Beth's class
2006 Term 4
22nd November 2006
Science experiments have become a part of each day. As each child demonstrates their experiment and explains what is happening it is wonderful to reflect on how they have grown up this year and the confident way they discuss quite complex ideas. Those experiments which could be repeated were shown to the whole school meeting.
Dinosaurs continue to dominate our days. The clay replicas the children produced of dinosaurs showed how closely they have studied dinosaurs. The clay proved the perfect medium to show that the children understood scale as well as the important features of various dinosaurs.
We have spent some time discussing what dinosaur skins would be like and what texture and colour they would be. On the walls outside our room are paintings which give some indication of what the children believe the environment would be like for a dinosaur and the colour and textures dinosaurs could be.
Andrea (student teacher from ACU) has joined us till the 8th December. She has quickly coming to grips with the Village philosophy and is enjoying the children's unique perspective of learning.
16th November 2006
Dinosaurs are once more the main focus of the group. Having spent quite a bit of time looking through dinosaur books and watching informative videos on dinosaurs we have been debating the theories we have discovered as to why dinosaurs died out. The one which the children return to most often remains the “Big Bang” theory which caused climate change. Although there a number of the children who feel that there is a strong argument climate change caused by the Sun being covered because of the large number of active volcanoes around at that time. We are currently developing individual scenes to demonstrate what the vegetation might have been like when dinosaurs roamed the world. As well the children are looking at skin textures and deciding which they think would best represent their dinosaurs' needs in the environment which they have created. Beth
8th November 2006
Camp was a wonderful time for all the children. The thirteen who stayed for the two nights proved how capable and resilient they are. We had quite a few 'how much longer' comments made on the way down to Camp Coorong. Luckily there was a digital clock in sight so those who asked the question were directed towards problem solving activities and learnt quite a bit about clocks and telling the time. But what an adventure when we arrived!Monday was spent settling in and getting to know the new environment (discovering where the toilets were and the rec room). The most immediate impact was the mosquitoes. We quickly learnt the importance of all over coverage with repellent. There were a lot of left overs from Monday night's meal but from then on….the children's appetites amazed not just me but the cooks as well.
Tuesday was idyllic weather. The children were up early. I didn't realise how early until I looked at my watch. It was 6.00 and we were dressed, showered and ready for the day. My group started with a sail on a thirty foot yacht; perfect, just enough breeze to keep the yacht sailing. Everybody had a go at steering. We followed this with some serious water play and sand castle/hole digging on the banks of Lake Victoria.
It is always much more fun when there are a lot of play mates to call upon to help out. Some of the bigger children in my group were able to enjoy the swing chair. After a BBQ lunch in which the children went back for seconds, thirds and then fourths we went canoeing. All the children learnt how to paddle although some weren't quite sure whether they were going backwards or forwards in the canoes. After some quiet time in the rec room we went for a walk to see some kangaroos. We didn't find kangaroos but we found an echidna. Finally after dinner we had marshmallows over a camp fire, a story in the dining room and the children were in bed by 8.30.
After another early start - we started packing up at 6.30 - the drive back in the mini bus was interesting. Caroline was in the bus and Phillip Collier was leading the way in his car. We stopped a few times for Jack to be sick and also to look at Loy Yang Power Station and have lunch as well as stopping to spend some money.
On Thursday all my group were back at Village and we had a morning of cooking. We iced biscuits and made fairy bread for snack, made jellies and cooked pizzas for lunch. We had a movie afternoon with an interval to eat popcorn.
Finally on Friday we all walked to my place for a BBQ lunch. Thank you to Caroline and Phillip for their help on camp and also to Bronwyn for helping us back at Village.
Beth
4th October 2006
What a busy and productive time the last week of Term 3 was. One exciting experience following another. The CERES excursion was great fun. The children were extremely interested in the many different scenarios that CERES offers; wind and solar energy, recycling bikes, sustainability, animals, re-using water, pit toilets, different cultures, nursery, and interesting sculptures. The Indonesian Village experience was delightful and everybody enjoyed the walk around dressed up in Indonesian costumes as part of a rice festival celebration but we all would have liked to learn more Indonesian words. Teddy Bears' Picnic brought out a variety of bears all of whom were spoilt with lots of attention from their owners. The morning tea was enjoyed by all. The Skipathon proved once again how quickly children can learn a skill when the right incentive is offered. It was incredible how well all the children could skip by the time the morning was over. The way Edith organised the Skipathon helped every child to succeed. Thank you, Edith.
