Early Years Foundation Stage Week 3 Updates

CRÈCHE

Did you know birds swallow their food whole or in chunks, and they rely on their gizzard which is part of the digestive system to break up their food into tiny bits?

This week the children enthusiastically explored the beaks of different species of birds. First, they watched a video of a variety of birds such as the pelican, wood pecker, humming bird and crow. Then, we discussed different kinds of food which birds eat and how their beaks are shaped in a specific way to help them eat their food.

In the small world tray we had play dough and different items that represent the beaks such as pegs, spoons and tweezers. As they played and picked things, some children were able to compare the sizes and also discovered that it was easier to pick up worms with some beaks than others.

After this activity, the children showed interest in making their own bird-feeders. We set up a tray outdoors with tissue rolls, green grams, sunflower seeds and peanut butter for the children to put their imagination into play. They really enjoyed smearing the peanut butter on the tissue roll and designing their own bird feeders. They were very excited to put their models outdoors and eagerly waited for birds to come and eat. Our school ducks were the first to the join the party, pecking the seeds that had fallen on the ground.

Next week we shall look for bird nests in our school yard, create bird nests with paper, grass and spaghetti and talk about the different body parts of a bird.  

FOUNDATION STAGE 1

This week the FS1 children listened to and sang two nursery rhymes.  We started off with ‘Incy Wincy spider.’ In our small world tray the children made spider webs using wool, tissue rolls and sticks.

Later, they came up their own movements as they pretended to crawl like spiders in their webs. We also played different positional games with a giant spider web which we made outdoors. During these activities, we used vocabulary such as: one more, how many, altogether, in, out, up, down, under and on top.

The children also learnt the ‘Humpty dumpty’ rhyme and went ahead to build a wall for Humpty using construction blocks, go for an egg hunt at the sand pit area and participated in an egg race outdoors. The egg race helped the children come up with various creative ways to help them balance the egg in the spoon.

Linking Literacy to Math, the children were engaged in creative problem solving activities, one of them being answering questions and determining whether a set of pictures has an odd picture whose name doesn’t rhyme with the others.

Next week we shall continue with ‘Hickory Dickory Dock,’ and learn another new rhyme, ‘Three Little Kittens.’

FOUNDATION STAGE 2

Did you know Dr. Suess has written over 40 books and he used to write every day for 8 hours?

This week we read “I can read with my eyes shut.” The children now understand the importance of reading and have shown great interest in picking books from the reading area as they attempt to read them.

Sharing stories, talking and singing every day helps your child’s development in lots of ways.

Reading and sharing stories can:

• Help your child become familiar with sounds, words, language and the value of books.
• Spark your child’s imagination, stimulate curiosity and help cognitive development.
• Help your child learn the difference between ‘real’ and ‘make-believe.’
• Help your child understand change and new or frightening events, and also the strong emotions that can go along with them.
• Help your child make up their own stories as they explore creative thinking, problem solving and writing.

Reading stories with children has benefits for grown-ups too. The special time you spend reading together promotes bonding and helps to build your relationship. This is important for your child to develop holistically.

Kindly support us fuel this reading fire by encouraging your child to read more and more.

EYFS Team