Hey diddle diddle, it’s that time of year! World Nursery Rhyme Week is finally near! From November 11th to the 15th, get set— There’s fun and learning you won’t forget!
🎉 What’s the Buzz About? 🎉 Nursery rhymes aren’t just a sing-song delight, They’re the building blocks for kids, that’s right! Phonics, counting, spelling—oh my! These rhymes help little minds soar high. From “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” To the “Wheels on the Bus,” anything goes!
🌟 Join the Rhyme A Day Challenge! 🌟 Five rhymes, five days—such a treat! With songs and games that can’t be beat. Twinkl’sgot you covered, from crafts to play, Download your resources and brighten your day! Make puppets for “Hickory Dickory Dock,” Or sing along and watch the clock tick-tock. You can create, explore, and even pretend, With Twinkl’s ideas, the fun never ends!
✨ Why Nursery Rhymes? ✨ Not just for toddlers—they’re for everyone, From parents to teachers, let’s join the fun! Kids learn while singing, dancing, and playing, It’s magic in action, there’s no delaying! Language and numbers come to life, Nursery rhymes cut through learning strife.
So, how will you celebrate? Don’t miss a beat— With Twinkl’s resources, your week’s complete! 🎨
Alexander loves his Osmo Pizza Co game and iPad Stand
I got sent an Osmo Pizza Co with an iPad stand, I must say that I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am blown away.
Osmois fabulous! It is so interactive and teaches kids when they are having fun playing.
Once I unwrapped the game and the iPad stand, I then set it up for Alex. The Pizza shop was open for business. It is so interesting that the game is not just played on the iPad, it is also played with the pizza board, the pizza ingredients and the money to make change for the customers orders.
The customers do get angry and annoyed at you if you get their order wrong….however it is fun to see their happy faces when you get it right.
Customers then pay you with an amount of money that is listed on the iPad and you have to give them change. To give change to the customer you need to turn the pizza board over and use the black/grey side. Add the money to this side and then the customer is super happy.
I had to help Alex with the money part as he is still a little young for this part of it, but it won’t be long until he is telling me how much money the customer needs.
My boy did have a lot of fun creating the pizzas and also making pizzas that the customer didn’t order. He loved the fact that the game saw what he was doing with the ingredients.
Alex loved the castle game that I downloaded for him
Games that allow kids to learn while having fun is ideal in my book.
We loved our Osmo Pizza Co and I am keen to get Alexander some more Osmo games.
This game is so perfect for a Christmas gift or a special treat during the holidays. You can purchase Osmo games and iPad stands at the following places: BigW, Kidstuff, JB Hi-Fi, Amazon.com.au, Apple Store, and OfficeWorks.
I am sure you will love an Osmo game as much as we do.
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March 2nd is a day bursting with joy and imagination—it’s Dr. Seuss Day!
We’re celebrating the birthday of the one and only Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, whose whimsical tales and colourful characters have enchanted readers for generations.
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
🎉📚 Oh, hooray, hooray, it’s Dr. Seuss Day today! A day filled with whimsy, laughter, and play. So gather ’round, dear friends, come one, come all, Let’s celebrate Seuss, the greatest of all!
With rhymes that dance and colours that pop, Dr. Seuss’s stories never do stop! From Horton’s big ears to the Grinch’s small heart, His characters leap off the page, each one a work of art.
Oh, how I adore his fantastical tales, They spark imagination that never fails. From the Cat in the Hat causing chaos anew, To the Lorax who speaks for the trees, it’s true!
But it’s not just the stories that make me cheer, It’s Seuss’s spirit, so bold and sincere. He taught us to dream and to think beyond measure, To stand up for what’s right, to treasure each treasure.
His artwork, oh my, it’s a feast for the eyes, With colours so vibrant, they light up the skies. His style was unique, ahead of its time, A true visionary, his work truly sublime.
So let’s raise a toast to the man of the hour, Whose legacy grows with each passing flower. On this Dr. Seuss Day, let’s read and let’s play, And honour the genius of Seuss in every way!
