On Tuesday we had a very special visit form Julia Barfield, the architect who designed the school. She shared with us some wonderful pictures of the building process of our round school. She also brought photos of houses made of different materials such as tires, stones, mud and timber and bricks. The photographs inspired children to build different structures on our playground. They were busy rolling tires and lifting planks of wood for the structures. These seem like very tricky activities for 3- and 4-year-olds, but play opportunities like this, pulling and pushing heavy objects, are extremely beneficial for developing gross motor skills, coordination and balance.
We would love to see your pictures of building structures, out of different materials. It could be using lego, wooden blocks, recycled boxes or big branches in the forest.
Cold Weather
We encourage to spend as much time in the outdoor environment as possible, offering the opportunity to play outside throughout the winter too. Please make sure children have LABELLED coats, hats and gloves to keep them warm and lots of spare clothes in their bag in case they need to change.
Children have spent a lot of time this week in the role play area, putting on capes, vests and dresses. It is fantastic to see how their skills of dressing and undressing are developing! We have noticed many more children being able to put their coats on independently, thank you for practicing at home, it really pays off!
Playing dressing up can be used to develop independent dressing skills for children. Loose fitting clothes can be easier to put on and take off, helping with pulling up zips, fastening large buttons develop fine motor skills. Promoting independence will help children with their self-esteem and their confidence too!
We are looking forward to exploring clay as a building material next week and reading more about buildings and houses.