Well the weather has been ever so kind to us this week. Perhaps, a little too kind as the sun beamed down like a laser, so the Chimps had a group time focused on sun hats – we all know how difficult it is to keep those on them. Naturally, the first thing they did was pull them off, but towards the end of the game they started to exercise a little more patience with their head wear. While they were already in hat mode, Carly and the team figured they might as well get into those ever so bothersome sock and shoe routines as the little ones practiced recognizing their own belongings and dressing. For their creative and sensory activities, the Chimps have been getting up to all sorts with their lego block printing and vanilla oats playdough. Apparently they thought the playdough would make a very nice face mask as the Chimp team could hardly recognize their doughy faced children. In the problem solving area, the little ones have been working their way through puzzles, recognizing animals and taking turns passing pieces to others. For music and movement, the Chimps did some very big stretches with hula hoops, practicing “up,” “down” and “side to side.” They even got a giggle with the ribbons that were attached for added fun. Hula hooooooooooo!
Also in preparation for those pesky sun hats, the Howlers spent their group time focusing on staying healthy in the summer heat. They now even shout to the team “hat” and “cream” before they go out to the garden and have become quite accustomed to asking for and/or collecting their waters more often in the day. That’s the spirit Howlers! Speaking of water, what’s hot day without some soaking water play? The Howlers played a game of pass the sponge as they travelled all around with their soggy sponges and squeezed them out into funnels. The hula hoops have also been popular in the Howler room this week as they’ve been exploring different ways to move with them. The hoops were laid out on the floor, rolled across the room, and even served as a perfect lasso to keep their friends near. At the creative table, Picasso was the inspiration behind their painting session this week as they used leaves to create abstract faces and spent time talking about and pointing to their own features. They also created tape resist pictures and they thoroughly enjoyed ripping the tape off to see the results. This week, all the groups made sushi and the Howlers had a whale of a time (I didn’t do that on purpose, I promise) making vegetable sushi with avocado and sweet potato. They were, and I say this as a sushi non-fan, quite tasty. Mmmmmm…
All the Mr. and Mrs. McGregors were out in the Baboons as gardening was the topic of the week. Not that it isn’t always a topic here at the nursery, but the Baboons needed to do a bit more research into healthy and unhealthy foods for their role play grocer’s. At group time, using visual aids, the children identified and sorted healthy and unhealthy foods. The grocer’s was home to the finest, freshest produce as the customers were allowed to grab their own vegetables from the small world garden (role play vegetables and pictures were hidden in soil). To add a little something extra to their playdough experience this week, the Baboons ventured to the vegetable patch to pick mint leaves. Also in the garden, the children were given cameras and sent on a photographic documentary of leaves and I can say there are definitely some photographers in the group as they crouched down, set up their shots, and even grabbed a few models for their photos. For those without the green thumb, a bowling alley was set up in the garden and ever the problem solvers, the Baboons searched high and low for the right bowling ball. They decided the space hopper was the best one. It’s been the best week for ice painting and the children have been exploring the effects of salt and food colouring on ice cubes. In the dance room, they’ve been working up a sweat with a full on aerobic session complete with star jumps, sprints, and riding the bikes. After all that, we thought they deserved a good run through the sprinklers. Turned into more of a shower, but hey, ‘tis the season.
It’s all been rather dusty in the Gorilla role play this week as their bakery shop was open for business. The staff have been treated to pancakes, bread, cookies, and all manner of fine baked goods. The children have been pretending to measure out ingredients and making sure they stick to the right cooking times. Speaking of bakers, the group time focus was different jobs and professions and the Gorillas delighted in sharing what they would like to be when they grew up. There were scientists, pilots, a few princesses, and even “a mum.” Awww…. This week, as Maria’s away, they had a mini Spanish lesson with Cristina playing “Snap” using flashcards – when they had a matching card, they would repeat after Cristina the word in Spanish (nina, mariposa, etc.). At the computer, the Gorillas practiced their mouse control as they used the paint program to draw letters. They’ve also been using stencils and drywipe markers at the light box to practice those writing hands. In the dance room, the children have been doing hula hoop Zumba and playing “Red Light, Green Light.” Watch out for pedestrians!
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