So grab a book, anyone will do, And let’s celebrate Seuss, oh the places we’ll go! Happy Dr. Seuss Day, to one and to all, Let’s make this day Seuss-tastic, big and small! 🎈📖
Twinkl’s Truffula Treasure Trove: Explore Dr. Seuss Spectaculars:
Dr. Seuss’s creativity and whimsy are truly inspiring. Embracing his style can add a touch of magic to any endeavour. Whether it’s writing rhymes, crafting colourful characters, or simply thinking outside the box, channelling your inner Seuss can infuse your work with joy and imagination.
So let your creativity soar like a Sneetch with a star, and remember, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose!”
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Young kids usually have only a vague sense of time. They probably know that an hour is longer than ten minutes, and a week is shorter than a month, but it’s difficult for them to gauge time’s passing.
Making a paper chain calendar can help them learn this valuable math skill.
What You Need:
Calendar
3” x 8” strips of colored construction paper
Glue
Make a Paper Chain Calendar
What You Do:
Pick a date in the future that has some meaning for your child, for example, the first day of school, the date a relative is set to come visit, a birthday, or the start date of a favorite activity, like soccer. Ideally, the date should be about a month away.
Pull out your calendar, and with your child’s help, count the number of days until the event you’ve chosen.
Give your child the construction paper strips and explain that each strip stands for one day. Together, count out the correct number of strips (one for each day until your event), then help your child make a paper chain, by gluing the end of each strip together to form a link, then adding the rest of the links to form a “chain”.
Hang your chain in your child’s room, or in a prominent place. Each day, allow her to remove one link from the chain. As the days pass, this will give her a visual picture to associate with the numbers she sees on the calendar.
Not only does this provide a concrete image for the passing of time, but it gives your child a great excuse to practice counting backwards!
A big thank you to Education.com for this creative way to help kids learn. If you have not checked out their website make sure you stop by. Education.com have excellent resources to help your kids be super clever.
If they are a few years away from entering big school or otherwise known as primary you might want to expose them to some concepts to give them a better start.
My little boy Alexander is still three but in a few short months will be four, and next year is his last year in childcare. Childcare runs a preschool program and he’s learning so much more each day.
How is he so close to going to Big School? Mind you he is keen to go to school like his big sisters, however the same year he starts Kindy the twins will be starting high school…yes I will have kids at two different stages!
I’ve partnered with Get Ready for School Australia to share their great resources to help your little people get school ready. Read on to find the 15% discount…yes what a helpful thing to have!
Bark is keen to learn with Get Ready for School Australia too! Alexander loves his new kit too!
“The Get Ready for School Australia program focuses on playful and meaningful learning activities that build a love of learning in your child – in the familiar surroundings of your own home. And they need little or no preparation.”
I have a super great discount for my readers, you can get 15% off!
Enter the following code: Alexander15
Benefits of Get Ready for School Australia
Builds confidence
Helps parents with everything they need to help their child get school ready
Spend quality time with mum/dad learning
Have fun learning with everyday items that you have at home
The Get Ready for School Australia is personalised for your child and follows the school curriculum
Alexander is still learning to write. He loves colouring in and holding pens, pencils, and textas, he is also figuring out what hand he wants to write with. Currently, he is favouring his left hand.
I read to Alex every night and he likes to read me the story from the pictures in the book. It is very interesting hearing his view of the story, however, sometimes it doesn’t match the book at all and is hilarious!
Stay tuned for more posts and videos about our progress with the Get Ready for School Australia kit. Get one for your little one that is about to start Kindy soon, they make sure to personalise the pack for your little one.
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Would you love to learn from the best in the business?
Cannot afford the classes? Or the airfare to get you to where these amazing people live?
If you sign up to Masterclassyou can get classes with the best of the best in writing, filmmaking, television, comedy and more.
I found out about Masterclass via an advertisement on Facebook.
I love making films, videos and writing scripts. I have so many ideas and stories in my head it is hard to figure out which idea to start next.
The advertisement for Masterclass showcasing Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing for Television. As a massive fan of Shonda and her work, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and also Scandal.
I had to take the class.
I had to find out how to make my ideas into a television series. Yep…soon there will be a wonderful series that was created by me.
Being in Australia and having online delivery made signing up a no-brainer. I paid and had my seat in the online class even before it opened… I was that keen.
