making mosaics

We have been making mosaics at kinder – doing paper mosaics inside to prepare the children for making stepping stones outside. Covering a picture with smaller bits really appealed to some of the children.

– it’s funny how hearts are always such a popular subject for some drawings….

This is a good activity for this time of  the year as it really takes patience and application – although any time is a good time to practise those all-important fine motor skills…

We were so lucky to have the help of Jill and her friends from the LEAP program – Localities Enhancing Arts Participation very kindly helped us out with the expertise and logistics, as well as helping with the costs. The children were very interested to meet some real artists!

We were all fascinated by the palette of colors, surfaces and textures ….

and designs of  local Australian animals fit right in with our emphasis on local, natural and environmental concerns…

The clever artists showed us how to transfer our mosaic designs into the base of a mould for each paver:

just use heavy duty contact!

Next comes the cement and then let them cure over the weekend to lay next week. This was a very interesting activity – and making real things is so satisfying, at any age.

drumming

Drums are very popular with this – and every – group,   maybe because beating the drum can be a satisfyingly large motor activity? They are popular with us as educators because there is so much to learn – from gross to fine motor, patterning, rhythm, like all music they are great for auditory learning,  they support lots of songs, they promote knowledge of diverse cultures and music, and they are fun!

Anyway we have had just the drums out this week – with the addition of two new drums. These new drums are real ones, with the excitement of the real –  made of natural materials like wood, skin and fired clay, that can be broken if not handled with care – and which impart to the user a sense of importance and responsibility that 4s and 5s relish when given respect and an opportunity to practise  careful handling….

 

We already had our set of drum tops, a clever way to make the drums more portable and to be able to afford a set of different ones. They are popular for our marching bands….

 

We have started to learn Joy Lubawy’s indispensable drumming song – “This is how the big tall Indian plays upon his drum”, taking it in turns to play the drum in the group while the rest of us beat our drums on the floor….

In a smaller group, such as the pre-kinders, the  children can play a game with their music –  playing up high and down low, and then in the middle, quiet or loud, slow or fast,  or any which way….

Drums are fun!

a visit from the bee man

We had a visit from Eric, a bee keeper – now that it’s spring, we are noticing a lot of bees around some flowers. So Eric came in to show us his bees and to tell us a little bit about these fascinating creatures.

We had thought of some questions about the bees and his job.

For example – has he ever been stung? He said that he had only been stung once – today! he has had lots of bee stings. He says that not to worry unless you are allergic to bees as bee stings have a little bit of the same poison as snakes – so it might help you to survive a snake bite more. We don’t want to get bitten by either!

We asked him if he had to wear special clothes and he showed us his hood that is part of his special top.

And then he showed us his bees – he had a special glass hive so we could see what they were doing. We found out lots about bees! They never sleep. They do different jobs – keeping the eggs warm or fanning the pollen that is turning into honey or going out and finding the flowers. And lots more. We loved seeing them and feeling where the glass was warm for the eggs or cool for the honey. And when we were very quiet we could hear their wings flapping continually.

When Harrison and Thomas looked carefully, they could see that some of the cells were full and had been capped with wax – another thing that the bees make from their bodies.

So now we know what the bees are doing when they are hiding away where nobody sees….

Is there anybody who doesn’t know this very useful finger rhyme?

Here is a bee hive

Where are the bees?

Hiding away where nobody sees.

Watch them come creeping out of their hive

1 and 2 and 3 – 4 – 5….

buzz buzz buzz

 

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