Vacation Care April 2016

VACATION CARE :D

Because vacation care is busy it only seems right to do an extra blog to fit it all in!

Firstly we would like to welcome a couple of new additions to OSHC and the school. Zara and William have moved all the way from Deniliquin, NSW. Happy you could join us here at Eden Hills!

To start the week we enjoyed a sunny and peaceful day at the South Australian Museum. Time was spent wondering through all the different rooms. Through histories, cultures and different worlds. The children learnt many interesting things about their world. We ate lunch and recess on the lawn outside. The children had to learn fast not to throw their crumbs and scraps to the pigeons as a flock of about 10 turned into a couple of hundred after a sandwich crust drew in the masses!

The children enjoyed the Mawson exhibit, with an ice wall where they could sink their hands into the ice if they waited long enough. The animal displays are always of interest. Particularly the penguins and birds got their attention after they watched a video of a man wrestling an albatross to inspect it. But finally, the absolute classic and beloved favourite of OSHC was the giant squid in the stairwell.

We spent Tuesday with Dwayne Nelson and ex-36er who came and taught some basketball skills including dribbling and shooting. Every child joined in and spent a wonderful hour getting their heart pumping!

Mid-week we all relaxed a bit with a clown day! We made clown hats and juggling balls together that were filled with rice. Sarah spent some time in the afternoon painting faces, although most students didn’t end up with a red nose. At the end of the day lots of people dressed up in silly outfits and put on a show, with juggling, dancing and acrobats.

On Thursday we put on our walking shoes yet again and went for an adventure to the Adelaide Festival Theatre. There we saw a gorgeous piece by the Patch Theatre group. There was no dialogue in the show but it was visually stunning and was accompanied by acoustic guitar. Later we had a discussion with the group and asked what they thought the story was about. Some thought it was about friendship, others thought there was a love story. But there were other creative ideas that they were planting seeds and growing forests.

After the show we had some lunch and a play next to the Torrens River. It was all fun and games until Damian was threatened by a pelican that wanted his sandwich. But alas! Brandon came to the rescue with his cappuccino.

As the week came to an end we sort some free range time at school. During the morning everyone made some yummy face biscuits and decorated them with lollies. Some spent their time in the SAC lying on the big blue mat and just chatting, others built forts and defended them and some stayed inside and played board games. Wonderfully not all the entertainment at OSHC is directed by the OSHC educators. Quite frequently we have the pleasure to watch new games develop. Damian enjoyed watching almost all of the boys role playing a zombie apocalypse game. There were bases and survivors running from the horde.

Recently Brandon has introduced a large number of children to D&D. Dungeons and Dragons is a wonderful game that allows children to think creatively and imaginatively and role play their characters. This type of game can teach students literature skills, by developing a character, responding to events and building their tenor (writing voice). It also helps develop their mathematics skills when rolling dice and considering distances and steps.

Next week we are looking forward to an excursion to the Planetarium, Hahndorf Farm Barn and Roller blading at the Rec Centre in Blackwood. We also can’t wait to see Helen on our art day!

Funday 8th of April

A fantastic couple of weeks have passed us by...

As the weather has changed so too has the vibe at OSHC. Our children have captured the last moments of truly warm sun and spent a lot of time out on the mini oval. With older girls teaching younger ones cart wheeling, handsprings and tumbles, others have played dodgeball and different variations of chasey.

But alas! The cold has finally gripped us with its chill. Lots of the kids have retreated into the SAC and inside, where there has been more card games, board games and creative play using waffle blocks.

Some like Margie have taken advantage of being kept inside and spent time creatively colouring in, drawing and making from our recycled materials. Some of the girls and boys have been creating houses for teddy bears and other making houses for snails.

Damian spent time playing Nutmeg with some children in the SAC, where you need to sneakily kick a soccer ball through other’s legs. The game uses precision, timing and control of the ball. It is also hilarious to watch!

Maya and Brandon were teaching Badminton skills out on the tiger turf through the week. The kids played individually and in doubles. They had to learn quickly about spatial awareness so they didn’t injure each other. But they also spent time working on team work and co-operating in games.  

As some of our garden has gone to seed or died off due to seasonal changes, we have decided to grow some of our own seedlings. We made the pots from recycled newspaper and sowed carrots, shallots, chives and coriander. Already we have some shallots sprouting!

Each couple of weeks we are surveying the children to find out what is important to them. This is so we can cater to children’s interests and preferences and be better informed. This week we are surveying what everyone’s least favourite afternoon tea is.

Night at the Museum- Movie Review by Chelsea H.

Night at the Museum was scary, fun, imaginative and creative. The statues, pictures and models start to move, talk and walk around the museum.  It was all kind of ends up in a mess. But a fun mess.