Due to the standard of teaching and the array of things that you can learn, I signed up as an affiliate of Masterclass. I've loved every minute of learning with Masterclass and wanted to share this great resource with my lovely readers.
Being a mum means that I have restrictions on my time. My time is spent looking after everyone if you are too busy mum or dad you wish to have time for yourself.
Time to learn and to do something you are super interested in. Meet new friends from around the world and spend time working on something that isn't related to kids.
Having the ability to be in these classes from my own home or anywhere I am as long as I have my laptop or iPhone is brilliant.
Another amazing offer is if you get the MasterClass All-Access Pass you can do any of the classes. You pay $280 AUD to access all classes for a year. That means you can do any class from any teacher!
You don't have to learn from Shonda, you can learn from the following:
R.L. Stine Teaches Writing for Young Audiences (The writer of The Goosebumps Books) In R.L. Stine's MasterClass, the Goosebumps author takes the fear out of writing and teaches your audience how to generate ideas, outline a plot, and hook young readers from the first page.
Spike Lee Teaches Filmmaking You will learn about writing, self-producing, working with actors, and making movies that break down barriers.
Steve Martin's MasterClass (I am a massive fan of Steve Martin's comedy and skills, it would be so amazing to learn from him)
Judy Blume (I loved all of Judy Blume's books when I was a kid, learning with Judy would be awesome!)
This is not a complete list but you get the idea, there are many different experts to learn from.
You can even be in your pj's and be learning from Martin Scorsese or James Patterson.
The courses are so informative, Shonda Rhimes' course is set up with so much info:
Video Lessons
Resources - You can download PDF Class workbook and any scripts that help with the video lessons.
Hub to talk to fellow students
Students can upload a video question and Shonda Rhimes replies in a video response on the class page.
If you need any help you can always email and the team at Masterclass will get back to you.
Grab a coffee or hot cup of tea and get learning today!
Being a parent does mean you are always on the go. It is nice to be able to do something for you for a change.
I hope learning more about Masterclassgives you some great ideas of what to learn about next.
Maybe your next dinner party can be from all the fab skills you picked up at Gordon Ramsay's online class?
Disclaimer: I was so impressed by how great Masterclasswas I had to share, and have also signed up as an affiliate for any Masterclass course. If you do click one of the links and sign up for a class I will get some money for sharing.
The reason for letting you all know was not to make heaps of money (Yes being richer would be nice too) but to showcase what an amazing resource this is for people who wish to expand their brains, and find that online courses are the way to go.
To actually get classes with these awesome people would be near to impossible, and if you do sign up for a class you have them in your house, via video and teaching you your favourite subject.
Also as a mum, I am all about keeping costs low and this fits perfectly in with my idea of expanding my brain and not spending a fortune. The courses are well-priced and of great value.
I hope you love it as much as I have and still do. I cannot wait to do more classes.
If you have someone's birthday coming up soon, you can Give the Gift of MasterClassand they will have so much fun learning.
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Since Valentine’s Day is around the corner a Valentine’s Day inspired worksheet is ideal.
Do you love giving your children more worksheets so they can practice and get better at their school work? I know I do!
Did you know that word scramble worksheets help kids with spelling?
Kids have fun solving the scrambled word and have no idea that they are learning at the same time. What a win as a parent!
Education.comis a wonderful resource for educational worksheets to help your children learn.
You can also become an Education.com member and get access to more amazing content to help your kids.
I love that Education.com ties-in times of the year to help kids have fun while they are actually doing work. The free worksheets are based on Valentine’s Day.
The Valentine’s Day Eduction.com downloads are below:
Would you like to have more Valentine’s Day worksheets? If you do there are more. Download and have fun celebrating.
Disclaimer: I was approached by Education.com to share this free worksheet with my readers. I love helping kids learn, and like to share great resources for parents.
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My kids seem very happy when they are adding things together, but things get complicated very quickly when they have to subtract numbers from each other. You can see the stress and worry on their faces.
As soon as things start to get more complicated the girls seem to panic.
My technique is to be calm, to concentrate on the question being asked, and to work out little bits at a time.
I like many parents have shown the girls how to do various sums, and told them that it is just a matter of a little practice each day. In no time they will get better and be a champion at maths.
The one thing that I believe is not being understood is the carrying the numbers over or what I was told was carrying the one or another number into the other column.
