Cashmore Early Years Centre children have been learning about Bonfire Night and Diwali this term, exploring stories, songs and creative activities across all groups.
All groups have been learning about Bonfire Night and Diwali through hands-on creative experiences. Children used clay to create Diva pots and decorated them with paint. They learned about being safe with candles and had the chance to blow them out at group time. Children decorated hand templates with different Mehndi designs, created firework pictures with paint and chalk, and used coloured rice and chalk to recreate rangoli patterns, exploring different shapes, lines and colours.
Hippo and Giraffe Groups have been reading Owl Babies, focusing on emotions and how parents and carers leaving can make children feel, and Dear Zoo, taking turns opening flaps and learning animal names. Songs have included Talkin’ Tunes, which help children learn to make choices and take turns using props, and 5 Little Ducks, focusing on numbers from 0-5. The groups have also been exploring toothbrushes as part of The Big Brush Club, with teeth cleaning sessions teaching children how to clean their teeth properly.
Zebra and Tiger Groups have been focusing on repeated refrains in stories including We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Peace at Last and Goldilocks. Children join in with words and actions to retell stories using small world resources, drawings and acting. Songs have focused on counting with one-to-one correspondence up to 5 and thinking about ‘one more’ and ‘one less’, particularly enjoying 5 Little Ducks with finger puppets and 5 Speckled Frogs with jumping frogs.
These rich experiences support children’s creative expression, literacy development, mathematical understanding and personal development.