Children's Activities

New Outdoor Forest School

Well we have been very busy here at the preschool designing and building our very own mud kitchen in the woods. The children have been very much involved in organising the new area. We have a kitchen space with pots, pans and microwave as well as a den area with a woven teepee. We also have a camp area with log seats where the children can gather to sing and toast marshmallows (under close supervision of course!). This has been a fantastic new addition to our facilities and one that has been a huge hit with the children. They love being outside exploring and den making. This is all part of the new EYFS which encourages children to explore their local natural environment, stimulating their senses and empowering them to become confident, creative and independent learners.

 

 The mud kitchen allows the children to engage in imaginative play with no limitations. There is little more important in our physical world than earth and water and they are truly intriguing things, especially when they interact. Mixing soil, water and a range of other natural materials has a foundational role in early childhood which has deep
importance and endless possibilities for well-being, development and learning. The breadth and depth of what these experiences offer young children is truly remarkable.

Some of the values that mud kitchens provide for children include:

• Creative expression and invention (mud can become anything!) 
• Problem solving opportunities (e.g. how to make soup thin or thick, how to make mud meatballs stick together)
• Cooperative play possibilities (e.g. let’s cook dinner, let’s have a restaurant, let’s feed the baby—you be the baby) 
• Stress reduction (being outdoors in nature helps children relax) 
• Building stronger immune systems (research indicates that some exposure to dirt helps build resistance to bad bacteria) 
• Growing affection for the stuff on our earth—soil, stones, sand, and growing plants (leading to care for our planet)

Sensory Play - Wednesday Morning

Here are 5 reasons why sensory play is beneficial:

1. Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
2. Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.
3. This type of play aids in developing and enhancing memory
4. Sensory play is great for calming an anxious or frustrated child
5. This helps children learn sensory attributes (hot, cold, sticky, dry)

The children have a great time on a Wednesday morning for Sensory Play. With loads of different activities providing various sensory experiences. 

East Midlands Airport

We took the children to the Aerozone play centre in the heart of East Midlands Airport.
First we showed the children the arrivals and departure lounges before heading into the play centre. They were able to play in the Duty Free shop and have tea and cake in the cafe before checking in and flying in the mock aeroplane. Wonderful day had by all.

Baby Lambs - Thursday 28th Febuary

We took a trip to a local farm to help feed the new born lambs. We took the local community bus run by volunteers, had great fun along the way singing and spotting tractors, sheep and particularly the long horn cattle in the fields. This year the lambs were actually young enough to be bottle fed so most of the kids had a go. 

Thank you to Father Christmas for taking the time out of his busy schedule to come and visit the children. They had a very busy day on the last day of term. An entertainer surprised them in the morning with lots of balloons and magic, they had a visit from Father Christmas and performed a wonderful selection of Christmas songs for family and friends. Well done everyone!

We walked the children down to the local duck pond and garden centre. They had a great time feeding the ducks whilst learning about the local area along the way. We pointed out the use of shapes in road signs and varied use of numbers and colours all around us. We also taught the importance of road safety and awareness of their surroundings.

Well done everyone, we won the Melbourne Fete and Carnival's competition for the best Guy! The kids made the head out of papermache and painted it skin coloured. 
Then they helped to dress our pirate. Here they are looking very pleased with their efforts.

Here we are on the library bus. The bus visits the village every week and is an opportunity for the children to engage in a different learning environment. The kids love choosing books and listening to the stories.