The way I figure out subtraction, and the way I am showing the girls. Carrying the 1 or what is called borrowing in subtraction.
As you can see from the above example of 87 – 59. You cannot have 7 taking away from 9.
So to make it easier, you add a 1 to 7 and make it 17.
Since you have added the 1 to 7 to make it 17, you then need to carry the 1 to the tens column.
I add the 1 to the 5 and this then becomes 6. So then it will be 8 -6 and this gives you 2 in the tens column, and as it is now 17 – 9 in the ones column this means you get 8, and therefore the answer is 28.
This following video can explain it more easily to kids and explains the idea of borrowing or like I was taught carrying the one.
HOW TO BORROW IN SUBTRACTION FOR KIDS
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So what can you do to promote practice in subtraction or really any maths problem?
Education.comhave some great resources that will help your kids practice and also have fun doing so.
Crawl around these subtraction problems with the cute creepy crawlies in this worksheet! Can’t get enough subtraction practice? Check out the full collection of subtraction resourcesfrom Education.com!
Two-Digit Bug Subtraction from Education.com
Download the free subtraction creepy crawly worksheets:
Do your kids get a little worried when they move onto subtraction? It could just be the idea of carrying over the numbers to the other columns that gets confusing. I know my kids are still learning this, and are getting better the more they practice.
A big thank you to Education.com for this subtraction worksheet. If you have not checked out their website make sure you stop by, Education.com have excellent resources to help your kids be super clever.
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Do you like to buy sturdy and long lasting toys for your kids? I know I do. Some toys are costly to only break soon after your child plays with them. With quality wood toys feel great and are also sturdy enough to last many children playing with them and can be passed down from generation to generation.
My kids are extremely active and into everything and have loved constructing magical empires and fairy homes with wooden blocks and much more.
My lovely friend from The Wooden Toy Box has some fabulous wooden toy products that would be a perfect addition for Christmas or in fact any time of year, birthdays or just because presents.
The Toddle-Truck from The Wooden Toybox
More about The Wooden Toy Box
Hello I’m Adrienne Smith a mum to three rambunctious boys aged two, four and six, and if there is one thing I am passionate about its providing every opportunity to learn while they play. Buying the best toys for these learning experiences can be a challenge which is why I created The Wooden Toybox where we aim to create lasting fun for little imaginations in a safe and environmentally friendly way.
All our toys are designed and made in from Australian timbers. They are hand finished and polished using homemade organic beeswax and Linseed oil which is extremely safe for little ones to chew on. All wooden toys are quality control tested by my little family and follow AUST/NZ safety standards.
All The Wooden Toybox toys are well made and built to last. The Toddle-Truck is ideal for little people trying to walk and for storing much loved toys in when they are on the move.
What’s inside The Wooden Toybox?
Our signature product is the Toddle-truck – a baby walker/pusher which helps babies and toddlers to stand and take their first steps. Made from Queensland Hoop Pine it provides a beautiful sensory experience and is very strong and sturdy. A handcrafted piece, the Toddle-truck can be handed down from generation to generation.
We have also created wooden blocks and wooden lacing shapes and continue to expand our product range. If you have any requests or like to see any classic wooden toys brought back to life – we’d love to hear from you.
Giveaway to Win a Toddle-Truck
The great news is for Christmas we have a special Facebook promotion open to all Mummy to Twins Plus One readers. We are giving away a beautiful, handcrafted Toddle-truck to one lucky family.
Please feel free to leave a comment. Terms and conditions can be found on the Wooden Toybox’s Australia Facebook page.
Entries close 11pm AEST Friday 25th November.
All Mummy to Twins Plus One readers have the chance to win this wonderful Toddle-Truck. Just go to The Wooden Toybox Facebook page to enter.
As a mum to curious and active little people I like Adrienne from The Wooden Toy Box love to make sure that my kids are learning while playing.
Wooden Lacing Shapes helps children with the following:
Spatial relationships – helps with understanding
Develops Visual tracking – helps children read left to right and not skip lines.
Strengthens wrist and finger muscles – this is helpful for using scissors and holding pencils/pens.
Develops hand eye coordination – helpful for buttoning and unzipping of clothes.
