Father’s Day and Sport

Father’s Day and Sport

THEME

Father’s Day & Sport

COLOUR

Gold

SHAPE

Star

NUMBER

6

j

LETTER

Dd – Daddy

To all of the awesome Dads out there, and to the Moms who are doing both, Happy Father’s Day! 

We love all of our EcoDads so much, and this is why we love this theme. There are so many aspects to being a Dad, and our Bugs are so lucky to have all of you special Dads in their lives. 

We spent lots of time this week asking our Bugs questions about their Dads; What their names are, if they know how old their Dads are, what work Dad does, whether he plays any sports… And we while didn’t always get answers to all of these questions, one thing we can say for certain, is that very clear that our Bugs just LOVE their Dads! 

For Father’s Day art this week we made the cutest “to the braai master” cards, by using black paper for the braai, and hand prints for the fire. 

Our Bugs also made you a delicious braai spice as a gift, by mixing lots of different, yummy spices together, to create the yummiest braai spice you will ever taste! 

Bike-a-thon was a huge hit on Friday. These kiddos had so much fun zooming around the drive way on their bikes. They were so chuffed with their certificates that they received! 

We hope you all have a wonderful long weekend, stay warm and we will see you next week, healthy and ready for fun! 

 

Have a wonderful day on Sunday Eco Dads!

    Dates to Diarise:

16 June: Youth Day

27 June: Book Character Dress Up Day

30 June: Mid Term Break Up Day

7 July: Back To School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

Land, Air and Sea Transport

Land, Air and Sea Transport

THEME

Land, Air & Sea Transport

COLOUR

Blue / Navy

SHAPE

Diamond

NUMBER

5

j

LETTER

Jj – Jet

Zoom! Vroom! Splash!  

There are so many ways to get from point A to point B and this week we covered all of them!  From airplanes to cars, bikes to boats, scooters to submarines… the list goes on and on!  We got to look at photos and videos of all of these different modes of transport and these Bugs learnt so much!   

We also discussed what the definition of transport is: moving items or people from one place to another using either the land, the air or the sea.  

Our Bugs learnt that they get transported to and from school by their mommies or daddies, and then mommy and daddy transport themselves to work.  

We love testing the Bugs memory skills by asking them questions about what was discussed the day before during ring time, and we are very happy to report that most of our Bugs are able to tell us what was said the day before.  Well done kiddos!  We also like to test our Bugs to see if they can notice who is not at school that day. 90% of the time, they can name every Bug who is not at school.  

For art this week we made the most adorable, recycled cars and road. 

To make the cars, we used cardboard boxes that we painted and stuck bottle lids on for the wheels. To make the road, the Bugs each got a turn to drive a toy car through black paint and then over a big sheet of paper. 

They had so much fun creating both of these pieces! 

Assessments are underway and report time is nearing. These past few weeks have been so much fun for us teachers, working one-on-one so intimately with the Bugs has been such a treat! We are so proud of each of our Busy Bugs and we hope that you enjoy reading their reports as much as we enjoyed writing them.  

Have a lovely weekend, stay warm and we will see you all next week!  

Next week’s theme: Father’s Day and Sport 

There will be no show and tell next week due to Bike-A-Thon!  

 

We wanna know folks ... what is your DREAM car?

    Dates to Diarise:

13 June: Bike-a-Thon

16 June: Youth Day

27 June: Book Character Dress Up Day

30 June: Mid Term Break Up Day

7 July: Back To School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the  Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables

The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables

THEME

The Farm: Fruit & Vegetables

COLOUR

Blue

SHAPE

Circle

NUMBER

3

j

LETTER

Vv – Vegetables

This week has brought chilly mornings, but that has not stopped our Bugs from enjoying their days to the MAX! We had a jam packed week learning all about The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables!  

This is a theme close to our hearts at EcoKids as it is everything we stand for and believe in. Healthy kids and healthy food. 

Our Bugs had so much fun discussing the different fruits and veggies and we were very surprised at how many different fruits and veggies our Bugs actually know including the less common ones like Kiwi, Cherries, Cauliflower and Spring Onion. When we asked our Bugs if they enjoyed fruits, we had a very collective YES!!! When we asked if our Bugs enjoyed vegetables… well, not so much! Haha! 

