This week’s topics in Russell Robins were Fireworks, Exploring Colour and Diwali.

We collected our shopping from the Old Hall and a discussion was had about all the different types of fruit. The children all worked together and they used their super strong muscles to pack all the groceries into our reusable shopping bags. 

After returning from the Hall, we realised some of our dinosaurs were missing from our small-word dinosaur scene. We searched everywhere and then we found them…in the Long Garden. This was certainly very strange as they were toasting marshmallows around the camp fire. The children were very excited by this unexpected turn of events and hopefully you can see and hear their excitement in our video. Although, I must say, the dinosaurs were being very sensible by not getting too close to the fire.

After this, we joined all our Pre-Prep friends to read the special story which explained that sometimes dinosaurs come to life at night. After listening to the story, it all made sense because each day we found them in different places, taking part in different activities. Some of the activities included eating our fruit, walking across the tightrope and playing a circle time game. In fact, we enjoyed using the game which they left us and we looked at the picture cards to discuss and sort into the correct group of good friends or unkind friends.

Continuing with our weekly topics, the children made firework paintings with the use of forks and paint to create a pop and crackle effect. There was also some shiny netting to add some extra shininess. 

We watched a video of Rama and Sita explaining Diwali. This is an autumn celebration known as the Festival of Lights. A discussion was had and we spoke about how it is a happy time when families clean their homes, wear new special clothes, eat tasty treats and light little lamps to make everything glow and shine. 

This week’s cooking activities consisted of firework marble cake, pumpkin soup, sparklers, bread rolls and shortbread biscuits. The edible sparklers were the Robins favourite and they enjoyed adding sprinkles to the melted chocolate. Never wasting resources, we saved the pumpkin seeds and used them as an open-ended resource for our play-dough activities. 

We love nothing more than to spend time outside exploring the natural world. Lots of fun was had, throwing leaves in the air and watching them land around us. Of course, another one of our favourite activities is a yummy picnic. First the children explored the field and chased each other whilst also rolling around on the grass. Then we were super lucky to spot a tractor in the field so the lovely farmer drove near the fence so we could get a better view. Afterwards, we walked to the paddock and enjoyed our snack. It was lovely listening to the sounds of nature whilst eating in the great outdoors. 

There was a special treat this week for us and the children enjoyed helping Mr John water the plants before popping them in the ground. They used their super strong muscles to spray water onto the plants. 

During their time with us, the children learn many skills and they also have a lot of fun, which you can see on this week’s video. The children found it funny when I changed the words when talking about our daily routine. There is always lots of laughter coming from class and it is lovely to see the Robins so happy. 

Next week, our topic will be Storytelling and Nursery Rhymes, followed by Remembrance. We have lots of fun activities planned to support the children’s learning.The children are encouraged to bring in something from home (just not too big please) related to our weekly topic or anything else they would like to share or celebrate with us. Miss Ruby and I would like to thank you all for your support with our weekly topics. The Robins enjoy sharing their objects from home during carpet time and it is a fantastic way to build effective communication and listening skills.