Every morning we have our daily forum and Bible devotion time with the children. We have been listening to the story of Daniel and the Lion’s den. How Daniel listened to God and did everything right so that those who tried to catch him doing wrong had nothing to hold against him, and also learning that he prayed three times a day. The children have been listening intently and engaging with the story well. Well done everyone.
We have also been busy making a Kodomo Quilt. We talked to the children about what a quilt is and how it is made from separate squares that are joined together to make a whole. The children have been making/painting their individual squares and we will put them all together to make a big quilt of their artwork for display.
We celebrated Australia Day in Kodomo for a whole week, the children painted the Australian and Aboriginal flags and had a sausage sizzle picnic lunch.
We also made ANZAC biscuits and fairy bread with the children for their afternoon tea, which they loved. We did Art and Craft using the colours of the Australian flags and wore temporary Australian flag tattoos.
FEBUARY 14 VALENTINES DAY
Children and staff were encouraged to wear red on Valentine’s day. The children made a personalised Valentines card for their loved ones and painted it red. During forum time we talked to the children about taking care of each other, loving our friends and family and being kind to each other.
What we are focusing on as a team and Intentional Teaching
In Kodomo we are focusing on early morning devotions, praying and singing “Read Your Bible”. We as educators help guide the children to Christian beliefs and action through interactive Bible storytelling and engaging in prayer and worship songs.
Over the next few months, we will collaborate with the children to make changes to their environment, aiming at creating an uncluttered and creative space. Giving children a voice and a part to play in creating their own environment gives them a sense of ownership and leads to them caring for their own space and resources. Through lots of discussion and reinforcement we are also working with the children on what to do during routine activities, i.e. sitting on the mat, listening to instruction, engaging in group activities, stories and songs.
KIDDO PROGRAM
We are engaging in the KIDDO program, including movement/action songs in our program. Action songs are a great way to work on specific gross motor skills such as bilateral coordination, crossing midline exercises and proprioceptive, (awareness of body position and movement), and vestibular, (balance), development. As well as gross motor work in class our children have also been attending and enjoying Happy Feet Fitness classes and gymnastics in the church/school hall.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
During mat sessions/forum times educators have been working with children on their social skills, working on understanding positive and negative behaviours. We have been learning about being friendly, considerate and helpful, balancing the needs and wants of others with our own needs and being able to insist on having a turn confidently and calmly rather than dominating activities or conversations. We are working on the development of pro-social skills in order to build positive relationships and healthy assertiveness.
LET’S RE-FOCUS ON
Amid understandable concern over health and hygiene during the pandemic, the problem of disposable plastics has taken a back seat. Demand for products such as disposable wipes, cleaning agents, hand sanitiser, disposable gloves and masks is at a record high. Unfortunately, they are also being thrown out in unprecedented volumes.
So what can you do now that the immediate threat is beginning to subside? Reuse what you have and try to store rather than throw out items for donation or recycling.
DEVELOPING BALANCE
Children begin developing their balance soon after birth through acquiring skills such as rolling, sitting, and walking. It is very important to give young children plenty of opportunities to develop their balance skills as these are an essential part of everything we do, and effect the development of locomotor and object control skills. Balance should be a key focus in any physical literacy program in the early years.
