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)

A very warm welcome to The Children’s House to all our wonderful new and returning children and their families!! We have a short week to settle everyone back in, and we will be focusing on getting to know each other, learning each others’ names, practising how we walk slowly and talk quietly in the classroom, and lots of songs, games, and fun activities in circle time – we really can’t wait to get to know the classes!

Circle Time Song

Hello everyone and how are you today?
We’ve come to our circle time to sing and laugh and play!
And when we’re up we’re up, and when we’re down we’re down,
And when we’re only halfway up we’re neither up nor down.
So roll your hands so slowly, and roll your hands so fast –
Give your hands a clap clap clap,
And place them on your lap lap lap!

We are holding our open day on Monday 29th August , from 10am – 12pm, & 7 – 8pm

All are welcome to come in, view the school with your children and meet the teachers…

Can’t wait to see you there!!

Classes resuming on Wednesday 31st August

Well it’s the last few days of our first full school year in a while, & we just can’t believe how fast it’s gone by!!! We’ve had such a wonderful year with your fantastic children – thank you all so much firstly for entrusting us with your children, it’s been a real privilege to facilitate them in their learning, and secondly thank you for all your ongoing participation and support in that learning, and for all the input you’ve given to us in the school! Thankfully this year we’ve been able to get back to facilitating family visits – from parents, grandparents, siblings & pets!! Families have been a big part of your child’s year whether it was coming to the Family Day at the GAA pitch, coming into school for Pet Visit Week, or having grandparents visit during Grandparents Week – it’s meant so much to the children as well as us staff, so thank you, as it has added hugely to all of our experiences this year & feels wonderful to be getting back to normal!!

So onto this short week – we will be having lots of chats & relaxation to finish up the year with, & releasing the butterflies who have this week emerged from their chrysallides just in time!! We will enjoy spending this precious time with your children before they head off for the summer – it’s not an easy thing to say goodbye to all the little people who are moving on to ‘big’ school after spending the year or 2 getting to know them and being part of their wonderful journey of growth & learning, but they’re ready for that step, and it’s an exciting time for them and for us all! We’re so happy to be welcoming a lot of children back for their second year in September, which is always some consolation! If you don’t have a child returning in the near future, we hope that you & your child will continue to visit any time – and this year we had our first college students on work experience who were ex-pupils of the Montessori, as well as many Transition Year students, so there’s no excuses – we can always find a space for your children!!

The Children’s House will be closing on Wednesday 29th June for summer holidays,

re-opening Wednesday 31st August

– have a wonderful summer everyone, and thanks for another amazing year!!

Welcome to our last full week at The Children’s House for this school year, hard to believe!!! We’ll be learning about water safety this week, & how important it is to be careful near water – even though it’s so much fun at the swimming pool or the beach, the water can be very dangerous & we need to respect it. The children will be looking at water safety cards, learning about the parts of a river, talking about the clothes & items you wear while swimming to keep safe & turning the sand pit into a water tray to play with – lots of fun ahead this week!!

Swimming Pool Safety (tune: Row Your Boat)

Walk, walk, walk, don’t run,
Near a swimming pool.
Walking feet will keep you safe,
Let’s repeat this rule!

It’s all about pets this week at The Children’s House, as we’re asking any appropriate pets to come & visit us this week for Pet Week! We’ll be learning all about different pets & what they need & how we can look after their needs, & we’ll be doing different pet sorting activities & pictures – it’s going to be great fun! Then during the week we’ll also be talking about the man in our lives, before Father’s Day this Sunday, & doing an art activity for this. Finally, we will be bringing the children who are going to be going to primary school up to visit St Laurence’s National School on Tuesday to have a look at the school classrooms, the playground & see what the routine of the day is like; this really helps with the transition in September.

It’s Fun to Have a Pet (poem)

Cats and rabbits,
And hamsters and frogs,
Snakes and turtles,
And gerbils and dogs,
Fish that love to be all wet,
Oh, it’s fun to have a pet!

This week we’re having a LOT of fun activities!! We’ll be having our annual Pyjama Day combined with Teddy Bears Picnic, so all the children are invited to come into school in their pjs with their favourite teddies or toys for the day! Then at the end of the week, after some lovely summer art activities, we will be having our Sports Day in school with lots of fun games & activities in the garden & classrooms…going to be  busy fun-filled week ahead!!

Teddy Bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach up high,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the sky,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your nose,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your toes,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch your knees,
Teddy bear, teddy bear, sit down please.