News from the Emus

This article was copied from the June newsletter.

We are rapidly approaching the end of Term 2 and we cannot believe that the year is flying by so quickly! Once again we have had a very busy and exciting term with the children. They are now very familiar with the daily routine, and are well aware of room expectations.

It has been wonderful to watch the friendships that have formed in the room. Some friendships that were developed earlier on in the year have continued to grow, whilst we have seen other friendships change or even just begin as the children are now more aware of the individual personalities and interests of the children represented in the room.

As changes take place in the room, (for eg - new children starting, others leaving, children changing days, etc) the group dynamics are altered and we often see this impact upon friendships. Naturally as children explore social relationships there are many concepts/issues that arise. For example - what is a friend? how should we treat our friends? is it alright to have more than one friend (yes)? what if someone doesn’t want to play the same game as you, does that mean that they are not your friend (no)? how do we read the body language (including social cues) that we are sent from others? The staff address these with the children through numerous discussions, role plays, stories, songs, puppet shows, etc.

This term we have introduced a sign-in book for the children. It simply involves the children signing their name under the date when they arrive in the mornings. This gives them daily practise at writing their names. We have their name cards on hand if they need them to help recall the individual letters in their name.

It has been exciting to see several children really embracing the concept of having a portfolio. Many of the children have definite ideas of what they wish to include. It has been wonderful to see that quite a few families are contributing to these folders, afterall the family is the biggest influence on a child’s life and these personal contributions make each child’s portfolio so unique and relevant to their lives.

This term the children have been especially interested in - collecting sea pods in the yard, trying the new games that we have bought for the computer, drawing, listening to jokes, playing on the large plastic blocks outside, drawing, creating and flying kites, making ‘pirate’ craft, sharing music from home, dancing, and finding objects in rice.

Due to the change in weather we have observed many children with runny noses, coughs, temperatures and the like. If your child is unwell please let them stay home, sometimes a day of rest makes all the difference. Thankyou for your co-operation in this matter. We have had discussions with the children about covering their mouths when they cough, using a tissue when it is needed, and washing our hands frequently to reduce the spread of disease.

It was great to see a couple of Emu parents came to listen to the guest speaker at preschool last Tuesday night, 17th June. Jenny Kniepp is from the Department of Education and Training, and is very knowledgeable in regards to the transition to school process. The feedback that we have received was that the talk was interesting and that many parents were amazed at just how many skills children are using when they play. Play is actually ‘work’ for children, and engaging in various forms of play fosters skills that are crucial in later life.

Songs/fingerplays/dances that we have been learnt this term include - Singing in the Rain, Boots, Dr. Knickerbocker, the Robot song, the Ladybug, Do the Monkey, I am a Little Frog, Croc Hunt, and Mr.Clicketty Cane.

Bye for now

Rebecca, Judy & Ina