A Session at Wombats
Playschools are specifically designed for 3 and 4 year old children, to prepare them for preschool. Wombats Playschool is a structured program, run by a trained teacher, which focuses on the needs of the children. The children participate in a variety of activities, which encourage them to form relationships with their peers, interact together and develop skills to build on once they begin more formal school. Some of these activities include singing games, craft, painting, play dough, outdoor play, physical activities, language activities, numeracy games, free play and experiences in a large group.
We do follow a timetable so children can feel secure in knowing the routine, yet it is flexible so that we can take advantage of weather and experiences that interest the children.
Our days currently run as follows:
9.15 – 9.30 – Arrival of children
9.30 – 9.45 – Welcome/Mat Time
9.45 – 10.30 - Inside Activities
10.30 - 10.45 - Fruit Break
10.45 - 11.15 Resume Inside Activities
11.15 - 11.30 Group Time/Music & Movement
11.30 - 12.30 - Outside Activities
12.30 - 12.40 - Group Activity
12.40 - 1.10 - Lunch Time
1.10 - 1.20 - Relaxation/Meditation/Yoga
1.20 - 1.30 - Story Time
1.30 - 1.45 - Group Time/Farewell
Inside play includes, but is not limited to
-
Puzzles, books, big blocks and lego table (with duplo);
-
Home corner – dress ups, shops, café, post office, hair dressers, vets;
-
Tactile activities – playdough, slime, finger painting, kenetic sand etc;
-
Craft activities – threading, painting, drawing, gluing, cutting, box construction
-
Themed craft activity (ie. for Easter, Mother’s Day, Father's Day, Christmas) etc;
-
Construction toys – lego, mobilo, k’nex, gears & wheels, magnets, marbletrack;
-
Imaginary play – dinosaurs, cars & track, trains, blocks, dolls house etc;
-
Fine motor table activities – threading, peg art, hammering cork shapes etc;
-
Drawing – with pencils, crayons, textas etc;
-
Games – picture bingo; matching games, memory etc;
-
Other table activities – fuzzy felts, magnets etc;
-
Science/Discovery table – birds, the ocean, silkworms, magnets etc;
Special activities/projects include but not limited to
-
Cooking
-
Larger scale construction
-
Making bird feeders
-
Group art projects
-
Games tables
-
Group floor puzzles
These inside activities allow for both structured activities and free-play to suit the child’s individual needs and interests.
Outside play includes, but is not limited to:
-
Playground;
-
Swings;
-
Gardening;
-
Sandpit (with trucks, diggers, rollers, shovels, bowls, pots, pans and outside oven);
-
Gross motor activities – bikes and scooters, obstacle course, tennis, basketball, soccer, golf, cricket etc;
-
Art activities – painting using different paints, mediums, materials, brushes, hands, leaves etc
-
Tactile activities – seeds and funnels, shovels, water and water wheels, slime etc;
-
Quiet outdoor activities – farm animals, dinosaurs, reading tent, small cars and track, dolls & prams, fairy garden, gardening & group games
-
Imaginary play – cubby house (made out of A-frames and blankets), tents, steering wheel with chairs to make car or bus, blocks for constructing buildings; hobby horses, dress-ups, etc. These inside activities allow for both structured activities and free-play to suit the child’s individual needs and interests
Group time includes, but is not limited to:
-
Music
-
Dance
-
Drama
-
Language
-
Songs
-
Stories
-
Show and Tell
-
Mystery Box
-
Guest Speakers