infant toddler program newsinfant This term has been an eventful one so far, with the wild weather, lots of sick children and a few wonderful new families. We are making use of every bit of sunshine that comes our way and occasionally enjoying a bit of playtime in the rain too. Our outdoor classroom has been very popular despite the rainy days. With a new big dump-truck in the sandpit, a few children have been practising their digging skills with spades. We are also exploring the concept of sink vs float with a variety of objects found in our beautiful garden and we have had a fair few master pieces made on our painting easel. The addition of a balance bike and a tricycle has added appeal to the outdoor space for some of our energetic explorers. We hope to continue expanding our outdoor classroom as it is a lovely space and offers many opportunities for the approaching warm weather.
Indoors, we have been very busy developing those practical life activities with the food jobs still being the most popular. While everyone enjoys eating the fruits of their own labour, we have had the joyful experience of preparing food to share on the snack table. The snack table offers many social opportunities but is also a great place to calmly observe the environment from a safe place. A big thank you to all our families for supplying all the delicious fruit to share.
Making bubbles with a mixer has been a much loved activity as well as grinding salt with rosemary leaves. Digging for sea shells in a bucket of rice is a relatively new job on the shelf and has brought with it some very interesting moments. Some of our children are learning that it takes twice as long to clean up spilled rice as it takes to spill it! All these activities are as fun as they are important in developing those essential skills.
Interactive story time has been wonderful with some days a bit more challenging than others. During this time, we are learning to join our friends in a group activity, working on our listening skills and developing our attention span. Some of our older children created ocean craft in conjunction with a fish themed activity on the mat. We have also made some music with various instruments where the musical bells are by far the most loved.
We are excited for the remainder of the term as the weather is due to improve and while our Lakelands playgroup community is becoming a close knit family.
Best wishes
Carla, Nat & Orla
