Slime

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In our learning about crocodiles and alligators this week, we used slime to create a crocodile swamp.  The slime was made from LUX Flakes and water.  In the swamp we had rocks, plastic crocodiles and plants.  A great sensory experience – although some children were determined to stay clean!

Lizards

This weeks learning about reptiles focused on lizards.  Mrs Grant was lucky enough to find a baby Gecko in her car on the way to work today!  And she managed to catch it.  We made him a habitat from rocks, bark and sand – with the plan of releasing him into the dry creek bed when we went out to play.  Unfortunately he escaped his habitat and is now hiding somewhere in the room.  I am sure we will meet him again some day soon!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe had fun making lizards in various ways this week.  Firstly we used pipecleaners twisted together to make the legs and icy pole sticks for the body.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThen we wrapped wool around cardboard lizard shapes – which required concentration and co-ordination!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADid you know that lizard starts with ‘L’ like Lilly and Luke?

We have learnt that lizards camoflauge well in bark, they eat insects, their skin doesn’t stretch and grow with them like ours does – they have to shed it, lizards come in all sizes and that geckos can lose their tails like drop-tailed lizards.

Woodwork Project

If you have been following our blog you will know that we embarked on making a table from wood many months ago.  After a lot of stops and starts, we finished the table this week.  Last week we glued the sides and legs on and this week we drilled holes and screwed the whole thing together.  The children have learnt to measure, use saws, drills, srewdrivers and glue.  And best of all we ate lunch in the cubby at it on Wednesday.  We might even get it painted by the end of the year.  The teachers are very proud of how they managed this project with their minimal skills and were even heard discussing making a boat next year!!

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Reptiles

We have been doing follow up work about Bush Kinder.  This week we wrote (on a mind map) all we know about reptiles (snakes, lizards and turtles).

We learnt a bit more about turtles.  We put a toy turtle and ‘turtle eggs’ (white pom poms) into a container of sand and we had to find them with tongs.  We discussed how the baby turtles have to look after themselves as soon as they hatch.  And we did some collage to make turtles using shells.

First we made paper plate turtles and put shells for the shell pattern on the turtles back.

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Then we covered canvas’ with glue and went to the sand put and sand all over to make the background.  Lastly we made turtles using shells and added them to the sand.

They look really good.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANext week we are going to learn a bit more about lizards.

 

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I am going to ask the children to draw what they know about turtles on some paper next week for their individual folios.

 

A Farm

All of the talk in the community is about harvest and working on the farms.  Luke suggested that we make a farm.  So we painted the other half of our donation sign up as a farm.  The children made silos, barns and houses to go on it.  Then we got out the farm animals and tractors to add to the play.  Here are the children very busy painting their buildings.

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Donations

Our community is very supportive of our Pre School and each year we make a sign to go up at the silos to ask people to donate grain to us.  Here is this years sign.  And thank you in advance to all the community members who donate.  It is much appreciated.

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Further Learning from Bush Kinder

This week we have been following up on a lot of learning from Bush Kinder.

First we wrote letters to Willie (Koorie Educator)  to say thank you for visiting.

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The Douglas made a model of Bush Kinder – and Lilly also thought that this was a good idea.

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We read lots of Aboriginal legends during the past month.    We know how the Aboriginals believe the Murray River was made.  We looked at paintings and patterns this week.  We painted boomerangs and clapping sticks with Aboriginal like patterns.  “I need glasses to do this!”

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Now we have some boomerangs to throw at home.  Look out Mums and Dads!  And finally we hosed and mopped the tarp and toilet tent from Bush Kinder and returned them to their owners.

 

 

Bush Kinder – Day 4

Today at Bush Kinder we had a visit from the Swan Hill TAFE Early Childhood Diploma students.  We had a picnic for morning tea in our Bush Cubbies.  We went for another big walk along the channel bank.  We saw a hawks nest.  It belongs to the hawk we saw last week.

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We threaded beads to make a bracelet in the Aboriginal flag colours

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe played the didgerdoo and we had lots of goes at throwing the boomerangs.  We are so good at this now.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERALook found a stick that is the same shape as a boomerang – but it couldn’t be thrown very far.  Willie came back and taught us more of the Aboriginal culture.  Thank you to the DPI and Willie for these visits.  You are so popular with the children and we have had lots of comments from parents about their children telling them all they have learned from you.