Welcome to the Parrots Class! 



Staff

Teacher: Emma Hamnett, Jack Hobson (Thursday, Friday)

TAs: Jack Hobson, Rachel Mitchell, Sam Bacon and Eve Aspinall

Mid Day Leader: Elaine McCreedy


Newsletter

Hairy, Scary Beast

What an amazing half term we have had in the Parrots class! 

In our thrilling half-term exploration of “Hairy, Scary Beasts,” the children have embarked on sensory adventures that tickle their imagination and senses. From the soft, fuzzy textures resembling wild creature fur to the spiky sensations evoking the essence of mysterious and scary beings, our sensory sessions have transported the little explorers into a world of tactile discovery. We’ve delved into a spectrum of materials, allowing the children to touch, feel, and experience the captivating world of these mythical and hairy creatures. 

During our Move and Mark sessions, the children have relished the opportunity to create marks using a range of methods such as full hands, fingertips, cars, and various tools like crayons, chalk, and paintbrushes! Beyond the fine motor activities in Move and Mark, the children have taken pleasure in enhancing their gross motor skills in the hall with different objectives each week from rolling, throwing and catching. They have been engrossed in refining their movements, engaging in activities such as spinning, climbing, crawling, and honing their ball skills. We anticipate dedicating more time to practising these skills in the upcoming half term.

In our session Respond-Create-Interact we have explored different sized drums, created loud sounds whilst also engaged with smaller instruments such as the triangle, tambourines and maracas. The children have shown lots of interest and have been using their skills to use drumsticks and BANG! 

In our pizza-making fun sessions, think rolling pins, pizza cutters, and spatulas. We’ve been playing with a pizza playground of ingredients: different doughs, sauces, cheeses and veggies. They’re getting hands-on, kneading, spreading, and stacking toppings like pizza. We’re exploring textures, from smooth tomato sauce to stretchy mozzarella cheese, vegan cheese’ etc – everyone in the Parrots has shown lots of engagement and effort in our food exploration sessions. 

We hope you all have a brilliant half term, 

Take care – The Parrots class. 


Follow along with this half term’s Signalong video!

Signalong

At Kingfisher we use Signalong as a part of a Total Communication Approach, we are constantly using core vocabulary with the children to support their language development and then through each of our topics we introduce new signs and language, which extends their vocabulary further. We also have two “Signs of the Week” which helps maintain and extend key knowledge and skills of everyday vocabulary.

Each half term we will be creating a short video showcasing and demonstrating signs relavent for the current term so that you can learn the signs and further this learning at home.

Click play to watch this half terms Signalong video!


Lunchtime

If your child has a school dinner, the school menus can be accessed by clicking here. For children who bring a packed lunch, please remember to provide healthy and balanced options. We are a Healthy School and will be focusing on healthy eating and how children can make healthy lifestyle choices.


How You Can Help at Home

Communication

  • Give your child a choice of 2 objects at different times during the day using toys, snacks, drinks or activities to support their expressive communication and their ability to make choices
  • Choosing sacks or bags with different objects inside – let your child dip their hand in to make a choice and then name the object that they have chosen and make the sign if possible
  • Intensive Interaction – mirror your child’s sounds, movements, and actions and watch how they respond when you mirror what they are doing

Sensory Story

  • The Weather – create your own story using a character or animal that your child likes – make a story tray using different sensory resources linked to the weather, such as ice, warm custard, shaving foam for snow, water and sieves to create the rain, fan or hairdryer to make the wind. Use the character/toy/animal in the story tray to explore the weather
  • Make a book using photographs of your child doing different things – talk to them about what they are doing in the pictures: brushing their teeth, eating, putting on their shoes, playing in the garden

Problem Solving and Investigating

  • Exploring putting different quantities and objects in and out of boxes and bags and through tunnels or under blankets to hide will help them develop these early skills.
  • Bowls and bags – collect a group of different objects, some of which make a set and support your child to explore taking the objects in and out of the bags and bowls and sorting them into sets where appropriate

Being Creative 

  • Make sensory paint using different scents and substances such as rice, lentils or porridge oats into the paint and use this on wallpaper, bubble wrap or corrugated card to make exciting textures
  • Listen to songs from your child’s favourite movies or shows and play instruments or pots and pans to make new sounds to the songs

Looking after myself

  • Focus on an aspect of personal care such as brushing teeth and washing hands and support your child to develop their independence and skills 
  • Dressing to go outside and taking off our coats and wellies when you come back home – support your child to become as independent as possible

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