My favourite part was when the main character got spooked by the ghost. The ghost was creeping up behind him, it went straight through his head and scared him a lot.

The main character is funny, scared and weird. His name is Larry Daley, he is the security for the museum.

I would recommend the movie, because it’s really interesting and fun. It is rated PG.  Some bits were fun but some bits were boring.

I give it 7/10

Demon Dentist by David Williams- Book Review by Tasmin and Imogen

At the start David Williams introduces us to two characters, Alfie and his dad. They were poor and they lived in a bungalow. Alfie has very bad teeth. He never brushed his teeth, they were all rotten, and some were black and falling out. Alfie’s dad is very sick, his doctor told him never to go back into the coal mine that he used to work in, because he got lung cancer. The book is amazing, but kind of scary and sad at the end.

Tasmin: One of my favourite bits is when Alfie and his dad were in his little house with Winnie when she had a coffee which she was allergic to. It goes right through her.

Imogen: Another bit at the end where Winnie the social worker got married with the news agent Raj and Winnie had a very long middle name and last name.

It is very entertaining, funny and good when Maria (the teacher) reads it.

We give it 10/10

As a reminder to parents:

Please ensure you have let school know whether your child(ren) will be returning to school after sports day Friday the 15th of April. 

Also some Vacation Care days are filling up quickly. Please return any booking confirmation forms if you need specific days,

The new payment method through Qkr seems to be going well with some families reporting that it is convenient to use.

Friday 25th of March and Vac Care Program

Here it goes our first official post!!! We’d like to tell you a bit about our week and our goings on.

At the bottom you will find the Vac Care program. Please be aware that you will still need to fill in a booking form at OSHC.

Tuesday 15^th: The kids spent time playing board games. One Night Ultimate Werewolf was easily the favourite. Sometime was spent in the SAC with the older boys playing cricket for a large part of the day while others made cubby-houses using the chairs and blankets. By the end of the day everyone was exhausted and enjoyed relaxing and watching the newest Sponge Bob movie.

If you would like to play One Night Ultimate Werewolf at home, cards can easily be made on paper and the app is free! It is a great game for children, each person gets to act out different roles, use critical problem solving skills and question each other to uncover the truth.

Friday 18^th: Damian spent the evening playing cricket with the boys; there was a great amount of sportsmanship with the players being resilient to getting out and taking the defeat in their stride. There has been a focus on participating fairly so that the game keeps moving. The players need to know that after batting they need to get involved fielding so the game carries on.

Friday is our movie night; we had a giggle watching Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit last week.

Our staff member Sarah attended a training session during the day at the Lady Gowrie centre. The training was focussed on holistic planning for our children and worked with the My Place, Our Time framework. It was aimed to improve and reiterate the importance of planning meaningful activities to suit student interest and needs.

Book Review by Ava W. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

The book is a fantasy action quest book with lots of magic.

The characters are Bilbo Baggins the hobbit, Gandalf the wizard, Smeagle the more humanised version of Gollum, a twisted crazy hobbit like thing crazed by the ring (and really scary if you ask me, in the movie more so).

I think the kind of people that would like the book would be someone that would like to stay up all night reading it until the break of sunlight.

Rating:  is 8/10.

Tuesday 22^nd: At the end of the day we like to switch off the computer and the Wii, as a way of calming down for the evening. This is a great time where we encourage the use of geometric shapes, dominoes and the marble run. These are activities that regularly involve different children who wouldn’t normally spend time together. They have the opportunity to collaborate, design and trial different ideas.

Wednesday 23rd: In the afternoon we had lots of active children running around and getting their heartbeats racing. There was basketball and cricket in the SAC and poison ball and games outside. Inside there was a great game of monopoly, but like all games of monopoly it was deserted mid-game! But I’m sure there were lessons of economy and trading before the desertion…

Thursday 24th: Due to Good Friday being a public holiday, Thursday became our Fake-Friday. This is when we have a movie and eat ice-cream a day early (To the children’s absolute delight). We had a fun evening watching Princess and the Frog, played some more One Night, Ultimate Werewolf. There was basketball in the SAC again (a growing interest at OSHC), soccer on the oval and cricket on the tiger-turf. 

Movie Review by Laszlo: Big Hero 6

The movie is about a boy named Tadashi who made a marshmallow guy who helped people. He was like a doctor and his name was Baymax. Tadashi died in a big fire in school. Hiro was Tadashi’s little brother. They lived above a café. It was about superheroes and friendship.

9/10

 Here are some creations through the week. Top left, a world designed by Milla and Ava. Top right, a marble run that was as tall as a child. Bottom, a necklace made by Madyson.

 Vac Care Program: Please remember make bookings at OSHC.