Last week, in our Hopscotch Seedlings and Saplings Classes, the children loved learning about the story of The Enormous Turnip. They used paper plates (and lots of paint) to recreate the characters, and acted out the story, as well as using their problem solving skills to find out how many characters there were in the story. As part of communication and language, they then used small characters to retell the story; even making up new characters of their own-very creative!
The older children, in Saplings Class, strengthened their finger muscles by folding paper pots and planting beans. They learned how they could turn paper in to a 3D structure that could be used as a planter for seeds, and loved that in doing this they were also being great stewards and saving the planet! The children even had an Enormous-Turnip-themed fine motor table, complete with an egg cup garden and straw plants that they enjoyed poking into the holes.
In maths the children in Saplings Class rolled dice and ‘planted’ matching numbers of turnips in their egg box gardens, and in Seedlings Class the children continued with reinforcing counting up to 5 and matching the correct numerals to the spoken names.
Each day in pre-school the children and staff like to join in with Lego Club, where they build their own creation, then talk to their friends about what they have made. When they are doing this, as well as having lots of fun, they are practising using questions to find out information.
As part of maintaining the pre-school section of the school garden, the children worked with adults to plant seedlings that they will transfer into the Hopscotch raised bed, once they have grown stronger. They were also very excited to harvest some potatoes and worked with staff to clean, chop and cook them, before enjoying eating the baked wedges they had made.
On Thursday Hopscotch celebrated Ascension Day by listening to the story from the class Bible. Each child had a paper cross pinned to some paper. They thought about all the things Jesus has taught us and used chalk marks to indicate these individual things. When they had finished, they took off the paper crosses and saw that they had left behind we saw a lovely colourful outline, symbolising Jesus going to Heaven, but leaving us all of His teachings, as well as the Holy Spirit as a helper. Jesus still amazes us every day.
