Summer 2
On the Shore
Our story this week has taken us to the Beach with our friend Arthur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXfrUJPtnDQ
We talked about what Arthur might see at the beach and what he might find on the sand.
The best part of being at the beach though is always the sandcastles. We talked about what we would need to build a sand castle and the steps needed to make it.
Lots of counting opportunities; tapping the bucket, counting the number of scoops needed to fill the bucket and counting for the reveal.
Happily it was a success! But, the best bit was... knocking it down.
We followed Arthur along on his adventure looking at rock pools.
We found out what a rock pool is and what we might find there.
We watched a short video to see a real rock pool and then made one of our own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWCQoCurPOY
After learning about Rock Pools. We made our very own star fish practising our fine motor skills by picking up the cereals, sticking them in place and then cutting out our star shape.
What lives in the sea?
This weeks book 'Billy's Bucket' took us deep down into the ocean. There were lots in Billy's bucket that we could see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h46WN31pIRk
The children were super at talking about the different animals that lived in the sea. Naming them and talking about the different features they have.
We all knew lots about fish already so we decided to look at some of the more unique animals you can find - Octopus and Jelly Fish
We used our maths skills to count the the octopus legs and and learned that they aren't called legs at all but ... Tenticles.
Here is one of the Octopus that the children made in the playdough.
We then moved on to look at Jelly fish.
We were surprised to learn that they have no blood and no brains!
But... They certainly taste good!
Only kidding :)
We made some raspberry jelly. Looking at how the jelly cubes melt in the hot water. How they change the colour of the water and then what happens after it had been in the fridge over night. Some great opportunities for learning new words like dissolve, set and wobble.
Beside the Seaside Beside the Sea
We have welcomed our Elmers back for the final term and as ever they are keeping us busy.
Our new topic is all about the seaside.
We opened the box and found lots of strange items. Sun cream, a shell, some sand, flipflops and a cap. We talked about what they were and when we might see or need them. The children were very knowledgeable about keeping safe in the sun and had lots of ideas of other things we might find at the sea side.
We used blue fabric to work as a team and make waves. We used the words - Choppy and Calm, Big and Small, High and Low.
The children were very good at listening to and following instructions.
We have begun our ocean collages using different materials and colours to replicate the colours we would see in the ocean. A great activity to practice our fine motor cutting skills and also our colour recognition.
We have also been learning a new song to add to our repertoire. The children have really enjoyed it. Here is a link to the video so you can sing it at home.