Blog wk com 8/1 - 15/1

Top tips for talking:
Observe and comment on your child's current interests;
Describe what is happening.  Think of 'commenting' like 'commentating' - as in what sport presenters do! Watch and describe what you see your child is doing.
Commenting does not mean that there should be no silences when a child is playing.  Pauses will help your child think about what they are going to say.

Weekly Makaton Signs: Thank you, Hello

Open end resources - promotes team work, building upon ideas, listening to others ideas, role playing, building friendships.  Lots of ideas of what to use, how to use, extending the play and ideas.  Creating with the planks, crates and other items available.

Come on Daisy - is the current story with props that are out in order that the children may use them to retell the story either to themselves or to their friends.  This helps children to realise how stories are constructed.  That there is a beginning, middle and end to a story and about sequencing.  That there is an order of events to the story and that if the sequence of events is not followed it sometimes does not make sense.  However it can be fun to change things around and make a story silly and see where it can go with their imagination.

Playdough - as always a fun and familiar activity for children to turn to.  There is no right or wrong way to play with it.  It can be whatever they want it to be.  Playdough helps in building up a child's muscles in their hands which is an important aspect when learning to mark make.  Playdough also promotes creative thinking and lots of language, as there is always of conversation around playdough, explaining to each other what they are making and helps to promote sharing and bouncing ideas off one another.

Forest club - With strong winds and storms we now have a few trees that have fallen down and with all the rain a small river where we sometimes walk.  Having lots of fun collecting sticks to build into our pretend fires to make hot chocolate, and finding big sticks so we can rebuild our new improved den.  Making splashes by throwing sticks and pebbles into the small river created by all the rain, lots of tree climbing too!

Always lots of dressing up taking place, and we are looking for 'putting on your own coats' Thus promoting independence and the children realising the best way to put on certain items.  Sometimes its best to start from the bottom and pull up and sometimes start from the top and pull down:-)