Term 4 - October

In the first three years of life, children have a strong sense of order and can be upset by changes. Several children struggled with the big changes in our classroom and were a bit unsettled in the first week or two of this term. However, they soon adjusted to the new setup.

The classroom is now split into 2 rooms, with parents and younger children in an area adjoining the kitchen and children over 3 spending most of their time with Carmelina in a room at the far end. So far, the older children have taken great pleasure in a variety of practical life activities, such as making their own lemonade, orange-ade, “twirly-whirly” apples(!), and preparing cheese and crackers. Other activities have included the verb game, story writing, the hundred board, triangle construction, fractions with apples, puzzles of the human body and looking through books about fossils and big cats.

The new cheese-grating job in the kitchen has been very popular, with several children from around age 2 enjoying the preparation (and consumption!) of grated cheese. There has also been a renewed interest in the Froebel jobs.

Sessions are running on Saturdays this term, but it is usually a bit lonely for Harry! After being a little overwhelmed last term, it is lovely to see how much enjoyment he is getting from exploring the environment. It is great too to see that his dad shares in the experience. Several dads in our community attend sessions with their children. Having involved fathers is known to have such a positive effect on the development and health of children.

The spring weather has been perfect for trying out our new sports equipment, purchased with a grant received from McDonald’s.

Sadly, we received a resignation from Sandy at the beginning of the term – a big thank you to her for all she has done. She has put in so much time and effort over the years.

A committee meeting was held during the month – the funding application for a building at the Hudson Road Family Centre was unsuccessful and we are still looking for a venue for 2010.

People who didn’t make it to the wildflower walk in the first week of term missed out on a beautiful stroll through Maidens Reserve, led by a guide who provided lots of interesting information about Australian native plants. Several families attended the Milligan’s 20th Annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic on week 3.

Ros set up and attended a display for the club at the Inaugural South West Early Years Conference, held at the ECU Bunbury Campus. Anyone interested in hearing more about the conference is welcome to contact Ros.