Key topics and themes, what has gone well?
Indoor role play saw the home corner changed into a campsite where children recreated the forest school rules and holiday experiences. Much excitement at having dens and enclosed spaces to hide. Lots of cooking on the firepit and talk of meal times, foods and sharing experiences.
Stick painting was explored seeing gross and fine motor movement to create different effects using primary coloured paints. Some colour magis seeing colours mixed to create new ones. Descriptive language used to describe what is happening, what is seen, what is going to happen, what is made. Talk of effects and textures.
St. George And The Dragon! Imaginary play linked with St George's day with princesses being rescued by knights in shining armour.
Word play has been incorporated looking at letters. phonics, forming letters, forming words, made up words and portmanteau words.
The assault course has been revamped again seeing the children problem solving and risk assessing as they help construct the new course.
Books/songs/group work:
We have showed great physical and mathematical skills playing 'Hook A Duck'. Children use the rod with a hook on the end to hook a duck out of the water and look at the number on it's bottom. There is a number line alongside the activity where children are invited to match their duck with the corresponding number on the number line. Children explore number recognition, looking at similarities and differences as they learn to recognise numbers. The physical challenge promotes hand-eye co-ordination, adapting how to hook the duck as they bob around in the water, perseverance and a sense of achievement as the duck is caught. The social aspect saw the groups cheering each other on and helping if asked, working together as a team.
Planting seeds in the veg garden! Lucy our own Percy Thrower has been on top of the gardening and it's move to the new location near the hive garden. She has invited groups of den children to plant tomato, sweet peas and sunflower seeds. Our children take opportunities to water and check on our seedlings as they grow. (see blog)
Insects have been a focus now that the warmer weather is here. Children are using spotters guides to identify them and are following forest school rules about safe handling of insects.
Books this month
Dora's Eggs, Jabberwocky and The Return Of The Jabberwocky and My Friend Bear.
Dora the hen is proud of her eggs and wants to invite her friends over to admire them. But Penny Pig is too busy with her wriggling piglets, and Daisy Dog is playing with her puppies. The more animals Dora visits, the more boring her eggs seem to be.
This is a beautifully illustrated picture book, written around the old classic nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll. The original poem is featured at the beginning of the book ‘Jabberwocky’ written 1871.
‘T’was brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.’
Children found the nonsense words hillarious! Excellent tool for rhyming and exploring a portmanteau word which typically combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings, for instance, the term "wurly" when describing hair that is both wavy and curly.
This is a humourous rhyming story that is fun to read. Eddy and the Bear are both feeling sad. They both wish they had a friend to talk to. All they've got are their teddies, and teddies can't talk. Or can they?
Songs this month
Bug Theme - Wiggly Woo, Incy Wincy Spider, I'd Rather Eat Worms, Baby Bumble Bee and Easter Theme - Chick Chick Chicken, Sleeping Bunnies and Little April Showers.
Upcoming Events/themes for following month:
May and changes in our environment.
May traditions - May pole dancing, Morris men, May queen.
General information:
Kate's immanent departure as she has completed her apprenticeship. An exciting time for her with new challenges ahead. (see blog)
Sophie's departure to have a baby! The children have been asking about her baby every day, we are awaiting the question of how it got in there! (see blog)
CHICKEN POX!! Continues to be prevalent
Holidays, please let us know if you are away for a holiday.
Resources, if you have any 'real' pots, pans, spanners, ladders, planks, old mobile phones or cameras please can you donate them to the den for role play. Our children have shown increased involvement when using 'real' resources during play.
Tam