And finally there was the Sleepover. Not going home after school meant there was time to turn the room into cubbies. A number of Mums dropped in even though they didn't have anyone to pick up. The Village can look very different in the dark. Good job we all knew our way around. The weather was not kind so the bonfire was not as big as previous ones (so I hear) because the wood was too wet. The CFA were not called so there were no unexpected surprises. Once the marshmallows had been toasted and the disco, with the glow in the dark bands, enjoyed, the children were happy to get into their sleeping bags. It was great fun settling down to sleep with lots of friends and turning the classroom into a bunk room. All the children had no trouble going to sleep. It was a very exciting day and having breakfast together in the morning continued the excitement. It was a lovely way to end the term.
Beth2006 Term 3
6th September 2006
Term 3 is nearly over and all the prep children have celebrated over 100 days at school. Last Friday we visited an environmental park in Brunswick called CERES and spent a morning visiting the Indonesian Village. The children showed their skill at batik, then dressed up in Indonesian costumes, collected musical instruments and masks then paraded around the park celebrating a rice festival. There was a great playground with teepees, a sandpit and a boat to play in. The toilets were pit style and a bit smelly. We looked at different types of water from the Merri Creek to pond water to disgusting water which was being collected to be purified. We saw different types of wind generators, lots of chooks, a place where push bikes are recycled, compost, vegetable gardens and a plant nursery with lots of interesting sculptures. It was an experience for a number of children being out on their own and they managed extremely well. (Of course there were seven extra adults along to help them!)
Beth
23rd August 2006
Thank you to all the parents and uncles who have visited us in the last weeks. And thank you, in anticipation, to the parents who are still waiting their turn to be interviewed. The children and I have enjoyed asking you about your jobs and hearing how everybody does such different work. Some of the jobs were way outside their experience but we definitely have some future violinists, civil engineers and police persons in the making. It was very interesting to see how hard it was for adults to discuss complex jobs in simple language. We have been visited by two teachers who would like to teach at Village next year - Emma and Wendy. Watching the children adapt to different personalities, showing off their skills and being so relaxed with changing situations demonstrates how confident they have become. I hope you got to see the skittle people the children made - they were so creative. The stories the children were telling to explain how the peg people (they also made) turned into skittle adults were very inventive.9th August 2006
A number of the Mum's came to be interviewed by the children through the week. Already the children are becoming proficient at asking relevant questions along with questions which demand further clarification and have moved from only asking 'why' to 'when', 'where' and 'what' questions. For me, it has been interesting to see the progression the children are making from shallow thinking and accepting a statement, into them recognising that there is a need to delve deeper into certain areas and asking the appropriate follow-on question. Their ability to listen attentively is also improving markedly.All the children made the most delightful stick puppets and put on situational puppet plays to demonstrate how people help us. Some of the puppet plays were a bit puzzling but we all enjoyed ourselves.
The children have also spent some time working on rules which reflect how they want to be treated by others and what they need to do to ensure this.
2 August 2006
As part of our theme 'People who help us' Serafina has read to the children and talked about good fires and bad fires. Serafina certainly 'got through' to the children concerning fire safety and they produced high quality posters on the subject. We all enjoyed our Thursday alone at Village. We walked up to the letter box at North Croydon and posted the letters that the children had written to themselves. As usual with this Group, what started out as an opportunity to look at how the mail works turned into many other things such as learning home addresses, leaving spaces between words, writing clearly, writing on the right side of the envelope, writing surnames, writing small enough to fit on the envelope all the necessary information, folding a piece of paper and sealing an envelope. Many of the children received their letters the next day which just shows how efficient Australia Post is. The post marks on the letters are certainly boring so maybe the children's efforts in creating an improved post mark will prove successful. We will soon be visiting CERES Environmental Park in Brunswick. We will be using parents to transport the children as I am sure there will be a number of you who would like to join us. In the morning there will be two activities organised by the educators at CERES and the afternoon will be a wander through the sustainable areas in the park. There is an excellent café at CERES.26 July 2006
The children are currently presenting their advertisements based around their favourite books. They have all been diverse in presentation and the level of salesmanship is astonishing. Their posters will be displayed in the library area. A few brave mothers have signed up to be interviewed by the children. The children have been practising their questioning skills on each other for over a term and their ability to ask probing questions has improved immensely. I was grilled last week by the children and was amazed at how much information they could get out of me. So, if you have the time, sign up for something which is totally unique (you don't need to be a Prep parent to experience this). Come and see the art work displayed on our back wall. Some of the work is based around 'Wombat Stew' where the children created extra creatures to put in the stew and 'Shoes from Grandpa' in which the children's pictures are made by tearing paper. On Tuesday, 22nd August, at 7.30, I will be holding a discussion group around reading and phonics for those parents who are interested. Beth19 July 2006
