December Curriculum

Parents,   curriculum now explained under “Aistear” Headings

Special Events/Outings:

Christmas Concert (both classes).  Friday 20th December 09:15am SHARP for parents only. No more than 2 adults per family due to space. Please drop your child for 08:45am sharp so that we can get organised.  Santa Visit.  School will close after concert and reopen on January 6th.  No lunch bags or drinks need.

ECCE Children only:    Visit to Aghard’s Primary School – Junior Infant nativity – waiting on confirmation from school – will revert

Well – Being

Christmas Foods Project
Celebration of Christmas
Christmas Decorations
Dance
Outdoor Play

Identity & Belonging

Awe and Wonder of Christmas  -  Home and Playschool
Winter weather continued
Concert in playschool / Santa visit – parental involvement
Role play  -   elves / ride on Santa sleigh / off to the North Pole
Circle Time
Choice at free play

Communication 

Stories  - Santa’s Busy Day / Christmas on the farm / Little Xmas Tree
Listening Skills –  CD Christmas story
Songs –  Santa got stuck up the Chimney,  Little Snowman , Two Front Teeth,  Jingle Bells, First Christmas and many more
Music – Bells
News Time –  What will Santa bring etc

Exploring and Thinking Maths

Advent Calendar –  Counting Down to Christmas
Songs –  10 Little Santa’s / 1 2 3 4 5  One I caught a Fish Alive /
Counting – English 1 – 20
Counting – Spanish 1 – 10
Counting – Irish 1- 10
Counting Games  -  eg. How may red blocks /  how many green blocks etc.
Numbers :  8 + 9
Shapes – Repeat Rectangle

Exploring and Thinking Science

Ice melting – freezer items in freezer and watching the ice melt
Sink and Float
Antarctic Work Sheets

Exploring and Thinking – Art

Christmas Crafts –     Shiny stick and glue / Pudding / Cracker / Stocking / Card
Christmas Colours –  Red / Silver / Gold
Shiny Box on Display for Arts / Crafts

Display

Children’s Art on walls in playschool
Christmas Decorations
Christmas Tree
Christmas Chains
Advent Calendar

To be done on daily basis

- Free play (choice from shelves)
- Individual work time
- Discuss the weather
- Feeding the birds
- Helper Chart
- Circle time      (discuss weather / show and tell / introduce crossing the road / songs and
stories)

Week 1  Project
- Introduce winter to the children

Week 2 , 3 , 4 Project
- Transport  - Group project and individual work sheets for each child’s workbook
(Parents if you have any pictures of various types of transport at home please give to your child to bring into playschool)

Week 3
- Introduce senses  - discussion at group time
- smell box /  magic “touch and feel” bag

Crafts

- Colours  (winter colours)
- Winter crafts
- Free style gluing
- Free style painting

Nature Table – change to reflect winter

Wall Tree in Hall – change to reflect winter (snow / robin)

Physical Activity – dancing , movement , spacial awareness (indoors / outdoors)

NOTE TO PARENTS
Please ensure that you bring a coat every day for your child for outdoor play time as we try to spend some outdoor time with the class on a daily basis.

- Carrying a chair
- Walking in the classroom
- Rolling and unrolling a mat
- Introduction to where things go in the room – to tidy up and help
- Introduce each child to bag hooks, coat hooks, helper chart

- Circle Time
Week 1 – 4  :  songs and stories followed by discussion
Week 2 :    Introduce nature interest area (parents please encourage your child to bring in leaves, flowers, acorns etc.) for our interest area.

Weeks 1 and 4
- Care of books -  learning to turn pages and not to rip pages

From Week 2 onwards
- introduction to some individual work  – 20 minutes each day
- Free play – each day – choice board

Week 3
- Introduction to the seasons -  group activity  – discussion – stories

- Autumn project  – Wall Tree

Crafts

Autumn crafts /  Free style gluing / Free style painting

Daily choice from shelves e.g. table top / play dough / lego / home corner etc.

Normal day to day activities each day.

