COLLAGE BABIES
On Thursday, babies were doing a collage with Pom poms in contact adhesive, this to promote their fine motor skills and eye hand coordination, the activity went good, babies participated actively.
CHINESE PAPER CUTTING
As part of learning about Chinese New Year, we have been learning about traditional art forms, and came across Chinese paper cutting. The art of paper cutting in China goes back a long way in history, to when paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. As paper increased in affordability, paper-cutting became and important type of Chinese folk art. The children were fascinated by the works of art we looked at, and are engaging in basic forms of this art and working out all the things they can do, what works and what doesn’t, and how to change things to get a better result next time.
NATURE IN THE PLAYDOUGH
We have been looking at the textures and patterns created in playdough when we use natural items such as shells, stones, pine cones, banksia cones, gum nuts and twigs. The children have been fascinated by the imprints they can make and have explored deeply what they can do with non-plastic materials. Children naturally gravitate to items like sticks, dirt, sand, shells, and stones, as well as to objects they can manipulate, pull apart, mould and create with. Offering children different materials with play dough allows for creativity and thinking differently about how to play with it. Nature play dough is an open-ended, free-time exploration.
ORANGE MUFFINS
On Tuesday, the preschool children engaged in making some orange muffins, and they learned about how to zest an orange and harvest its juice, both which were used in the recipe. This type of recipe encourages children to reduce waste, as all parts of the fruit were used. Everyone had a turn at zesting the oranges, and they were fascinated by the result, a fine but strong product of a pulpy consistency.
CHINA’S FLAG
It’s Chinese New Year! The preschool children had been interested in learning about their country, so we have now started talking about a new part of the world. We have learned the story of Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated, and have touched on the zodiac signs and how they came about. As the children had been interested in countries and the flags that represent them, we have had a look at the Chinese flag and what it means. The children then asked if they could make their own, so we took a simple template and the children requested paint for decoration. Talking about other countries and engaging in flag research helps children to feel recognised and respected for who they are, no matter where they come from. It also provides a chance for children to share aspects of a variety of cultures with other children, educators and families. Children learn respect and tolerance and develop a sense of belonging to the wider community and its languages, creating rich and diverse cultural identities.
NEW MUD KITCHEN FOR OUTDOOR PLAY
Our new kitchen is made from natural timber, and will be safe to use outdoors. The children are really enjoying getting creative in this new area, and are able to mix, stir, measure, plant, water and create, and are free to add natural elements such as leaves, water, sand and soil.
MAKING LAMINGTONS
On Friday the children took part in making a traditional Australian cake – the lamington! Many of the children had not heard of the lamington, though some had tried one before. We talked about the ingredients contained within the cake and the lamington coating, and then we measured out some icing mixture, water and cocoa powder, stirring it into a runny mix! We set this bowl aside, and we tipped some fine coconut into another bowl. We cut up some squares of coconut sponge cake, counting as we cut, and then everyone had a turn at coating a lamington, by rolling the square piece of cake in the chocolate mix, then dipping it in the coconut until it was all covered. The children delighted in eating their freshly made lamingtons for afternoon tea.
CREATING CHINESE PLAYDOUGH
Today the day was perfect to do some sensorial experiences. As children love playdough, we started making our own, related to the Chinese New Year. To make this playdough, children participated by tasting the salt, touching the mix, incorporating the ingredients and mixing it. To finalise, we added some essential oil so everybody smelled the playdough, adding some glitter to make it sparkling
CHINESE ART AND CRAFT EXPERIENCES FOR TODDLERS
To continue with the topic of this month, in toddlers’ room we talked about the pig, children recognised the colour and the sound that it makes. Then to practice our fine motor skills, children participated in sticking small pieces of paper on the pig.