Wooden Lacing Shapes from The Wooden Toy Box
Did you know construction toys, such as toy blocks can help children develop the following skills:
Social skills/Cooperative Play – While they are building their fortress or town they need to communicate to the other kids
Language skills – Explaining their creation to mum/dad or their siblings.
Capacity for Creative/Divergent thinking – Creating their own construction without rules allows the child to think for themselves, and solve their own problems.
Spatial Skills – Children “who showed more interest in construction– and built more sophisticated structures–performed better on a standardized test of spatial intelligence (Caldera et al 1999).” http://www.parentingscience.com/toy-blocks.html
Math Skills – More play with blocks has been tied to higher mathematical achievement in high school.
Wooden Blocks from The Wooden Toy Box
As you can see there are many benefits of wooden toy blocks and the wooden lacing shapes for kids. I was so taken with the quality of these wooden toys I wanted to share it with my lovely readers. I hope you find them as great as I do.
With the lead up to Christmas it might be a great gift for a little someone. Make sure you enter The Wooden Toy Box’s great giveaway to win a Toddle-Truck. You might be the lucky winner and have one present sorted for Christmas.
Thanks so much to The Wooden Toy Box for showcasing their lovely products and sharing their latest giveaway with my readers.
I was lucky to go to The LEGO® DUPLO Creative Play workshop. We as a family love LEGO. Yes, rather a strong word to use for a toy but it is true. I played with LEGO when I was little, so did my sister, so did hubby and now so do our girls, and of course, our little boy will do as well.
The LEGO DUPLO Workshop was led by play expert Hanne Boutrup. Hanne was an inspiration, she made you want to play with LEGO bricks, get involved and just have fun. A perfect person to showcase the reasons that LEGO DUPLO(is for younger children to help with development and learning) is ideal for kids.
Hanne Boutrup was brilliant and really had everyone energised about LEGO DUPLO and how it helps children worldwide.
Did You Know?
The LEGO Group began in 1932, with Ole Kirk Christiansen who was a carpenter from Billund, Denmark who made wooden toys.
“LEGO is named after two Danish words LEG GODT (meaning Play Well) to produce the LEGO® name. The name is intended to reflect quality and the child’s right to enjoyable play.”
Alexander having fun with LEGO DUPLO
LEGO is a great toy but it is so much more. So what can LEGO DUPLO do?
Help children with storytelling and communication. Using the LEGO DUPLO bricks and characters allows children to create their own world. When you are spending time with your child playing with LEGO DUPLO you can use the different creations as launch pads to tell stories. These creative stories help your child understand how stories are told, for example, stories have a beginning, a middle and an ending and the story needs to be told in this sequence or the person listening will get lost. This is a good skill to have as this leads to good communication that will help your child in the future.
You can teach fractions, shapes, patterns, colours, lengths and basic maths with LEGO DUPLO. Your kids will not even know they are learning, they will think they are just having a great time playing.
Being creative. Building cities, aeroplanes, birds, dinosaurs and really anything that you can think of. Don’t be confined to just the instructions that are included in the pack. LEGO DUPLO allows kids to create whatever their heart desires. There are no restrictions.
Alexander loved playing with LEGO DUPLO. When he is older I’m sure he will build amazing worlds.
This workshop was hands-on. We all had to open a pack of LEGO DUPLO bricks and get building.
Our first taskwas to build a bridge that would allow two LEGO DUPLO characters to get across the river that had huge fish in them and who knows if they were vicious! Yes, you had no idea so best to be careful.
My group came up with a great creation that allowed the characters to cross the river. We carefully engineered a bridge with side rails and steps to access it. We were safety conscious hence the safety rails.
The Bridge our table built to get the LEGO DUPLO characters over the river safely.
“Did you know that your brain is making use of the most critical skills for learning when playing with LEGO® bricks? Even when you build and rebuild with just a few bricks you stimulate more than 20 skills, supporting competencies such as problem-solving, creativity, empathy, communication and collaboration. “
Our second task was that we had to sit back to back to our partner and one person built with the LEGO DUPLO and the other person directed what to build. It was a very interesting lesson on communication and how to direct others when you cannot ask questions.