We also got to discuss what the differences were between fruits and vegetables. Fruits usually grow on trees or vines, and veggies usually grow on or in the ground. As well as that fruits are better to eat raw and veggies are better to eat cooked, although technically you can eat them any way you choose. 

 

For Art this week, the Bugs made an adorable fruit and veggie basket by stamping our handprints to make strawberries, our little feet to make carrots and a cork to make grapes, then imprint colouring on our classroom wall to make an awesome pattern for a basket, and sticking it all together! 

Our first show and tell was amazing, and the Bugs had so much fun showing of the goodies that they brought!  

Have a lovely weekend, keep warm and we will see you all next week. 

Next Week’s Theme: On the Farm: Farm Animals 

Next Week’s Show and Tell: Everyone can bring something theme related. 

 

Peace Out Folks!

    Dates to Diarise:

30 May: Tractor Ride Day & Slipper Day

4 June: Haircut Day

13 June: Bike-a-Thon

16 June: Youth Day

27 June: Book Character Dress Up Day

30 June: Mid Term Break Up Day

7 July: Back To School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

Wild Animals and Birds of Prey

Wild Animals and Birds of Prey

THEME

Wild Animals & Birds of Prey

COLOUR

Black

SHAPE

Square

NUMBER

1 & 2

j

LETTER

Zz – Zebra

Another happy week of learning and discovery has left us feeling fulfilled, tired and ready for a weekend! This week has been full of roaring lions, snapping crocodiles and stomping elephants! Our children simply LOVE this theme and know so much about it! Well done, Busy Bugs! 

We spent every day having very intense and long ring times, discussing animals from all over Africa and other wild animals from around the world such as tigers and kangaroos! We learnt so many cool and fun facts about these animals and the children were hanging on to our every word! It is amazing to watch their little faces while they are engaged with a topic that really excites them! Too sweet to see!  

We listened to the sounds these animals make, thanks to the wonder of technology, and watched many little video clips of them! It has taken some effort this week to remind them that they are indeed little people and not really monkeys or lions! Haha! What a special time. 

For art this week, we made a collaborative art piece, a giant, recycled Giraffe. The Bugs used their hands to paint a big cardboard box, a small cardboard box and big roller towel tubes. We then used their palm-prints to create the spots on the Giraffe, an egg box for the ears, bottle lids for the eyes and scrap ribbon plaited together to make the tail. 

We also did a messy play sensory activity using green coloured flour and our plastic wild animals. 

The weather is really getting cold now that we are truly into winter, but most days after playing in the warm sun at playtime, the children are hot. So please opt for layers when dressing your child in the morning as opposed to overly thick jackets that hinder movement and tend to get lost. We are also noticing a lot of snotty noses. Please keep the vitamin intake and nose spray going so we can keep the winter germs at bay, and please keep any sick Bugs at home until they have been given the all clear from a doctor. 

Have a wonderful weekend and keep safe, warm and happy until Monday! 

 

This week’s secret question: Who knows what a group of Giraffes is called? Let us know on the class WhatsApp group! 

 

Next Week’s Theme: The Farm- Fruits and Vegetables 

We will be doing our first “mini” Show and Tell next week!!! Please send something theme related for your Bugs to show the class! 

 

 

 

 

Have a lovely weekend!

    Dates to Diarise:

20 May: World Bee Dress Up Day

20 May: Eye Screening

30 May: Tractor Ride Day & Slipper Day

4 June: Haircut Day

13 June: Bike-a-Thon

16 June: Youth Day

27 June: Book Character Dress Up Day

30 June: Mid Term Break Up Day

7 July: Back To School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

Mothers and Babies, Mother’s Day

Mothers and Babies, Mother’s Day

THEME

Mothers & Babies, Mother’s Day

COLOUR

Pink

SHAPE

Heart

NUMBER

1

j

LETTER

Mm – Mommy

This week, was all about MOM! We learned all about mothers and their babies and it was so sweet to see how much our little Bugs know about this topic! They all had lots to say about their own mommies, telling us what they love about you and everything you do for them.  

