New Additions to Gracefields Childcare - Gilstead's Family

Pre-Nursery / Nursery 1 Sunflowers

Ethan Lee Kwang Yee

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Dear parents,

Our Pre-Nursery / Nursery 1 class is growing steadily. Ethan had just joined us about two weeks ago and he had settled down very quickly. He joins the class for Circie Time and he enjoys singing "The Wheels on the Bus" particularly. Well done, Ethan!

The rest of the children are more familiar with the teachers and the classroom environment. They are beginning to show interests in exploring the materials and resources independently. With the children more responsive to the teachers, the curriculum has began to take shape slowly. The children are engaged in various learning experiences constantly.

I am very proud of all the children at Gracefields Childcare - GIlstead. Many of them has indeed improved by leaps and bounds from the first day of school. I look forward to a year of never ending learning experiences together with the children.

Cheers,
Angeline

Music & Movement - Miah O'Donnell, Kajsa Annika Xueli Friberg & Katrina Leck

Area of Development : Music & Movement / Gross Motor Skills

Learning Objectives : To enjoy dancing to the music / practice gross motor exercise

Description : This video captured the girls dancing vibrantly to the music, "The Freeze". It was an impromptu Music & Movement lesson and the teacher decided to record it on video after witnessing how enthusiastically the girls were dancing to the song. They indeed showed the potential of entering the next dance competition and emerging as the champions!

Watch Us Learn Thru' Play! (All Levels)

Area of Development : Creative Expression & Free Play

Learning Objectives : To gain a better understanding and knowledge of the world / interact with peers in the classroom environment / express their creativity using various mediums

Description : At Gracefields Childcare - Gilstead, children are actively learning through their play experiences with their peers. Throughout the past 3 weeks, the children explored new resources and continued to 'invent' new ways of playing with the available ones.

Wen Pei, Miah & Kajsa pretened to be sitting on an airplane.

Elijah went on a nature walk and picked up flowers.

Elijah's Ceation (Fish? Dragon? Frog?)

Yu Min's Creation (Robot? Giraffe? House?)

Miah's Painting (It is being displayed at the staircase now.)

Katrina draw expressively during free play.

Wen Pei made a house with recycled materials.

Yu Min created a masterpiece with different art materials.

Elijah made a watch using papers.

Play Dough for US! (PN/N1 Sunflowers)

Area of Development : Creative Expression / Motor Skills / Cognitve

Learning Objectives : To explore play dough / help to pour the needed ingredients into the mixing bowl / repeat the name of the ingredients after the teacher

Description : The youngest group of children in the school has shown great independence and creativity when they made play dough with the class teachers. Most of them got the opportunity to smell, touch and see the rare ingredients needed to make play dough. Not only the children helped to pour the ingredients into the big mixing bowl, they also mixed them together to create the play dough. Some of the more articulate children were able to repeat the name of different ingredients after the teacher. Others were amazed to witness the change in colour of the play dough when the teacher poured the green food colouring onto the play dough. Now, the play dough is ready for the children to knead, roll and twist into various forms!

Royce helped to pour the salt into the mixing bowl.

Ethan helped to pour the flour into the mixing bowl.

Jasmine helped to pour the water into the mixing bowl.

Jasmine tried to push her fingers through the play dough.

Ethan tried to pull the play dough to make it into a long snake.

Threading is FUN! (N2 Lavenders)

Area of Development : Fine Motor Skills

Learning Ojectives : To practise fine motor skills / reinforce eye-hand coordination / introduce patterning

Description : This group of Nursery 2 (Miah & Kajsa) were having great time experimenting with the newly purchased threading set. It comes with coloured balls and strings for the children to engage in concrete threading experiences. It stimulates children's eye-hand coordination when they pushed the strings through the holes found on the balls. On top of that, teachers can use this threading set to introduce patterning concepts to the children. All in all, Miah & Kajsa exericsed patience and age-appropriate motor skills during this learning experience.

Miah was overjoyed when she finished threading.

Kajsa was proud to show of her set of threading manipulatives.

The girls decided to try it all over again!

Number Sense (K1 Orchids)

Area of Development : Maths Knowledge

Learning Objectives : Counting up to 20 / Recognising numerals up to 20 / matching the total count in a group to the corresponding number.

Description : The Kindergarten 1s (Elijah & Yu Min) were engaged in a Mathematics learning experience to reinforce the number concept. It involved them to recognise numerals up to 20, count up to 20 independently and matching the total number in a count to the corresponding number accurately. This activity might look really simple to the adults, but it takes a lot of cognitive ability for this age group to complete it without any help from the teachers. Bravo, Elijah & Yu Min!

Elijah demonstrated the ability to count up to 20 independently.

Elijah recognised the numerals up to 20.

Yu Min counted up to 20 without any external assistance.

Yu Min matched the correct number of semi-circles to the corresponding number.

New Additions to our Gracefields Childcare - Gilstead's Family

Pre-Nursery / Nursery 1 Sunflowers

Royce Ho Xing Lun

Alvin Chris

Yeo Rui Kang

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Nursery 2 Lavenders

Katrina Leck

Reanu Tarin Ali

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Dear parents,

A warm welcome to 2008 at Gracefields Childcare - Gilstead. From the beginning of this year, we have grown significantly in numbers. As you can see, there have been a couple of new additions to our family and I hope it will continue to grow.

The new children are adapting well to the classroom environment and are settling down. This is indeed a big step for them to take, as many of them are first-timers in school. Well done!

I will also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to all parents for their support in 2007. I look forward to work together with you in 2008 for the best interests of your child.

Cheers,
Angeline