Ms Hogan's Blog: August 2014

Friday, 29 August 2014

with our wonderful Mrs McKinney

Saturday, 23 August 2014

We compiled a group of photos into a video and added the music from Bruno Mars "Count On Me". With the help of Sam (Ms Hogan's son) we created a great video.

Friendship from Nichola Hogan on Vimeo.

Friday, 22 August 2014

Whanau Time August 22nd

The Little Dandelion Seed from Nichola Hogan on Vimeo.

Every Friday afternoon Room 3 spend an hour doing Developmental Activities. The children call it 'Free Play' and basically it is just that. Play is defined as any activity that is freely chosen, intrinsically motivated, and personally directed. It stands outside 'ordinary' life, and is non serious but at the same time absorbing the player intensely. Play is not a specific behaviour, but any activity undertaken with a playful frame of mind. All types of play, from fantasy to rough and tumble, have a crucial role in child development. Play is the lens through which children experience their world, and the world of others. If deprived of play, children will suffer, both in the present and in the long term. With supportive adults, adequate play space, and an assortment of play materials, children stand the best chance of becoming happy, healthy, productive members of society.

Here are a few of the activities we did during our Developmental Time on Friday...

We taught each other how to make loom band bracelets

We 'traded' our gold medals for computer time

We played Connect 4 on the white board (looks like they both won this game)

It was such a beautiful afternoon so we played hockey outside

We got a visit from a reptile friend

Luka brought in his gecko to show us, it was really cool.
He told us all about his gecko and promised us a baby when he gets one.

The children are provided with a range of activities to choose from including:
* playdough
* drawing
* dressing up
* helping Ms Hogan in the garden or on Enviro projects

We look forward to Friday afternoons to have some fun together after a long week of learning.

Wednesday, 20 August 2014

The Daily Five is a literacy structure that teaches independence and gives children the skills needed to create a lifetime love of reading and writing. It consists of five tasks that are introduced individually. When introduced to each task, the children discuss what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to engage in the task independently. Then, the children work on building their stamina until they are successful at being independent while doing that task.
When all five tasks have been introduced and the children are fully engaged in reading and writing activities, I am able to work with small groups and confer with children one on one. This structure is effective, the results are amazing, and the children really look forward to Daily Five time. Ask your child about Daily Five and see what he/she has to say. I anticipate your child will tell you about the class stamina, how we are working towards independence, and maybe you will even hear about some of the fantastic things your child has written, read, or listened to during our structured reading time.

At the beginning of the week we select the our Daily 5. At the end of every round (15mins) the children will move to their next activity and settle to work.

We are loving the Daily 5 in Room 3