Encouraging healthy habits and hygienic routines at this age sets the foundation for a lifetime of well-being. The children are beginning to understand why we do the things we do—like washing our hands and faces to keep those nasty germs away! Healthy living becomes even more exciting when The Crew hear that good habits help their muscles grow. I could definitely feel how strong they were after finishing all their food! (Wink wink.) Plus, picking up toys was another great way to build those muscles!
To bring this theme to life, we did a few fun and practical activities. One of our favorites was using a spray bottle to show how far germs can spread when we don’t cover our mouths while sneezing. Of course, once The Crew saw the spray in action, they all wanted to be sprayed! (LOL.)
For Music and Movement, we learned a catchy Hand Washing Song while practicing the proper way to wash our hands—rubbing them together, cleaning between the fingers, scrubbing the tops, pressing our palms, and not forgetting the wrists!
We also did a fascinating germ experiment using milk and pepper. After sprinkling pepper into a bowl of milk, we dipped a cotton swab in soap and touched the surface. The Crew were amazed as they watched the pepper instantly move away!
This week, we also had our first adventure with paint! I introduced color mixing by giving each child a dot of either blue or yellow paint. They then paired up with a friend to mix the colors together using their hands, discovering that blue and yellow make green! They absolutely loved getting a little messy with this activity.
In FunFit Sports, we focused on throwing skills. Each child had a turn trying to throw as many balls as possible into an 80cm bucket—fantastic for hand-eye coordination and learning to adjust their aim!
For art, we had a blast making glittery germ blobs with googly eyes and pom-poms. We also completed a fun germ-themed coloring sheet and an activity where the children traced their hands and drew all the germs they imagined living on them.
Helpful Tips: Consequences
At this age, introducing consequences for actions helps children think before they act. Explaining natural consequences allows them to make better choices—for example, good behavior leads to rewards, while negative behavior has consequences like no TV time or missing out on a playdate.
In our classroom, we’ll be reinforcing this concept to help The Crew understand how their choices affect themselves and others. Let’s raise children who choose to make the right decisions!
Next week’s theme: Emotions, Valentines Day
We just LOVE this theme! At this age, the Crew are becoming more aware of their feelings and what makes them feel a certain way. But it’s still so important to help them manage these emotions and understand that others feel the same way too.
Each day during ring time, we explored a different feeling. The Crew made the matching facial expression and shared what makes them feel that way. Some of the answers were just amazing.
For our Valentine’s Day art, we got super creative. The Crew made little love bugs and a beautiful handprint bouquet. The sticks for the bouquets were collected on our nature walk, which was such a lovely way to connect art with the outdoors. And yes, you may have noticed—the Crew have been coming home extra sparkly this week. Glitter galore!
Our Music & Movement session was a blast—Disco on the Deck. With a bubble-blowing machine, awesome tunes, and the deck all decorated, the Crew had the best time. A huge shoutout to Teacher Gemma (or should I say DJ Gemma) for making it so much fun. The kids looked fabulous in their little outfits. This is such a joyful time of year.
When learning about this week’s shape, number, and letter, we mixed practical learning with fun. The Crew did water painting on the outdoor steps and completed some worksheets. Hands-on learning makes everything more exciting.
Another highlight was our Letter Hunt. I hid hearts with different letters around the playground, and the Crew had to find them and match them to the alphabet display. They loved it. You can try this at home too—just remember to use lowercase letters in the correct formation.
During ring time, we also talked about bucket filling and bucket dipping. This helps the Crew understand how their actions affect others. We used real classroom moments as examples. When we share and show kindness, we fill buckets. But when we don’t share or hurt others, we dip into buckets. I told them how their big smiles and hugs fill my bucket every morning. So, let’s all be Bucket Fillers.
This week, we also met our Worry Monster. Whenever the Crew have a worry, they can draw it on a piece of paper and feed it to the Worry Monster, and he gobbles it up so they don’t have to carry it around all day.
In FunFit Sport, Coach Trevor had the Crew climbing and balancing on the jungle gym to build their gross motor skills. They absolutely loved it.
For yoga this week it was centered around hip mobility. These exercises and poses help improve flexibility, range of motion and stability in the hips.
Our songs for the morning:
⚓ You can’t do nothing sitting on the floor.
⚓ Breath by breath.
Ending off with quiet time.
And let’s not forget cooking. This week’s treat was extra special because the Crew made the parent evening snack for you. They were so proud knowing their parents would enjoy something they made with their own hands.
Next week’s theme: Healthy eating, etiquette, and manners