The second attempt at LEGO DUPLO at the Creative Workshop. It was very close but not exact. The better and more precise direction might have been better. This was a good way to showcase how if you have really good communication your team can benefit.
As you can see it was close but if the communication was more directional that would have been better. It would have hopefully led to an exact match with each creation of LEGO DUPLO.
We were also asked to take seven bricks and create a structure. It could be anything as long as it used seven bricks. This is an interesting exercise that you can use with your children. See what they create. Let them tell you the stories about the structure and why they built it the way they did.
Having a blast exploring all the blocks and new things that LEGO DUPLO offer.
“Did you know that LEGO® bricks produced since 1958 are fully compatible with LEGO bricks produced today”
The workshop showcased ways that I as a parent can help my children learn more with LEGO and also LEGO DUPLO.
Asking questions about the story, the building, the reason why something was done and finding fun ways to incorporate maths and other school learning into play is an amazing tool. Learning about patterns, counting and just having fun means that your kids will not even realise they are learning.
With the whole focus on innovation and creativity in the workplace the skills that LEGO DUPLO gives you are essential. It will help children in the workplace. If they are creative they have great ideas, solve problems and are innovative. There is a leaning now towards STEM subjects and LEGO DUPLO can help with these subjects for younger children, well at least introduce the ideas in a creative, fun and age-appropriate way.
It was lovely to meet Hanne Boutrup at the LEGO DUPLO Creative Workshop. I thought she was such an amazing speaker and so inspiring about children, learning and creativity. Alexander is also pleased to have been there as well.
Do your kids love LEGO DUPLO? Do you have older kids that love LEGO too?
My helper had to put his feet up. Too much building with LEGO DUPLO. He had a well-earned rest.
Have you used LEGO to teach your children without them even knowing? What is your favourite thing to do with the kids and LEGO?
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As you all might know we have a new TV and now we have fixed the issue of not getting free to air television. For a long time we have not been able to watch shows like the news, or say the ABC. It has been very annoying indeed. A couple of weekends ago I was out and hubby organised some people to come and look at the antenna to determine what the issue was.
The aerial was okay, the transmitter was okay however the cable connecting it all was not. The cockatoos had eaten through the cable and it all had to be replaced. Once the new cable was installed, we got free to air television. At last, a connection with the world. News, shows, and all sorts of things! Yippee!
Now I can bore the kids with the news when they don’t want to go to bed.
Watching cartoons
The twins have now figured out how to put the TV on, and they know how to put the station onto ABC3. I asked what about ABC2 but they told me that is for babies mummy!
Now this is one clue that they are growing up. The cartoons and content on ABC3 is a little bit more grown up but still for kids. ABC2 is for a younger audience. Although they still watch some shows on ABC2 , they are now totally obsessed with ABC3. They don’t want to watch anything else, unless it is the end of children’s programming and they might watch or do something else.
What has your child or children done or said that made you think gosh they are growing up? Let us know.
Term one for Kindy is over.Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Term one has ended. Yes the kids have survived their first term at Kindy and so have I. Who knew there would be so many notes home, events, things to do and of course the magic of hearing your child read. It has truly been an eventful time.
Not only have they grown with their education, the girls have grown more height wise. We are not huge so don’t think that we have had a massive growth spurt. However it is just enough to have to tell the kids to sit down when I brush their hair. The extra height is also giving the twins an edge to get into more areas of the house. Not a major fan of this new found talent but they think they are super clever.
I must admit that I am keen to have sleep ins in the holidays and to see if I can get some things done around the house. Holidays have started in style with a trip to the movies. Yes, kids and I went to see the new Muppets film, “The Muppets Most Wanted“. It was funny in parts and the kids loved it so that is the main thing.
The one thing that I will not miss is the morning melt downs; the screaming when I ask kids to brush their hair, to find the other school shoe and where oh where is their reader for school? Or the school hat? It is not me that is going to school and I don’t care if you don’t have your hat and cannot play outside. It will be so nice to not worry about any of this for the next two weeks.
What about you? Have you survived the first term of Kindy? Are you thankful for the holidays? Will you get a sleep in? I might not, but not having to be anywhere for a certain time is relaxing enough. Send in your comments.
