Riain’s mum Erin came to FDC again to talk to children about her profession – physio therapy. We all are saying big thank you to Erin for such interesting and educational group time.
Физиотерапевт? А кто это?
News
Как дела в живом уголке?
Зайчата подросли, очень любят кушать и бегать. Наши новые жители живого уголка обжились, чувствуют себя прекрасно. Дети обожают увлажнять контенер для палочников, наблюдая как они ползают и качаются.
Новая четверть в Знайке!
Снова открываются двери нашего мини центра русского языка «Знайка»!
Надеюсь, все хорошо отдохнули и готовы к плодотворной работе.
группы:
Четверг — с 18 до 19 второй класс
Пятница —
16-17 — подготовительный класс
17-18 — третий класс
18-19 — первый класс
До встречи на уроке!
Our new pets
Stick insects are amazing animals. They have the most incredible camouflage and their shapes and colours make them some of the most difficult animals to spot in the wild. Australia has over 100 species of stick insects, with some of the world’s largest and most spectacular species occurring in the northern parts of this country.
More about health
We had a special guest today. Riain’s mum Erin came to FDC to talk to Kalinka’s and Karapuz’s children about her profession – physio therapy. Erin explained what it means, who are physiotherapists, who we can meet at hospital. She demonstrated her job using our doll helping her to recover after accident. Children knew what doctors start with when they reach sick or injured person, how they check patient. They learned names of some medical tools and equipment, how they work, what they are for. Erin demonstrated a few actions on Elena making children smile. Then our group moved to physical exercises session. We warmed up a bit doing exercises and then learned yoga – animal poses. Children tried to do all poses copying Erin. Some were easy, but some were hard. We practised to balance and move own bodies. We all are saying big thank you to Erin for such interesting group time. We greatly appreciate your participation in our learning program.
National Cosmonaut Day at Karapuz
12th April is National Cosmonaut Day in Russia. We celebrated this fabulous day with Kalinka group. Children listened to a story about first flight to Space, first passengers of space ship – dogs Belka and Strelka, about first human – cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. We sang a song about Solar system counting and naming planets.
Then children had to pass a test to be cosmonauts. They spun in centrifuge (spinners), crawled through tunnels in space ship, pulled themselves from space ship to orbital station, jumped on meteorites and so on. All children were active, energetic and happy to become cosmonauts. Then we went on a space journey flying from one planet to another one and doing some activities on each planet. At the end we played guessing game with astronauts counting rockets and learning the rhyme.
Harmony Day with FDC Kalinka
Harmony Day is today. We celebrated this event with FDC Kalinka introducing idea of multiculturalism. I told a story about aboriginal boy Khode which invited children from different parts of the world to Australia. We talked about South and North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia pointing them out on map and globe. Children compared pictures of people from around the world, their skin, clothes, hair and eyes.
Then we introduced Irish, Italian, Brazilian, Macedonian and Russian dances to children . They watched videos attentively and then we tried to do some simple movements from each folk dance. We discussed costumes and music. For Russian dancing Kalinka children wore shawls (girls) and hats (boys).
At the end we were drawing to the music. Children listened to song “Kalinka” doing painting. We talked about different tempo in music and associated it with long and short movements of brush.
Harmony in action — St Patrick Day
Children learned about St Patrick’s Day which is this Saturday. They played guessing game about Leprechaun enthusiastically taking turns and following rules. Then we wore green hats and learned actions for “I’m a little leprechaun” song. Children watched video and copied actions. They tried to repeat words and sing with Leprechaun.
We also watched video about rainbow song and learned colours calling them in Russian and English. Children liked to find rainbow colours in our room and on clothes.
The most exciting moment of our group time was “pot-of-gold” hunt. Everyone enjoyed to dip hands in rice and find gold coins. We had pot-of-gold from Leprechaun at the end.
Learning about Ireland
It was a very interesting group time today with Erin (Riain’s mum). We learned about Ireland – motherland of Riain’s family. Erin explained to children how far from Australia Ireland is, where it is, how it looks like using globe and map. Interesting pictures told about national day, national sports, music, food and traditions.
Children watched video about Leprechaun and listened to a different version of “I am a little teapot”. Erin taught us Irish dance and we tried to jump making leg’s figures.
