Why plan for children's learning?

When you plan appropriately for children, you demonstrate an awareness that all children are different and that these differences can be catered for both as individuals and as a group in context.

Thoughtful, informed planning reflects children's interests, their differing learning styles and shows that the educator understands the constraints and attributes of the setting.

Therefore when we plan for children it should be clear and easily accessible to educators and families.
Plans and programs can cover a session, a day, a week, a month or even a full term if you wish. Your individual planning style depends on the educators in your team and your own professional views on what works best in your setting.

Plans should be flexible and offer children the opportunity to add input and directives at any stage. The best planning approaches are conducted with the collaboration of children, educators and families, creating a holistic view of everyone's needs, interests and successes.

 http://www.ourlittletreasure.com.au/

Scissor Skills - Helping Children Strengthen Little Fingers

How to Help Your Child Improve Their Scissor Skills
Using scissors is one of the great challenges that every child faces somewhere along the line between holding a pencil and starting school. If you are brave enough to allow your child to use scissors at home, they will be getting lots of practice. But sometimes, that just isn't enough to ensure that your little one's scissor grip is at its best.

Below we have put together a few ideas that will assist your child in developing strong fine motor muscles (essential for cutting and writing), whilst also giving them some fun activities to try.

Try some of the following...
- Encourage your child to develop a cutting action by playing with barbecue tongs. Put a few small objects (balls, teddies, dummies, blocks, etc) around the table and have a game to see who can pick the most up.
- Encourage your child to squeeze play dough through a garlic press.
- Sing finger action songs with your child, the movements strengthen fingers to help with holding scissors and pencils.
- Give your child a spray bottle filled with water and let them spray it around the garden.
- Put out chopsticks at meal times for your child to try.
- Give your child play dough regularly to squeeze and roll and push. It strengthens little muscles and feels great.
- Help your child to punch holes in cardboard with a hole punch.
- Have an adult hold a thin strip of paper so that your child can cut across it with a single snip.
- Encourage your child to gently snip the edges of paper so that it makes a fringe. Use your new fringing skill to make a hat or use the fringing strips to decorate art work or craft.
- Cut thin paper strips to make grass for a collage.
- Draw a thick line on some cardboard and have your child cut, following the line. As your child improves, make the lines squiggly, or draw large shapes for them to cut around.

Find this and more helpful activity ideas like these at www.ourlittletreasure.com.au

Introductions

We have certainly inherited some characters at this place!
With the sale of the house came 4 chickens (Maisey, Daisy, Bertha and Poppet) and a very large Rooster named Winston Churchill.

We also inherited a barn cat, here she is in one of her friendlier moods ;)

  Actually, she is quite delightful now that we've bonded. Her name is Cool Cat, but I just call her Blossom as Cool Cat seemed a little aloof for a fuzzy.
To add to the fun, we have a friend's horse staying with us - this is Merlin. Merlin is an ex race horse, living out his days in paddocks of lush green grass and sunny spaces. He's quite a character, but that's for another story.

We brought our own two fat fluffy house cats, Indy and Fatso. They have settled well and with all the room they now have, they must think they are in heaven!
In this amazing mix we have also added our Curly Coat Retriever, Rocky. He's cheeky, poorly behaved and utterly divine. Here he is wearing his best behaved face for the camera.

So many new faces, with more to come!

Wow How Time Flies!

I'm a little surprised to see that it's been 3 years since I last posted on The Treasure Trove. I knew it had been a while, but certainly not that long.
So in that case, I think it might be fair to say, welcome back me.
There has been quite a deal that has happened since I last chatted and the world looks infinitely different to when we last met.
Where to start....
I moved house, to a farm. There.
A year ago we bought this fabulous little farm house on 5 acres with the promise of a better life for us, for our children, and hopefully for their children in the years to come. We spent 6 months renovating and the labour of our efforts is finally paying off with a beautiful house full of personality and just the way we wanted it.
Some ups, some downs, mostly ups I'm happy to report. This has all had a huge impact on the way I see the world, my teaching and certainly the opportunities that all this space presents.
I will write more regularly as I have now cleared away enough of the cobwebs to allow me to put things in a clearer light. There is always so much going on here....

Can't wait for you to meet everyone.