Our Kodomo friends have settled into the routine nicely this term and have developed a sense of security and belonging. They have created new bonds and built some lasting relationships and friendships alike with each other and the educators. They are improving in their skilling and most of the children have mastered the skill of finding their own placemat, getting their own cup, pouring their own water and tidying up after themselves after they are finished eating.

The children know the sound of the Kodomo bell well now, and all come running from the playground when they hear it. There is also a good response indoors; all children stop and pay attention when the bell rings. Mat times are fun times of learning, and the children try hard to cross their legs when they hear “criss-cross apple sauce.” We have introduced number concepts, recognition of numbers, and rote counting. We each have an imaginary counting ladder that we climb up as we count to ten and climb back down, counting backwards from ten to zero. The children have thoroughly enjoyed this activity. We have been singing our days of the week song every morning; most children know the days of the week. We have also been doing literacy and introducing letter sounds, and the children are learning to recognise the first letter sound in their name.

This term, we celebrated our special mums for Mother’s Day and set up a photo booth where the mums could have a photo taken with their little ones. We made a special flower card for Mum using our handprints as the flowers and painted a frame in which we presented our lovely photos.

We also celebrated ANZAC day by making poppy flowers using paper plates, and our handprints made a beautiful sign for our room door.

We had a fun nature play tray with sticks, logs, and animals that we set up in celebration of Earth Day. The children enjoyed exploring with nature and played with this set up for many weeks.

We celebrated World Oceans Day with a fun tray of sea creatures to play with and explore as the educators spoke to the children about the different creatures in the sea and how to care for and protect our oceans. We made some paper plate rocking sharks with cute googly eyes.

We have had many exciting themes in our Dramatic Play area this term, but one highlight was our Woolies shop. The educators collected empty containers of a variety of products, and we opened our very own Woolies in Kodomo. The children enjoyed buying and selling the products to each other and filling their paper Woolies bags with different products. Some children used the cash register to scan the items and exchange money for the products. We had shopping trolleys and baskets and even a Fruit and Veg section. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

One of our very creative educators has made a Family Tree displayed in our classroom and some of our families have contributed a family photo for us to add to our tree. We hope our tree will “grow” as we add more family photos to it.

We have had a fun-filled term full of new challenges and learning opportunities, and we look forward to continued growth and more fun in the coming months.

Mrs Liebenberg
Kodomo Room Curriculum Leader