We asked them to tell us all about what a mommy does for her baby. The Bugs know that mommies grow babies “in their tummies” (bless them) and that a mommy gives her baby milk, and keeps them warm and changes smelly nappies! Mommies sing to their babies and bath them, and make them feel better when they are sick! They also make food for their babies and give lots of hugs and kisses! What lucky children! 

We also learned that animal babies have special names! A baby cow is called a calf; a baby horse is called a foal. Pigs have piglets and cats have kittens! Dogs have puppies and sheep have lambs. Goats have kids (this was a little confusing – hehe!) Lions and bears have cubs, while wolves and seals have pups. And ALL these mommies look after their babies so nicely and make sure that they have everything they need! 

This is why it’s important to make mommies feel special on their one very special day each year called “Mother’s day!” 

For a gift this year, our Bugs made awesome Basil seed pods by tearing up egg cartons (which we then blitzed in Teacher Anita’s Nutri-Bullet), mushing it together in water, adding the seeds in and then placing on our paper-making tray to dry. Please plant these straight into the ground or a pot at home, and pretty soon you will be cooking with the most delicious Basil! 

We also made stunning cards. We laid out pieces of encyclopedia paper, draped pink, yellow and orange streamers across them and each Bug got a turn to spray the pages with water. This created the most beautiful “tie-dyed” patterns. 

We hope you love these special gifts that your Bugs made for you! 

Happy Mother’ Day, all you super moms! 

 

Winter is well and truly upon us, so please make sure you dress your children in layers that can be easily removed. Label everything! If you would like, you may also send a labelled beanie to use at playtime so we can keep those heads warm and the chilly wind out of their ears! May we suggest you start using extra vitamin C or an immune booster so that all our Bugs can hopefully stay germ free this winter!   

 

Don’t forget about our exciting Sport’s Day on Saturday morning! We are looking forward to showing you how hard the Bugs have been working during FunFit Sports! 

 

Next Week’s Theme: On the Farm: Fruit and Veg 

Wishing all our special EcoMommies a very Happy Mother's Day on Sunday!

    Dates to Diarise:

10 May: Sports Day

20 May: Eye Screening

30 May: Tractor Ride Day & Slipper Day

4 June: Haircut Day

13 June: Bike-a-Thon

16 June: Youth Day

27 June: Book Character Dress Up Day

30 June: Mid Term Break Up Day

7 July: Back To School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

Autumn, Birds, Migration and Easter

Autumn, Birds, Migration and Easter

THEME

Autumn, Birds, Migration & Easter

COLOUR

White

SHAPE

Cross & Oval

NUMBER

Recap

j

LETTER

Oo – Oval

We have loved exploring this special theme with the children. The concept of “real” Easter is quite a difficult one to teach the children as the story isn’t appropriate for our children just yet. 

So instead we spent our time telling lots of tales of the Easter bunny and how he brings us the yummy chocolate eggs we eat at Easter time to remember the real meaning of Easter! He looks different to each of our children – depending on who you ask. Some think he is big like a man (typical of the Easter bunnies you see in malls at this time for photo opportunities) and he hops around the garden hiding eggs for a fun Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning! Other children have an idea that the Easter Bunny is a real bunny that “lays” Easter eggs. How cute?! We loved hearing the excitement in their voices when they spoke about the Easter eggs they are expecting and the happy, hopping bunny who brings them! Spending time with children all day makes us see the magic in all the small things, and the wonder in events that as adults, we take for granted. 

Another thing we spoke about this week was autumn, as the weather has definitely taken a cold turn! 

As the leaves start turning even more, please take the opportunity to collect some from your garden and maybe do an art piece with your child during the holidays. We spoke about, now that it’s colder, the leaves on the trees fall off and turn yellow orange and brown as the tree goes to “sleep” for the winter. Some trees stay green, and these trees are called “evergreen”. The oak trees on Great North road are a sight to be seen when all the leaves start changing colour. Keep an eye out and collect some differently shaped leaves, give your child a cereal box and some glue and let them create something for you. You will be amazed at what they are capable of. 

