clay

learning how to use clay

We started to use the clay this week. Some children are wary of it – too messy? – but most have had a go. They are surprised at how it feels – “It’s cold”, “It’s sticky”- and started by using it the way they might playdough. They soon found out though, that it’s strong – it will stand up by itself – and you can make things that stand up. They have just started to learn how to join it – pinching the pieces between finger and thumb (which is excellent fine-motor exercise ) and how to shape and smooth it. We have been playing with the Australian animals, so Evan and Seb had a go at making a platypus each. This meant that they really had to look at the platypus in front of them, to find out more about it.

We are wondering what animals will be coming to the kinder on Thursday with the Wild Action show.

Fire truck to the rescue

The fire truck is finished and ready for action.

Some of the children spent time this week putting the final touches on it – adding a roof, lights, “hooks” for the hose, gear sticks and so on. It was a challenge to think of how they could attach the hose – maybe string? but the plastic tubing works well. Casey, Ben and Sebastian spent a long time getting that right.Then it was ready for action. It was a base for the fire fighters who carried ladders and hoses around the kinder garden, but it also became a focus for children who hadn’t previously shown any interest in this game – some of the girls started to play being in the truck and going somewhere.

From firefighters out in the field:

Sebastian: It’s an emergency!

Tim: I won’t be there till midnight.

Aden: There’s a boy stuck up in the tree – put the siren on.

Ben races back – The siren’s on.

fire truck, fire ute and fire car all in action

 

the kinder fire truck and station

The fire truck has become a project!using maps is an important skill for a fire fighter

The interest in fire fighters is continuing – creating a truck, with the detailed drawing of a truck in one of our books as a guide, has become an ongoing project for some of the children. Some of the children were keen to use a map – and made do with a diagram of a maze until Mrs Leach could get them one – and mapping activities will be something that all the group will be able to explore. Aden told us about a scary experience he had with fire – fire fighters are scared of fire too – it’s very dangerous – so we are practising Stop – drop – and roll! and Get down low and go – go – go! All the children have been doing exercises to make them stronger and faster – like fire fighters.

rain!

real tools make work interestinghard at work in the digging patch

Rain! We were all very excited. The stories poured out of the children about what they had seen or done – Tiarna had danced in the rain! Several of the children commented on how happy their dads were – the farming children help so much in broadening the horizons of the others. Ethan told us that his dad was going to work all night – the reality of how important the rain is to our families and to the whole community helps other children to understand as well.

The rain has been very welcome for lots of reasons, including the fact that now we can get into the digging patch. It has been a very busy place this week, with the children using the sharp shovels, wheelbarrows and pipes to do some serious work. Tim said ” We’re councillors – we do hard work.” There was plenty of language about how best to dig a hole “that’s how my dad does it” says Ned, and about laying the pipes. There were some interesting scenarios developed – Evan’s drain pipe was blocked so he couldn’t fix it (that’s when he commented that it was too old and it would have to go to HEAVEN, where old things go), and Ethan spent a long time digging up dirt, shifting it with the wheelbarrow, emptying it out and creating a carefully shaped mound, patting it all down, “no-one touch it!”

Our kinder gumboots were very important for some of the children, as necessary parts of their equipment – even when they already had their own boots on! We only have 3 pairs, so it’s lucky that not everyone needed to wear them at once!

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