Girls getting ready to go to school.Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My little girls have grown up so much. They have had nearly two years at pre-school and are busting at the seams to be off to big school (Kindy) soon! They are still very small for their age and petite little things, however they are feisty and strong little people. The girls love a challenge and cannot wait for the challenge that Kindy brings them.
There is currently 2 more sleeps until transition starts for Kindy and as you can imagine, they are super excited. I keep on getting asked, “How many more days’ mummy till transition?”
Transition for those that don’t know is a day a week that pre-school kids go to the primary school to learn what Kindy and the big school are all about. They get introduced to their future teachers, see and experience what it is like to be in a classroom, learn what is expected and get to know the facilities of the school. The kids even get paired up with a year five buddy that will be the year six buddy next year so that they can show them around the school.
A friends child that went last year said it was very cute and lovely to watch her son hold hands with an older student and be shown around the school. Adorable.
I am very excited for them. Hubby is working from home that day so that he can be there for the first day. It will be a day to make sure to record with many pictures. I have said this before, it will be a strange thing to suddenly have two kids in school full time next year.
Did your kids go through transition? Did they like it? Did you think it was a good idea? What was the best thing for you as a parent? Send in your comments.
It was an exciting day today. The girls and I went to their new school, Blue Gum Montessori Children’s House for orientation. Lillian and Julia seemed to love it, they were excited by all the new things that is on offer. When we first got there they ran around and touched all the new things in the different areas. The school has different areas set up for learning, some areas are for sea shells, blocks, puzzles and the like. The teacher, Carmel, had hats ready to put their names on, if the girls go out they must wear their hats. Once they were named, Julia and Lillian walked over to the pegs where the other hats were and added theirs. It was very nice to be given a school hat for each girl.
Carmel showed the girls around, the toilets, the areas of the school, introduced them to the 2 goldfish. I asked if they had names and Lillian wanted to call them Goldie, however at home Julia said that their names were Gold Gold. Both girls have a folder for their artwork and a book to draw and create artwork. They were told that they could put 2 stickers on their book and folder. Both girls were very happy about this.
We were also shown the place where the girls will put their bags in the morning, and if their lunch needs to be in the fridge, must give it to staff as the fridge is in the back of the school. I got some paperwork and a book on the school, will fill out and drop off for the first day of school. Orientation lasted about half an hour and it was a very pleasant introduction to the school, it was very nice that they spent time with the girls one on one for the first day and that they let them paint some pictures and run around and get a feel for the place.
The girls were very taken with the sea shells and with the magnifying glass. They kept on going back to the shells and at one point, Julia had the magnifying glass she was holding it up to her eye. I could not help but laugh her eye looked huge and she looked so cute. She was looking at everything with the magnifying glass. She came up to Carmel and I and wanted to look at our eyes, she was amazed at how big things looked.
I think that this will be a great place for the girls to take their next steps towards school and learning. They seemed happy, excited and relaxed with the school and the teachers there. Carmel and Mary were there to greet us and to show us around. I have been told to bring the girls for a 9.30am start on their first day. Will be keen to see how they go with kids there and a whole day of learning next Monday. I am so excited for my little girls. I am also proud of how well behaved they were.
One thing that I am keen to see if pre-school helps, is independent play rather than relying on each other to play with. Currently they girls are very reliant on each other. They are very close and when one child decides not to play a game with the other, there is a melt down and the child that still wants to play the game tries to drag the other child back to play. This as you can imagine does not end well and there is a lot of tears and carry on. I have been trying to tell them when this does happen, that if you want to do the activity or task, you can do it yourself. You don’t need Julia/Lillian depending on who it was to play with you. The school fosters independence and the hope for me is that it will show the girls that they can happily work away at something if they are interested in it. Then if they want to play together, they can play together. We will see, but it will be interesting to see if the school has any influence over this issue. If you have twins or children close together, is this something that happens to you? What have you done to show your children it is o.k to do a task by themselves?
How has your child enjoyed pre-school or the start of big school (primary), did it go well? What are you giving them for lunch? I need to think about different choices that they get exposed to more foods. I suppose with 3 days at school this will be interesting regarding lunches and watching them develop. Let me know what has happened to you and your family.
when I was little, so did my sister, so did hubby and now so do our girls, and of course, our little boy will do as well.
