Harry and the Dinosaurs

Catching up on some of what we have done over the last few weeks, we went away for holiday, had a lovely time and came back turned the computer on to load up all our photos and it dies! So we have had no computer for a couple of weeks and I prefer to use a keyboard to type on rather than a touch screen, so have been waiting for it to be repaired, so I can get on with my work as well as update my blog.

The children have been really interested in dinosaurs and they love the Harry stories, I am using Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs and Romp in the Swamp for inspiration. So here is my planning.

I froze some small dinosaurs in some water, some with added food colouring, some with not, then popped them out onto our tray and let them try and excavate them, using a pipette and warm water. Lots of talk about why water freezes and why ice melts, the difference in temperature, how their hands felt after they had handled the ice. They asked if I could freeze more dinosaurs so they could do it again tomorrow, think that means they really enjoyed the activity. I did as they asked and they enjoyed another morning of melting.

They love a game of hopscotch, especially as the older ones are beginning to recognise and try and write some of the numbers, which they love to write, see if you can spot their attempts. Love how pleased they are now they can write them without any help. They haven't got the idea yet of hopping on one square and then jumping with two feet one in each box yet but lot's of giggles as they try.

More Runaway Bunny

After reading The Runaway Rabbit this morning one of the children commented that trees can't look like rabbits, which led to talk about topiary and how people can shape trees, bushes etc to look like animals and we then watched these clips on you tube topiary designs and topiary and natural sculptures . They did ask if I could make the panda ones, they do look great but not something I would like to try and recreate!

We enjoyed several fishing games, as well as good for co-ordination, turn taking, it's a good game for counting, trying to work out who has more and less fish.

We lined up both children's fish to see who had more.

They enjoyed recreating the garden where the bunny said he would hide as crocus. I loved all the chatter and the way they described all their pictures, it's brilliant to hear all the things we have talked about etc being used.

L told me she had chosen a yellow flower to make the sun with, the bird is resting on the cloud, the bee is after some nectar and rabbits are hiding.

In this picture the little bunny is hiding very well under all the flowers.

Flowers and princess, using half a flower for a crown.

More garden pictures but this time raining as flowers need some water too as well as sunshine.

It has been really hot here today, not complaining at all but we created a lovely shady area, using the washing line and props. It became somewhere for the babies to sleep and to read stories.

Spent time playing with the balance beam and river stones.

Nearly forgot our carrot tops are slowly growing and we also watched Come Outside - Carrots

The Runaway Bunny Story Basket

I put together a story basket to go with The Runaway Bunny, I didn't put anything in for the circus part, I thought I would let the children choose/make something.

We sat and read the story , they then explored the basket and asked me to read the story as the acted it out with the props.

Bunny said he would change into a fish,

then a rock,

a crocus, I didn't have a fake or real crocus so they had to pretend with these flowers, to hide the rabbit in.

Bunny then turned into a bird,

then a boat,

at the circus with Mummy rabbit walking on the tight rope,

and then home to eat a carrot.

After lunch they decided to play Runaway Bunny, lots of swimming and mountain climbing, they then asked me to read the story again so they could remember all the parts. They had forgotten the circus and wanted to know what they could use for the tight rope and the trapeze, I suggested the swing and used one of my husband old karate belts for a tight rope, knew there was a reason I was saving a couple of them. They ended up spending ages trying to walk on it going forwards, then backwards, hopping, jumping, then walking sideways and bear walking, oh yes and star jumps on and of the rope, these were all thought up on their own with no input from me. Will have to remember this for another time as they got loads out of it, as they tried different ways of moving across the rope, lots discussion who was going first, which way they were going and how.

Followed by hair washing the Barbie dolls again, these dolls have got to have the cleanest hair in town! Love their ingenious use of the water table holes to hold their dolls so they have both hands free.

and we got see the baby birds that are nesting in our tree, we have seen two today poking their heads up above the nest, you have to look very carefully, I managed to get a picture of one.

Woodland Walks and Story Telling

I love to try and get outside everyday with the children, sometimes in our garden, up to the allotment, walks around the woods or just a short walk around the block. I like to get the children looking at the world around them, pointing out the seasonal changes, how their shadows change depending on where they stand, seeing the different cobwebs, looking at the tracks the pushchair makes after it has gone through a puddle, listening to the different sounds they hear.

The children have started to notice that the blossom is beginning to come out on some of the trees.

I always love to see the seed case on the honesty plants, love the way the sun is coming through the trees.

I got the children to stand in the sun, shaded from the wind by the trees and asked them to close their eyes and see what they could feel, after a short pause they answered "we can feel warm" I explained that was the sun. They then moved to the shadows and then back into the sun noticing the changes they felt, getting colder or warmer.

We have been spotting all the ivy covered trees and holly bushes and comparing the differences between them, shiny, smooth, spiky etc.

The hedgerow slowly waking up with some beautiful white flowers.

We have spent time exploring the moss on trees and stumps

 and spotted a small clump of snow drops.

 Our woods have a lovely shallow stream running through them, shallow enough that the children can paddle in it but you can also see the water moving in places.

Our woodland walks are great way to get some exercise, practise some climbing, to explore the natural world around us and to watch for the changes. We have also started story telling as we walk. The other week the children were asking if the big bad wolf lived in our woods, after reassuring them that he didn't. We set about telling the story of the three little pigs, they nearly know this of by heart, so they join in with a lot of it. We have on other walks told the story of little Red Riding Hood but in our version the wolf hides Grandma in the cupboard now, as they didn't like the version where Grandma was eaten, a good time to talk about not talking to strangers and the importance of listening to what their Mums, Dads etc say. We also make up stories as we go, the children becoming characters in the story which they really seem to enjoy. They don't have to be long or fancy stories just about things the children can see or could imagine doing.

EYFS links :-

Personal social and emotional development - Making relationships,

Physical development -  Moving and handling

Communication and language - Listening and attention, Understanding, Speaking

Understanding the world - The World