Blog 1: Welcome to the Frog Class Blog

Welcome to the Frog Class blog! This is where I'll share updates and insights about our classroom experiences. I'll be posting every couple of weeks, sometimes with links to Google photo albums and other times with embedded photos, so the format may vary. This week, the full class was together for the first time. You can find the photo albums from this week in the links below.

AM Class

PM Class

Please note that your child's appearance in the photos may change from week to week. Our aim is to capture authentic moments in the classroom that reflect the shared experiences of our students. The pictures help me remember conversations, discussions, and displays of social interactions. Please take the time to view and share the photos with your child. Even if they are not in a particular photo, they may be able to tell you about what their friends were doing or what they observed. These photos give you a window into their classroom experience.

Settling In and Exploring
The children are settling in beautifully. They're exploring their new environment and getting comfortable in the classroom, and their unique personalities are beginning to shine through. It's fascinating to watch them navigate these first weeks, discovering, learning, and connecting through play. They are learning to act responsibly in their new space, and it's a joy to see them grow. There are still a few tears on separation for some children, but please be assured that this is completely normal.  It may also be the case that the seemingly confident children may have a 'wobble' a couple of weeks into the term, so we are not out of the woods yet!

Learning  & Inquiring Through Play
We provide a variety of play activities with specific learning goals in mind, focusing on social interaction, fine motor skills, independence, resilience, and problem-solving. You might see what looks like a messy classroom in the photos, but that's just the magic of play! It means our planning is working!

Opportunity and Time
The most crucial elements in our classroom are opportunity and time. We provide the chance for students to revisit activities over multiple days, enabling them to extend their learning and explore topics more deeply. It's remarkable how different each day can be, even when the same resources are available. The children are also learning social cues and appropriate behaviour as they navigate their new environment and interact with their new peers.

Mistakes and Growth
We understand that children will make mistakes, and that's okay! In new situations, they might cry, make others cry, and repeat these behaviours until they develop self-awareness. Tears at separation time or during the session are normal and will subside. Spilling water, knocking over paint, having toilet accidents, it's all just part of growing and learning.  Please rest assured that we will be in touch if we think anything needs a little more attention. We very much promote the growth mindset!

Independence begins at Home

Working on independence and self-help skills is key.  Remember, opportunity and time are crucial – the opportunity to practice and time to master these abilities. Children gain so much confidence from being able to do things by themselves. One idea is to have a "school day at home" where your child can wear their uniform, pack their bags with their water bottle and snack box, and show you what they do at school. Let them know you're interested and allow them to do everything themselves. If they struggle, encourage them to try again and offer tips before stepping in. Independence breeds confidence! 

This is also a good opportunity to check that your child can open and close their snack boxes and water bottles truly by themselves. If they can't, we would appreciate changing their snack box/water bottle to an easier model that they can do independently, or at least with minimal help.

Open-Ended Questions
Sometimes, the question "What did you do at school today?" is too big for this age group early in the term and you might get the response "I just played" or "I did nothing" 

Here are some alternative questions that might elicit more responses:
What was the best part of your day?
What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
What was the funniest thing that happened today?
Did any of your classmates do anything you liked or didn't like?
What did you play with today? Who did you play with? Do you remember their name?
What song did you sing?
Did you help anyone today? Did anyone help you to do something?

I look forward to sharing more adventures with you in the next class blog.  

Please feel free to email me at any time if there is ever anything you wish to know more about.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Dawn