Dear
Mattingley Families and Friends,
To
further explore the story of the Three Little Pigs we have offered clay and
natural materials for the children to continue to construct their houses with.
For some children this is the first time they have experienced clay, so it was
wonderful to see and hear them expressing their wonder and joy as they explored
the clay with their senses.
It
feels cold- William
It
feels good- Hudson
Did
you know it's made of dirt- Phoebe
It's
just good- Lola
It
smells like clay- Sofia
It
feels sticky- Alannah
Once
they had finished exploring the clay using their senses they began to create
with it. At first it was a little tricky because it is so different to play
dough, harder to manipulate, however it didn't take long before the children
had worked out how to mould it into shape.
I
make a space ship- William
I
make a house made of straw. It not very strong- Harry
I
made a sausage- Mack
I'm
making a strong house- Lola
I'm
making a brick house for the Mummy one. Quick, quick, quick! Close
the door the big bad wolf is coming!- Alannah
Mine
is bricks too. The bricks are strong- Dylan
This is
a mountain with a pokey stick- Kaeshav
I'm making
a giraffe- Phoebe
Look!
A lolly pop- Patrick
I'm
making a butterfly ladybug- Sarina
We have offered the clay to the children not
only to further extend their exploration into the story 'The Three Little Pigs'
but also because it is an outstanding sensory development activity for
their hands, especially their fingers.
At three we are all still working on our
fine motor skills and dexterity. The acts of rolling, squeezing and forming the
clay helps children to further develop their fine motor skills. We will be
focusing on the fine motor development of our hands and fingers this term,
working towards holding pencils and the pincer grip getting ready to begin more
meaningful mark making and letter formation.
Please feel free to spend some
time with your child exploring the clay. Moulding clay in one's hands whether you're a child
or an adult can be extremely calming and might just be what you need after a
long day in the office.
We hope you all have a wonderful and
safe Queen's birthday long week end.
Kimberley and Liana
