


The Farm: Farm Animals
THEME
The Farm: Farm Animals
COLOUR
Red
SHAPE
Octagon
NUMBER
16
LETTER
Ff – Farm
IB Principle: Reflective – This week the Squad learnt all about completing a project and then being able to reflect back on what they could have fixed or what they could have changed. This is an important lesson to learn as all things in our lives can be corrected and mistakes are how we learn.
Writing and Phonics: We have been working steadily through our Time2Read books. This week we completed the ‘’i’’ sound between words such as l-i-p and s-i-p. We have also been learning to blend sounds. It is vital for the Squad to sound out individual letters A-Z so that when they are required to sound out words they can correctly blend the sounds to form the entire word. This takes practice and we are using each week to work through this.
Mathematics: The Squad have been counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We have also introduced subtracting to 10 and they enjoy this very much. We say ‘’I bought (number) oranges and we ate (number) so we are left with …” Nice job Squad! We have also introduced the clock; this goes hand in hand with counting in 5s around the clock.
FunFit Sports: Coach Trevor has been assessing the Squad according to our baseline FunFit sports and gross motor criteria.
Music: We are in full swing of practicing for our annual concert – the children are singing their hearts out. Keep it up.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Have a HAPPY weekend!
Dates to Diarise:
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 Carla, Teacher Hayley and the Smart Squad Assistants


The Farm: Farm Animals
THEME
The Farm: Farm Animals
COLOUR
Red
SHAPE
Octagon
NUMBER
16
LETTER
Ff – Farm
What an exciting and hands-on week we’ve had!
🐄 Farming Animals & Products
This week, we explored the fascinating world of farm animals! We learned about the animals themselves, the sounds they make, the names of their babies, and even which meats come from which animals. We also discussed the many products animals give us — from milk, cheese, and yogurt to wool, feathers, and eggs.
We also had a look into how paper is made in a paper mill and how cows are milked in a milking room. To round it off, we explored farming equipment, especially the combine harvester, and how it helps farmers cut and sort wheat.
🎨 Art Time: Fork-Painted Chickens & Tractors
We got creative this week with a unique addition to our Art Expo collection. The Crew made adorable little chickens using paper plates — but instead of using brushes, we painted with forks to create feather textures! Everyone loved trying a new art technique. We also painted tractors to take home, tying in perfectly with our farming theme.
📚 Assessments
We continued with assessments this week — the Crew is doing a great job staying focused and showing off all they’ve learned.
⚾ Fun Fit Sports: Tee Ball Time!
Coach Trevor introduced us to TEE Ball this week! The Crew had a blast practicing their hand-eye coordination by hitting balls off the tee. It was a great introduction to the basics of Tee-Ball.
🧘 Yoga: Farmyard Flow
Yoga this week was all about the farm, too! We started with stretches and warm-ups, followed by a fun, themed sequence set to “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” — yoga style! Our poses included a pig, duck, cow, sheep, horse, and rooster. We also learned a new breathing technique called Butterfly Breathing to help us relax and focus.
🥿 Slipper Day & Tractor Ride!
Friday was definitely a highlight — we celebrated Slipper Day by coming to school in our comfiest slippers, and we even got to go on a real tractor ride! It was the perfect end to a fantastic week
Next week’s theme: Transport
Have a HAPPY weekend!
Dates to Diarise:
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 Avril, Teacher Alexia and the Curious Crew Assistants


The Farm: Farm Animals
THEME
The Farm: Farm Animals
COLOUR
Red
SHAPE
Circle & Sphere
NUMBER
4
LETTER
Ff – Farm
This has been a busy week full of excitement.
This is such a wonderful and exciting theme to learn about. The Happy Hoppers loved learning about all the different farm animals and what they eat and drink and where they live on the farm. They also learnt about what mommy, baby and daddy animals are called and what they produce for humans e.g.: wool from sheep.
For our art, this week we used some shredded paper to collage a picture of a sheep which is a good fine motor activity which strengthens their hand and finger muscles. The Hoppers enjoyed this activity.
On Friday we went on a tractor ride which the Hoppers enjoyed so much.
We spent a lot of the week doing assessments. The focus this week was to recognise their name without a picture next to it. Please encourage your little one to recognise their name. if you do write their name please remember to write only the first letter as a capital. Please can you also practise some number recognition with your little Hopper, numbers 1 to 10.
Yoga morning ✨
Today we started off with our stretches and warm ups, and our basic sequences of poses.Our song was “Old Macdonald had a farm” but we did it in yoga style 🤗Our poses included: 🐷🪿🐄🐑🐎🦃And…. we learnt a new yoga breath 🥰
Butterfly breathing 🦋🦋
Have a HAPPY weekend!
Dates to Diarise:
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 C and the Happy Hoppers Assistants