 

Winter is well on the way and after a long, hot summer, it is very cute to see the children coming to school in jackets again. They look adorable. On that note, parents please make sure your child has an appropriate change of clothes in their bags for any weather changes or accidents that may occur. In winter, sleeves get wet when children attempt to wash their hands but forget to pull up their sleeves and then having wet sleeves is very uncomfortable. Please add an extra long top, an extra jacket/jersey and an extra pair of socks – all labelled of course. At this time of the year we experience a LOT of missing and lost property as children tend to undress themselves on the playground when they get warm while running around and then they leave it out there. At clean up time it is collected but if most of items are not marked, we simply can’t keep track of every child’s clothes. Please send us a beanie in the new term for use during play time. 

 

For our art activities this week, we made beautiful Easter cards by water colour painting onto an egg drawn in white crayon to create a magic Easter egg for the front of our card. 

We also made adorable little bunny puppets, using plastic lids for the face, coloured in ears, sticker eyes, a button nose and of course, a fluffy tail. 

 

We know that there is still a little while to go before Easter, so we will be keeping the art we made this week to send home next week.  

 

This week’s secret question: How do you eat your marshmallow eggs? 

  1. Frozen 
  1. All the chocolate picked off first 
  1. Get in my face!!!!! 
  1. Nah, keep your marshmallow egg. Hehehe! 

 

Have a beautiful weekend!

    Dates to Diarise:

4 April: Break Up Day

7 April: Holiday Club Starts

18 April: Easter Weekend Good Friday

21 April: Easter Weekend Family Day

28 April: Public Holiday (Freedom Day)

1 May: Public Holiday (Workers Day)

2 May: Holiday Club Ends

5 May: Staff Return 

6 May: Start of Term 2

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

My House

My House

THEME

My House

COLOUR

Green

SHAPE

Square

NUMBER

8

j

LETTER

Hh – House

This week we learned all about “My House”! It is a very fun theme as children get to tell us all about their homes, their favorite rooms, all about what their room looks like and what they have inside it, and who lives in their homes.  

We spent a lot of time talking about what makes a house – walls, doors and windows, a roof. The walls are usually made with bricks and cement and then we paint the walls in nice colours that we like. Then we fill the house with furniture. We put a nice couch in the lounge to sit on and watch tv (and NOT to jump on or off of… haha). We set a table in the kitchen or the dining room to eat at. We have a bed in our bedrooms to sleep on and in the bathroom, there is a shower or a bath or maybe both, where we can wash our bodies after a long and happy day at school! 

Then we had a chat about what makes a home… mommies and/or daddies (even if they don’t live in the same house) who love us, brothers and sisters to play with, food to eat together at night while we talk to each other about our days, pets to look after and fun to be had, a place to always feel safe and looked after and happy – this makes a house a home! 

Any building can be used as a house and some houses are very, very big! They are called mansions. Other houses are very small and made with wood or tin or boards. Those are called shacks or cabins. Some houses have two levels, or even three! Some only have one. Some have lots and lots of rooms and windows and others only have one or two! This doesn’t matter. Any building can be a house but it is important to fill that house with love and happiness and call it a home! Our very clever Bugs definitely understood this concept and we are very proud of them. 

 For art this week, we created a super fun, interactive piece. 

We used cereal boxes for the bass tray or the “garden”, decorated cardboard off-cuts for the wall and recycled gift bags for the roof. 

The fun part about this art piece, is what it does… 

In the tray, you will find a pack of grass seeds and a block of peat soil.  

Put the block of peat soil in a bowl and add some water. Once it is all separated and “mushy”, you can add this to the tray, plant the grass seeds, and watch your front garden grow. 

Like all gardens, this one needs to be watered and “mowed” regularly, so that it stays beautiful and fresh. 

Have fun tending to your garden!!! 

Our Moral Conscious/Messy Play activity was a fun but very important skill that we are working hard on instilling in our Bugs at the moment: Gentleness. 

On Thursday, we gave each Bug an egg. Teacher Gemma explained to them that even though the egg is hard on the outside, it can break very easily if it is handled too rough. The same can be applied to our friends. Although they can be tough and strong, if we play too rough with them, they can get hurt. Inevitably, the egg will break, but the subliminal message instilled in the children is lasting. 

Of course, we very quickly had a few broken eggs, but were very proud to say that most of the eggs lasted for about 5 minutes, and a few Bugs held onto theirs even longer! 

And what better to do with broken eggs than squish and squash them with our hands afterwards! 

