Activities – Little Hands

Christmas cards

Posted on December 19, 2018December 26, 2018 by Ms. Valentina

As one of the activities related to Christmas, the children have created their own Christmas cards to give them to you at the end of the term. Each child was given a folded construction paper on which they were encouraged to draw anything they wished for their families using crayons. After drawing in the inside of the cards, the children chose any colour of paint they wished and finger-painted the inside of the Christmas bauble outline at the front of the card, which was prepared from beforehand.

This activity encouraged the children to be creative and show their imagination to draw the inside of the cards. Some children wanted to write their own name and here their pre-writing skills were encouraged. By finger-painting the Christmas bauble on the front of the card, the children were given the opportunity to develop and enhance their fine motor skills.

Planting and Growing Vetches

Posted on December 18, 2018December 27, 2018 by Ms. Valentina

The vetches were soaked beforehand at home for 24 hours. This is because before planting, they needed to absorb a lot of water to swell in size overnight. The activity was carried out in small groups where the children rotated in the areas until all of them had the opportunity to carry out the activity.

Each child was provided with a small plastic cup while cotton wool and seeds were put in the middle of the table. The children took turns and picked cotton wool to put in their plastic cups. Following this, each child took some seeds and dug them in the cotton wool of his plastic cup. The children were then be encouraged to water their vetches.

After finishing the activity, the vetches were placed in a dark place in one of the cupboards where they will grow. Throughout the remaining days of our project, the children will water their vetches every few days to make sure the cotton wool does not go dry. We will try our best not to expose the vetches to a lot of light until they are fully grown as they start turning from white to green.

Once grown, the children will then have the opportunity to take their vetches at home so with you parents, they can use them as a Christmas decoration.

Table set up

Pulling pieces of cotton wool

Putting cotton wool in the cup

Planting the seeds in cotton wool

Watering the vetches

Activities, HO HO HO, it's Christmas Time! Project

Glowing Christmas tree baubles

Posted on December 11, 2018December 26, 2018 by Ms. Valentina

As we are currently working on the HO HO HO, it’s Christmas Time! project, we are carrying out activities related to Christmas. In this activity the table was set up with bowls containing a small amount of baby oil, cotton buds and a circle outline on different coloured construction paper.

Firstly, the children were encouraged to choose their favourite colour from the construction paper available and cut along the circle outline using a pair of scissors. This helped them in enhancing and developing their fine motor skills. The children also felt proud of carrying out something which they may see as an “adult task.”

After cutting the circle, the children were offered with cotton buds which dipped in the bowl containing baby oil. With the cotton buds, the children were encouraged to scribble or draw anything they want to decorate the circle (which represents the bauble) they had cut. The oil eventually changed the construction paper as it gave the circle a transparent look. For comparison, the children were asked to dip a cotton swab in water and see if it changed the construction paper the same way the baby oil did.

When the children were done, the finished sun catcher-Christmas ornament was faced opposite to the window where the children watched it glow in the sunlight. The creations of the children were hung to the Christmas tree we have in the classroom to represent the baubles.

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Activities, Little Farmers Project

Play dough and loose parts

Posted on December 5, 2018December 26, 2018 by Ms. Valentina

One of this week’s activities linked to the Little Farmers project was the Play dough and loose parts. The table was set up with vanilla and cinnamon scented play dough (in different colours) while loose parts were presented in a partition tray that was put in the middle of the table. The children were divided into groups where while the children explored the areas, one of the groups started the activity. The groups then rotated until eventually all the children carried out the activity.

In this both creative and sensory activity, the children were left free to create anything related to the project using play dough, loose parts, farm animal toys and play dough tools. Different colours of cinnamon and vanilla scented play dough along with the other resources were offered to the children with which they were encouraged to experiment and use. Pictures related to the project were added on the table as an inspiration to help the children in their creations. The children were encouraged to use their imagination and creativity. Throughout the activity, I asked the children about their creations and what they represent. This is something which helped the children to talk more about the project and what they learned so far from it.

Table set up

One of the children creating a dog

A child creating his favourite farm animal

4 farm animals which one child created

Activities, Ittri

Nitgħallmu l-ittra b

Posted on December 3, 2018December 26, 2018 by Ms. Valentina

F’din l-attivita’, it-tfal ġew introdotti għall-ittra b, billi spejgajt kif tinqarha u tinkiteb. Eżempji ta’ kliem li jibdew bl-ittra u oġġetti ta’ vera li jibdew b’din l-ittra intwerew lit-tfal bħal barnuża, banana, beritta, basla, bużżieqa u ballun. Huma kellhom l-opporunita’ li jmissu l-oġġetti b’idejhom u ġew imħeġġa jgħidu l-kliem huma stess. Wara li t-tfal ġew esposti għal oġġetti ta’ vera, huma kellhom l-opportunita’ li jippruvaw jiffurmaw l-ittra b huma stess. It-tfal ġew pprovduti b’tilari mimlijin bil-melħ li permezz tagħhom, huma setgħu jipprattikaw kif tinkiteb l-ittra b b’subgħajhom. Hawnhekk it-tfal mhux biss kienu qed jitgħallmu kif tiġi ffurmata din l-ittra imma wkoll saħħew il-muskoli ta idejhom permezz ta’ din l-attivita’ tas-sensi.

Table set up

The children forming the letter with their finger on salt

Activities, Little Farmers Project

Fruit and Vegetable Printing

Posted on December 1, 2018December 26, 2018 by Ms. Valentina

One of the activities we carried out this week in the Little Farmers project was fruit and vegetable printing. The table was prepared with a construction paper for each child, different colours of paint and dissected fruit and vegetables. Through this activity the children were invited to view fruit and vegetables in a different perspective and not just as a means to eat them or a source of food.

The children were encouraged to talk about the fruit and vegetables offered on the table, mentioning their name and their colours. I then gave the children the opportunity to touch the fruit and vegetables and talk about their textures. The children then compared the skin to the inside of the vegetables and fruits and also how the textures differ from one another.

Following this, the children were encouraged to dip the fruit and vegetables into their desired colour of paint and print them onto the construction paper. This did not only create art but it also brought out the different textures, patterns and shapes of the fruit and vegetables. The children were left free to create their own artistic work using fruit and vegetables.