TOPIC: HOSPITALITY
This year I want to be a little less haphazard about my two little one’s activities. A4 will continue to have her one hour school with me doing Mathusee Primer and Jolly Phonics. I want to be more purposeful about the fun school I do with the two little girls. To this end I’ve created a Preschool Adventure Box and a written frame-work with which to organise my planning of the short units I do with them. Each week the two youngest are given a preschool adventure work box full of lots of exciting activities for them to do throughout the week. They are allowed to have a quick look through to build up their excitement for the week ahead.
This week we did a bit of schooling together with the older children. Periodically a topic comes up which I feel all the children would benefit from. This week, using the book ‘If Jesus came to my house’ I decided we would look at hospitality and how, as a family, we could serve our neighbours with it.
Read alouds and go along books
Factual books
For more book themed ideas see:
Book Led Play Dough Fun
Each morning I put out some play dough at their table with a photocopied sheet of the cover of the book we are studying. They both really enjoy play dough and having different themed cutters and molds each week keeps it fresh and exciting. This week I changed it a little by giving them moon sand play dough with a making food kit to go with it. I also borrowed some plates and cups from their pretend play box so they had something to put their creations onto:
Dress up and drama
- Dress up this week consisted of me going through the clothes which I put aside for them for their seasonal clothes package I do. I picked out the sweetest little tea dresses I could find and popped them into the box for wear during our tea parties. These were dresses the girls hadn’t seen before so it was very exciting!
- We have a dolls house which my dad bought the twins years ago, with all the bits inside. This was used to role play working together to help have the house in order for guests:
- My mum bought A4 a tea party set in china with napkins and table cloth all in a beautiful basket which was perfect to be used this week:
Trays
We did very few trays this week as most of the activities we did we all did together. The odd couple we did do were all about building skills: folding napkins and laying the table; making up a jug of drink and pouring it into glasses.
We also used an art curriculum which we own which reinforces manners and hospitality:
There are lots of drawing and colouring in activities inside, so A4 did some for tray activities.
Games or Group activities:
Most of our time this week was spent talking. Prior to B1 being born we had people around for a Sunday roast every week. This has happen less frequently over the past year or so, but has remained a priority and something we always planned to return to. With B1 sleeping through I felt the timing to start up again was right. Really my goal this week was to show the children that hospitality was all about love, about that important commandment to love our neighbours. Then the guys roleplayed and roleplayed and roleplayed some more ALL week!
- Tea parties, encouraging them to see and find and make beauty in the everyday events of life:
- We also learnt how to make scones and jam and served them with a pot of jam each day when daddy got home from work:
Printables
DVDs
Our special themed tea and muffin tin meal
- We invited Granny and our neighbours around for a little tea party:
Our muffin tin was three mini, heart shaped scones with jam in a pot, cream, cut up strawberries, bananas and kiwi with milk to finish:
For more muffin tin ideas:
For more ideas on activities to do with your tots and preschoolers:
For more ideas from B4FIAR:
