involved fine motor skills, manual dexterity and using tools safely.  As they learnt about making the pizza they chatted about where different foods typically come from.

Using the large wooden blocks

Outside the children have access to some large wooden blocks. They use them in a variety of ways and one of the ways this week was to create a “ramp and track” for their vehicles to go along. This took a lot of forward planning, trial and error of ideas and working together. Lots of lovely learning and development in this activity.

Music and movement

The CD player has proved very popular this week. The children have selected the music they want to listen and dance to. This has involved learning how to use the CD player; being careful not to break it! Alongside the CD player, they have created their own music by exploring the musical instruments, listening to the different sounds they make and how they can make them very loud, or play them softly and quietly. It has been joyous watching how they dance and move freely to the music, interpreting it in their own unique ways.

Whilst as adults we think about the seasons and when is the right time to be singing certain songs, children do not follow these constraints, so this week they sang ‘Jingle Bells’ – sorry we know it’s too soon to be thinking about Christmas. To enhance their experience, they learnt the Makaton signs that go along with this song, as well as the firm favourite ‘Old MacDonald’.

Taking on physical challenges

Children love to explore what they can do with their bodies and how they can learn new skills and take calculated risks. We are lucky that we are able to use the Primary School grounds to explore. The children went over to the wooden play equipment on the far School field where they practiced balancing on the beam and taking a big jump off to the ground.  They also got to run as fast as they could, avoiding each other and obstacles. Children should be getting out of breath in physical exercise everyday. The outdoors is the perfect space for them to do this and enjoy the freedom and joy of pushing their bodies physically.

Noticing changes in the natural world

Also on the School field is a tree stump from a very large tree that was cut down a long time ago. The children were fascinated at how the tree stump was slowly decaying and interested to hear that, even though the tree was rotting, it was home to lots of tiny living creatures. Learning about the natural world helps children understand their place in it and how to take care of and treasure it.

Turn-taking games

The children played the “Monkey” game. This involved waiting for their turn to carefully pull the sticks out one at a time. They then worked together to put the sticks back in, cheering each other on and praising each other’s efforts. This is a real challenge for young children. It takes a long time for children to accept the needs of others and work co-operatively.

There are photos of some of the above activities on our Facebook page and website, www.anthonyroperpreschool.co.uk.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Pre-school Team