Playgroup

14.March 2019
Hello and Goodbye !

March is the month where we finally can say goodbye to winter and hello to spring with the first flowers and blossoms in sight .

But March is also a month where the Japanese school year ends and we sometimes have to say goodbye to friends graduating from Playgroup. Luckily we could combine this with a happy potluck party and the welcoming of new friends.

Old and new friends, grow, enjoy your new challenges and let's all meet again !




01.February 2019
Going round and colourful!

At Playgroup we do many activities involving colours whether it is through craft or songs, because children take in the world around them through their eyes. They love colourful things and a scientific fact is that they prefer brighter colours from an early age, because their eyes are not fully developed yet and they perceive these colours better than fainter shades.

Additionally, a 2011 eye-tracking study found that at five month of age, before they utter a word or scribble a drawing, infants already show a clear visual preference for contoured lines over straight lines.

So combining the children's love for colours with their preference for circular shapes, this activity was designed to keep the Playgroup children engaged.

It was amazing how well this idea worked: Not only did the children enjoy this activity and the stickers, they also stayed concentrated and focussed until finishing their picture.

For my usually very active Playgroup class, this was nothing short of a miracle. Great job, everyone 

17.January 2019
Snowy Times

After a happy start into the New Year, the Playgroup children were ready to celebrate the Winter Season with some artistic impressions. They eagerly decorated their snowmen with colourful triangles, surrounded them with delicate snowflakes and added a little snowy brushing for the final touch.

Now everyone is longing for the real snow! 

But while waiting, we can watch this cute song !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbbKjDjMDok

29.November 2018
Connecting to the School Community -
Playgroup visiting Grade 2 Mini Museum

          

The father of one of our Playgroup children is the DSKI Grade 2 teacher and his class was holding a mini exhibition, so we decided to connect to another part of our school community and have a look at their museum. The subject was "Children playing now and then" and the Grade 2 had arranged various exhibits. 

The Playgroup children and mothers were very interested in the objects and explanations and there was some great storytelling to be heard! 

Thank you for letting us visit, Grade 2 and Mr. Brabant - and great listening, Playgroup kids (and mums) !

01.Nov.2018

Autumn Brush Art x 2!

One of the wonderful things about autumn in Japan is that it we usually can enjoy warm weather for a long time.

Making use of a sunny day and brushing up their painting skills, the Playgroup children went to create a wonderful piece of art in colours associated to the season.

Clad in aprons, they used various brushes or their hands and applied hues of green, red and yellow to leaf shapes on a brown sheet of construction paper. 

Some of the Playgroup children were quite routined, but it was great to see others being risk-takers and challenging themselves to try it out.

Two weeks later, our piece of art got a beauty make-over and a bit of spark with much loved glitter glue.

Playgroup kids, I love your bright attitude as much as your bright art !

04.Oct.2018
The lightness of being

Sometimes happiness is found in simple things like the delightful Japanese paper balls. 

First flat and boring, they unfold their colourful beauty through a breath of fresh air.

The children were happy to touch them, play with them and ….flatten them again.

And mum can always bring the paper balls back into their round shape with very little effort ! 

20. Sept. 2018
Rain, rain go away !

A rainy day did not deter the Playgroup children from enjoying a fun craft activity that was also designed to hone their fine motor skills: Making strands of rain and hang them from rainclouds (drawn by the mums)

Having taken a sheet of newspaper and checked out the feel of it, the children then tried to rip it into long strips. This was not an easy task, but the children enjoyed doing it again and again and in the end we had a nice pile of paper strips (rain) to throw into the air. 

Then they unscrewed their glue sticks, glued the pieces on the cloud and added a bit of crayon for more rain!

The finished clouds looked indeed very heavy with rain and the kids had shown amazing concentration !

Try it at home on a rainy day and get rid of that pile of old newspapers !