Just a few reminders: 

  • Please keep nails short, so we don’t have any scratching accidents!
  • Please, please, please, NO TOYS ARE ALLOWED AT SCHOOL!
  • Please ensure any morning snacks are healthy. Try to avoid chips, sugary biscuits and sweets.
  • No juice in water bottles. This encourages sharing and we want to keep “our own germs to ourselves”.
  • A reminder to please send hats back to school if they are taken home. 
  • Please label everything!

 Just a reminder to please PRIVATE MESSAGE Teacher Gemma so that we can organise a day where your Bug can bring their pet in (for a few minutes in the morning) and show them off to the class next week. 

 This week’s secret question: If you could have a holiday home anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

 Thank you for another lovely week of fun! 

Next Week’s Theme: My Pets 

 

Have a beautiful weekend!

    Dates to Diarise:

19 March: Haircut Day

19 March: Pet Demo Day

21 March: Public Holiday (Human Rights Day)

4 April: Break Up Day

7 April: Holiday Club Starts

18 April: Easter Weekend Good Friday

21 April: Easter Weekend Family Day

28 April: Public Holiday (Freedom Day)

1 May: Public Holiday (Workers Day)

2 May: Holiday Club Ends

5 May: Staff Return 

6 May: Start of Term 2

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Busy Bugs!

My Family

My Family

THEME

My Family

COLOUR

Purple

SHAPE

Triangle

NUMBER

7

j

LETTER

Gg – Granny

“Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts!” 

Families come in many different shapes and sizes, and each one is as special as the next. We love all of our Busy Bugs’ families and are proud to be a part of our giant EcoKids Family! 

We had so much fun learning about our families this week. We learnt about our mommies and daddies real names, not just “mommy” and “daddy”. We also asked each Bug what they call their other family members like granny, ouma, giagia and so many more! We spoke about extended family like aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as super extended family, which are the friends that become family. 

For art this week, we created our family tree by colouring in the members of our family, and sponge painting a tree, then attaching it to a toilet roll for the trunk. These are just adorable! 

We also asked everyone to send in a family photo of themselves for a surprise slideshow for the Bugs. The looks on their faces were priceless as they realized it was them and their family on the screen! As soon as they saw themselves, they would jump up and say, “that’s me!!!!”  

Have an awesome weekend everyone! 

Next Week’s Theme: Me and My House 

 

Have a wonderful family-time weekend!

    Dates to Diarise:

19 March: Haircut Day

19 March: Pet Demo Day

21 March: Public Holiday (Human Rights Day)

4 April: Break Up Day

7 April: Holiday Club Starts

18 April: Easter Weekend Good Friday

21 April: Easter Weekend Family Day

28 April: Public Holiday (Freedom Day)

1 May: Public Holiday (Workers Day)

2 May: Holiday Club Ends

5 May: Staff Return 

6 May: Start of Term 2

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Busy Bugs Family!

Healthy Eating, Etiquette & Manners; Safety

Healthy Eating, Etiquette & Manners; Safety

THEME

Healthy Eating, Etiquette & Manners; Safety

COLOUR

Orange; Red

SHAPE

Rectangle; Star

NUMBER

5; 6

j

LETTER

Ff; Ss

What a fun filled week – as always! We learnt all about healthy food choices, using our manners and etiquette – which is a fancy word for being “posh”, “polite” and “correct”. Our Bugs learnt some big words this week including “car-bo-hy-drates!” (which is how they say it – hehe) and “protein”. We learnt that chicken, eggs, meat and fish are types of proteins and bread, pasta and rice are types of carbohydrates. We learnt that a healthy plate of food should have some of each on it, as well as lots of veggies or salad! Our Bugs all claim they love their veggies, so please hold them to that- hehe! They were able to tell us that apples, peaches, grapes and strawberries are fruit, and potatoes, carrots and broccoli are veggies … Such clever Bugs! We spoke about what “healthy food options” are, and they know that these do not include sweeties and chips and choccies … although they didn’t really agree with that! 

As a fun exercise this week, we used snack and lunch times as a learning opportunity by asking the Bugs the Bugs to show us their muscles and do a few exercises to show us how much energy they had. We then told them that their muscles weren’t “big enough” and that they didn’t have enough energy, and that they had to eat their protein and carbohydrates to make them bigger and faster. They gobbled up their food so fast and one at a time, came to show us how “big” their muscles had grown and how much faster they were. 

