The Playful Pups have bounced back into school after our mid-term break with renewed energy and enthusiasm and in true Pups fashion, we’ve packed a lot into our short four-day week! Our theme has been Safety, and we’ve been exploring some very important lessons in ways that are hands-on, memorable… and occasionally hilarious. 

Tuesday saw the return of our much-loved FunFit Sports session with Coach Trevor. With the weather deciding to be rather chilly and drizzly, we took the session indoors, which, as it turns out, makes balancing activities even more exciting! The Pups were introduced to a simple square balance beam and encouraged to carefully step up and walk their way around from end to end. 

For some of our little adventurers this was a big ask, and there were a few cautious toes and outstretched arms in the air as they tested their bravery. Coach Trevor, with his endless patience and encouragement, was on hand (quite literally!) to offer support when needed. Beyond the physical skills of balance and coordination, this activity also gently reinforced patience and turn-taking, two very important skills for busy little preschoolers. 

With Sports Day on the horizon in May, we thought there’s no better time than now to start practising. At this rate, we are quite certain our Pups will be absolute balancing champions by the big day! 

Safety Week would of course not be complete without learning an essential fire safety rule: Stop, Drop and Roll. Teaching this to a group of enthusiastic toddlers proved slightly more challenging than anticipated and provided plenty of giggles for the teachers. There were a few creative interpretations at first (including some enthusiastic rolling without the “stop” part!), but we are delighted to report that most of our Pups have now mastered the sequence. In fact, they are so proud of their new knowledge that we now occasionally hear spontaneous cries of “STOP, DROP AND ROLL!” echoing around the classroom at the most unexpected moments. 

Our art activity this week tied in beautifully with our safety theme. The Pups created firefighter faces and then used their own little hands, painted bright red, to stamp bold “STOP” handprints. The results were wonderful, each one unique and full of personality, just like their creators. 

We were very excited to have planned a visit from our local Fire Truck today, but as fate would have it, our real-life heroes were called away to attend to an actual emergency. While we were disappointed to miss them, it also gave us a meaningful moment to explain to the children that firefighters must always go where they are needed most. 

We are keeping everything crossed that we will end our week with lights flashing and sirens sounding as the Fire Truck makes its rescheduled visit tomorrow. We have even been warned that the firefighters may give our unsuspecting Pups a surprise spray from the hose, which we suspect will produce equal parts squeals, laughter, and very soggy socks. Cameras will most definitely be at the ready to capture the excitement! 

What a wonderfully busy and safety-filled week it has been in the Playful Pups classroom. 

Our Pups!