Course 1

Course 1

Dear Parents

Introducing the theme is very important for your child.

You start by showing your child pictures of a classroom, items associated with a classroom (what is in a classroom). Gather supplies that you will find in a classroom namely: a bag, a chair, a desk, books, crayons, toys, blocks, puzzles etc. It is important to have your child see, touch and explore actual items and visually see what a classroom could look like when starting your discussion.

The following picture may be used for discussion and learning. 

  • Point to individual items on the picture and talk about it to your child. 

Ask the following open ended questions to your child as you to introduce the theme to him/her:

  • Can you see the classroom? 
  • What is in the classroom? 
  • Look at the friends. What are they doing? 
  • What are they playing with? 
  • What are your friends name? 

Activity 1:

Sensory creative art: Bubble wrap walking

Duration: 10-15minutes

What do we need?

  • Paint mixture (Red to reinforce colour recognition)
  • Strips of Bubble wrap (one can normally ask your local supermarkets for some as fruit and other fragile items are normally wrapped up and transported in this way to stores)
  • A4 craft white paper
  • Tape to secure bubble wrap onto paper

What to do:

  1. Depending on how much bubble wrap you have, allow your little one to explore it with hands and feet.
  2. Afterwards *caregiver to squirt paint onto paper and tape bubble wrap down (bubble side down) over the paper. 
  3. Allow your child to walk over it and experience the texture and see the bubble foot prints

Activity 2

Caterpillar finger counting

Duration: 5 – 10 minutes

What do you need?

  • Green paint or food colouring mixed with some water in a shallow bowl
  • *Caregiver to draw a caterpillar made up of 5 smaller circles and 1 big circle for the face. Be sure to draw generally larger circles (example: peanut butter lid size, for the caterpillar’s body and a slightly larger one for the head) –prepared beforehand
  • *Clearly written large numbers in the circles as shown (from 1-5) – prepared beforehand

What to do:

  1. Count out aloud with your child 1, 2,3,4,5 while physically guiding him/her to touch each circle on the page. You may also use his/her fingers to trace around the circle shape and say:  A circle’s like a ball (x2) it’s round and round it has no end, a circle’s like a ball (as the finger traces the circle.
  2. Allow your child to count by themselves, caregiver assisting only if he/she gets stuck
  3. Place the green paint/ food colouring mixture in front of your child
  4. Instruct your child to them to dip one finger in the paint and then proceed to guide him/her to count each circle by placing a finger print in each circle.
  5. Sing the following easy song to create further awareness of the colour green as you work with your child.

Activity 3

Science Experiment: sink or float

Duration: 10-15 minutes

What do you need?

  • Container with water
  • Small, watersafe, household items that have different weights for different results (example: spoon, peg, leaves from the garden, a tea bag etc. 
  • Pieces of green grass (as extra floating objects floating in the water)

What to do:

  1. Caregiver to fill a container with some water
  2. Then display items collected next to the container
  3. Assist your child by puttingitems  into the container with water. Making sure to take one item at a time to see the effects of either floating or sinking. 
  4. Watch and discuss which item floats above the water and which one sinks down to the bottom. Make reference to spatial awareness on top of/above or at the bottom of/below. 
  5. Talk about concepts of float and sink as your child experiments. 
  6. Remember to speak to your child about what happens when it happens. 
  7. Above all, your child must have fun and interest must be jogged while experimenting.