A snap-shot of the young learners this week.

Name that spice!


In group time, I showed the children a selection of spices and herbs from the chef's kitchen. We took turns to smell some spices and spoke about what foods we can use different spices in. We agreed that cinnamon and pancakes are yummy.  We took turns smelling, tasting and just examining spices and herbs such as a bay leaf, fenugreek, coriander, cloves, and lemongrass. Some children have been on exotic travels such as to Thailand,  The Bahamas and India. We were reminded that one of our very special friends (and teacher) was travelling in Malaysia and The Maldives and returning later this month.  Having conversations about interesting food meant that the children became aware of our diverse community. All children felt valued and important.
Next steps: World map and finding a sense of distance between us and the rest of the world.

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'I want to be a teacher!!'
A child was engaged in play in the home corner. She was inspired to be a 'teacher' after we had fun in group time, with children taking turns to 'be the teacher'. I joined the group of children at the back of the class and said I was one of them. I told them I was 5 years old,  just like them.. They found this amusing but liked the idea. We found clip-boards and began 'writing work and registers'. Children excitedly busied themselves reading stories to each other and writing on the chalk board and also working on the computer. One of them said to me,
'I am Miss Esther and I want to be kind like her'.
Out of the mouth of babes! Kind words.
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Cars and tunnels.

Another child was engaged in a lovely game building a 'tunnel' out of the large foam bricks. He then tried posting cars through the openings. The cars traveled some distance before they hit the ground. He was excited about this. He tried it over and over and also found other ways of making the cars travel, like on a ramp and on the black tray. These children enjoy imaginative play.
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 Vet with Pirates hat....

One child had fun dressing up as a vet, in an outfit (nurse) and with a pirates hat on. He said, 'hey, Esther, do you want to come to my vets? ' I said, 'yes, thank you, I like your hat' He replied, 'yes, its a vet's hat.. a new one' and smiled. He played with other children, taking turns, sharing and having lots of laughter together.

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We did leaf rubbing today. The conversation was about going into the wood, observing the trees, looking at the leaves on the trees, and changes in seasons. We discussed the shapes, sizes and colours of different leaves. The children noticed that the leaf rubbing worked better if we used the rough side of the leaf instead of the shiny side. They enjoyed the patterns that came out and many of them coloured around the leaves and made geometric  pictures to take home.