School and Minischool afternoons

Here are some moments we shared with the School and Minischool groups during our afternoons in the past few weeks.

Minischool

There is always so much to do! You can choose one of the activities at the table—working on letters and numbers, creating something at the creativity table, or discovering new ways to use playdough. You might also spend some quiet time in the book corner, open a restaurant, build a house, a hut, or even a plane!

With the Minischool group, we continued exploring numbers and letters. What happens when we put letters and playdough together? Amy, Eden, and Luna decided to make small “boards” from playdough and press letters into them! Amy chose to stamp her name, while Luna experimented with different letters and tried to read them.

There is so much interest in numbers! We invented a game where all the animals need to find their home. Everyone was eager to help—they counted the animals and matched them to the house with the same number. And once each animal was home, they even got a present!

We have been talking about winter, and in the afternoons, we explored and observed snowflakes. Did you know that all snowflakes have the same structure but each one is still unique? We discovered shapes like hexagons, triangles, and rhombuses that can be used to create snowflakes—and, of course, we made some beautiful ones ourselves!

Sometimes, the stories we read inspire new games! This time, we read a story about a flying competition, and that same evening, we built different flying objects. Mathilda and Gabriel used big blocks, while Leon had a different idea—he decided to use chairs instead!

It was a rainy day, but we still wanted to go outside. What would we find? The children had lots of ideas—snails, slugs, worms, and even ladybugs!
We went outside, but none of these little creatures were there. After a discussion, the children came to a conclusion: “It’s too cold! They must be hiding!” But we were lucky enough to see the truck cleaning the trash bins, and we even had time to make magic potions and cook some delicious pretend meals!

School

In the afternoons, we like to continue projects we started earlier, but there is always time to discover new things, try new games, and simply enjoy being together!

Drawing plays a big part in discovering new things. At one table, the boys are busy drawing different types of transport—right now, it’s the metro. Charlotte is sitting with them but is telling a story through her drawing: she is visiting the doctor today, and he always gives her some sweets!

Another time, there is important work happening at the big table—researching and discussing different dinosaurs. To understand them better, what could be better than drawing them too?

What can we do with playdough if it starts to dry out? How about building a maze for a ball! We can create it on our own or work together with a friend. We can shape lines, add bumps for the ball to jump over, and think carefully about where the start and finish should be.

We keep working on numeracy! With some, we practised counting and writing numbers, while with others, we explored further—learning about addition and even subtraction.
 

Before creating their own game, we played several board games. Numbers follow us here too! To know how many steps to take, we had to throw the dice. The ladders moved us up and down, but then we had to figure out which direction to go.
“If I’m on number 43, which way do I move next? Will it be 44 or 42?”
“How many steps can I take in total in this game?”
Through play, we practice counting, recognizing numbers, and thinking ahead!

Bruno spent the whole day working on discovering big numbers. He had a clear goal in mind: opening his restaurant! He knew that to run a business, you need to understand how to count and handle big numbers. By the evening, Bruno had built the restaurant out of big blocks and opened it to visitors.

  • Of course, we find time for all kinds of activities! In one corner, Teo, Aaron, and Darius are playing with penguins—this time, they’re going on vacation! Meanwhile, Luna, Maria, Leonardo, and Alan are at the office, doing very important work—they’re first responders! People in need of help are calling them, and they’re ready to spring into action. 
  • With small blocks, Sam, Chris, and Aaron are imagining and building different kinds of robots. Aaron notices: “It actually looks like a big letter H! I’ll build a small h too!”
  • After playing, it’s time to clean up. Folding a blanket can be tricky, but it’s much easier when we do it together!

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