birthdays

hello everyone,
We had a great week last week exploring our whole school theme of India, the children did some lovely work making biscuits, elephant pictures, peacocks and pictures of Indian puppets, and looking at maps, however when asked the children all said they enjoyed the food! We had nan bread, popadoms, chutneys, dip and korma. We also used a pestle and mortar to grind spices and herbs, chilli and garlic, which some of the children really loved, and the playroom smelt wonderful!

Thank you so much to all the parents who brought something from India it certainly added to the week and gave us lots to look at and plan from.

This week as a school we celebrate our 20th birthday, so we thought we would enjoy some birthday party activities which will start with reading Shirley Hughes 'Alfie gives a hand'
The children will be writing party invitations, making masks, and dressing up with the theme of superheros or fairies. The costumes we are using are pre schools, which gives the children the opportunity to invent their own superhero, so please do not send your child into preschool wearing a costume, we want them to use their imagination.

There are lots of dates coming up with farewell activities for the children to enjoy, do look out for letters, I will blog a complete list soon. Amanda and team

India week

This week we join in with the school's India week.
We will start the week by showing the children where India is on the globe and  asking the children how  they think they might get there.
 We are then going to look at some photographs of the country, people and animals, and ask them what they would like to do and learn about.
Our learning focus this week will be holding a pencil effectively and correctly. We have lots of activities planned for this stage of development, decorating elephants, chalking patterns, hand printing and collage.
On Friday there will be an Indian café in the school hall, so for that event we will be making biscuits in the shape of animals that live in India eg elephants, monkeys.
For snack we will be enjoying some different Indian breads and popadoms, and the children will have the opportunity to smell some of the spices as well.
Do you have anything from India or a picture that your child would like to share with the group?

The swimming pool is open again, so afternoon swimming starts again.

         Amanda and pre school team

a bus journey

We continue our journeys theme, with a bus journey. We are going to look at some bus journey stories and see where the children would like to go, and of course sing 'the wheels on the bus song,'
 making up some new verses.

This week we are also going to have a mathematical theme, with some new fun number games for us to play, including fishing games and bingo, with lots of opportunities to enjoy counting and recognising numerals.

train journeys

The children have been enjoying our topic about trains which we plan to continue this week.
 Some of the children have been discovering about trains using the internet, and have been making posters about what they have found out, choosing their favourite pictures to illustrate them.
 The children have also been recalling where they have been on a train, and where they would like to go, we have written for them and the children have coloured in pictures to go with their thoughts.
All these pieces of work are on the board along with some lovely big train track pictures, do look out for them.
The children have also been role playing train journeys outside, and this week for mathematical development we are going to make tickets, buying and selling them to train travellers.
We will also continue to explore our new water activity centre, the children have come up with some amazing ideas of how they want to use the water centre, including seeing if we can make a moat around the climbing frame. great creative thinking!

We continue to enjoy train stories and poems, and have made a very long list of all the words we can think of beginning with t. the list is on the whiteboard in room 2, and its all the children's own thinking.
This coming week the children will also have the opportunity to make train models, do some watercolour painting and make fathers day cards.

Amanda and the pre school team

trains

The children are really interested and enjoying the start of our topic, journeys, starting with 'trains' Some of the children have done some track printing and are now drawing trains and scenery on their pictures.
 We asked the children how we could learn about trains, the answers included books, songs and the computer, so today with Julia some of the children have been making posters using the computer. They are on the big display board, do take a look.

Great excitement today as our new water activity equipment arrived, lots of fun this afternoon and for many sessions ahead, we will display some photos, and it will be out for all to see. So thank you to the fundraising committee and all parents who helped and contributed to enable us to buy it.

An idea for a WOW, have you been on a train? where did you go?

Thank you to the few parents who came to stay and play, next one Wednesday 11th June.

The reading information session is open to all parents. do try and come along.

Amanda and pre school team

Here comes summer

Welcome back to the second half of the summer term.
Our theme for the half term will be 'here comes summer' and our first topic will be going on a journey, starting with a train ride.
We have lovely poems to enjoy and songs to sing all about trains, the children will also enjoy role play making trains and going on a train ride.
Have you been on a journey this holiday,?  if so why not fill in a WOW so we can make a display.


Don't forget stay and play this Wednesday morning 8.30 until 9.00.


Amanda