All our children are very well mannered, but we spent even more time this week re-enforcing good manners – saying please and thank you at meal times and when playing with friends, and to also not interrupt our friends or adults. This is a big one at this age as they have learnt to talk, but are still learning that they can’t talk ALL. THE. TIME. (Haha!) We are sure you’ve noticed! Hehe! 

For art this week, we made an awesome piece that we will be keeping for Art Expo.  

We made a collaborative art piece- our Food Rainbow. We used a big piece of cardboard, tore up little bits of coloured paper and stuck them down, making a rainbow. We then scrolled through newspapers and magazines to find foods that matched those colours, and stuck them on to the corresponding colour. This came out looking so stunning, it has earned itself a permanent spot on our storeroom door. 

Just a few general notes/rules. 

Thank you for another fun and interesting week. Your children are all well-adjusted to their new classroom, their new friends and their teachers. We are in full swing of things now and a lovely, calm dynamic has taken over our days in class – we are having such fun learning and getting to know your children even better. It is a privilege to watch them grow up!  

Next Week’s Theme: Safety 

“Stop, look and listen, before you cross the street. Use your eyes, use your ears, before you move your feet!” 

This week was all about safety! Safety at school, at home, at the mall, while crossing the road… as well as fire safety and stranger danger. 

  • Safety at school: We revisited our school rules. We also learnt why it wasn’t okay to use things or toys that we have been asked not to use, because there is a possibility that we could get hurt. 
  • Safety at home: We spoke about the rules of the kitchen- don’t touch the hot stove or try to pull the kettle closer to you. Be careful when walking down or up the stairs. Be careful around the pool and so many more! 
  • Safety at the mall: Never ever NEVER!!!! Leave your Mommy or Daddy’s side when you go shopping with them. Always hold their hand and make sure that they can always see you. (This category fell part of our stranger danger discussion as well) 
  • Safety while crossing the road: Look left, then right, then left again… Listen for any cars or noises… and once you are positive that it is all clear, then you can cross the road! 
  • Fire safety: If (touch wood this never happens) you ever find yourself on fire… the rules are STOP… DROP… AND ROLL until the fire has stopped. The Bugs had so much fun practicing this task. 

Follow all of these safety rules and you will definitely be able to keep yourself safe from harm or danger! 

We focused more on practical activities and demonstrations this week, and did a small art piece. 

As a messy play activity this week, we used shaving cream and powder paint to make a beautiful fire! We then got to spray some water on the fire to put it out, and finally… the best part of the day, getting to smoosh and squish the “fire” with our hands and get SUPER-DUPER messy! 

We took a walk outside to the zebra crossing and practiced the safe way to cross a road. We also used red, yellow and green items as a “robot” and acted out what each colour means. 

For our art piece this week, our Bugs got to put their observation and interpretation skills to the test and create a still life painting of a traffic cone and a stop sign. This was by no means an easy task, but we observed basic shape formation and understanding happening in the “round” shape of a stop sign and triangle shape of the traffic cone. 

We hope you all have a lovely, restful weekend and we look forward to seeing all of our Bugs back at school next week. 

 

Next Week’s Theme: Me and My Family 

Please send Teacher Gemma a photograph of your family sometime over the weekend, as well as the names of your “main” family members. We are creating a surprise slideshow for our Bugs to show them during the week! We are so excited to see their faces when they see their lovely families on our screen! 

 

Stop, drop and roll into the weekend!

    Dates to Diarise:

19 March: Haircut Day

19 March: Pet Demo Day

21 March: Public Holiday (Human Rights Day)

4 April: Break Up Day

7 April: Holiday Club Starts

18 April: Easter Weekend Good Friday

21 April: Easter Weekend Family Day

28 April: Public Holiday (Freedom Day)

1 May: Public Holiday (Workers Day)

2 May: Holiday Club Ends

5 May: Staff Return 

6 May: Start of Term 2

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

Health & Hygiene; My Emotions

Health & Hygiene; My Emotions

THEME

Health & Hygiene; My Emotions

COLOUR

Green; Pink, Red, White

SHAPE

Triangle; Heart

NUMBER

3

j

LETTER

Cc; Ll

Theme: Health and Hygiene 

“Brush, brush, brush your teeth, get them very clean. Brush them left brush them right, plaque is very mean! 