And also children enjoyed to play with Erin having picnic on floor.
Thank you very much, Erin, for such lovely time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSJsP_EBhR4&sns=em
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thXRlW2WLwk&sns=em
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_fNGD5tCCI&sns=em
Мы строили, строили и, наконец, построили…
Build, Create, Play: The Benefits of Playing with Building Toys
Материал с сайта: http://mommyuniversitynj.com/2014/07/16/build-create-play-the-benefits-of-playing-with-building-toys/
We all know that playing with building toys is beneficial for kids but did anyone ever tell you why?
Building toys have significant cognitive and academic benefits for children of all ages. Not only are they fun and exciting, but they help kids develop a wide variety of skills and abilities. They help prepare kids for school, sports and life! I guess you can say that these toys are the “building blocks” for success!
Did you know that playing with toys such as Legos, blocks and K’Nexhelps kids develop now AND in the future?
There are both short and long term positive effects of playing with construction toys. For instance, kids can learn basic colors and shapes which are rote and immediate, while also learning visual-spatial awareness which will help develop future reading and writing skills. Kids will also learn to cooperate with others as well as problem solve. Both skills are needed in childhood and as an adult.
Mommy University Presents
Benefits of playing with Building/Construction toys
Improves Fine Motor Manipulation and Strength
While playing with building toys, kids have to learn how to move and manipulate various shaped objects, big and small, as well as have the fine motor control to “click” them into place. This helps build motor strength as well as visual skills and motor planning.
Enhances Spatial Awareness
Building toys help kids enhance their visual-spatial skills which is crucial for reading readiness. As kids build, they have to understand spatial organization in order to create a structure that does not topple over.
Encourages Thinking and Reasoning
Every time a child builds and creates a structure or even an entire world, kids have to use reasoning and critical thinking skills. They also have to problem solve when something does not work the way they hoped it would. These skills are what make children become well-rounded, independent and successful adults!
Involves Focus and Patience
Children need to work slowly and carefully to be successful at creating their designs. This helps build their ability to focus and maintain attention for longer periods of time. It also teaches the important skill of patience.
Sparks the Imagination!
Building toys allow children to create their own fantasy worlds and stories. Using the imagination boosts cognitive, academic, language and social growth. As they create structures, they also create stories which leads to greater verbal skills including their ability to tell stories.
Builds Confidence
Once that masterpiece is finished, children are so proud of their accomplishments. It increases their belief in themselves which, in turn, boosts their self-confidence.
Helps Develop Problem Solving Skills
When building, kids need to decide what will or won’t work. They have to think quickly and readjust designs when needed. This helps build important problem solving skills which are needed in school and in life.
Encourages Children to Use Their Minds Instead of Relying on Technology
Kids today rely too much on technology so it is always beneficial to play with toys that focus on hands-on, interactive fun that requires thinking skills!
Can Lead into Pretend and Imaginary Play
Once the castle, fort, city or whatever your child creates is complete, then the story telling and pretend play begins! This is great for social and language development.
Introduction to Science
Through building, kids learn to experiment and make new discoveries about how things work. They are also introduced to worlds of architecture and design which brings them into the STEM world.
Helps Develop Math Skills
Introductory math concepts are introduced such as counting, adding, subtracting and basic geometry as kids play with building toys. Not only can children build shapes and numbers with the toys, but they can also count out the pieces and use mathematical calculations to build the perfect design.
Encourages Cooperative Play
Often times kids play with their peers when building so it helps foster teamwork and cooperation. Kids learn to work together and take each other’s advice. Turn taking is also a skill gained when building together.
Are your kids not ready to build?
Some kids are either too little or just not interested in building. That’s okay because building/construction toys can be used in other ways to enhance learning. Here are some ideas:
- Label the colors and shapes of the building materials
- Sort by shape, color and size
- Count the blocks/pieces
- Use the blocks or Lego pieces as manipulatives for math word problems. For example, you have 10 Legos and take 3 away, how many do you have left?
I hope these benefits have encouraged you to head out and buy some building/construction toys. If a limited budget is a problem, then use household items such as:
- Cups
- Various sizes of bowls
- Cardboard boxes (including shoeboxes)
- Cans (including empty peanut butter jars and coffee cans)
- DVD cases
- Books
CLEVER STEPS 