Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Settling in

During the past two weeks we have welcomed many new children and families into the Pre-school. We acknowledge that this can be a very stressful and trying time for families and children settling into new environments.

The first few weeks when a child is settling into an early year’s setting is a time of crucial importance to their later happiness in the setting. All children are individuals and while some children will adjust easily to the new environment and new routines, others will take longer to feel comfortable and secure.

With this in mind, we can see that the children are starting to settle into their new space and becoming more familiar with each group’s routines and rules, and they are getting to know their teachers and friends. This takes time and we need to allow the children space to explore, discover and feel a sense of belonging and trust. We work hard in these first few weeks to establish connections and relationships with families and children in our care. We talk and explain things clearly to the children and there is repetition and familiarity from day to day. This allows children time to process and to feel safe and secure. Children who have a positive start to their new environment are more likely to feel comfortable, relaxed and valued and feel good about themselves as learners.

Separation anxiety is a healthy and protective emotion. It is the child’s way of saying, “You are my safe base and I need to develop trust and confidence in alternate carers.”

Talking through the daily routine with your child each day helps to reduce anxiety. Educators also use this as a tool to familiarise children with what to expect each day, so that it is predictable, and they have time to process what is happening in their day. Although you may be feeling as anxious and emotional as your child, try to stay cheery and confident, as the children will pick up on your feelings of apprehension.

It is important to always let your child know when you are leaving. Tell your child you are going and that you will be back after sleep or rest time.

Open communication between parents and educators is crucial. It is important to share information. Parents can give educators information about the child at drop off and, in turn, the educators can talk to the parents about the child’s experiences during the day when they pick up in the afternoon or through Educa documentation.

Our Educators have a vast amount of experience in helping children settle into the Pre-school and are aware of the difficulties that can emerge during this transition period. If your child is taking longer to settle in than you had expected and you still have concerns, discuss these with a member of staff. Together you can agree on, and put into place, strategies to support your child during this time.

Parents are the safe base from which each child can branch out and explore the world, grow, and learn and become socially and emotionally confident. Getting off to a good start will help support your child through this very important period in their lives.

Remember that going to Pre-school is an important life experience filled with opportunities for growth, skill development and fun. Like any new experience there are challenges for both the child and the parents. We look forward to working collaboratively to make each child’s journey at the Kornmehl Emanuel Pre-school a warm, caring, nurturing and positive learning experience.

Please also know, that if your child is distressed during the day, we will call you straight away to pick your child up early, to ensure that we can build the trust with your child and make the Pre-school experience meaningful and rewarding for everyone.

Chinese New Year

All three groups have been learning about and celebrating Chinese New Year the past two weeks. We have explored this special celebration through the languages of drawing, painting, craft, stories, and imaginative play.

This year is the Year of the Rabbit, which represents longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture, thus 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope. The Rabbit of 2023 falls under the wood element, with water as the complementary element. People who are born in the Year of the Rabbit are calm and peaceful.

The Starfish and Dolphins have been making Chinese lanterns and decorating them. The Seashells watched the Chinese New Year Peppa Pig episode. This gave the children an understanding of what Chinese New Year means. We learnt that red is a lucky colour. The Seashells decorated a picture of a rabbit using red collage materials and red crayons.

Tu Bishvat

We celebrated Tu Bishvat in the Pre-school on Monday. This festival is an ecological holiday that reminds us of our connection to the earth and our role as caretakers of the environment. The holiday is an ancient and authentic Jewish “Earth Day” that celebrates Jewish traditions and taking responsibility for the land. It is an opportunity to raise awareness about, and to care for, the environment through the teaching of Jewish sources celebrating nature. We all gathered in the dream room and spoke about what this special day means. We sang songs, talked about the trees, what they give us and why they are important in our lives and for the world. We noticed the plants that were bought especially for this day to plant at Kornmehl.

Below are some lovely comments from the children:

Educator: Why are we looking at trees?

Aimee: It’s the birthday of the trees.

Educator: Yes, that’s right. It’s Tu Bishvat. What is special about trees? What do you know about trees?

Lulu: They grow from dirt and from the rain.
Asher: They grow food.
Amalia: Strawberries.
Freddy: Trees also give shade.

We learnt that the trees give us oxygen, which helps us to breath air. We all sang a beautiful song about a tree which our musical and talented educator, Renee wrote called “A tree needs a hug every day.”

Educator: Why do you think a tree needs a hug every day?

Ziggy: It does lots of nice things for you…oxygen and shade.

Some fruits from the five species, including dates and pomegranates were shown to us and we learnt that the pomegranate has 613 seeds inside. The top of it looks like a crown.

Lulu: When you go to that number you die.

We looked at different parts of the tree including bark.

Educator: Which part of the tree does bark come from?

Asher: The trunk.
Dylan: Bark is so old it just fell off.

Educator: What is the job of the roots?

Abbie: The roots stick it together.
Freddy: When you give the trees water, the water travels through the roots.

Afterwards we all headed out and planted lots of beautiful herbs, plants, vegetables, and succulents in our vegetable garden and in pots. The children were engaged and wanted to help dig the holes, plant, and water them. Throughout the week the Pre-school has been filled with beautiful experiences related to trees.

New mud kitchen

We have finally received delivery of our new mud kitchen. The children are loving this open-ended messy play area. The area has provided many opportunities for creative, imaginative play, socialisation, turn-taking, sharing, communication, language development, physical development, mathematical concepts, understanding the world and collaboration. We are excited to see how it is being used in the weeks to come.

Educa

We hope parents have all signed up to our new online communication system – EDUCA and have downloaded the App – EDUCA TOUCH for your smart phones. We hope too that you are enjoying receiving the Daybooks as well as individual posts for your children through this system. Please feel free to comment back to teachers on the posts you read and give your own input and thoughts on what was written. We appreciate this opportunity to share in dialogue with parents about your children’s learning.

All the Pre-school policies are located on Educa for parents to read and familiarise themselves with.

Parent Club and Class Parents

I am thrilled to have four wonderful Mums who have volunteered to be Class Parents this year. We are looking forward to working collaboratively with them throughout the year to co-ordinate events, social get-togethers and to keep everyone informed. Many thanks to the following Class Parents for 2023: