This week we have enjoyed playing in the snow. The children have been making snowmen and using stones to make faces. They also had lots of fun sledging and pulling each other through the snow and  showed great creativity and curiosity when experimenting with paints and mark making in the snow. The children have also been experimenting with the tread on their shoes and boots to make different marks and patterns in the garden. They then decided to turn this into a game and  hunted for Big Foot. By talking about the different shapes, sizes and patterns that they had made, they developed their vocabulary and observational skills. All of this outdoor learning was risk assessed by one of the boys, with a bit of help from Mrs Boyle, and he confidently shared with all the children how to play safely outside.

Our quiet group times are a lovely time for the children to share stories and develop conversational and social skills in smaller groups. This week the children and adults have been sharing their favourite books and talking about the different parts of a book, including the front and back covers, the spine, the title and the names of the author and the illustrator. As World Book Day is next week and we will continue to share our favourite books , so please encourage your child to bring in a book to share, if they want to.

The children also used their group times to plan how they would like the indoor space to be set out. They had great ideas and were able to explain their choices and contribute ideas to develop the different areas. We have already started making the changes and will continue to develop them with the children next week.

This week the children have started a self-service snack time. They decide when they would like to come for their snack and collect their plate and cup. They then look at the signs on the snack table to see what the choices are and how much of each they can take. They have even been practising pouring their own milk and water.

To practise their fine motor cutting skills, the children have been cutting out Valentine’s hearts and writing on them who they love. Someone even developed their ideas to stick two hearts together and add a strip of paper to the end to make a butterfly, which she decorated beautifully. We also made a big heart from everyone’s handprints.

The children have also been enjoying circle songs and games. They learned a new song called ‘Sandy Girl/Sandy Boy’. Each child has a go at being in the middle of the circle and at the end of the song they can choose someone that they love. They really enjoyed singing the song and having a turn.

Our Scotland rugby fans have been spurred on after watching the match at the weekend. One  of the boys was the Scotland Coach and he set up fantastic training circuits with his friends. They had a lot of fun keeping fit and developing their ideas. Fingers crossed the Scotland team are as well prepared for their next match!

Even though we have had some cold slushy weather this week, we have all wrapped up in our winter outdoor clothes to enjoy lots of slushy play outside. The children particularly enjoyed  puddle jumping in the muddy puddles. Some of the children set up a role play house in the garden and enjoyed pretending to make cups of tea and hot food to keep warm in the wintry weather. We were joined outside by a very friendly Robin Redbreast.

Our last day of this half term is tomorrow, Friday 11th February. We hope you all have a lovely holiday and we look forward to welcoming you back to Kingsland ELC on Tuesday 22nd February.

The windy weather this week inspired the children to make a kite to fly. They used a black bin bag, sticks from the garden, string and ribbon. Everyone had a go at flying the kite and trying to keep it in the air.

The wintery weather has also encouraged the children to assess risks when they have been playing outside. They all walked around the garden together to check which areas were safe to play in and which were too slippery. They even made up a rule for playing outside to keep everyone safe. To develop their independence, the children have also been trying hard to zip up their own coats when they get ready to go outside.

There has been lots of messy play in the garden this week. The children had fun making gloop and playing with the dinosaurs in it. They also then added shaving foam for some really messy play.  They especially loved putting it onto their hands and clapping!

We have also reintroduced our Snack Helper role this week. At each snack time a different child helps an adult to lay the snack table and give out snacks and drinks. They also call each colour group to the table and help to tidy up and load the dishwasher. They have all really enjoyed being given responsibility and helping with ‘grown up jobs’.

We now have a new self-service painting station, where the children dispense their own paints and collect their own paper, brushes, sponges and other tools for mark making. They also put on their own apron and clean up when they have finished. We even have a gallery area where they can hang their super artwork.

To help the children to practice their colour and shape recognition, they have been building towers with the coloured blocks and then describing them . This has also helped them to develop their problem-solving skills, vocabulary and creativity.