Friday Newsletter 14 September 2018

14 September 2018

Good morning Moms and Dads,

As this new day is upon us, let us “not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let our requests be known to God.” Philippians 4:6

What a lovely week it has been! The children have started to enjoy water play outside now which they just love… And they are so busy!  Our bikes at the bike track are cleaned every day, along with anything else that the children decide to wash… And great fun is had in the sandpit with water too. The diggers in the sandpit are working overtime, and the sandcastles are abounding. How beautiful the weather is!

Here is just a glimpse of some of the wonderful Water Animal artwork that the children have made during their activity time this week:

Here is Teacher Allison enjoying Kindermusiek time together with her little ones.

Parents, please take note of the following IMPORTANT DATES:

1. With holiday time now just around the corner, please note that:

• School will be closing on Friday the 28^th of September and will re-open on Monday the 8^th of October.
• Holiday care will be available from Monday the 1^st of October until Friday the 5^th of October.  A reminder to Parents that Holiday Care is over and above monthly school fees and is payable upfront.  As this is a short holiday, in order to cater for staff, bookings for your little one to attend will only be possible if booked and paid for upfront before next week Friday the 21^st of September.  A reminder that holiday care fees are non-refundable should your child not attend for any reason.  Please see Holiday Care reply slip below and return either to Anne or to your Class Teacher before next Friday, the 21^st of September.  Costs are as follows:

06:45 – 12:00   R50 per day      06:45 – 14:00   R60 per day      06:45 – 17:30 R80 per day

          Please note that Monday the 24^th of September is a public holiday and so school will be closed

2. And secondly, we have our Helpers Heritage Day celebration here at school on Tuesday the 25^th of September, as Monday is a public holiday.  Heritage Day is an important day in South Africa as it recognises different aspects of South African culture and encourages South Africans across the spectrum to celebrate their cultural heritage, the diversity of their beliefs, and different traditions.  Please could we ask Parents to pass on this date to their Helpers, should they wish to come and spend this special time with us and with the children here at school.  They are also most welcome to dress in their traditional outfits for the morning.  The time is from 10:00 – 11:00 am.  To cater for numbers, please let your class Teacher know as soon as possible if your Helpers will be joining us.  Looking forward to it!

One of the activities that we focus on here at school is Puzzle Time, where the children are exposed almost on a daily basis to a wide variety of different age appropriate puzzles. This time is always beneficial to them, and although sometimes challenging, is always encouraged and enjoyed by the children. Here is an interesting article regarding puzzles for Parents to read:

WHY PUZZLES ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR KIDS LEARNING?

BY JANICE DAVIS (https://www.learning4kids.net/author/janice/)

From early childhood right through to adulthood we love to play with puzzles.  We like the way they challenge our thinking and exercise our minds. Puzzles are also an important educational learning tool for toddlers and young children as they provide many skills and mental learning benefits and opportunities.

BENEFITS OF PLAYING WITH PUZZLES

COGNITIVE SKILLS:

Puzzles come in a whole range of themes and topics such as alphabet letters, shapes, vegetables, numbers, pets, transport and colours. It increases their visual spatial awareness and develops a deeper understanding of these themes and topics. All children learn differently, and puzzles may be their medium for grasping an understanding of certain themes such as alphabet letters.

PROBLEM SOLVING:

Completing a puzzle, even the most simplest of puzzles sets a single goal to achieve. Toddlers and children must think and develop strategies on how to approach in achieving this goal. This process involves problem solving, reasoning skills and developing solutions which can later be transferred into their personal/adult life.

FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENT:

Puzzles are a fun way for children to develop and refine their fine motor skills. When engaged in playing with puzzles, children are required to pick up, pinch and grasp pieces (some with small knobs, pegs or chunky pieces) and move them around, manipulating them into slots, sorting them and fitting them into the correct places.

HAND AND EYE COORDINATION:

Playing with puzzles requires a trial and error process which involves a lot of hand and eye manipulation. For example, as a toddler or child places a piece of the puzzle that does not fit, they will try all over again where their actions involve doing what they actually see.

SOCIAL:

Puzzles are a great educational tool to enhance and promote cooperative play. As kids work together to complete a puzzle, they will discuss where a piece should go and why, take turns and share and support each other when handling frustration, then sharing the joy of finishing the puzzle.

SELF ESTEEM:

The accomplishment of achieving a goal brings so much satisfaction to a child. Overcoming the challenges involved in solving a puzzle really gives them a sense of achievement and pride within themselves. It provides a boost to their self-confidence and self-esteem as this prepares them for other challenges in life. Puzzles are a fun educational toy that challenges young minds, teaching and preparing them early in life some very important life skills.

Now that you know exactly what they can do for your child, here are some tips for getting your child to play with and engage in puzzles:

• Make sure they are age appropriate. While it shouldn’t be so easy that your child could do it in their sleep, being too challenging could frustrate them into giving up.
• Bright, fun, and colourful shapes and pictures can help engage younger children and hold their attention for a longer period of time.
• If at all possible, find puzzles that appeal to their interests. Is your little one an airplane fanatic? Obsessed with princesses or trains?  Find puzzles that incorporate those things!
• Work with them on a more difficult puzzle. While they still shouldn’t be too incredibly hard to put together, the difficulty level can be slightly increased if you work on completing a puzzle with them. Not only will their minds have to work a little harder, but you’ll get in some quality time with your little one.
• Have them create their own puzzle. Who wouldn’t love putting together a puzzle that they made themselves!

Our Water Animal theme will continue next week

Our Bible theme for next week is:  A path through the Sea

That’s it for this week Moms and Dads. But before we go…

A little thought for the day

We cannot control the wind, but we can direct the sail

Blessings to all for a wonderful weekend ahead

Love Anne, Chantal, and the Team at Baby Blessings