“Exploring Their New Sensory Jeweled Mosaic”
Our cheeky little Chimps have been playing with ‘moon sand’ this week. This is a rather fantastic-feeling combination of sand, baby oil and cornflour – it is really good to make all sorts of shapes with and they have loved playing with it. They have been enjoying playing with and looking in all their very shiny objects so much that they had them all out again this week like a little bunch of fascinated magpies. They have been playing putting on different hats and scarves and giggling at themselves in the mirror – they found it particularly funny when Carly was doing this too. They have also been reading books about little yellow ducklings, playing with toy ducks and singing songs all about ducks too. Veritable duck experts no less. They have been studying and arranging all their lovely animal magnets on a magnet board bigger than themselves and feeling our rather lovely new shiny jewelled mosaics on our sensory wall in the garden (this is a work in progress and another will appear for them next week). They look outrageously pretty when they dazzle in the sun and the Chimps are their number one fans.
“Singing favourite Song Bag Songs”
The Howlers have been really enjoying their exciting song bag, picking out characters and objects and thinking of the right songs to sing – clever little monkeys. They have been getting messy as only they know how with a gloop mixture to rival all gloop mixtures. They have been playing with their ICT collection of keyboards, phones and other things with buttons and mice and they have been playing with the farm and farm animals. Still on their animal theme they have been looking at lots of books with stories and pictures of animals and even pretending to be animals in their music and movement sessions. They have been loving the big sandpit outside and all our new outside bats, balls, hoops etc. and they have been sorting all their duplo into colours – well done them. Oh, they have also been getting muddy planting lots of seeds in pots to take care of until they make it out to the veggie patch. We have beans and peas and lettuce and radishes and carrots as well as cress and herbs. It is going to be a tasty summer, if it ever gets started. They have had stacks of teddies at their role play teddy bears picnic and they have been feeding them, making drinks for them, winding them, putting them to bed after lunch and getting them dressed up for the picnic. 5 star treatment for the teddies!
“Children Playing Outdoor Running Races”
The Baboons have been rather enjoying a daily dose of ‘Sleeping Bunnies’ – and every other animal they can think of. They never get bored of that song. They have been getting really stuck into their ‘Opposites’ and other puzzles. They have been doing healthy cooking and playing all sorts of outside games with the range of new outdoor equipment and climbing all around our newly refurbed sensory area. They have been marvelling at the rainbow effects of the hundreds of new crystals hanging overhead forming rainbow affects in the sun. They have also been getting all excited and sitting in our new story corner at the back of the garden with their rainbow shelter overhead and listening to the pretty wind chimes. It is magical at the back of the garden now – as if it wasn’t already – please check it out next time you are there. The Baboon role play area has been a post office with all manner of props and they have been using envelopes, posting and sticking stamps on things. They have been playing with their lovely ocean scene in small world play and building all sorts of things with their lego collection.
“Children Planting and Growing”
The Gorillas have been doing a lot of planting too. We are going to have so many things to put in our vegetable patch we cannot wait to get out there. The team have been trained and are really getting on board with it. We are confident it will be the best year yet. They have been role playing like crazy in their mysterious dinosaur cave and hiding and playing with their toy dinosaurs in sand. They have been drawing fruit – copying from their new very realistic plastic collection and doing some rather great representations I must say. They have been making dinosaur eggs and decorating them and making collages too. Their phonic sound has been ‘g’ and they have been singing and dancing away and recognising letters every day. It really is amazing to listen to them (do just ask if you would like to pop in and listen to one of their sessions they really are a joy). Ben and I listen a lot to their group times and those Gorillas are going to be several steps ahead when they get to school take it from us – they are also recognising numbers and using their numicon to amazing affect. They have been playing bat and ball and kicking their new rugby balls around too. It is going to be a summer of streamlining those ball skills for sure – perhaps we should create a Young Friends national team of some sort?
Next week we are desperately wishing for a warm one. The garden is looking fabulous and we want to see the children out there enjoying the beautiful story corner and sensory area – and of course start their gardening. Enough is enough come on sunshine we need you! Have a great weekend everyone..
Oh – photos from this week and last will be up later today. There is just a slight delay because we have changed our server. Thanks for your patience. Louise.
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