Wash, wash, wash your hands, get them very clean. Do the scrub, do the scrub, germs are very mean!” 

What a fun and interactive week we have had! Learning about hygiene is quite a big thing for these little people, what with fingers in noses and mouths, coughing without covering the mouth and touching everything and everyone possible! Hehe! 

We reinforced washing hands after playing outside and before meals, how to wash them properly and make sure all the germs are gone. 

We discussed the different ways we clean our bodies, in the bath or shower, some people use bars of soap while others use liquid soap. Washing our hair and all over our body! 

The best part of this week were our 3 practical activities to teach health and hygiene.  

Our first one was “how germs spread”. Teacher Gemma used green glitter on her hands, and made a big (and fake) sneeze, but forgot to cover her mouth! This made all of her “germs” fly everywhere! We then spoke about how we need to cover our mouths and noses when we sneeze or cough, otherwise our germs will fly away. We also learned that germs stick to our hands, and get passed on to everything that we touch, and the only way to get rid of them, is to wash our hands. 

Our second practical activity was where the Bugs got make our laminated teeth “dirty” by drawing on them with a whiteboard marker, and then using a toothbrush to “clean” them while singing our teeth song. 

Our last practical activity was the Bugs getting to brush their teeth after lunch at school. We were so impressed to see how well our Bugs know how to brush and rinse, making sure to get every inch of their mouths minty-fresh! 

We hope you all have a lovely weekend! 

See you all next week! 

Next Week’s Theme: Valentines Day and Emotions 

Theme: Valentines Day and My Emotions 

Love is in the air! 

This is always a very exciting theme and it’s always very well received. All of the children from the smallest Pups all the way up to our Smart Squad have so much fun with this theme and the teachers love all the enthusiasm! 

Our week was spent full of fun activities and discussions. It is amazing how much these young children know about their emotions. They are such sensitive, intuitive and “connected” little humans! We discussed an array of emotions from Anger to Happiness. We had loads of fun practicing the facial expressions that go with these various emotions and had a good giggle at some of their “sad” and “angry” faces – which are too cute when they are “putting it on” … We also used all of the emoji faces (that are so familiar to children these days) and played all sorts of awesome matching games – we would put them on the carpet and then ask the children to find the “loving face” or the “bored face” etc… They were really very good at this! 

The excitement this week was real, especially on Friday, when we had our annual Valentines Boogey on the deck! It was so beautiful to see how the children really embraced this. We had so much fun and the children really made us proud with their awesome dance moves. We have some natural Casanovas and some incredible dancers in this class! 

Thank you for all of the sweet spoils we got! Our highlights were definitely watching how the children love each other, giving sweet little gifts and plenty of love and hugs!  I read somewhere this week, “If you want to really feel loved, work at a preschool on Valentine’s Day” – and this was so true. 

For art this week, we concentrated on making a special Valentine’s Day card for mommy and daddy. We used heart shaped cookie cutters and red, pink and white paint to stamp hearts all over our page, coloured in the cutest little bee pictures, and added it all together. 

As a Valentines gift, we made beautiful Valentine’s photo frames by taking old CD cases and modge-podging torn up red, white and pink paper on the back (which we used our “pinchy fingers to tear) and posing for the cutest photo to stick inside. 

Our moral conscience theme this week was “Love Tanks” – rather an obscure concept for our little people to understand all about keeping your love tank full to share with other people, by being kind and loving to yourself. We explained that giving love makes that person have extra love to give, it’s always a good idea to hug, give kisses and cuddles, and make people feel valued and cared for. They most certainly understood this! 

