Last Friday we were all very excited to welcome our local Firefighters from Greenbank Fire Station.  Preschool were preparing all week! The firefighters spent time talking about the protective gear they wear and showed them the kit on their fire engine.  The children were keen to see the metal cutters being operated and they learnt how to use the hose.  They were curious and confidently asked some great questions.  Some older children from Phase 1 and Phase 2 came along to do some sketching too.

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Magic Beans and Books

For World Book Day Preschool took part in a carousel of activities where they could make porridge, plant magic beans, share stories with Year 1 and build houses for the little pigs. They enjoyed looking at some of their favourite books and sharing their own stories.

Some children decided to make the Three Little Pigs a house out of different materials today. They used sticks, wood shavings and lego to help build their creations.

Preschool In Space

We have been following our topic of Exploration which has led us into the dizzy heights of Space this week. The children have been role-playing in our Space Rocket and learning about what it is like on the Moon. We have been looking at the differences between Planet Earth and the Moon and even went for a visit ourselves in our rocket. We travelled for four days before exploring the new environment, we had great fun but it was nice to come back home again after!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Christmas in Preschool
Parents and friends were invited to enjoy our singing and share the delicious cookies and drinks we prepared. We were delighted to have Father Christmas join us in our celebrations and make the afternoon even more special.

Preschoolers use blackberries to make paint!

Children in Preschool made their own paint from squashing blackberries and mixing powder paint together. They made lots of different colours, such as orange, pink, purple and brown! They used the paint and leaves to create the forest where the three bears live. We had lots of fun and got very messy as we created!!

Mixing Paint in Preschool from Plymouth School of Creative Arts on Vimeo.

Preschool Play Leaders:

Phase three students Lilly and Errin have been working in preschool as play leaders, helping to support the PE curriculum and in preparation for sessions that they will be leading as part of the festival of sport.

 

 

Rhubarb Crumble

Preschool children harvested the rhubarb from our garden in the rain, enjoying the leaves as  their umbrellas!  They carefully chopped up the rhubarb learning how to be safe using a knife, added sugar, orange juice and rind and then stewed it for a little while.  The children used the tips of their fingers to rub together the flour and butter, added sugar and then some oats.  They enjoyed sprinkling the crumble mixture over the rhubarb before it was popped in the oven. They tried really hard not to lick their fingers in the process!  All the children had a taste for their afternoon snack.  We invited some friends to try some too. It was enjoyed by all!

 

Potion Making

Preschool enjoyed potion making last week. They explored new colours, textures and smells. Some creations made you lightning fast, and some of them turned you into a princess.

 

 

Making aprons for pre-schoolers

Year 7 and 8’s as part of their making projects formed their own textiles company to create a set of cooking aprons for the preschool.

Students began by measuring pre-school students and choosing a style of apron which would fit the varying sizes of students. Working to a design brief which specified that the apron had to be washable and was to be used for cooking, year 7 and 8 students made four designs each to present to their student.

The preschool student then chose their favourite design which year 7’s and 8’s then made.

These images taken by textile studio staff and students really celebrate the wonderful learning and collaboration happening across this project.

Through the eyes of Preschoolers

Students within the preschool get the chance to choose film making and photography using the iPads as one of their optional activities everyday.

These wonderful images capture not only the wonderful things happening within pre-school but also the students wonderful imaginations and ways of seeing the world!

To see these wonderful images made by students click on the image below to access the whole gallery:

Life of Bears

In Pre School this term the children have shown an interest in the life of bears.  We have explored their habitats and built a bear cave.  We have also been thinking about their diet. Bears like to eat fish so Andy went to the fish market and bought us some Pollock. He helped us examine the different parts of the fish and we compared their bodies to ours.  Then Andy showed us how to cut the skin off the fish in a special way.  Some of us touched the fish’s eye! When Andy had filleted the fish, we helped make them into fish fingers.  Andy cooked them and then we all tasted them with ketchup.  We thought they were delicious.

Technology Through time

Year 7’s work alongside preschool students to look back at the lives of hunter gatherer people. They practise making tools, storytelling and producing cave style painting using mud and sticks, and what a great way to introduce our preschool pupils to our new Year 7s.

Technology Through Time from Plymouth School of Creative Arts on Vimeo.