Weekly roundup 10 February 2023

It's been another busy week of investigation for all of the children at Pre-School. Both rooms have explored a range of resources enabling them to talk about the differences between materials and changes they notice.

One such activity allowed children to make suggestions about how to find the hidden object in some ice. They used their hands, hammers, warm and cold water to try and melt the large block of coloured ice to discover an orange hidden within. Lots of turn taking and ideas were shared which demonstrated how the group worked well as a team to reveal the surprise item. Bumbles enjoyed making some pretend cupcakes at the sand tray earlier in the week, making use of the brightly coloured sand and moulds.

On Thursday, they took this activity to the next level and baked some real cupcakes for Valentines day. This was an opportunity to talk about people that are special to them in their lives and who they would like to give their cake to. Cooking is a great activity to do with children that supports many areas of development. By combining different ingredients they are learning about changes that happen when you mix, heat and cool substances. Maths skills are supported through measuring and weighing ingredients and concepts such as 'more' or 'less' are being expressed and discussed, expanding their vocabulary.

Both rooms have had their fair share of messy activities which again, provide wonderful opportunities for exploration and investigation. Gloop, a combination of cornflour and water is an interesting mixture with a unique texture that toddlers and children love to explore and play with. It’s great for moulding and developing fine motor skills, offering young children a range of sensory experiences, and the opportunity to learn about different textures and materials. You'll see from the photographs that it isn't just the children that engage in the messier play activities - staff simply can't resist getting involved!

Messy play is an important part of learning and we know that the children can often come home covered in more debris than Keira! Just remember, they are exploring and learning though play and these experiences are so valuable in supporting development. For more information and ideas for messy play visit - https://empoweredparents.co/messy-play/. 

Next week is half term and we'll be starting off with our topic of Gardening and Growing when we return on the 20th. We'll be reading Jack and the Beanstalk and The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle to support children's understanding of how things grow. For a head start you could copy and paste the Youtube link which has a video of the story being read - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls6wTeT2cKA. 

Have a lovely half term break.