Chimps – Who doesn’t love splashing around in the water? Well our Chimps certainly do! They have been making waves in the water tray. Literally. Sam, Carly, and Maria borrowed the long water tray and rocked it side to side as the Chimps got fantastically excited about the sea creatures drifting and swaying in the waves. The pirate boat, naturally, had a ride on the waves for a bit. Since the Chimps have been spending time looking at each others’ and their own faces, the “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” song had a bit of a remix to include chins and cheeks. How the song could miss out on fabulous cheeks in the first place, I’m not quite sure. In the construction area, the foam blocks have been placed on mirrors so the Chimps can have even more of a view of their creations…or watch themselves chewing the foam blocks. Whichever works, really. For the walkers and stumblers, the role play clothe shop has been a blast as Chimps have been collecting dressing up clothes around the room and moving through with their trolley. We’ll get to the money later. Books this week have been very interactive as Maria has led the way with the Italian ICT book and Chimps have been lifting flaps and getting touchy- feely with the sensory stories. It’s been all about coloured rice and sand in the sensory tray and some of the children have been using paintbrushes to sweep them clear. I’m sure that could be put to good use later. Fossil hunting anyone?
Howlers – Well the pear tree has been raining pears this week and never ones to miss out on a cooking opportunity, the Howlers have made pear and apple chutney! They exercised their little wrists cutting chunks, used the scales to weigh their ingredients out and then did some hefty mixing. I believe they had broken into a little bit of a sweat, but water was on hand. There is still plenty of chutney spare, so if you’re a fan and have an empty jar or two around, stop by the kitchen. The stickle bricks have been their construction activity this week and the Howlers have been extra imaginative, too. When they weren’t chatting away on the stickle brick phones, they accommodated the homeless dolls with some sturdy stickle brick houses. At the painting table, water beads were the thing and not only did the Howlers love rolling them around in paint, but also got a nice surprise when they gave them a little squeeze. At the painting table, there was also some shape printing and the children paid extra close attention to the prints they made after stamping the different shapes down. In the mark-making area they’ve been looking very studious indeed as there have been notepads and pencils on hand to make some observations and copy the ever form-filling grownups. Their physical activities have been a rather ‘stickery’ body part game as the Howlers received stickers when they pointed various parts of their body. They were particularly cheerful about stickers on their noses. The little clever clogs have also been practicing speech sounds with a bowling game in which they rolled balls to the letters and copied staff in making their sounds.
Since the Baboons had such a blast last week with tin foil, Mimi decided to see how they took to cling film string painting. Ever observant, the Baboons did notice that the cling film wasn’t quite so easy to paint onto, but, with a little glue and creativity, they did take home some rather unique pieces of artwork. Also on the painting table were “spaghetti brushes” (a bundle of dry and/or cooked spaghetti). If you give the Baboons something creative to work with, they will definitely give something creative back. Not only did they paint their canvases and notice the differences in the marks of cooked and dry spaghetti, but some also found that a strand of spaghetti was perfect for painting their nails. Speaking of outside the box, the Baboons have been constructing all manner of things in their construction role play area. Eboné and her crew worked on a zoo/farm floor plan with colour sorted blocks representing different areas. The children decided that Cow would be lonely so a pond had to be created so Duck could keep him company. Some of the builders have been on call at the small world castle, taking measurements and repairing the brickwork, while others have been using the room camera to take photos of their constructions for reference later. Good planning Baboons. Outside, they have been enjoying the mark-making freedom of chalks on pavement and have taken special interest in the letters of their names. The Baboons also had a go at dressing their paper dolls in fancy frocks and sophisticated suits. In the book area, they just can’t get enough of Moby Dick, and we hear that they have even been going home and reciting the entire story to their mummies and daddies. They do us proud.
Speaking of great water monsters, the Gorillas have been making ice monsters. They have been choosing various resources and materials to add to the ice, along with googly eyes. Of course they may have been inspired by all the sea animal books they have been reading in the book area. Their role play this week has been a baby hospital and there are definitely some budding medical professionals in the room. In the designing and making area the Gorillas have been practicing their scissor control while cutting out eyes in their animal masks. They have also created some wonderful play dough animals using reference photos and shape cutters, adding different pieces of materials for fur and horns, etc. Some of the Gorillas have been visiting the farm in the small world area and creating families for all the farm animals and ensuring they’re all in their shelters and stables by nightfall. In the garden, they practiced their basketballs skills as staff held the hula hoops at different distances for them to throw into.
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