PERIOD PLAN FOR BLÅBÆRTUA SPRING 2017
We are finally looking forward to hanging up our winter playsuits! Even though the weather
has been very varying, spring is here now with bluebells and wood anemones (hvitveis) in
the woods around Veritas, and the trees have started to get green leaves. We are singing
“Kom mai du skjønne milde…..”
Important dates for the spring:
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Wednesdays 3rd, 10th, 24th, and 31st of May:
Nature school for the Maxi
children
-
Thursday 11th of May:
Open house in the
kindergarten due to 40th
jubilee (separate invitation)
-
Tuesday 16th of May:
The day before the day
-
Tuesday 23rd of May:
Parent meeting at 3.30pm –
4.30pm
-
Friday 26th of May:
Planning day – kindergarten
closed
-
Thursday 8th of June:
Visit to the farm
-
Saturday 10th of June:
Volunteer work in the
kindergarten
-
Wednesday 14th of June:
Barbecue party in the
kindergarten
-
Thursday 15th of June – Friday 16th of June:
Trip to Saraholmen for the
Maxi children
ASSESSMENT OF THE PREVIOUS PERIOD
We have continued our work on the kindergarten’s focus areas playing and relations.
Language – which is also a priority area – is tied up with the focus areas.
Playing shall have a prominent place in the children’s lives in the kindergarten – and we
shall provide the children with opportunities for playing, self-expression and meaningful
experiences and activities.
We set ourselves a goal in the autumn that all the children should gain a better
competence for playing, and that everyone should have someone to play with.
Not only should the children expand their competence, but us adults should also gain
more knowledge and awareness around playing throughout this kindergarten year. This
was explained in the previous period plan.
During this period we have “sharpened” the playing, and we decided to use transport as
a topic for playing.
We have used “grasp of concepts” to define the word transport. The children have a lot of
associations surrounding the word transport, and we decided to focus on trains. We then
had a new round of defining the concept of trains. This way all the children were engaged
and participating in the process, and we also use dour language. All the children were
active and managed to both express what they wanted to say, but also to wait their turn
and listen to what others had to say.
As described in the previous period plan, we have now made some adjustments to the
physical space so that we could facilitate for the chosen topic for playing.
We also watched films about trains, both “proper” trains, and cartoons about “Tøfferud”
(Chuggington). This was in order to give the children some joint frames of references to
take with them when playing.
The railroads in the hall has been used a lot, and we noticed that the children – with
support from the adults – managed to expand and develop the game, and they managed to
keep the game going for some time. We also saw that the children got better at both
asking to be included in the game, but also to invite and let others join.
The most popular room – or “the carriage” – was probably “the dining carriage”. There
the children eventually managed to swap between the roles of being a guest and those
who worked there. Those who worked in the dining carriage were those who wore a
white coat and who took the orders, which were written in a notepad they had with them,
and who also served. The others had to sit by the tables and order what they wanted to
eat and drink, then wait to be served, and lastly to pay for their meal. Then they drove on.
Here we saw that the children could enter different roles, cooperate, and that they had to
talk to each other to take the game further. If there were not enough guests, some of the
children found out that they could use dolls as guests. Us adults were active participant at
the beginning – so that the children understood what the different roles were.
The sleeping carriage underneath the stairs became a nice place to be. There they could
“pretend sleep”, as they called it themselves, or just relax with a book. This place was also
open to everyone.
We moved a few shelves and put some stools behind to make a kind of train carriage, this
worked well at the beginning, but it was difficult to develop the game. What we noticed
was that it was a nice playing nook for the youngest children who could hide away a bit
and “read” and play there. They also used the stools to stand on – to play on top of the
shelves. Some of them said they had been on a train with a toy carriage, so in a way it that
is what it turned out to be!
The children have been more eager to play with the train outdoors, and we hear them use
words such as “dining carriage”, “locomotive”, “sleeping carriage” etc. whilst playing there
as well.
We finished the project about trains with taking all the children on a proper train ride.
This was a great excitement for them, and they paid great attention to what was
happening on the train. They saw that the train conductor waved their flag and blew their
whistle when everything was ready and the train could leave the station, and there were a
lot of stations on our train journey from Sandvika to Heggedal.
We took the bus from Høvik to Sandvika so that they also got to know another form of
transportation.
We feel that the children have, through this playing project, gained a better competence
for playing, they have gained more knowledge about trains, and they have through the
game expanded and developed their language, and developed good and safe relations.
The adults have supported and helped the children with this – with love, courage and
enthusiasm!
