Hello everyone and welcome to our Wednesday blog.
Today we started off our morning indoors as it was a little cooler and wet in the playground. Eventually we did make it outdoors to do some bird spotting in the trees. Eva and Charlotte spotted some rainbow lorikeets and this sparked some discussions about what they were doing. Mr Andrew showed everyone pictures of their tongues which look like little brushes and are used to get to all the nectar out of the flowers. The children were fascinated and we are fortunate to be located in such a natural landscape where lots of wildlife stops by. Eventually we are hoping to establish a worm garden too that the children can look after and contribute to. This will help foster a sense of belonging to the centre and also develop skills of responsibility which are essential for navigating through life.
Our group time today was focused on the solar system. We watched a video where the planets would sing their names and talk about facts relating to themselves. Reid noticed that earth was smaller than some of the other planets and it is great for the children to get some perspective about just how big the world and space can really be. We sang our “mother sun” song which is very catching and I’m sure you will hear your children singing it soon. Afterwards we chose a favourite planet and illustrated it, earth was obviously the most popular. As more children have been returning it has been great to get back into some routines such as regular music times together and lots more art projects as a class. In the future we are hoping to make a big paper Mache display of the planets that we can hang up in the classroom as the children are already fascinated with this topic.
Our active games today included candlesticks, “egg” catching games and some “hockey” using croquet mallets. The game that had the most success was a throwing game where the children had to try and make 10 passes in their pairs. Everyone was laughing away as they tried to get to the big number 10 but it was proving very tricky. Reid and Sonni managed to get to 10 passes and everyone gave them a big cheer and clap. Children pass objects in a more unpredictable fashion so it was great to see them working hard and making adjustments to try and cooperatively get to 10 passes. When children work together to achieve a goal there can often be more learning gained as teachers can occasionally scaffold too much and make the task too easy.
The children are slowly getting used to the new menu as well and eating a greater variety of foods. We have wonderful chefs her at Riversdale and we are lucky to get so much delicious food. Today was toasties, pumpkin soup and a salad bar which went down a treat. After lunch a few of our friends rested their bodies while the other did some quiet activities like reading and constructions activities with the cardboard pipes. In the afternoon we will set up some games around the basketball hoop and practice some shooting skills. The indoor hoop has been mildly successful but nothing compares to the real thing outdoors so I’m sure the children will be looking forward to this.
Thank you everyone for a great day and see you again soon.
Mr Andrew and Miss Jess
Coen leading our group out so nicely for our outdoor sport and movmenet session
The damp grass on the hill made it an excellent opportunity for a slide which the children had so much fun with
