A ‘Laughing Day’

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When I greeted Darcy on Tuesday morning he said “It’s a ‘laughing day’ today!’  I wasn’t sure what he meant by a ‘laughing day’ but Isaid, “That sounds like fun.”  He told all the children it was a ‘laughing day’.

So here is what a ‘laughing day’ looks like at Manangatang Pre school….

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Painting footprints – this is a follow up from Tao’s comments about his holiday (“There were footprints in the cave.  Dragon footprints.”) and he and Darcy did dragon footprint paintings last week.

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Then hand printing

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Then rolling balls down the slide

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All in all there were lots of giggles for the day!

Pancake Day

Today is Shrove Tuesday.  We made pancakes for morning tea.  When we cook we have to wash our hands and wear aprons and we can’t lick the spoon or bowl until we have finished!!

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Our pancakes were really flash this year thanks to an idea from facebook.  We made a cat, fish and dinosaur.

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Reflection 2

P1080339 P1080337It is also important to have a reflection place indoors as well.  For the past two years we have had a brown rocket.  It was very battered as it was so popular!  This year Darcy has helped the teachers make a blue rocket for our indoor reflection place.  Thank you to Ann Grant for the great washing machine box.  We love big boxes!

Teddy Bears Picnic

On Thursday we had a Teddy Bears Picnic.  Our teddies are an important part of our lives and can sometimes help us feel secure in a new situation when we are three and four years old.  Thank you Mrs Vine for teaching on Thursday – It looks like the picnic was a huge success!

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Our Community

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Our Pre School is always open for community members to visit.  On our first Wednesday back we had a visit from Lilly (now in Prep) and Ingrid (from playgroup.  It is lovely when ex pre schoolers come to visit and it is fun to meet the next generation of pre school families – so we know them really well when the finally enrol.  This is a great advantage of living in a small rural community.

Reflection

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Time for reflection is very important in our busy lives – even for three and four year olds.  Our outdoor area is quite open so we have added a gauze ‘tent’ with a blanket and cushions for a reflection space.  You will notice how tired your children are at the moment.  Take the opportunity for some quiet days when they are not at Pre School.

Observations about Learning

During the holidays I went to the Philippines for three weeks.  During our holiday we went for trek to Mt Pinatubo (last erupted in June 1991)  On the way we passed a child (4-6 years and very much alone) playing with rocks on the side of the track.

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You will notice that she has a tower of stones that she has ensured are well balanced and a fort like structure around the tower.  She had also built similar structures beside this one.

I found myself reflecting a lot on this image as I completed the 14 km trek that day.  Where were her parents/carers?  Was she enrolled in school?  Was there anyone to share her achievements with?  Was there anyone to help her add to this experience?  What was her motivation?  Does any of this really matter when children are playing?  Why do we (as teachers) prattle on so much during children’s play?

So on my way home from Adelaide airport we stopped on the side of the road and collected rocks (thanks Tim!) and I have set them beside the sand pit to see what the children will do.

So far this is what Jack has done…..

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So maybe now I will prompt the children with a photo of this little girl and see what happens – but I’m going to stand back and not say much!