Tutortime Preschool

It’s been a couple of weeks since I got to post. Sorry so little time and so much to do before we break up for the summer
We are busy doing Playball with Eamonn.
Enjoying the fabulous weather we have been having the last few weeks so more time outdoors doing fun activities and games and getting loads of fresh air.
Following on from finding some bugs in the playground, the last two weeks we have been learning all about bugs and insects. We tried to hatch some stick insects but we had a little mishap here and so far none have hatched.
We got some caterpillars and are watching them to see them turn into butterflies. So far we have three chrysalis and two more are coming on fast.
Hopefully we will have butterflies next week.
Pumpkin Jack has sprouted again. We read the story about Pumpkin Jack last October and our pumpkin rotted down over the winter and is now sprouting again.
So much learning and fun going on.

Sorry a little late posting this one but some highlights from our World Book Day

Some highlights from our week last week, celebrating Lá Glás and St Patrick’s Day. Some little leprechaun added a lot of chaos to our classroom.
After reading our book How to catch a Leprechaun we tried to make a trap to catch him but alas he got away. 🙈

Many parents feel pressure to enroll their children in school as early as possible. But some research suggests that giving children an extra year before starting kindergarten may support better focus and emotional development.

Studies examining school readiness have found that delaying kindergarten by one year may reduce inattention and hyperactivity by as much as 73% in some cases. The extra time allows young children to strengthen self regulation, attention span, and social skills before entering structured classrooms.

Early childhood experts also emphasize the importance of free play during these years. Unstructured play helps children develop creativity, problem solving abilities, and emotional resilience, which are all important foundations for long term learning success.

What a busy week we had this week. Our emergent interest this week was Lunar New Year. We also celebrated 2 birthdays this week and loads of building, colouring, and loads more I forgot to capture.
We also had a fun day eating noodle and fortune cookies 🥠 to finish off the week.

It’s that time of year again when mini eggs are lining the supermarket shelves. But, did you know that, just like grapes, they are the perfect size to block a small child’s airway and choke them? And, their hard shell can make it difficult to dislodge with standard first aid techniques.

With whole grapes we advise cutting them in half lengthways and ideally into quarters to create thin strips. But chopping up mini eggs isn’t as easy. So, what can you do?

1. Hide them from the children and eat them yourself – good luck with that!

2. Break them into small pieces with a rolling pin. Or, crush them in a pestle and mortar. Or melt them a little first.

3. Opt for a different treat. Larger, hollow eggs are much safer for little ones.

For more practical tips and advice to keep children safe from choking take a look at our guide: https://capt.org.uk/resources/choking-fact-sheet/

This week’s invitation to play was our pancake station. A busy week with birthday celebrations, Pancake Tuesday and all our usual antics. Great numbers in every day despite the schools being on mid-term.