Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Send in the clowns - 25 November 2010
Today was it Samara's birthday.
Samara and her family came to Village Kids and celebrated with us! There was surprise too - Lulu the Clown!
Lulu the Clown was cool! She gave all the children stamps, had a camera that took squirting photos and had an umbrella that rained confetti.
Lulu also made all the children special balloons. She made swords, heart wands, mice and dogs.
Then we all sat down and shared some yummy party food!
It was such a neat morning and we felt so special to be able to celebrate this special day with Samara.
Samara and her family came to Village Kids and celebrated with us! There was surprise too - Lulu the Clown!
Lulu the Clown was cool! She gave all the children stamps, had a camera that took squirting photos and had an umbrella that rained confetti.
Lulu also made all the children special balloons. She made swords, heart wands, mice and dogs.
Then we all sat down and shared some yummy party food!
It was such a neat morning and we felt so special to be able to celebrate this special day with Samara.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Fish'n'Chips in the park
On Friday the 19th we all went to the park for fish'n'chips.
We all had a great time sitting on our blankets and sharing in good food and good conversation.
It was even cooler that we had our fish'n'chips at the park because after dinner we were able to play with our friends on the playground.
At Village Kids we enable children and their families to be active participants in our community, and enable children to learn and grow as part of a community.
We all had a great time sitting on our blankets and sharing in good food and good conversation.
It was even cooler that we had our fish'n'chips at the park because after dinner we were able to play with our friends on the playground.
At Village Kids we enable children and their families to be active participants in our community, and enable children to learn and grow as part of a community.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Our favourite song!!!
The favourite song at the moment is "Jack in the box". Our student teacher Erena showed us the chords and we have been playing it on our ukuleles ever since. The children just love doing the actions to the songs - especially the jumping!
Actions songs are a fantastic way for children to learn the fundamental physical skills they need as they get older. Action songs also allow the children to play and learn alongside others and learn about their bodies, which is one of the key components in our curriculum.
Actions songs are a fantastic way for children to learn the fundamental physical skills they need as they get older. Action songs also allow the children to play and learn alongside others and learn about their bodies, which is one of the key components in our curriculum.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Our Butterfly
15 November 2010. Today we were lucky enough to see a caterpillar encase himself in his chrysalis. It was so cool to watch and Amanda was even quick enough to get the camera and flip mino to video it. The video has been sped up (it has sped up the bumps and knocks as well) and for more information, copy and paste the following links into your address bar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly) http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/monarch-butterflies/
This was a rare experience for the children and it demonstrated to them how creatures in our environment live and evolve, as the children have watched the whole life cycle (to this point) and will hopefully get to see the butterflies emerge from their chrysalides.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly) http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/monarch-butterflies/
This was a rare experience for the children and it demonstrated to them how creatures in our environment live and evolve, as the children have watched the whole life cycle (to this point) and will hopefully get to see the butterflies emerge from their chrysalides.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Big Bubbles 09 November 2010
Yesterday Amanda made a bubble solution and was making big bubbles outside! They were so cool but the bubbles were popping too quickly. We wondered if there was a bubble solution that would last longer. We looked in the Childspace Space magazine for a bubble mixture recipe because Kirsty remembered an article about big bubbles.
We found one and decided to give it a go but it did recommend to sit the bubbles overnight.
This morning the bubble mixture was ready so we went out onto the deck to give it a go and see if this mixture was any better.
The bubbles did last fractionally longer but seemed to pop once they had separated from the bubble wand. We wondered if it was our technique so we swished and flicked (just like Harry Potter and his wand). That worked a little better but not as successful as we hoped. Kirsty then slowed the action right down and the bubbles stayed formed for longer. Fantastic!
Jay, Enzo and Amelia loved watching the bubbles and reaching up to pop them! We saw lots of different colours in the bubbles and they didn't always form perfect round shapes either. They laughed when the bubbles popped and asked "where gone?"
Bubbles challenge the children's knowledge about things in their environment, especially as bubbles look solid but easily pop when touched. Bubbles help children develop working theories about the properties of bubbles and how they are formed.
We found one and decided to give it a go but it did recommend to sit the bubbles overnight.
This morning the bubble mixture was ready so we went out onto the deck to give it a go and see if this mixture was any better.
