Today the children had the opportunity to take part in a pumpkin decorating experience. The children used golf-tees to make decorative patterns in the pumpkin. The children worked in pairs discussing the need for safety goggles “To protect your eyes.”

The children discussed the pumpkin and what they were doing as they hammered “It’s juicy in there.” “It’s almost ready, I’m going to put some at the bottom.” “I made a smiley face.” A discussion about forces was initiated as a child remarked “It’s not magic…it’s hitting with a hammer.” “These hammers are quite heavy.”  “What might happen if we make a big hole?” “It will pop, pop, pop.”

The children showed their amazing concentration skills as they placed the golf tees and gently tapped them into the place, before using more force to drive the tees into the hard pumpkin skin.  Some children showing their developed-eye coordination as they drove the tees into the extremely hard stalk.

Tomorrow we will use our pumpkins as part our investigations and experiments.

Mrs Gray.

This week the ECC children took part in a variety of Parachute Games during gym-time. Mrs Murray led the session developing listening, co-operative, large motor skills, colour and peer name recognition. The children had fantastic fun moving the parachute, the footballs and themselves as they took part in a range of games. Well done everyone.

Mrs Gray and Mrs Murray

Last week the Badgers and Ladybirds were joined by some friends from the Bees and Foxes on their park walk. We began by discussing our focus which would be colour.

However things did not quite go as planned the children took their learning in a different direction. They found a Daddy/Jenny longlegs on the gate as we left the school playground, then a spiders web in the bushes. A quick detour to the entrance of the Mini Forest when they spotted a large blue tyre. Then we found a tree, another tree and another tree. Before collecting sticks to use to dig and scrape in the mud.

Now this may appear to be a group of random  objects and ideas, however the child initiated learning during the walk included: The natural world through the children’s observations of insects. Pattern when discussing the spiders web, colour, shape, size and weight as the children investigated the tyre. Problem solving skills as the children discussed what they may need to help them climb the trees “Spikes on their gloves like the men that climb trees have.” Poisons (or venom) as the children discussed the berries along the fence line and whether we should eat them (All of the children agreed that we do not pick the berries when in the ECC and when at home only when we are with an adult.) Textures as the children felt the moss and bark on the trees and a holly bush. Length, size, width as they compared the sticks they found. Hidden treasure’s when they found an old pen under the mud which led to a discussion about  archaeology with Mrs Murray.

However during all this amazing learning which came from the children. they used their observational skills to identify different shades of green, the blue tyre, the red berries and the brown mud, So maybe we did go on a colour hunt after all.

Mrs Gray and Mrs Murray.