Make something together and talk about what you are both doing during the process. E.g. Make a cake, a den, a paper fan, a play dough man. 

Thursday is the last day of the Summer term and our end of year party!  

 Please look out for the Summer party food list on the door, we already have some kind donations.  

Last week we were looking at Space.  We turned the role play area into a space rocket and the children took it in turns to use the controls.  They loved using their imaginations and talking between themselves about where they were going.  

We sung ‘Five Litle Men in a Flying Saucer’ and counted aliens together.  

At the craft area we made pictures of space using black paper and chalk.  We also created moon pictures using our sticking skills.

At circle time we talked about space and the planets.  We also named some of the planets and their positions. 

On Wednesday we all left the hall to meet the local firefighters.  The children had the opportunity to climb inside the cab, use a hose, look at all the equipment and try on their hats and boots.  The children asked lots questions and learnt about being a firefighter.  

In the garden we’ve been enjoying using our bubble machine!

Yesterday we had an exciting visitor at preschool.  Duncan came to preschool to talk to us about being a Pilot.  We could ask him any questions we had about being a pilot.  

We found out about the different parts of an aeroplane.  We learnt that the main body of the aeroplane is called the fuselage.  The fin is found at the back of the aeroplane along with the elevators.   

We also got to see what is in a pilot’s bag.  We looked at his pilots license and torch. We created our own plane in the hall and the children could take it in turns to fly.  We could wear a pilots hat and also the headset.  

Afterwards we went outside and Duncan made paper aeroplanes and we flew them around the garden. 

This week we are looking at transport as well lots of other fun things.  

The home corner has been used outside as a ticket office and train. The children enjoyed lining the chairs up and creating their own train.  Today we set up a car wash and all the children loved getting involved with washing all types of vehicles.  

Some of the children started their own egg hunt around the garden counting how many eggs they had found, and trying to find the toughest places to hide them.  

The outdoor kitchen was being used as a bakery.  There were a vast amount of cakes being  produced by a number of the children, lots of stirring and using their hands to manipulate the sand.

Cygnets will be starting again on Thursday 15th June. This is an opportunity for the children to experience the school environment and meet their teachers. 

The children will all need to be dressed in a preschool tshirt.  This is so they can be easily identified as being from preschool.  If your child does not have one we will put a spare tshirt on them. 

I will be taking them to school along with either Alice or Sophie, and will stay with them for the session.  They will need to be collected from the main reception area of school promptly at 2.30pm.

On the day of Sports Day Cygnets will need to leave at 11.45am to be ready for lunch at 12pm. 

The children will have lunch at school (cooked on the premises) – there will be a cost of £2.50.

They will NOT require PE kits for these Cygnet sessions.  If you have any questions please ask.

Jane

Sing a nursery rhyme or do an action rhyme together every day.  Learn a few and repeat them often.

We have had a little change this week from our planned Beach topic to looking at bugs and insects.

 Yesterday we were outside moving logs, using our magnifying glasses to count insect and bug legs.  One of our tuff trays was split into sections and we were sorting our plastic  bugs according to how many legs they had.  We were lucky enough to see a number of bumble bees moving from flower to flower. A group of children stood for quite a while quietly  watching them moving around the garden. 

Today we were using the threading letters which are great for not only looking at letters and their form, but also our fine motor skills.  

We were also using the balancing bricks to make different paths around the hall.  Some were working in pairs supporting each other. 

Some of the children have a continuing interest in maps and going on treasure hunts.  In one of the magazines in the art area someone found a maze game which was all very exciting.  We copied the maze and all the children who were interested could complete the maze themselves.

We also filled a tray full of cooked spaghetti and hid more plastic bugs underneath.  We were asking the children if they could find the bugs using their tweezers, placing them in a bowl and counting out how many they had found.  We had great fun finding them, using magnifying glasses and also getting a little sticky in the process. 

As it is Election Day on Thursday 8th we cannot be in the village hall.  

Arrangements have been made for the preschool to operate from Highbrook village hall again.

The normal hours will be 8.45 to 12.30pm (there will be NO CYGNETS)

Parking is in the church car park.

Can children please wear outdoor wet weather shoes or boots, as well as indoor shoes. 

They will need to bring a drink and a snack for themselves- not to share as they usually do.

Thank you

We have had so much fun this week we thought we should share some more pictures.  We’ve been using our imagination to create camp fires, toasting marshmallows and singing songs in our wooded area.

We have made the most of the beautiful weather and been exploring water using syringes, tubes, spoons and pipettes.  We’ve looked at volume and estimating how much water will fill a variety of containers.  We have created music using coloured water in glass milk bottles.  Some of the play has been rather messy this week but this is how we experiment, explore, learn and build our confidence. 

Today we were also looking at floating and sinking.  We could either create our own boats using Duplo or bring items into the tank and experiment.