The Den:

Another busy week in The Den, we have been continuing our focus of sea animals as our main activity.

Communication and language:

We filled the water tray with coloured blue water and added the sea animals. To extend this further, we also added some boats and nets. The children had so much fun splashing in the water and exploring the different materials. The children used good hand-eye coordination skills to scoop the animals into the nets.

This was a great opportunity to add lots of new vocabulary like “splash, boat, net, catch”. It was great to hear the children repeat these words back and use them correctly in their play. We also sung lots of water/ sea animal related songs as the children played and during our daily group times. Some of these include ‘tuna fish’ , ‘1 2 3 4 5’ and ‘row your boat’.

Outdoor learning:

We have been using our garden space as much as possible with the weather warming. The blossom on the trees has fallen which the children have been curious of. The children enjoyed when we threw handfuls into the air- they requested “more” and had attempted to throw it themselves. We have been encouraging the children to use the balancing equipment, to help promote balancing skills. It was lovely to observe the children’s ’have a go attitude’ as they make an attempt to walk across the beams independently.

Communication and language:The children are always keen to participate in our daily group singing times. We have been modelling key makaton signs with the children, which they have picked up instantly. Some of these are ‘turtle’ , ‘duck’ and ‘pig’.

Parents as partners:

Below, I have attached some simple makaton signs that you can do with your child at home.