The bubbles did last fractionally longer but seemed to pop once they had separated from the bubble wand. We wondered if it was our technique so we swished and flicked (just like Harry Potter and his wand). That worked a little better but not as successful as we hoped. Kirsty then slowed the action right down and the bubbles stayed formed for longer. Fantastic!
Jay, Enzo and Amelia loved watching the bubbles and reaching up to pop them! We saw lots of different colours in the bubbles and they didn't always form perfect round shapes either. They laughed when the bubbles popped and asked "where gone?"
Bubbles challenge the children's knowledge about things in their environment, especially as bubbles look solid but easily pop when touched. Bubbles help children develop working theories about the properties of bubbles and how they are formed.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
This is how we make formula...
02 November 2010
Our children have been very interested in family play and have been acting out roles within the family and what routines we follow!
One of the main interests are with the babies. The children love to carry their babies, put their babies to bed and to put them in the high chair.
Today I found an empty formula tin on the bench so I rinsed it out and got the spare bottles from the pantry and gave them to the children to use.
They loved it! It was cool to watch them scooping the formula out of their tin, into their bottles. When they had made their bottles, it was time to wash the dishes :)!
This is a fantastic example of how the children learn so much through observation and through doing! They had so much fun role playing and taking leadership in their play.
Our children have been very interested in family play and have been acting out roles within the family and what routines we follow!
One of the main interests are with the babies. The children love to carry their babies, put their babies to bed and to put them in the high chair.
Today I found an empty formula tin on the bench so I rinsed it out and got the spare bottles from the pantry and gave them to the children to use.
They loved it! It was cool to watch them scooping the formula out of their tin, into their bottles. When they had made their bottles, it was time to wash the dishes :)!
This is a fantastic example of how the children learn so much through observation and through doing! They had so much fun role playing and taking leadership in their play.
Parent Evening 1st November 2010
Tonight we held our parent evening. The theme for the evening was "A day in the life" and we focused on our daily routine and what the learning is behind the children's play.
First off Gemma talked about the inside area and the activities that we usually have inside. We shared the actions for one of our favourite songs "Mrs Bunny". The parents joined in and looked like they had a fun time as well.
Gemma then took us through the non-mobile area and what we like to do on the deck. We made some 'gloop' but only one of our parents were keen to try it!
Then Amanda talked to the parents about the activities we set up outside and made a volcano for the parents. It was so cool!
We also talked about our natural projects such as our willow tunnel and cave as well as our edible garden we have planted.
Stef then spoke to the parent about the routines surrounding nappy changes and sleeping. Some feedback we received after the night ended said that the parents were really happy that we have respectful practices with nappy changes and liked how we followed the children's individual routines when it was bedtime.
To finish the evening off, Kirsty talked to the parents about mealtimes, the routines and practices we follow as well as our centre ICT. Kirsty covered how we encourage independence with handwashing and sitting at the table and a little bit about our journey with the Healthy Heart Award. Then Kirsty spoke about our blogging, emailing and skyping and the value for families, especially the family members that live overseas or in different towns.
The evening was enjoyed by all and great feedback was recieved from all who attended! We can't wait until the next parent evening, I wonder what we will do next time?
First off Gemma talked about the inside area and the activities that we usually have inside. We shared the actions for one of our favourite songs "Mrs Bunny". The parents joined in and looked like they had a fun time as well.
Gemma then took us through the non-mobile area and what we like to do on the deck. We made some 'gloop' but only one of our parents were keen to try it!
Then Amanda talked to the parents about the activities we set up outside and made a volcano for the parents. It was so cool!
We also talked about our natural projects such as our willow tunnel and cave as well as our edible garden we have planted.
Stef then spoke to the parent about the routines surrounding nappy changes and sleeping. Some feedback we received after the night ended said that the parents were really happy that we have respectful practices with nappy changes and liked how we followed the children's individual routines when it was bedtime.
To finish the evening off, Kirsty talked to the parents about mealtimes, the routines and practices we follow as well as our centre ICT. Kirsty covered how we encourage independence with handwashing and sitting at the table and a little bit about our journey with the Healthy Heart Award. Then Kirsty spoke about our blogging, emailing and skyping and the value for families, especially the family members that live overseas or in different towns.
The evening was enjoyed by all and great feedback was recieved from all who attended! We can't wait until the next parent evening, I wonder what we will do next time?
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