Practical life: This area is closely linked to Personal, Social and Emotional development
Practical life activities are the first activities that children are introduced to when they join Little Oaks. They are fundamental in developing a child’s natural drive towards increased independence. The objects in the practical life area will be familiar to your child and include tasks such as pouring, polishing, buttoning and threading using real life tools and ingredients. The activities in the practical life area develop a child’s ability to look after themselves and their environment.
Sensorial: This area is closely linked to Problem Solving, Reasoning, Numeracy and Language
The sensorial area is designed to stimulate and refine a child’s senses. Your child will develop a sound knowledge of shape and size, volume, sound, colour and taste through activities which include exercises in contrasting, discriminating, pairing, seriating and grading. All these activities create a solid foundation for future mathematic and literacy activities.
Mathematics
Your child will have the opportunity to experience and experiment with a range of materials designed to provide concrete examination of abstract mathematical concepts. Numbers are initially introduced as quantities and then as symbols. Once a child has a sound knowledge of both, they move onto more complex concepts such as addition and subtraction.
Literacy
We hold group circle times daily, involving singing, games, topics and storytelling. These sessions are valuable in building a child’s listening and communication skills, as well as concentration and confidence.
Children practice their pencil control by drawing around geometric shapes. Later they trace over sandpaper letters and learn the letter sounds. When the child can associate the letter shape and sound they move on to building short phonetic words. Children then progress to reading such words.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Here we focus on developing the children’s knowledge and understanding of their environment, together with other cultures. Activities will include history, geography and biology. Our school garden gives the children hands on opportunities to plant, tend and observe. Areas of science are also explored, including seasons, growing plants from seed, life cycles, floating and sinking experiments and magnetism.
Physical
At Little Oaks children have access to a wide range of activities that develop their fine and gross motor skills. They are able to practice their balancing skills, their ball skills or simply run, skip and jump in our large outdoor environment.
Creative
A variety of creative activities are available for the children everyday. A paint easel is always set up and there is a wide range of materials to use imaginatively in the creative area including drawing, chalking, tracing, cutting and sticking. Cooking activities take place regularly and children have the opportunity to sing, dance and play a variety of musical instruments.