 Just a few more points to remember: 

  • Please remember to cut nails on a weekly basis. 
  • Please do not send toys from home with your child to school. We know how tempting it is when you can avoid a fight or tears by letting them bring their favourite toy to school, but they cause problems in class when other children want to play with these new toys and we have to take them away. We love encouraging children to share but when it is their toy and they have a strong sense of ownership over it, we can’t really expect them to share it, and then if it breaks, we really don’t want to have that situation happening. As from after mid-term break next week, we will no longer be allowing teddies/toys inside the classroom. If your Bugs requires one for sleeping time, they will be kept in their bags until then. 
  • Please send children to school in suitable footwear for sport on Funfit Sport days- Tuesday. Please also put shorts on under any dresses – important! 
  • Please label everything folks! Even just initials on the bottom of shoes and inside hoodies and tracksuit tops. We have had a few items mysteriously vanish and we can’t do anything if it’s not labelled! 
  • Please remember “no juice allowed”. This encourages sharing of bottles and therefore, germs. We try our best to keep our kiddies germ free and this is very difficult if there is yummy juice that everyone wants to taste. Also, NO SWEETS in lunch-boxes.  

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day and all things CHOCOLATE, we decided to check who has been reading the blog with a secret question. Please post just your answer on the WhatsApp group with no other explanation, so we know that you read our blog! Haha!  

This week, the question is: Are you a Ferrero Rocher kind of person, or are you on Team Lindor Ball? Teacher Gemma is Team Lindor ball, and Teacher Thandi and Teacher Michelle are firmly on the Ferrero Rocher side of the fence, but at the end of the day…. CHOCOLATE IS CHOCOLATE! 

Next Week’s Theme: Healthy Eating and Etiquette and Manners 

Have a wonderful weekend!

    Dates to Diarise:

17 Feb: Fire Drill

18 Feb: Happy Hoppers Term Meeting

21 Feb: Mid Term Break Up Day

25 Feb: Back to School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!

My Senses

My Senses

THEME

My Senses

COLOUR

Yellow

SHAPE

Square

NUMBER

2

j

LETTER

Bb

“We use our hands to feel, we use our hands to feel. Rough, smooth, soft and hard, we use our hands to feel!” 

We have had such a fun week! We asked the Bugs lots of questions about their senses, and which parts of the body is used for our different senses. Our eyes to see, noses to smell, hands to feel, mouths to taste and ears to hear. We also did lots of singing – singing in soft voices, loud voices, deep voices and squeaky voices – putting our Auditory (hearing) sense to use. 

We engaged our Tactile (touch) sense by feeling our texture boards. We also explored our Gustatory (taste) sense, which happens to be The Busy Bugs teachers’ favorite activity throughout the entire year, by doing a taste exercise using a cinnamon for bitter, sugar for sweet, salt for salty and our favorite – lemon juice for sour. We did feel a little bad after making these Bugs taste lemon juice… so we gave them a little treat afterwards- hehe! We just love watching the different reactions and facial expressions caused by the tastes- especially the sour one- and we always end up in fits of laughter! 

We explored our Olfactory Sense (smell) by using our smelling jars. Some of the Bugs were a little reluctant to get their noses too close, but for the most part, everyone had fun! 

We explored our Auditory senses some more by playing with musical instruments, banging drums, shaking bells, knocking sticks together and listening to the different sounds from the piano. 

Our art piece for this week was sent home on Wednesday, an awesome sensory painting (which doubled as an invitation to our Bonfire Night). We mixed cinnamon, Tumeric and Barbeque spice with water, and painted a cool picture of a bonfire fire. There were mixed reactions when we asked our Bugs to smell their painting- but our favorite response was definitely “mmmm, that’s wondeful!”. 

So, as you can see, we had a very busy and exciting week and look forward to many, many more with your awesome Bugs! 

Have a lovely weekend and we will see you all next week. 

Next week’s theme: Health and Hygiene 

Please could we ask everyone to send your child’s toothbrush and toothpaste, clearly labelled, in a Ziploc bag by Friday. We will be brushing our teeth after snack on Friday as a fun activity! 

See you at the Bonfire Picnic!

    Dates to Diarise:

31 Jan: Bonfire Picnic

5 Feb: Smart Squad Term Meeting

7 Feb: Abacus Maths Demo

11 Feb: Curious Crew Term Meeting

13 Feb: Haircut Day

14 Feb: Valentine’s Disco (during school)

17 Feb: Fire Drill

18 Feb: Happy Hoppers Term Meeting

21 Feb: Mid Term Break Up Day

25 Feb: Back to School

 

Lots of love

Teacher Gemma and the Busy Bugs Assistants 

Our Bugs!