The Farm: Farm Animals
THEME
The Farm: Farm Animals
COLOUR
Red
SHAPE
Circle
NUMBER
4
LETTER
Ff – Farm
What an amazing week we’ve had in the Pups class! Our theme was Farm Animals, and oh boy, did the children absolutely love it. From the moment we introduced the topic, they were fully engaged and excited to share what they already knew and to learn even more.
We explored all the different kinds of animals you might find on a farm—cows, pigs, sheep, ducks, horses, and even turkeys! We learned about the sounds each animal makes, which quickly turned into a very lively classroom chorus of “moo,” “oink,” “baa,” and more. And of course, we sang “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”… not once, not twice, but what felt like a hundred joyful times! 🎶🐄🦆🐑 It was definitely a favourite this week.
Creative Corner – Art Time
This week in art, we created not one, but three adorable farm-themed masterpieces! The children poured so much love and creativity into their work that we’ve decided to keep all of them for our upcoming Art Expo. They’re just too cute not to showcase—we can’t wait for you to see them!
FunFit Sports
In our FunFit Sports session, we focused on developing our hitting and throwing skills. The children had a blast practicing their coordination and movement through fun and active games. It’s wonderful to see their confidence and physical skills growing each week.
Yoga Time
Our yoga session was extra special this week! We began with our regular warm-ups and stretches, then moved into our familiar sequence of basic poses. In keeping with our farm theme, we gave “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” a yoga twist! 🧘♀️🎵
We moved through a playful sequence of animal-inspired poses, including:
- 🐷 Pig Pose
- 🪿 Goose Pose
- 🐄 Cow Pose
- 🐑 Sheep Pose
- 🐎 Horse Pose
- 🦃 Turkey Pose
And the highlight of the session? We learned a new breathing technique called Butterfly Breathing 🦋. The children loved flapping their “wings” and focusing on their calm, gentle breaths. It was a peaceful and joyful way to wrap up our yoga practice.
This week was full of learning, movement, creativity, and laughter—just the way we like it in Pups! 💛
Have a HAPPY weekend!
Dates to Diarise:
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 Monette and the Playful Pups Assistants


The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables
THEME
The Farm: Fruit & Vegetables
COLOUR
Blue
SHAPE
Circle & Sphere
NUMBER
15
LETTER
Vv – Vegetables
IB Principle: Communicators – As part of the IB Principle of being effective Communicators, we discussed with the Squad the value of expressing their feelings and thoughts using words. We emphasized the importance of active listening, using the right tone of voice, and thinking before speaking to ensure their words are kind and respectful to others.
Writing and Phonics: This week the Squad focused on the “ag” family and then wrote sentences in their workbooks using these words. We are so pleased with how well they are progressing with their handwriting and how they are using the correct pencil grip and pencil control. We also practiced our Time2Read programme where the children have been decoding words using the sound buttons.
Mathematics: This week, our squad mastered the basics of telling time – a challenging but exciting concept! We’re super proud of the kiddies for their efforts and perseverance. They also practiced counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s. Keep it up squad!
Creative Art: This week in art, our squad unleashed their creativity with TWO incredible projects! First, they carefully observed a vibrant fruit basket and brought it to life on paper, sketching the basket and its juicy contents, then bursting with colour as they added their own flair by colouring them in!
Next, they got inventive with recycled materials, crafting their own 3D fruit masterpieces! By gluing and shaping the pieces, they created fruit models that were almost good enough to eat!
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
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 Carla, Teacher Hayley and the Smart Squad Assistants