The Sustainables' performance was appreciated and enjoyed by the children now that they are also seasoned performers. They understood the message behind all the fun and drama. The Village Performance is still being talked about and every time the children hear 'their music' being used for Eisteddfod rehearsals they start to join in. New things that are occurring this term include moving on to a new theme of 'People who help us', learning a lot more about phonics, joining in 'clubs' on a Thursday afternoon and experiencing Freeform on Wednesday afternoons. For the last two Tuesdays both Mary and I have been attending an inservice together (please ask about what we were learning). This has provided the opportunity for the children to enjoy some different experiences - adapting to the way someone else organises them, but, as usual, the children have been excited about the changes. For most of last term the children have been practising their questioning techniques on each other and now they are ready to expand these to accommodate adults. Whilst all the parents in my group will be invited to experience being interviewed by 4, 5 and 6 year olds, if you would also like to join in this experience (or you know of someone who would be interesting to interview) we would welcome the opportunity to interview you. Finally, on Tuesday, 22nd August, at 7.30, I will be holding a discussion group around reading and phonics for those parents who are interested. Beth2006 Term 2
31 May 2006
Thank you to those parents who came to Bayswater Park on Saturday. Unfortunately the sun did not make an appearance until late. However the children had a lovely time playing. The Prep children's presentations of their Australian Creatures at the whole school meeting were wonderful. Everybody spoke clearly and knowledgeably. The rest of the school were very impressed. The excitement is already mounting as we continue to rehearse. All the children are showing a greater understanding of what is happening and what is expected of them. All of them have improved in their ability to concentrate, in their respect for others, in taking their turn and not needing instant gratification. The structures the children are building for people to live in continue to evolve. Plans have had to be changed as the children run into building problems and have to solve them. Also, for some, the original purpose for the buildings seems to be constantly changing. Thank you also to those parents who came to the working bee and fixed the sand pit cover as well as sweeping up all the mulch on the asphalt. All of us noticed a big improvement. Thank you from all of us also goes to John (K's Uncle) who has been coming each Monday to do origami with the children. All of us have enjoyed his sessions with the children improving their fine motor skills through folding, their following of instructions and listening. We look forward to him returning to show us more after the holidays. Beth
23 May 2006
Everybody has recovered from the excitement of Camp with all the children making positive comments and wanting to know when they can “do it again”. The children are finally beginning to understand why they are suddenly being taken into the Drama Room and expected to perform their dances. There have been quite a few bemused looks on faces also when they find themselves suddenly being measured for costumes in the middle of an activity. However as their understanding increases so does their dancing ability. Fitting around all this we continue to look at shelters and have moved on from shelters for animals to shelters for people. A common theme could not be decided on by all the children so, in groups or by themselves, they will be looking at creating their own shelters for people; these include ambitious projects like castles and fairy palaces. On Friday those Prep children who wish to will be presenting their animal creature's project at the whole school meeting. Don't forget the Group Outing to Bayswater Park on Saturday, 10.30am onwards.
17 May 2006
A GROUP RECOUNT ABOUT A CAMP FROM SOME OF BETH'S GROUP
We went to camp.First we put our bags inside. There were lots of bags.
Then we had our
meeting and did 'Follow the Leader'.We walked down to the Reptile Room.
We were allowed to hold snakes, lizards and frogs. The turtle really liked Alenya and Keely. Libby (Connor's Mum) had a snake on her head.
We washed our hands and had our snacks.
Then it was our turn to rehearse.
We went and did some colouring in and played in the gym.
Then it was time for our picnic.
After lunch we watched some of Aladdin.
Then off again to the ropes course and candle making.
We mucked around for a while before tea.
We liked the spiral apples. We liked the ice cream and sprinkles for dessert.
We liked the jam donuts.
After tea we fixed our cabin.
We took our pillows to watch the movie. Some of us shared pillows. We didn't see the end of the movie because we were too tired.
All of us were asleep by 10.00
9 May 2006
This week has been so busy with the children starting to seriously learn their dances for the Performance. We have started exploring paper mache techniques to make some of the props the children will need for the Performance.The children have also been presenting the interesting facts they have each found out about their Australian creatures. Each presentation has been totally different. It is astonishing how much knowledge the children have particularly when most of them aren't reading fluently. The other children are asking intelligent questions as we all increase our knowledge of Australia's creatures. The listening and speaking which is occurring in these sessions is of a very high standard.
Gym continues to be a highlight. This week the children were ready to go an hour before we needed to leave. They were so ready we got there too early but, luckily, the Gym people were happy to play extra warm up games.
Mother's Day is getting closer but ... sshh...nothing more can be said as it is a secret.
3 May 2006
What great fun the box car race was! The children put in a lot of work getting ready for this event. Their boxes were beautifully painted (mostly on one side as a number of the children didn't realise there were four sides to a box until they had to paint them). The signs they had made with Mary/Edith's group came up a treat and the practice the children had undertaken in running in a box paid off in many exciting races with only the occasional crash. I am not sure who the winners were because I was cheering too hard. When my group had finished the rest of Village joined in to have their races. On Friday, Mark, an educator from the RACV, gave an informative and practical talk to the children about road and car safety. The children were very good and it was interesting to watch them interacting with someone different and working out his expectations concerning how they needed to behave and adapting to them. Mark helped the children to identify the road signs where it would be safe to cross the road, role played how to cross the road safely and why it is not safe for children to fight in the car. Gym, on Wednesday, is proving a big hit and because of this and the demands on the Drama Room we won't be doing PMP until next term. Thank you to Selvi for helping out with this. Instead most afternoons after 3.00 we will be practising skipping. Parent helpers for Gym on Wednesday are still needed.26 April 2006
With Easter over we have changed focus and have started looking at shelters for humans and creatures. Each Prep child has chosen an Australian creature to research and then they will share their knowledge with the rest of the group. We are learning the songs for the performance and the children are looking forward to their part in this (although there is some puzzlement among the very young performers as to what is going on, but plenty of enthusiasm). This week we will be busy making boxes into cars for our box car race on Thursday afternoon (spectators welcome, starting time around 2.30). The children have enjoyed their practice sessions, running around in boxes and figuring out what designs they need to make to get their boxes to go faster. We will be using the signs made with Mary's group on the track we draw up, although I hope nobody gets to 60kph. Following this on Friday we have a visitor coming from the RACV to talk to the children about road safety.
12 April 2006
This week was a milestone for nearly all the children being their first five day week of full time school - and how well they managed it! We have continued to enjoy the colours of Easter. We have been using natural dyes to colour eggs as well as using shapes to make rabbits and chickens. The outrageous hats we made were a big hit when we showed them off in a parade through all the rooms on Friday. It is wonderful to see how well the children can work together and the way in which they can problem solve without constantly asking for help. We spent two sessions with Mary and Edith's Group making road signs in preparation for our box car racing day - at the end of April following a visit from the RACV on road safety. If you have a child size box at home that is just waiting to be turned into a car you can drop it off at Beth's room. Somehow each day we manage to spend time on reading and letter recognition, numbers and counting, practising writing our letters and lots of games.
5 April 2006
Everybody has settled really well into the longer hours they are now coming to school. Every minute seems to be filled with activities and the level of concentration the children give to each task is astonishing! We will continue to study colours until Easter. With all the colours surrounding the Commonwealth Games, the Grand Prix and Easter we are and will be very busy. This week we talked about colours in flags, made a 3D picture of our favourite sport at the Commonwealth Games, went for a walk to look at signs and the colours that are used in the signs and then each child made a model of the thing they found most interesting in the Grand Prix. We started out marking, with chalk, how long/big the steps are which we take and how many were needed to get across the basketball court. Then, as these looked like the lines to start a race, we ended up drawing race tracks. The beans we planted in the garden beds around the drama room last term have grown really well but not those planted in the plastic cups in our room so we replanted these. We also planted a clothes-basket-bulb-garden outside our door. Spring should bring lots of colour to this space. We have been practising finger control and tracing as well as working out how to paint using each of our fingers. After Easter we're hoping there will be some building happening so we will be looking at shelters for people and animals in the form of "A Roof over my Head".
2006 Term 1
28 February 2006
Together we have been exploring the concept of patterns. After looking at wallpaper the children discovered that a pattern repeats itself. A number of the children have been making borders using their new understanding of patterns and these have been added to the decorations around our room. On Tuesday we made and decorated the most beautiful glasses.
22 February 2006
We have been very busy investigating around the Village. We have gone for a colour walk, had chats with the ponies and goats (the geese won't stay still), blown bubbles with our big friends, listened to stories, learnt to read exercising words, written our version of Little Red Riding Hood and read it, written our names in many different ways, counted and sorted colours, made wonderful patterns and been extremely busy getting to know each other's names. Lots and lots of stories have been read and acted out. The sand pit is a popular meeting place for many of the children and their sand castles are getting more sophisticated as the holes they dig get more complicated. Another favourite gathering point is in the imaginary play area; lots of puppet plays, dressing up and chatting goes on around the dolls house. Some changes have been made. On Wednesday afternoons the children in this group will have some computer time instead of games time. They are not quite ready for an afternoon of games. As well, my voice is no longer tuneful and I can only chant, so if anyone has a song they would like to teach the children, my voice and I would be very grateful. Tanya comes and gives them a taste of true music on Tuesdays which we all appreciate.
