Rainbow spaghetti sensory play day

We had another little indulgent sensory play day today…the rainbow spaghetti day was such a hit last time, that we made some more yesterday! The children had to find some hidden treasures in the spaghetti, and had a super time exploring and playing with the squishy, wobbly, colourful strands.

Nadine came to do a German enrichment session with the children. They sat outside, under the tree. Looks so lovely!

Recycled toilet roll jewelry day

Today the children worked really hard at making colourful jewelry from painted and cut toilet rolls. They were brilliant! They first had to paint the toilet rolls...Daniel invented the brilliant technique of rolling one's roll in the paint instead of painting it with a brush. Super creative problem solving Daniel! 

Once dried, the children strung the "roll beads" onto a piece of yarn to make a necklace/ bracelet/ whatever other creative and decorative use they can think of. A great fine motor and sequencing activity for little ones.
Some of the pictures are a bit blurry, but I LOVE how proud the kids look of their handy works! Well done gang!

 Super shape making Christian!

Elephant Toothpaste Day

Today we did an exciting Science experiment! We mixed yeast, food colourant, dishwashing liquid and Hydrogen Peroxide in a bottle - what exciting results!  The foam just bubbles out! The kids were enraptured by the experiment.

Here is what happens:

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) naturally breaks down into water and oxygen.  It is stored in opaque containers to help slow down this process.  Catalase (an enzyme in all living things, including yeast) speeds up the reaction.  Dish soap catches the oxygen and makes bigger bubbles and the food coloring makes it look cool.  The foam and bottle feel warm afterwards because the reaction is exothermic.

The foam is safe to touch…it is just water, oxygen and soap. 

We have a cutting station at the moment, where the children can practice holding and using scissors. We are using little plastic scissors to cut playdough with. The kids make either little snakes or pancakes with their playdough and then snip away. Cutting is a tricky but very gratifying skill to master. Our little ones are tackling this new challenge with great fervor! They are still using both hands to use the scissors and the concentration on their faces is priceless! Constantia and Shasmida are showing them how to use the scissors correctly at the start of every session, but they are allowed to use their own problem solving skills to cut that dough! 

Fizzing Art Day

Today the children created Art by dripping vinegar with food colourant into a bowl of Baking Soda. They were absolutely fascinated with the bubbling chemical reaction happening every time the colour would touch the Soda! Adding and mixing the colours made a pretty tie dye effect in their bowl. At the end of the activity, their bowls were  delicious foamy messes...perfect for stirring and exploring with little hands as a sensory activity!

Nadine came to do a German enrichment class today and the kids seem enraptured by her story in one of the pictures!

Our fine motor activity for the week is weaving scarves and ribbons through holes of various sizes.

Our outside exploration activity for the week is scooping and measuring…we filled a large bowl with rice and beans and the children use measuring cups and spoons to explore different quantity measurements.

The kids made music together...I LOVE the creative way Etienne is playing the triangle! I laughed so much when I saw this pic!

A super day of playing and exploring gang…well done!

Potion mixing time!