• Continue with Summer Season
  - teddy bear picnic – outdoor eating – revisiting carrying a chair outside
  (this will help the children for primary school)
• Outdoor Yard Games / Physical Activities / Spatial Awareness
  - hopscotch, mulberry bush, chalking, bubble time etc.
  - treasure hunt in the outdoor area
  - using our imagination games
• Visit from the “Lolly Pop” lady – crossing the road
• Baking -  Summer fruit kebabs and smoothie tasting
• Continue with writing of each child’s name in preparation for Primary school
• Crafts
  - Father’s day
  - Outdoor painting
  - Summertime
  - Graduation Craft
• Nature Table
  - Parents we encourage children to bring in summer items for interest area/nature table
• School Tour
  - Tuesday 11th June – Playzone 10am – 12:45pm
• School Party
  - Thursday 20th June  – last day of playschool
• Graduation
  - Friday 21st June – 09:30am for graduating children only and parents

Projects for May

“Just Children” Education for a  “Just World” in association with Trocaire and Kildare Childcare Committee

- 4 modules / two will be covered in May and two in June

This project is based on research into young children’s engagement with global justice issues.   This research found that from a young age children are cognisant of the world outside of Ireland and are building impressions of developing countries from images in the media and fund raising campaigns.  These images are often negative, unbalanced and unrepresentative.  This project will help our children to explore global justice in a way that is enjoyable, balanced and positive.

To help your child in their learning we will introduce the following items to your child;
- Story Book - ”Mama Panya’s Pancakes”
- Our journey to Kenya / Food / Climate / Education / Language/ Children just like them at
school in Kenya
- Worksheets
- Meet Adika (puppet)

www.trocaire.org/educationforajustworld

This project links into Aistear – The Early Curriculum Framework covering

- Well Being
- Identity and Belonging
- Communication
- Exploring and Thinking

All About Me (Continued)

- Individual Work Sheet relating to likes / dislikes that your child may have e.g.
Food, Smell, Dinner-Time, Clothes
- Playschool Class Family Tree
- Favourite Book / When I grow up I want to be!/ I would like to go on holidays to!  etc.

Areas of development: personal, social, emotional and creative

Senses
Smell -   Please bring in items from home if possible for our “Smell Box”
e.g  Sweet / Strong / Fresh smells
- What things your child likes/dislikes to smell

It will be explained to your child that when we breathe in through our nose the nerves send messages to our brain to tell us what the smell is.

Daily Work

Free Play
Individual Work Time
Discuss the weather  /  Seasons   / Nature around them
Numbers of the Month:  Revision 1-10
Colour:  Purple
Shape:  Hexagon (6 sides)
Helpers Chart
Circle Time

Weekly
Summer crafts

 Interest Area – Summer
Children are welcome to bring in items for the interest shelf depicting Summertime.

Outdoor Time – Daily

Physical activity – movement, exercise, dancing, self-control and spatial awareness.

Tir na nOg playschool are of the opinion that each child is an individual and therefore any negative situation that may occur will be dealt with according to the age of the child and circumstances from which it occurred. Tir na nOg playschool strives to provide positive feed back in negative situations and will do our utmost to explain and discuss our actions with the child thus promoting self-control, self-direction, self-esteem and co-operation from the child.

At no time will any display of corporal punishment or removing a child from the room for negative behavior occur. If a child behaves in a constantly disruptive manner, then a member of staff will spend time on a one to one basis to take time to help the child realize for him/herself why his/her actions are not acceptable but will do so in a caring, constructive and consistent manner.

If we feel it necessary we will involve the parents/guardian of the child in any decision we make and encourage their input in this situation. Above all, we understand that a child is not “bold” and feel strongly that a negative reaction is of no benefit to the child and so will therefore explore alternative avenues in dealing with these situations.  Positive reinforcement is encouraged at all times.

However if a child is showing continued ongoing negative behaviour and if no resoluation can be found after exausting all avenues with you the parents we will have no alternative but to ask you to remove your child from preschool.

-  Heathly Eating (tasting day)
(parents are encouraged to bring in healthy/unhealthy wrappers for our John/Edward Poster)
- Seasons continued
- Money – group games – going shopping
- Music project – worksheets  (group / individual work)
Children are encouraged to bring in musical instruments from home
Classical / Reggie / African / Traditional / Eastern European
- Baker shop game – turn taking
- Baking
- Crafts
Music Shakers to tie in with music project
Colour mixing
- Nature Table – Spring theme continued on our classroom tree
- Physical   – dancing, exercise and movement, self-control and spatial awareness
- Numbers 9 +10
- Letters – H / T
- Colour – Pink
- Shape – Rombroid (Diamond)

Colour :Yellow      Numbers   Revision 1-5       Shapes:     Square / Crescent

Projects:
“All About Me” -  Parents a family Photo would be great if you can remember to put into bag.
“Textures”
“Float / Sink”

Discussions / Worksheets:   Emotions/ Feelings,  Spring Time

Crafts:                             Mothers Day / St. Patricks Day / Easter

Details around activities and curriculum …