The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables
THEME
The Farm: Fruit & Vegetables
COLOUR
Blue
SHAPE
Circle & Sphere
NUMBER
15
LETTER
Vv – Vegetables
The Curious Crew class, assessments are in full swing! All assessment work will be sent home in the Crews portfolio when their reports go out on break up day for Mid-Term break.
This week in ring time, we focused on numbers, colours, shapes and letters. For discussion we spoke about the cycle of a plant from seed to the final product and that we get our fruits and vegetables from a farm and not just from a grocery store. We also learnt some fun facts about bananas and strawberries:
Bananas: Bananas are berries! That’s right!!—according to science, bananas are a kind of berry. They grow on big plants, not trees! Banana “trees” are actually giant herbs. Monkeys love them, and so do lots of kids! Bananas have a natural smile! If you cut one across, you’ll see a smiley shape.
They help you go, go, go! Bananas give you energy to run and play.
Strawberries: Strawberries aren’t berries! Even though “berry” is in the name, they aren’t real berries. They wear their seeds on the outside. Most fruits have seeds inside, but strawberries are different. Each strawberry has about 200 seeds! They grow low to the ground on small green plants with white flowers. They are heart-shaped, sweet, and juicy—perfect for snack time!
Art: We did 2 lovely activities this week! First was a still life of a fruit basket which we can keep for the art expo. The second was a cut and paste exercise creating our own giant carrot. This activity worked on our fine motor skills
In Fun Fit Sports this week we did assessment work and had fun focusing on our cricket skills catching a ball and of course batting.
Concert practice is in full swing where we sing songs wherever we find a gap. Let’s keep up that Great Spirit!
Yoga: This week we did Vegetable yoga! We spoke about how to start and grow a veggie garden whilst doing various yoga poses. Each yogi-seed got “watered” and grew big and strong. We finished off with basic stretches and quiet time.
Next week’s theme: Farming: Animals
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 Avril, Teacher Alexia and the Curious Crew Assistants


The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables
THEME
The Farm: Fruit & Vegetables
COLOUR
Blue
SHAPE
Circle
NUMBER
3
LETTER
Vv – Vegetables
Wow another week that has just flown by so quickly. We learnt all about farm produce. What an interesting theme to learn about. Fruit and vegetables and how they are grown and looked after on the farm. The Hoppers were quite surprised to learn how much work goes into looking after the fruit and vegetables on the farm.
We told the Hoppers that it is super important to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. We heard a lot of stories about what their favourite fruit and vegetables are. For art, this week we did some tearing and sticking of a watermelon which is so important to strengthen their finger muscles.
Today we did Vegetable yoga! We spoke about how to start and grow a veggie garden whilst doing various yoga poses.
Each yogi-seed got “watered” and grew big and strong.
We finished off with basic stretches and quiet time.
We have had a very busy week with assessments still happening and practising for our concert.
Have a lovely weekend!
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 C and the Happy Hoppers Assistants


The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables
THEME
The Farm: Fruit & Vegetables
COLOUR
Blue
SHAPE
Circle
NUMBER
3
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


The Farm: Fruit and Vegetables
THEME
The Farm: Fruit & Vegetables
COLOUR
Blue
SHAPE
Circle
NUMBER
3
LETTER
Vv – Vegetables
Oh, what a delightful week we’ve had learning about fruits and vegetables! The Pups were absolutely thrilled! During free play, we had a blast washing the fruits and veggies while chatting about why it’s so important to clean them before eating or cooking. The little ones were so engaged and curious!
For art this week, we made adorable watermelons out of paper plates. The Pups worked on their fine motor skills and did such a fantastic job. Most of them knew exactly what we were making and could identify all the colours perfectly. It made my heart swell with pride!
We also put a lot of effort into our art expo pieces. The Pups are working so hard to make everything look just right for our mommies and daddies. This art expo is going to be a hit for sure!
And, of course, we practiced our concert songs throughout the week. The Pups are bursting with excitement to show off their moves and sing their hearts out!
It’s been a week filled with joy, creativity, and so much love. I couldn’t be prouder of our little ones!
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 Monette and the Playful Pups Assistants


