Welcome to Rabbits News September 2014

Literacy

This month we have been extending on our Eco topic! Our literacy focus this month is all about where to look for information and how to use the information we find. After reading and looking at a variety of books about birds and wildlife, the children used binoculars to spot pictures of birds that were hiding around the room. When they found a bird they referred to the booklets to see if they can recognise which one it is. The children have also been practicing their Eco Song which some of the children helped to write.

Numeracy

This month our numeracy focus has been all about measurements and recording. After making the rain gauge and placing it in the front garden, the children have been checking each day and recording the amount of rain fall on a chart. This has lead to various discussions about what it means for our plants and garden, and the importance of watering the garden when it doesn’t rain. This month the children created a weather chart that will be placed outside. The children wrote the months, seasons and drew pictures of different types of weather to change it daily. We are hoping to get a thermometer for outside, and discussed with the children how to read it and the difference between the temperature inside and outside.

Health and Wellbeing

This month our Health and Wellbeing focus is learning about the people in our community and the wider world of work. Linking this to our Eco topic we have organised a workshop ‘Finish your Food’ to visit where they will weigh our food waste and teach the children skills in reducing their food waste and aiding our compost bin. The children also learn about the role of the Rubbish collectors as they discussed where our recycling goes and who picks it up. The children drew picture s of what rubbish goes into each of our coloured recycling bins to extend on their knowledge. We had a visit from Zoo Lab this month to learn about the people who take care of different animals and the different care each animal needs.

Technologies

This month to encourage the children to use their imagination and creativity they have used junk modelling such as empty boxes, cardboard tubes, bottle tops and other recyclable materials to create and build bird houses.

The children also made bumble bees using pine cones and wrapped different coloured wool around them. They had to use their problem solving skills as they then had to figure out how to attach the beech nuts on for the wings. We are still working on our project of building a bug hotel for our front garden. If you have any old bits of carpet, old books, bricks, bamboo canes, sticks etc that we can use for our bug hotel the children would be very excited to use them and get our project started.

Forest Schools

Some of the children have been attending Forest Schools this month. They have been developing their problem solving skills and gross motor coordination as they have been climbing the trees in the garden at Johnston Terrace. The children found a treasure map and discovered that treasure was hidden all through the garden. They loved going on a treasure hunt and then drew their own maps. They have been challenging themselves with climbing up and over the spiders web we built with a rope between the trees and have shown a lot of confidence in testing their abilities.