Week beginning 5th June 2023
Once upon a time traditional tales - Feast preparation
This week we have been getting ready for Waterbeach Feast where some of the children will walk in the parade with the staff, and the committee and parents will run a fundraising stall on the village green. At Community Playgroup we think it is important that our children feel part of the community they live in so events like the Feast are an important part of learning about customs and traditions and being part of the community as a whole.
The theme this year is something beginning with O so we chose the Once upon a time theme so we can revisit the traditional tales that the children enjoyed exploring during world book day. The children got to choose their favourite stories which were The 3 little pigs, Goldilocks and the 3 bears, Jack and the beanstalk and The 3 billy goats gruff. As well as enjoying lots of themed activities the children also helped us to make props, costumes and book covers for the parade. Unfortunately due to unexpected hot weather some of the children couldn’t walk with us on the day and we also had to do some adaptations to costumes to keep the children safe and comfortable in the heat, but we all had a great time and were really proud of our children who were absolute troopers despite the extremely hot conditions.
Week beginning 12th June 2023 Keeping cool and safe in the sun
This week has been really hot so we have spent lots of time playing with water and trying to keep cool, from paddling pools, to the gutters and drainpipes we have done it all. Some of the most popular things have been running balls and water down the drain pipes, potion making and also some magic water colouring using pipettes.
As usual activities develop and evolve, what started as just pouring water down the pipes, then progressed to catching it in cups and bowls and then to making potions, muddy gloop and also a boggy area for dinosaur land, its amazing to watch the children develop their own lines of play and exploration.
We also spent time looking at what we need to do in the hot weather to keep safe like wearing hats and cool loose clothing, regularly applying sun cream and also making sure we drank enough water. The children are all getting really good at making sure they are safe in the sun.
Week beginning 19th June 2023
Summer fun and developing our fine motor skills
This week we have been enjoying lots of time in the garden, waterplay was a large part of our play, learning and exploration, but we also thought about all of the things we can do, eat and wear when the weather is hot and sunny. The children made some lovely summer ice lollies, flip flops and a sand castle for the display board, they thought of some great descriptive words and really enjoyed foot painting too!!!
Developing our fine motor skills with a summer twist!
Developing fine motor skills helps children to do everyday things like using cutlery, getting dressed, using tools and mark making equipment. Its really important that we help children to develop these skills, but in a fun and stimulating way. This week we had fun:
Using tweezers to help release the insects from the mud
Squeezed drops of coloured water from pipettes to create some fantastic new ice cream designs
Made some amazing ladybirds carefully peeling black sticky dots to make their spots, it was fascinating to watch the children create and have their own ideas.
Created some lego rainbows carefully placing the coloured bricks onto the rainbow pictures
Made some beautiful butterflies using pom poms and pegs
The playhouse was alive with colour and beautiful artwork and there were lots of very busy fingers!