The Farm: Farm Animals
THEME
The Farm: Farm Animals
COLOUR
Red
SHAPE
Octagon
NUMBER
16
LETTER
Ff – Farm
IB Principle: Knowledgeable – this week we spoke about what it means to be knowledgeable. We discussed that it is about exploring concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In other words it is about learning about how the world works.
Writing and Phonics: We have been continuing to roll out with our Time2Read programme which focuses on using “sound buttons” whereby the children place dots under eat letter and then they “push” this button to make the sound. This assists them with sounding out CVC words. Keep a look out for their buttons under their letters at home when they are practicing.
Mathematics: We have been assessing Mathematics this week and practicing drawing our 2D shapes. We were pleased with how many shapes the Squad can draw and some even without visual aid! Keep it up guys!
Creative Art: We created recycled horses this week, using toilet rolls, wool, googly eyes, straws and corks. They turned out to be unique and adorable – we are keeping these for our Art Expo and cannot wait for you to see them.
FunFit Sports: Coach Trevor completed gross motor assessments with the Squad this week.
Cooking: Teacher Hayley explained the importance of knowing which animal provides us with the different foods that we can eat. Such as a pig can give us bacon and ribs. A cow can give us beef. We then created our own snack that the Squad dished out independently.
We also had some fun and made our very own cheese. Well done Squad!
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Have a HAPPY weekend folks!
Dates to Diarise:
7 June: Haircut Day
14 June: Bike-A-Thon
16 June: Youth Day
17 June: Youth Day Holiday
19 June: Hearing Tests
28 June: Book Character Dress Up Day & Mid Term Break Up Day
8 July: Back To School
Lots of love
Teacher Carla, Teacher Hayley and the Smart Squad Assistants


The Farm: Farm Animals
THEME
The Farm: Farm Animals
COLOUR
Red
SHAPE
Octagon
NUMBER
16
LETTER
Ff – Farm
Even though this was a short week in the Curious Crew class. We got through some really cool and fun activities!
Farming animals: Why do we farm animals Curious Crew? To eat them. This was not a concept that made the Crew squeamish. We went through all the meats and what animal they belonged to as well as what other food and non-food products come from animals. Milk, cheese, yoghurt, wool, feathers and eggs.
The week started off with the Crew’s first Reggio Emilia Loose Parts art project. The Crew had in front of them farm animals, small acorns, white pebbles, Jacaranda seed pods and corks. They were instructed to make their own farm using these materials. It was very interesting to see who loved this art piece and who wasn’t quite interested. How they went about setting out their farm yards. Lovely work Crew. We will be doing a Reggio Emilia art piece each week as an intermural activities. Let the imaginary play really begin!
We also decided we wanted to make a concrete art piece to add to our Art expo collection. The Crew made paper plate little chickens where they had to paint feathers onto their chickens but using a fork. They really enjoyed using a different art medium to paint and our chickens’ looks so cute!
Assessments have still be going on, thank you for a full class attendance almost every day this week!
After Wednesdays’ Voting Day we wanted to do a little voting ourselves in the Curious Crew class! We set up a booth and ballads on which is the best farm animal. Each child got a stamped ballad and some ink on their finger nail. They were able to go and cast their vote and once the voting was done, the numbers were tallied up, the best farm yard animal was the Horse. Well done beautiful horse you are the most liked farm yard animal.
After cooking this week we decided to shake it up and make some homemade BUTTER! We took some cream, a jar with 2 pinches of salt and we shook and shook and shook and shook! Each Crew member got to shake it up and once the cream had become so thick and we thought we weren’t able to shake anymore that’s where the magic started to happen. We could see the cream starting to come away from the jar and with lots more shacking the cream became a blob. With more shaking the blob started to separate…..YAY finally butter was achieved! The excuse milk was poured into cups and the Crew got to taste the salty milk that was left behind. No one liked it but I love that they most of them gave it a try! The butter we made was used on their sandwiches for snack that day. What an awesome experience to make some butter and get to taste all the elements in the making.
During FunFit Sports this week Coach Trevor got out the cricket bat and balls and Crew enjoyed hitting a few balls. Working on their hand-eye coordination as well as a fun favourite South African game they might grow up to watch and enjoy one day.
In Yoga this week the Crew held onto the magic stick! The kiddies had to use their tummy muscles to hold their arms and legs straight out in a superman pose. This move targets the upper and lower back, abs and hamstrings. It offers great support and strengthens the muscles for bending and reduces the risk of back injury. The task was to hold the stick for 5 seconds, using 1 hand moving the stick to the left and then to the right, finishing off with 5 seconds holding. Well done to all the yogis, this was a challenging workout but with lots of benefits. Physical movement and sports is so important not only in these younger years but throughout your whole life. Keep active, keep moving!
Next week’s theme: Transport
Have a HAPPY weekend folks!
Dates to Diarise:
7 June: Haircut Day
14 June: Bike-A-Thon
16 June: Youth Day
17 June: Youth Day Holiday
19 June: Hearing Tests
28 June: Book Character Dress Up Day & Mid Term Break Up Day
8 July: Back To School
Lots of love
Teacher Clarissa, Teacher Tegan and the Curious Crew Assistants
