World Book Day: Penguins Part 1. This was Ioan’s choice of theme for our World Book Day ‘book club’.

Resources

  • Fiction books about penguins
  • Teepee
  • Emergency blanket
  • White fleece blanket
  • Blue knitted blanket
  • Blue silk scarf
  • Bath puffs
  • Cut out fish
  • Blue and white bracelets
  • Bananas
  • Chocolate
  • Icing

Method

We started of by reading some of our favourite penguin fiction books. Ioan helped read some of the sentences and Finn helped by predicting the rhyming words for us.

Next we did some sensory play. This was mainly for Cian, as most of our Penguin activities this week will be for his big brothers. Having said that, they all enjoyed dressing up as penguins and playing with the different sensory materials in the teepee!

They dipped bananas in chocolate to make edible penguins, adding orange smarties for beaks and feet, and icing eyes. Then at bedtime, they chose their favourite books to re-read.

The following morning Ioan went off to his school World Book Day in his penguin outfit (after a slight misunderstanding… he thought he could take his brothers as his costume accessories!) and Finn carried on reading to Cian.

DfES Early Learning Goals (2017)

Literacy

ELG 09 – Reading:

Children read and understand simple sentences. They use phonic knowledge to decode regular words and read them aloud accurately. They also read some common irregular words. They demonstrate understanding when talking with others about what they have read.

DfES Outcomes for EYFS (2013)

Physical development

Moving and handling (Birth to 11 months)

• Turns head in response to sounds and sights.

• Gradually develops ability to hold up own head.

• When lying on tummy becomes able to lift first head and then chest, supporting self with forearms and then straight arms.

Personal, social and emotional development

Self-confidence and self-awareness (Birth to 11 months)

• Laughs and gurgles, e.g. shows pleasure at being tickled and other physical interactions.

• Uses voice, gesture, eye contact and facial expression to make contact with people and keep their attention.

Managing feelings and behaviour (Birth to 11 months)

• Is comforted by touch and people’s faces and voices.

• Shows a range of emotions such as pleasure, fear and excitement.

Making relationships (Birth to 11 months)

• Enjoys the company of others and seeks contact with others from birth.

• Responds when talked to, for example, moves arms and legs, changes facial expression, moves body and makes mouth movements.

• Recognises and is most responsive to family’s voice: face brightens, activity increases when familiar carer appears.

Literacy

Reading (Birth to 11 months)

• Enjoys looking at books and other printed material with familiar people.