Happy new year everyone!! We’re so excited to welcome you all back at the beginning of a brand new year! Hope all the children had a great break and are ready to get back to the routine of exploring and learning with their friends!! This week at The Children’s House we will be focussing on our families; we are asking all children to bring in a family photo that they can put up on the wall as part of their family trees and we will be discussing what makes each of our families so special and different, as part of the process of getting the children to see themselves as unique individuals in their own community.

We will also be talking about the new month January and the new year 2019, as well as doing some yoga and mindfulness – these are important tools to learn how to use when we need to calm ourselves down, and good to practice on a regular basis, so we will be starting off the year on a positive foot!

Families (Poem)

Woah ho ho!!! The weeks have been flying past, and suddenly we’re into our last week at The Children’s House before our Christmas holidays! This week we’ll be making Christmas cards & wrapping paper, reindeer food, having lots of Christmas fun and being very hyper – in between the usual learning, exploring and experimenting! The classes’ Christmas songs are as follows:

9am class Christmas play & songs @ 11am on Tuesday 18th December

9.30am class Christmas play & songs @ 11.30am on Monday 17th December

1pm class Christmas songs @ 3pm on Tuesday 18th December

1.15pm class Christmas songs @ 3.15pm on Monday 17th December

We will be having a very special visitor on Wednesday….then we are closing for Christmas holidays on Friday 21st December, and re-opening on Monday 7th January; we would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas, and every happiness for 2019 – we’re looking forward to seeing you all in the New Year and having a fantastic 6 months with your beautiful children!!

***Please note that we’re asking the children to bring in €1 each if possible, as we’re making a donation to Focus Ireland this Christmas***

We Wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy new year!
Good tidings we bring,
To you and your kin –
We wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy new year!

This week we will be talking to the children about giving to others and asking them to bring in unwanted items for charity which are in good condition, as it’s important to remember others that don’t have much, especially at this time of year. Also they will be writing messages about things that you can give to people rather than physical things, such as hugs or thoughtful actions. The children will also make photo frames.

Jingle Bells

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh – hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!

Bualadh Bos (Jingle Bells in Irish)

Bualadh bos, bualadh bos,            (clap hands, clap hands)
Bualadh bos go léir,                        (everyone clap hands)
Tá San Nioclás ag teacht anois,    (Santa Claus is coming now)
Anuas an simléar;                             (down the chimney)
Bualadh bos, bualadh bos,            (clap hands, clap hands)
Bualadh bos go léir,                        (everyone clap hands)
Tá San Nioclás ag teacht anois,    (Santa Claus is coming now)
Anuas an simléar!                             (down the chimney!)

December has arrived!! This week at The Children’s House we will be talking about the change of month, and what happens in December….yes, it’s the start of the Christmas season! So we will be talking about the story of Christmas, and how the first Christmas happened, and then decorating the classrooms, and making snow and wreaths at the end of the week. It’s a lovely time of year to talk to the children about other people that have less than us, and about giving to others, and having kindness and respect for all.

Jingle Bells

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh – hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!

Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh,
O’er the fields we go, laughing all the way – ha ha ha,
Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits bright,
Oh what fun it is to sing a sleighing song tonight!

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh – hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!

This week at The Children’s House we will be talking about the season of winter – the type of weather that we get in winter & how it affects animals, the clothes we have to wear, the different signs that winter is here e.g. leaves have fallen off trees, days are shorter etc. We will be planting bulbs and explaining that plants stay under the soil until the weather gets warmer again in the spring time, and we will be making mittens while talking about keeping warm in the winter time. It is important in these discussions to ask the children open ended questions, so that we are not just giving information to them to recite back to us, but rather asking their opinions and seeing what they come up with from their observations of the world. At the end of the week we will also be making snow dough!!

I’m a Little Snowman

I’m a little snowman, look at me,
There are my buttons 1, 2, 3.
These are my eyes and this is my nose,
I wear a hat and scarf – brrr it’s cold!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! This week we will be learning about this lovely North American celebration in The Children’s House, discussing the first Thanksgiving, baking bread to share, doing Thanksgiving crafts, and really focussing on talking about things that we are thankful for – family, friends, our homes, food etc – things we often take for granted but which are so important, and worth celebrating!

I’m a Little Turkey (tune of I’m a Little Teapot)

I’m a little turkey, my name is Ted,
Here are my feathers, here’s my head.
Gobble gobble gobble is what I say,
Run run run because it’s Thanksgiving day!!

It’s Science Week this week at The Children’s House!! So we will be doing lots of experiments with the children, asking them what they expect will happen, observing what actually happens and then discussing the results. We will be looking at the colour wheel (mixing primary colours (blue, red & yellow) to get secondary colours (purple, orange & green), doing experiments with bicarbonate of soda & vinegar; food colouring, milk & washing up liquid; skittles & water; coins & Coke….children are born with a natural curiousity about how things work in their world and they love to experiment and discover in their environment – their questions should be encouraged as their potential as scientists is unlimited!!

If Your Clothes Have Any Red (tune of If You’re Happy & You Know It)

This week at The Children’s House we will be learning about Diwali, the festival of lights which originated in India, which falls this year on Wednesday 7th November. This is a wonderful occasion which celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness; we will be learning about all the different preparations and rituals that are practised at this time. During the week the children will make a version of rangoli (an Indian art form in which patterns are created on the floor or the ground using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals, usually done during Hindu festivals), and also then use modelling clay to make their own little clay lamps (diyas) and decorating them, before putting night lights in them and bringing them home. So a lot of lovely art, craft and culture this week!

Little Lamps (to tune of London Bridge)

Little lamps are burning bright,
Burning bright, burning bright.
Little lamps are burning bright,
It’s Diwali.

See them lighting up the night,
Up the night, up the night.
See them lighting up the night,
It’s Diwali.

We will be closed for mid-term break Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th October,

re-opening Wednesday 31st October –

Happy Halloween everyone!!

It’s all getting a bit spooky in The Children’s House this week as we prepare for Halloween!! We will be talking about why we celebrate Halloween, its origins, and the different things we do to celebrate it – bonfires, fireworks, pumpkin carvings, trick or treating etc. During the week the children will be making Halloween shakers, egg carton spiders, balloon webs – so the classrooms are going to look very festive! Then towards the end of the week we will carve pumpkins, and on Friday have our fancy dress Halloween party with face painting and games; it’s going to be a great week!!

Note: We are still holding parent observations and parent teacher meetings; for those who haven’t been able to schedule these in yet, we are available at any time during the year. We’d also like to ask you to think how you’d like to be involved throughout your child’s preschool year – whether it’s coming in to read a story at circle time, do an activity like baking or flower pressing, talk about what you do for a living, play a musical instrument, or simply bring in some photos of when you were a similar age and tell us all about your life, hobbies & interests as a 3/4/5 year old!! The possibilities are endless….

The Hungry Hairy Spider (tune of Incy Wincy Spider)

He’s the biggest spider that I have ever seen,
He eats up all the candy every Halloween!
That hungry hairy spider crawled along the floor…
Then he looked me in the eyes and shouted ‘MORE MORE MORE’!!!