Fostering a love of language and reading is the foundation to learning. Each week we share a new story, but we also encourage you to read daily with your child.
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Hand Washing Song
As you all know hand washing has become highlighted of late as one of the main ways to stop the spread of the Coronavirus (and other germs too).
We at the Watering Whole have our very own song written by teacher Inger that we use when we are washing our hands. It’s 20 seconds long which is the recommended time to wash, it is sung to the familiar tune of Twinkle Twinkle little star, and the song lyrics remind us to wash each part of our hands so we are thorough!
Simple Easter Craft – melted crayon technique:
Watering Whole @Home Curriculum Week 1
Here is a really fun and simple Easter craft idea to do this week: decorating your Easter eggs using the melted crayon technique: The trick is to draw on the eggs whist they are still hot so the wax melts. Boil your eggs and take them out whilst they are still very hot using tongs and place them back into your egg carton. Explain a few times to your child that they should not to touch the eggs with their hands, but just draw on them with their crayons. Next fill a few cups/bowls with a mixture of food colouring, half a cup of boiling water and 1tsp of vinegar for each colour. Let the eggs sit for about five minutes in the dye on each side. Zakai and Kamali have done these before and absolutely loved it.  |
Other Activity:
We usually do a little treasure hunt with your children and based on their age/stage, we either do a guided search with hot/cold terms used for when they are close or far from the discovery. For the older ones (especially the Giraffes), we usually create picture clues or even a treasure map for them to follow. This game is such fun and can be tailored to any age and can either involve quite a lot of prep and input from your side (creating clues or a treasure map), or can be done simply and requiring no prep with verbal prompts in the moment
Colouring Page:
Download Easter themed colouring page PDF here
What Comes Next? An Easter Themed Pattern Game
An understanding of pattern and structure is essential to developing mathematical thinking. Patterns are things that repeat themselves in a sequence. Invite your child to take a look at the following Easter Themed patterns and guess what comes next.
We love this Easter pattern Song from Harry Kindergarten Music:
Download Easter Pattern Game PDF here.
Bunny Hop – Prewriting Skills
Can you hop around the room like a bunny with two feet together? This is wonderful gross motor work that helps to develop balance and core muscle strength!
Here is a fun Bunny Hop prewriting printable we have created for you. Invite your child to hop with the bunny on the picture by tracing the curved lines with their finger.
Bunny Crumpets
Baking/cooking: Recipe Suggestion:
For some reason making faces on food seems to make it extra tasty! …and full tummies definitely make for happy children!
We make these super simple “mug” crumpets nearly every weekend!
What I love about them?…they are so simple I can make them on a Sunday morning even when I am half-asleep, they are filled with protein from all the eggs and they are sugar free!
Zakai will often make versions of these on his own and really loves cracking the eggs!
Directions:
Crack about 4 to 6 eggs in a bowl and whisk.
Add and mix:
a large mug full of flour (we use gluten free)
about a mug full of milk (we use rice milk)
a teaspoon of cinnamon
Fry in a little butter and…voila!
Decorate with Bananas for ears, Berries for eyes and nose and mouth. You can also use cut up apple for whiskers.
Intellidance on Zoom – Bunny Theme
Music Programme
Have you ever heard the saying “If you want to grow your child’s brain, teach them music”? Well, we at the Watering Whole take our music curriculum very seriously:
1- Little Musos on Tuesday mornings, is such a wonderful addition to our school music programme. The children are so captivated by the lessons and get exposed to so many wonderful instruments, as well as different styles and genres of music.
2- Music appreciation:
The first step in learning to play music is listening to music… and the more varied the exposure the better! At the Watering Whole we introduce a wide repertoire of music in our music appreciation focus. During various times of the day, especially morning puzzle time and free indoor play after snack etc, we play different genres of music – from classical, to jazz, to music from around the world. This is then further enhanced during our ring time and dance sessions where the children spend time learning various dance moves, such as the waltz, hip hop and even the traditional Hawaiian hula!
3- Rhythm: Another important element of music is learning about rhythm and beat! Our morning ring-time and weekly orchestra sessions all include a wide repertoire of songs that focus on clapping, playing to or dancing to various rhythms and beats. We also use utilize Drumkidz stories to further enhance the children’s rhythmic development.
4- Orchestra and instruments: The children also have rather a lot of fun exploring and playing with instruments in our weekly orchestra sessions. We have a wide variety of instruments including egg shakers, rhythm sticks, xylophones, drums, castanets, bells and even a mini marimba. All of which not only develop musicality but also working and creating together!