Kornmehl
Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl
Excursions
The Seashells visited Calmsley farm this week. The build-up to the excursion consisted of discussions, sharing of ideas and thoughts about what we might see and do as well as involvement in imaginative farm play and creative art works.
The children and teachers travelled on the Emanuel School bus an exciting part of the trip.
Our excursion to the farm began with a tour of the farm nursery, where the children got to pet and look at lots of different baby farm animals. Afterwards we all had a go at milking a cow. We learnt about different kinds of cows, such as Brahman, Jersey and Highland. We visited the sleepy pigs and went on a very bumpy tractor ride around the farm. Other animals we saw were a camel, a donkey, lama’s, koala’s, a wallaby, a wombat, turkey’s, ducks and chickens. After lunch, we had a stockwhip demonstration, followed by a working dog show, that herded all the sheep into an area and a sheep shearing show. Wow – so much in one day! It was a beautiful day and the Seashell children were engaged, enthusiastic and involved. Thank you to all our fabulous parent helpers who accompanied us on the excursion.
Outdoor Classroom Day
On Friday we participated in Outdoor Classroom Day.
Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play. On the day, thousands of schools around the world take lessons outdoors and prioritise playtime. Outdoor learning improves children’s health, engages them with learning and leads to a greater connection with nature. Play not only teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, but is central to children’s enjoyment of childhood. It’s easy to get involved and there is something everyone can do!
At Kornmehl, we value and appreciate the outdoors as an integral and important part of our program and our ethos. We see the outdoors as critical to each child’s well-being. We aim to give the children large periods of time during the day to play and engage freely in the outdoor spaces. We also have our Bush School program, which complements our belief in the benefits of outdoor play experiences for young children. With this in mind we decided to participate in Outdoor Classroom Day. We spent time as a staff team reflecting, discussing and planning for this day.
We moved our entire day outdoors, from Shabbat, to music lessons, to activity time, to rest time, mindfulness and meditation experiences etc.
The children were able to engage in a number of beautifully planned experiences e.g. Paper bark boat making and fishing in our dry creek, making potions using berries, beetroot, petals etc, playing with mud and clay, rock painting, foot prints with paint, planting seedlings, palaeontology digging in the sandpit, making bird feeders to hang in the garden, hand printing on our community library, reading books quietly, water and sand play, rock crushing.
The children were excited and keen to get involved and loved being outdoors the whole day. Many of them said “This is the best day ever!”
Playball
Playball this term has continued to provide the children with many different gross-motor activities and ball skills. The coaches Jenny and Al are able to challenge the children physically and extend their skills. The children look forward to Playball on a Monday and enjoy their time very much. This term parents are invited to an open session of Playball; to observe what their children have been learning.
The Seashell lesson will be on Monday 11 November 2019 at 9.30 am.
The Starfish Open lesson will be on Monday 18 November 2019 at 9.30 am.
The Dolphin Open lesson will be on Monday 25 November at 9.30 am.
New Parent Information Night
We are looking forward to welcoming all our new parents for 2020 to an information night on Thursday 14 November at 7.00 pm in the Pre-school.
Happy Birthday
We wish a very happy birthday to Bowie Berger (5). We hope you had a great birthday.
Tips for starting Big School
- Promote open conservations with your child about starting Primary School
Having open conversations with children about starting Primary School allows children to ask a variety of questions and gain a better understanding about what school will be like. It is important to actively listen and talk about any fears or concerns they may have towards starting school so you can explore ways to help reduce their anxiety.
A good way to initiate discussion is by reading children’s books together that focus on starting school. It can help children to conceptualise what they can expect on their first day and prompt conversation.
- Encourage the development of social and emotional skills
The development of positive social and emotional skills is paramount to educational success, and a smooth transition into Primary School. Children need the confidence in:
Expressing their feelings and needs to others
Asking questions
Playing cooperatively with others
Approaching other children and making friends
Following directions and understanding rules
Managing emotions
Parents can support children by playing simple games such as board games which can help them learn to play cooperatively by taking turns, following rules and develop self-regulatory behaviours if they don’t win, as well as requesting them to complete simple tasks. Expose your child to many social opportunities with other kids to encourage co-operative play.
- Help your child develop self-help skills
Self-help skills underpin many school related tasks; therefore, it is imperative children are given opportunities to develop their ability to negotiate and handle everyday tasks such as dressing, feeding, toileting, brushing teeth, brushing hair, hand washing.
Parents can support children in these tasks by providing visual schedules of the steps involved, encouraging them to follow the same routine or strategy each time they perform it. Use consistent instructions and language and most importantly allow sufficient time for a child to practice an individual task.
It is vital that children have opportunities to practice tasks such as tying their shoe laces, handling buttons or zippers, unwrapping their lunch or dress in their uniform without time constraints so parents do not do it themselves to get the task done quickly.
Giving children opportunities to practise these skills before starting school will not only increase their competence, but it will give them confidence in independently performing these tasks in a new environment.
- Implement predicable routines
The importance of a predictable home routine cannot be underestimated. Parents can assist children in preparing for school by implementing a predictable night routine before the term starts.
Children feel a greater sense of responsibility, confidence and independence if they are encouraged to follow a routine. This will help children become more relaxed and co-operative at the end of the day when children are tired. For example, avoid any screen time half an hour before bed, as this only stimulates the brain and can unsettle children’s sleeping patterns.
Some children even benefit from following a routine chart, as this encourages children to take ownership of their day and encourages self-help skills and increases levels of independence.
- Practical preparation
Parents should encourage children to wear school uniform at home before school, so it feels familiar when they have to start Primary School.
It is also important that all school items are labelled e.g. lunch box, bags, clothes with a familiar symbol and the child’s name so they can easily recognise their own belongings.
Prior to the first day, jointly shop for school equipment (lunch box, stationery etc.) as this can assist the child in starting school with a positive mindset.