THE ROAD AHEAD
For the rest of the kindergarten year we will continue with the topic of playing and
relations. We will focus on another form of transportation and have decided to learn
more about airplanes. (But we can most likely not promise to end this project with a
plane ride!!)
We will begin by defining the concept of airplane – and then see where this leads us. A
plane has room for many passengers and there also has to be someone to drive the plane,
and someone to work in the cabin. The children will participate in the process of learning
about this, but the adults have a clear goal that the children will continue the good
cooperation between them, the good sense of playing and further develop good relations
and friendships.
We will look at making further changes to the physical space around us in order to
facilitate for this type of game, tidy away some toys and put out other toys. We have to
hunt for a plane!
We will also watch films about airplanes – and use the children’s own experiences of
traveling by plane.
We spend a lot of time outside during this time in the kindergarten, which means that we
will keep an eye on nature and how it changes. We will continue to actively work on
playing outside so that all the children will always have someone to play with – and we
will ensure that the game outside also develops in a good way.
We will do this both in the kindergarten and outside the kindergarten. We see that the
beach and forest are exciting arenas for playing and which provides different types of
games.
May is a month of celebration! Not only are we marking Norway’s National Day on the
17th of May (or on the 16th of May for us), but we will also celebrate the kindergarten’s
40th jubilee.
We will learn about why we celebrate the 17th of May in Norway, we will talk about the
Constitution, about Eidsvoll and how we celebrate this day in Norway.
We will show love by including each other in the game, we will show courage by having
adults who dare to play, and we will see enthusiasm when everyone can join in the game.
RELATIONS AND LANGUAGE
The adults have through active participation in the game also worked on relations and
language. It is our responsibility as adults to help the children become the best version of
themselves. When children’s actions are experienced as negative it is often because they
lack the skills to do it in a different way. This is what we as adults must help them practice
and teach them other strategies.
We do this by using a personal language with the children and we are clear about what
we expect. We acknowledge their emotions, give personal feedback and provide lots of
positive reinforcement for the behaviour that is good!
We show love by everyone doing the best they can, we show courage by having adults to
dare take responsibility, and we will see enthusiasm because it is fun to be together.
Language is a tool in playing, learning and social interaction, and shall be supported and
developed through conversations and experiences with the children and adults. We
actively use language with all the children through using concretes, emotions, actions and
experiences.
The kindergarten has introduces day boards to all the departments as an extra support
for the language, and to get a good and predictable overview of the day.
All the children who require it attend smaller language groups – and each week all the
children have a time for storytelling in a small reading group.
These measures help us see – and hear – a good development of language with all the
children at Blåbærtua.
THE SUBJECT AREAS
The Framework Plan emphasises seven subject areas that the children shall gain
experience in during the kindergarten year. We do not work with each subject area
isolated, but they are often represented together in project work, everyday activities and
during trips in the local area.
These subject areas are:
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Communication, text and language
Art, culture and creativity
Nature, environment and technique
Ethics, religion and philosophy
Local environment and community
Numbers, space and shapes
Body, movement and health
DOCUMENTATION
The beginning of this period plan is a documentation of what, why and how we have been
working on the focus areas. Every day a daily summary is put up in the hall, and we take
pictures which are put up on the board, and we fill the children’s folders with memories
from the kindergarten.
At the parent-afternoon on Tuesday 23rd of May, we will show and tell you what and how
we have been working on our topic this year.
This can also be a topic which we talk about at the parent conversations which will be held
during week 19.
VALUES
We wish – and work towards – making sure that everyone, both big and small, shall thrive
and develop in a good way at Blåbærtua. We do this through the kindergarten’s values,
which are:
Love – ensuring the children’s integrity – give the children time and space to learn and
develop in their own time. Include each other.
Courage – challenge the staff to try new things and new ways of doing things. Adults who
dare to play.
Enthusiasm – let the children gain versatile experiences so that they can find out what
they like and what inspires them. To be part of and participate in the game.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
We remind you that the water bottles must be filled each morning, and must be brought
home to be washed!!
It would be good if you tidy and fill up the children’s drawers with changes of clothes.
Mittens and winter clothes can be brought home now!
We wish spring a warm welcome – and look forward to many lovely days together during
the rest of the kindergarten year.
The Maxi children are finishing up their time in the kindergarten now, and are getting
ready for the next stage!
Please contact us if you have anything you would like to express, whether it be praise of
criticism. And we look forward to talking to you all at the parent conversations.
With best spring regards from all of us at Blåbærtua
w/Olga