Meadows
Pre-school
First School-First Steps
Aistear-Well-being
A curent topic of our circle time curriculum was Healthy Eating.
As part of this theme the children who were using sissors regularly we given pictures from magazinges and books of healthy and non healthy food items to cut out ( well being – fine motor skills). Once this had been done we used the pictures in circle time to discuss wheather they were healthy or not healthy (communication – discussing in a group and being confident). Once the children were confortable with their choices we then introduced other food items and empty cartons of cereal, yoghurts etc.
The children had good fun sorting the food items them into their different groups. We discussed each type of food group and what impact these groups have on your body e.g. Cereals for energy, meat for protein and iron, milk and cheese for healthy teeth and bones (well being – be as healthy and fit as they can be).
For our arts and crafts that week we made a plate for each child. The plate was a representation of the Health Promotions Units Food Pymarid system which encourages healthy balanced diets.The children then used glue to stick the pictures onto each section of the
“food plate”. See an image below of the arts and crafts results which each child made to bring home.
This linked to (identity and belonging – have a sense of group identity and being capable learners). This was fun as they could see how their meals might be served and they understood the different types of foods from discussing them in circle time.
Identity and Belonging
Communication
Exploring and Thinking
Each day we discuss our curriculum theme in circle time. This gives the children a great oportunity to discuss how the theme fits into their life. For example we have a different animal each week to explore (exploring and thinking – learn about and make sense of the world around them). Somtimes the children will have seen the animal at the zoo, on a nature documentary or even at home. This helps the children to explore how the world fits into their lives and how they can integrate as individuals and have a good and worthy input into discussions with their peers (communication – use language and express themselves).
Each day we also learn a number or sound. This is generally done in a group setting. It gives the children a platform to being capable learners, speaking and guessing what the sound or number is and feeling confident to speak out in the group. The children are learning every day how to have a strong self-identity, to speak for themselves and feel respeced and affirmed. They are also learning how to have a sense of group identity and how to respect others, take turns and be good listeners.
An example of how identity and belonging fits into the curriculum at Meadows Preschool is when the theme was “Our Families”. During circle time this particular week we looked at a book that told us all about how families can vary in size and can differ from one another.
We learned that some people have a large family with brothers, sister, aunts and uncles, grandparents etc. We also learned that some children have a small family with perhaps only their mum or dad. Discussions like this help the children to see where they fit into the puzzle, what kind of family they have and also what kind of family their friends have. Each child had a turn to tell their friends about their own family and what their favourite activities were. This gave the children an insight into each others lives very much helped their group identity.
At Meadows Preschool we formly believe that each child has a voice and each child must be heard. We aim to encourage children to be confident to speak in a group setting and also to speak one to one with teacher and their peers. We start right from the beginning of the school term in September.
A couple of examples of this would be the daily roll call where each child responds to their name. Once they have mastered this and have gained a confiedence they quite quickly come out of themselves and feel much stronger in their communications.
We sing songs and recite rhymes every day at school, we also use musical instruments to express ourselves creatively and imaginatively.
We often do rhymes with actions, usually this is tied into our weekly curriculum. For example we learned all about blackbird and our rhyme that week was “two little blackbirds sitting on a wall, one named Peter one named Paul.....” where the children use their fingers to be Peter and Paul. This type of communication skill is essential to the young childs development.
There are so many examples of how exploring and thinking fits into the curriculum at Meadows Preschool. Each day is an opportunity for children to learn and explore. It begins as soon as they come into school in the morning and they hang up their own coats and school bags, greet their friends and choose what activity they would like to do first. At Meadows we believe and encourage children to choose their own work at all times, ensuring that each child is doing a broad range of activities that support their learning opportunities.
Each day we have 45 minutes of open play time where the children can integrate with their friends, use role plays, build using construction toys, pretend to cook in our kitchen, play with toys, or just read a book. We also have 45 minutes of learning time where the children learn basic every day life skills such as cutting, gluing, using a spoon or pouring water. Basic writing and reading is also thought on a one to one basis each week to each child. Every term the life skills shelf is changed keeping the children interested and bringing their development to the next level. Each child learns at their own pace and is never introduced to new or next stage material until they ar ready.
The weekly curriculum at Meadows changes every single week and there is a new exploring opportunity for the children. An example of exploring and thinking is when we learned about recycling. We brought intems to school from our recycling bin and sorted them into the different groups of paper, tin, glass and plastic. We talked about what items could go into the green recyling bin and which ones we must bring to the glass recycling centre. The children loved this activity and were able to connect with it from seeing their own families recycle at home. For arts and crafts that week we make books of colouring with recycling items on each page.