Grounded in Montessori philosophy is the notion of allowing the child to guide her/his learning experiences. So whilst we have a structure to the day with time spent on set activities, stories, singing, exercise, free play and exploration, there is an emphasis on allowing the children, particularly the youngest ones, the freedom to choose different activities based on their own inner drives. There is access to different learning materials and experiences, as well as access to outdoor play and exploration.

Below is a list of some of the activities we offer. Please click on the highlighted links provided below for further info on each activity:

Ring-time:

…where weather and seasons are discussed, songs are sung and news is shared in a circle of trust

Free play and exploration:

…including outdoor activities such as ‘water play’* in summer, climbing on the jungle gym, digging in the sandpit, playing in the wendy house, riding bikes or exploring the garden; or indoor activities like dressing-up, playing with the dolls’ house or in the ‘shop’, taking part in obstacle courses, rhythm and dance and interacting with different learning materials. (*Water play involves interacting with small amounts of water in a fun and safe way. There will be no access to the swimming pool at any time)

Gross motor skills development:

….through activities which work the large muscle groups; such as gym or stretching exercises, obstacle courses,  ball skills, yoga for children, or utilising music in dance or aerobic exercises.

Fine motor skills development:

…through activities which work the fine/small muscle groups; such as threading, beading, assembling nuts and bolts, ‘fishing’ and working with the many different puzzles and learning materials offered at the school.

Reading and appreciation of stories:

Stories form a big part of the school day, as books are read or stories are told several times throughout the school day. Children are also encouraged to frequent the cosy reading corner and have easy access to books that are suitable for them to appreciate by themselves. Many of the books offer auditory or tactile sensory experiences as well as the visual feast of beautiful pictures.

Artwork and projects:

We have an emphasis on developing artistic expression. Children are given freedom to access art materials at any time and are encouraged to produce artwork on a regular basis. Painting, craft-work and sculpting with homemade play-dough are daily activities offered at the school. On top of this, the children partake in regular project work where they produce assisted art pieces with the guidance and direction of the teacher/s. These projects tie in to our current theme/focus at the time and are valuable learning experiences.

Music and Dance:

We also place a lot of importance on musical expression and exploration at the school.  Singing is a daily activity during ‘ring time’. We also offer regular ‘orchestra sessions’ where the children interact with various instruments and different genres of music. Included in our mornings offered to all the children are some wonderful outsourced music and dance programmes namely “Little Musos”, “African Drumming and Marimba with Zwai” and “Intellidance Kids”.  Music and singing in general feature prominently in school life and the children get to accompany and be exposed to different instruments such as guitar, piano, mbira, marimba and drums.

Feeling Buddies Self-Regulation Curriculum

At Watering Whole Holistic Preschool, we strive to teach and encourage the development of emotionally intelligent children. Based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices, the Safe Place and the Feeling Buddies Self-Regulation Curriculum created by Dr. Becky A. Bailey and Lety Valero form an integral part of this.Uitilising a wonderful curriculum filled with songs, stories, discussions, art work, the safe place and the feeling buddies themselves, the children learn to not only understand their feelings, but become equipped with many wonderful calming and problem solving strategies!

Xhosa:

One of the most effective ways to learn a second language is with sufficient exposure (at an early age) on a daily basis from someone who is speaking their mother tongue.  Daily morning show and tell sessions, ring-time songs, games, stories and the weather chart are often done in Xhosa, giving the children varied exposure to this beautiful language on a daily basis. Weekly African Drumming and Marimba sessions with Zwai are also filled with beats, dances and songs in Xhosa!

BrainDance:

Watering Whole uses BrainDance as part of our weekly programme! Developed by Anne Green Gilbert, the BrainDance is comprised of eight developmental movement patterns to help reorganize and fully integrate both the brain and body.

‘Giraffes’ Extension Group:

For the older children (4-5 years), we do regular extension work and also make use of special Montessori materials that help to specifically develop early reading, writing and maths skills. This is done with careful consideration for each child’s specific needs and is paced to compliment their own internal rhythms.

Basic life-skills and hygiene:

At this young age, children need to learn about how to take care of themselves. Through hands on experience of going to the toilet, washing their hands, helping to prepare food, etc the children learn about basic hygiene and health. This is linked in to our healthy eating programme, where the children learn about healthy food choice and preparation.

Baking and cooking:

As part of our emphasis on healthy eating and living, we encourage the children to get involved in the baking and cooking of food. As well as assisting with laying the table for snack, the children are given regular access to helping with food preparation.

Gardening and nature appreciation:

The children are encouraged to learn and be involved in caring for their natural world. As well as helping to care for the school animals (bunnies and fish), they also get involved in the growing and picking of organic veges and herbs in the school vege patch. In the art-room there is a nature table, where various natural objects are collected and displayed for children to enjoy a tactile experience of some of nature’s wonders.

Also as part of our nature programme we have silk worms. Each year the children help to feed the very hungry silk worms by collecting mulburry leaves from the school garden and observe in awe as they begin to weave their silk cocoons. Most facinating of all is witnessing their wonderful transformation into moths as they emerge out of their cocoons 3 weeks later. The children are able to delicatelly hold the silk cocoons as we read books and learn all about butterfiles, caterpillars, silk worms, moths and metamorphosis.

Nature and Science:

In an effort to expand our nature programme at the Watering Whole we have started to introduce more Science based activities into our growing curriculum. The children have been absolutely loving it and every Wednesday often ask, “Are we doing another magical experiment today?” The children are thoroughly enjoying all the new discoveries they are making from this new addition and are learning so much in the process.

Extra-murals:

Extra-murals are additional optional activities that are offered to children at our preschool. Parents choose whether their child/ren partake in any/all of the activities and outside coaches/specialists are used and must be contacted separately for information on fees, signing up, general practices, etc.