Term 4; Week 2
What a week we have had!! Our Kidsizers spent every single day outside last week and loved every second. The sun was shining and we were able to spend the entire session every afternoon at the park. The children took a picnic snack and were able to enjoy this even before we left so that they could have maximum playing time at the park.
This week for Virtual Nature School our line of enquiry was 'looking at.' We chose to look at flowers and plants. While at the school playground some of the children found some miniature daffodils growing wild in the Pergola. The children had a discussion about their colour, shape and what animals might make use of them such as Bees.
Since we have moved fully into Spring we have decided to get planters at Kidsize so that we can grow our own flowers and vegetables. The children were able to look at the flower's leaves and buds which they may not normally notice and consider while the flowers are at this stage before blooming. The children discussed what flowers need in order to grow and determined that these things would be a secure place such as the ground or a planter, soil, sunshine and water. The children then worked together to prepare the planters for the flowers by filling them with soil and creating wells for the bulbs to go in. The children then carefully covered the bulbs with soil using the trowels so that only the leaves and buds could be seen. The children worked really well together and we hope to see some beautiful flowers blooming very soon.
Even thought we were looking at flowers and plants last week the children are never limited with these lines of enquiry and it is encouraged that they should discover as much as possible through these prompts. While at the park some children were exploring a densely forested section and discovered a Robin. We believe this Robin may live in this area and we were careful not to disturb any areas it may have nested. The Robin was very bold and came near the children even when they were making a lot of noise. Some of the children realised that if they stayed as quite as possible then the Robin would come even nearer. Their patience paid off and we were able to get an amazing up close picture of it as it landed on a branch. The children had an interesting conversation about Robins and what they might eat, where they live and how small they are compared to other birds. A lot of the children remarked that Robins are their favourite birds because of their red feathers. Check out the stunning photo we managed to capture of the Robin.
At Kidsize we like to encourage the children to explore their environment and the staff enthusiastically support and aid the children in this. While at the park the children were interested in exploring the areas of dense trees and shrubbery. The children were accompanied by staff and were able to explore these areas. This provided some great opportunities for imaginary play in an environment that felt more adventurous for the children. This also provided more tree climbing practice and the children faced challenging situations where they could only access certain sections through dense shrubbery and intertwined branches. This required them to problem solve and also help each other in order to access areas they wanted to play in. Check out the fun they were having below.
On our way to one of the children's favourite parks there are a couple of roads that we are required to cross. This provides the opportunity for the children to practice road safety. The children are encouraged to stop with the staff before crossing the road and go over the steps we should take in order to cross the roads safely. All of our children have an understanding of road safety measures such as 'stop, look and listen.' When it is safe to cross the staff also take up protective positions to ensure the children are not exposed to oncoming traffic. While road safety is a very serious matter and requires the children to be sensible they can still enjoy themselves and the walk to the park; these pictures are proof of that!
At Kidsize we don't just have fun in the afternoon, breakfast club is a great oppurtunity for the children to start their day off in a positive way and can really help them to get ready for the day ahead. The children are able to socialise straight away and many of the children have been enjoying playing together at our kitchen that we have in the quiet room. The children have even had the staff visit their restaurant and served up some fantastic sounding dishes. We have been so impressed by the children's ingenuity as they have used things like wool to resemble spaghetti and other food items. Check out some of their dishes below.