Wibble-wobbling, sun salutations, germ bugs, and fruit salad. (Week Beginning 17th November 2014)….

The Chimps have been rather creative with our baking trays this week as they have used them for a varied problem solving activity, adding milk bottle lids and balls so the children can try to throw or pop them in each hole. Speaking of cookware, the Chimps have also been making quite a racket with the wooden spoons and pans. It’s a wonder Gillian gets any cooking done with her supplies wandering about. In the sand tray they have been scooping sand into and out of egg boxes. Sensory gloves were out for their perusal and peruse they did as they shook, and squeezed, and very closely examined the contents of the gloves, which included cornflour, rice, and paper pieces. For malleable play, they have been coming to grips with jelly that didn’t wibble and wobble on the plate because Carly and the gang froze it. No matter, it was a wonderful sensory experience as the children stroked and patted the cubes, with some even putting it to their face. Ooof coooooold.

the Howlers this week have been working on their dexterity and to aid them in this ever important physical quest they made, of course, playdough. But not just any playdough; marbled playdough. They used cutters and shapes to make biscuits and practiced using knives and forks to cut them up. In the garden, they exercised their little fingers with spray bottles full of vinegar to make their dyed ice cubes erupt and fizz. They were particularly impressed with the collage of colours that blended together on the pavement. The Howlers stretched and balanced as they practiced their sun salutation yoga poses. Their music and movement activity this week saw the routine of Howler favourite, the animal dice game in which they have to do impressions of the animals the dice lands on. To help them out, they watched a few videos of the animals because who really knows a good impression of a giraffe? Anyone?

There’s been a lot of snotty noses this week so what better time to talk about germ bugs. Now the Baboons are very familiar with these little critters as they spend a great deal of their day washing them off before and after meal times, but this week they even made up stories about them and spent time talking about the importance of throwing away tissues after use and catching their sneezes. The new foam bricks have made their way into the Baboon room and they have been constructing roads, houses, and pathways to walk and balance along. In the maths area, they have been concentrating on painting and threading penne pasta, which of course turned into a jewellery making session. Once they got the hang of threading the pasta, they even went on a hunt around the room for more items to add to their necklaces and bracelets. This week they have been practicing their music skills with the extra large drum. Quite a few of the Baboons have a good ear for rhythm and beats and waited patiently to play on the right one during singing time. The Baboons’ day isn’t complete without a little science and they have been using empty bottles to create foamy volcanoes using bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, and dish liquid. Mimi led a very engaging group activity in which the Baboons were distinguishing between hard and soft objects and predicting the sound they would make when dropped from different heights. This activity did not come with a disclaimer so apologies in advance if they try this with any of your breakables.

The Gorillas are still carrying over from our very grand healthy tea party on Friday and have been paying special attention to the food they eat and the exercises they do to keep them strong and well. Group discussions have focused on how to keep their bodies strong and what happens if they don’t eat healthily or take of their bodies. Using coloured tissue paper, they made their own fruit salads with colours representing their dream salad. Some of the Gorillas opted to draw shapes and then stick particular colours onto them to create fruit. In the maths area, they have been weighing and measuring fruits and vegetables and determining which foods are heavier or lighter than the others. In the garden, they have had 5 minute blasts of workout sessions and relays (they have enjoyed the night relays in the evening). For music and movement they have been singing ‘Il Pulcino Ballerino’ which is about a little chicken who, instead of taking his first step, took his first dance, so all the Gorillas practiced dancing with their little chicken wings. Cluck, cluck.

Next week is ‘Multicultural Week’ and we are really excited about an array of cultures and languages flooding the nursery. We have lots of visits from parents lined up too so watch this space for some fabulous photos on Friday.