Magazine 2017

We love our Crackerjacks unit and especially delight in taking care of and getting to know each little person. Every Friday this year, the Crackerjacks have been involved in Baker’s Man. Each member of the group was given the opportunity to be the “Baker’s Man” and sell special cakes to their friends. They have delighted in this little “buying and selling” experience. The Crackerjacks’ favourite shows this year were the Dog Show and Petting Zoo . Our little ones had a wonderful time petting, feeding and cuddling the little bunnies, rats, guinea pigs and potbelly piglets. Many of our Grade 000's have been with us since Crackerjacks and now have the opportunity to show us how big they are and how much they have grown. They are proudly feeding themselves and are very happy to use the bathroom independently. Their day is full of playing, reading and telling stories, music, and fantasy. The children love playing in the big garden and demonstrating their skills on the jungle gyms. They always enjoy music, and delight in singing all of their favourite nursery rhymes during the visit from The Lilliput Players . Old Macdonald definitely remains an all time favourite! Baking and sensory play are very popular activities and of course it is too delightful to watch these little people figure out and explore their little worlds through fantasy play. If you visit the classroom, you will almost certainly be offered something delicious to eat that they have cooked in the home corner or kitchen. The “Soft Bricks” continue to be a popular material to build with and encourage great fun and fantasy. The Grade 00's discussed what they want to be when they grow up and enjoyed a day dressing up as mommies, daddies, teachers, firemen, policemen, doctors and ballerinas. Some of the children are very creative and want to be involved in some very interesting jobs one day. We hope to provide our little people with their first glimpse of the world in a safe environment where the fun of growing up, solving problems and developing confidence is learned through personal experiences. Our activities are geared specifically for our little people to have fun, explore and discover themselves as well as the world around them. Creative activities include painting, pasting and exploring a variety of textures and materials. Music and singing form part of this programme, and sand and water play provide rich sensory experiences. The little ones love to engage in games, puzzles, shape sorters and pegboards. Physical activities are promoted to develop gross motor coordination and a curiosity for the world around them. “I love reading books and ‘show and tell“ -Duma Tsotsa “I love playing outside” -Nina Havenga “I love robotics” -Ethan Franks “I like reading stories” -Willem Snyman “I love playing with flour” -Scarlett Gunn “I love my locker” -June Black “My favourite part of Grade R is drawing pictures” -Georgia Smit 14 Parklands College, Twentieth Edition, 2017