Hello families! Welcome to Terrific Thursday. Today we have had lots of fun and frivolity. During morning activities, we played with our new strollers, where the children showed their exceptional caregiving skills with our baby dolls, teddies and toys. Lots of babies were walked around today, and very gently too. Dramatic/role play, especially when it is related to caring for our imaginary babies imparts to children, the skills and attributes of empathy and care for another.

Other fun outside activities included climbing and jumping across giant Lego blocks, Arakan self-defence classes, and throwing large balls through a hoop.

We also had lots of creative play-based experiences inside today – making the first part of our cylindrical rockets with paint, PVC glue and collage pieces, creating “gardens”with flower petals, sticks, pom poms, cut up pattty pans, and the occasional feather or two to represent butterflies. Creative play-based activities also help develop the following skills and attributes (to name but a few):

Link to Early Years Learning Framework –

Outcome 4.1 – Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

Playdough was also a big favourite – combined with scissors for cutting, rolling pins, cookie cutters and paddle pop sticks. The benefit of playdough for children includes:

* It helps to strengthen small fingers, hands and wrists. Children gain control over their hand and arm movements which improves coordination. * It helps children develop self esteem -there is no right or wrong way to use play dough. * Play dough fosters cooperative play.

During outside playtime we had lots of fun trying to bury Miss Donna’s legs in sand – just about everyone pitched in. We then all worked on developing our upper body strength by all taking turns to swing from rung to rung along the monkey bars.

We trust you enjoy viewing the snapshots of your child/grandchild uploaded here today, and hope that you all have a very safe and happy long weekend.

Until next week, take care everyone!

Love,

Miss Donna and Miss Lyn xxx