We’re doing all things Autumn this week at The Children’s House, as the season is definitely kicking in now! With the weather getting colder & the evenings (sadly!!) getting shorter, we’ll be talking about these noticeable changes & encouraging the children to tell us of any other changes they see in their environments, & to bring in any leaves, nuts, etc that they might find on the ground to put together a nature area in their rooms.

We will be learning about the lifecycle of the apple, doing apple printing art, & making stewed apple – yum!! The children will also be starting their All About Me books, a project that we do throughout the year with them, & they will be making their own self portraits!!! We will end the week with some mindfulness, always a great tool to introduce from the earliest age along with yoga – even the smallest exercises such as putting their hands on their tummies & focusing on taking long deep breaths can really help a child to learn how to relax when needed. Closing their eyes & listening to the sounds all around them, or to music is another nice activity to do, as well as mindful colouring.

Here we go Round the Apple Tree

Here we go round the apple tree,
The apple tree, the apple tree,
Here we go round the apple tree,
On a cold & frosty morning.

This is the way we climb the ladder,
Climb the ladder, climb the ladder,
This is the way we climb the ladder,
On a cold & frosty morning.

This is the way we pick the apples,
Pick the apples, pick the apples,
This is the way we pick the apples,
On a cold & frosty morning.

This is the way we eat the apples,
Eat the apples, eat the apples,
This is the way we eat the apples,
On a cold & frosty morning!

It’s Pets Week this week at The Children’s House, so we’re asking families to bring any appropriate pets to come & visit us this week in school! We’ll be learning all about different pets, what they need & how we can look after their needs, safety of being around animals & we’ll be doing different pet sorting activities, feather painting & washing muddy pets sensory trays – it’s going to be great fun!!

Slither Like a Snake (poem with actions!)

Slither like a snake,
Bound like a bunny,
Scurry like a hamster,
Talk like a parrot,
Peck like a chicken,
Lick like a kitten!

It’s all about road safety this week at The Children’s House, so we will be doing many safety activities during the week, such as practising crossing the road safely (stop look & listen), doing a traffic light game, as well as some process art activities like making car tracks using cars, paint & coloured card – lots of fun!! Teaching children about road safety from a young age is very important – especially living in places with lots of commuting traffic such as Sallins or Naas – so developing habits such as wearing high vis jackets, holding hands crossing the road, and remembering to stop look & listen when crossing are something we can help to reinforce from preschool age.

Twinkle twinkle traffic light

Twinkle, twinkle, traffic light,
On the corner shining bright,
Red means stop, green means go,
Yellow means very, very slow!
Twinkle, twinkle, traffic light,
On the corner shining bright.

The first full week of Montessori at The Children’s House is here!! We will be talking all about our families & friends in school; it’s important for the children that we establish the link between their home/family & school from the beginning, so they see that their families are valued, & a consistency is built for them between the 2 places. The children love to see photos of themselves & their families in their class, so we’re asking all children to bring in a family photo this week which we’ll put up on the wall to make a family display. During the week we will then be talking about our families, discussing the similarities & differences, naming all the people in our families who love us, and talking about what makes our own family so special. Verbalising and naming these things aloud can help reinforce the children’s feelings of security and reassure them of all the love surrounding them – a lovely thing to do at any age!

We will also be learning & practising a lot of practical skills needed in the classroom, such as carrying chairs & trays, rolling mats, saying please and thank you, and using a quiet voice indoors – we’ll be using drums and shakers to explore the difference between loud and soft sounds! Then at the end of the week we’ll be doing some yoga and relaxing exercises with the children.

Families

Some families are big                    (arms out wide)
Some families are small                (arms in close)
But I love my family                       (point at self)
Best of all!!                                       (throw arms up in air!)

Rolaí Polaí (Irish rhyme)

Rolaí polaí suas, suas, suas,                    (roll arms and raise them up)
Rolaí polaí síos, síos, síos,                       (roll arms and lower them down)
Rolaí polaí amach, amach, amach,        (roll arms and stretch them out)
Rolaí polaí isteach, isteach, isteach!      (roll arms and bring them in, hugging yourself)