Learning focus at the moment
Babies The babies have had a wonderful time exploring all the sensory experiences the festive season brings! From dancing to cheerful Christmas music to enjoying circle time, learning new rhymes and songs, and creating beautiful artwork to take home for the holidays, it has been a season of sensory exploration. One of the babies' favourite activities was exploring the book 'That’s Not My Robin.' They loved feeling the different textures in the book and listening to the descriptive words. To extend their learning, we also went outside to look for birds in the garden. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any robins, but we did talk about the different types of birds we see. The older babies had a great time collecting the last of the autumn leaves from the garden, and we used these leaves to make leaf print artwork. We introduced words like "crispy," "crunchy," and "smooth" to describe the textures, and the children were fascinated by the different prints the leaves left behind on paper. As the weather has grown colder, the babies have been excited to explore ice, feeling its chilly texture and watching it melt into a puddle. The festive period has been full of sensory discovery, with so many lights, sounds, and textures to explore. Looking ahead to the New Year, our focus will be on encouraging independence. The babies will practice recognizing their place at the table, putting on and taking off shoes, and learning to recognize themselves and others through songs and rhymes. Toddlers The toddlers have been exploring a variety of textures this season, from glittery tinsel and sparkly baubles to the rough texture of the Christmas tree branches, festive Playdough has been a firm favourite. They've also been learning new festive songs and listening to holiday stories. Of course, they’ve enjoyed making their own creations to take home over the break. In the new term, we will be welcoming new children into the toddler group and supporting them as they settle in. We will continue to work on independence skills, such as using cutlery, helping set the table at mealtimes, and serving themselves during meals. The toddlers will also continue their Mini Musica sessions with Anna every other Thursday. Preschool The preschoolers have enjoyed focusing on festive celebrations. It was lovely to see so many parents and relatives at our Stay and Play events, where the children performed Christmas songs in both English and Spanish. We were also thrilled to have parents come in and read Christmas stories to the children. In addition to singing and stories, the children have been busy with arts and crafts, making Christmas cards, creating paper plate Santa's and polar bears, and enjoying hot chocolate and shortbread biscuits that they helped make in the preschool room. The children have loved the “Book of the Week” and listening to audiobooks during circle time. Looking ahead, we’ll be exploring winter, cold places, and the animals that live in winter habitats. We are also excited to reintroduce the Mystery Reader program. This is a fun way for parents or guardians to surprise the children by reading a story of your choice at a mutually convenient time. If you're interested in participating, please speak to Lauren. Spanish lessons with Jade will continue every Tuesday. 😊
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