Class 1 Term 3

Winter Reflections

Our Class 1 community has melded like molten rock; they work, play, move, sing and dream together, and each individual member of the class is growing more confident and relaxed in themselves.

The children are writing and practicing their lower-case letters in large and small print, in the air and acting out the letters by sitting on the tables. Exploring the direction of each of the 26 letters, some are ground dwellers that curl up tight, others reach high to the sky and then there are divers that dive down into the ocean depths. Oh, then there is left and right plus getting the curved and straight lines in the right places. I never considered how complex the task of writing was until having taught it.

When it comes to writing at their desks, the children are working on posture and pencil grip, all-important habits for the future. The movement program helps with body geography, strengthening core muscles and activating a wider range of sensory experiences.

The children have continued to explore the 4 processes in math and many display a passion for counting. They love counting in twos, fives and tens and building rainbow facts to 10. With the Steiner curriculum set up the way it is, counting from the whole to parts always offers room for success. We have explored the school grounds and counted windows, steps, posts and marbles.

Music, music everywhere: inside and outside the classroom. We practice daily singing and recorder playing and the children have made clap sticks from some blackbutt branches found in the Fairy Dell. Both Kath and Tony have enriched our class with fun songs and rhythms that always end in dancing.

Each child is busy in craft, weaving their final rainbow colours into their recorder cases. They have made dream catchers and have been busy sanding knitting needles. Also Will Douglas has captivated the children’s imagination with his wonderful art lessons and his stories of the cheeky Brae Rabbit.

Thank you to all staff and families who have brought their presence to the classroom, without the bigger community holding these little ones, we would not have such a rich curriculum.

May the molten rock continue to melt and change. Who knows what course it might take?

Lovingly, Lyndal