December 9th 2016

This week we have had a big focus on nature. The children have been collecting different artefacts, including plants, insects and rocks and looking at the closely. Some have been using crushed rocks to make paints, others have been collecting bugs to see what they will eat.  There has also been a creative element, where students have made images and mandalas out of leaves, petals and twigs. 

Cricket is back in full swing now (pun intended). We are being very mindful about the increasing heat outside and encouraging sunscreen and games later in the evening when there is less chance of sun burn.

OSHC is slowly getting in the Christmas spirit with our decorations. This week we have been working on stars and snow flakes to hang around the dining room. 

SuperFight has been a massive success at OSHC. We have even had a few parents ask where we got it. If you are thinking this is a great gift for Christmas, it certainly is. BUT you will need to filter through the cards and remove any before you let the kids play. This is because there are some adult cards, which we ourselves removed. 

This week we experimented in the kitchen. We wanted to make brownies but didn't have the right ingredients. This was a great opportunity for some problem solving. Eventually we ended up with Milo and Nesquick brownies instead of using cocoa. 
We also made a delicious batch of choc chip biscuits Wednesday night. 

It seems that many of our young people are in a dreaming mood. We have seen lots of people make the ideal home, bedroom or car out of recycled boxes and craft items. 


Thursday before the End-Of-Year concert, we took the opportunity to relax. Because we understand that the night was going to be long and exhausting we chucked on a couple episodes of Pokémon, did some baking and got prepared for the night ahead. 

Friday night was a lot of fun, with some new Wii games, cubby house building and our usual movie night. 

Note from Staff

Please inform staff of your bookings for next year! If we don't hear from you we will just continue your bookings from 2016.

Unfortunately we have had many children lose Pokémon cards lately. While we do our best to find things when they go missing we won't always be able to recover them. If children are particularly worried about losing them, consider not bringing them to school. As this is becoming an increasing issue, we are considering changing our stance on displaying them around OSHC. 

December 2nd 2016

This week has been pretty varied in what we have been doing; the kids have spent a lot of time coming up with their own games and activities. This included super hero battles with blanket capes, water fights with our misting spray bottles, creating their own boomerangs and attempting to rescue a $1 coin from down the drain pipe.

A new game called ‘SuperFight’ has grabbed the attention of the younger boys which involves a mix of humour and creativity. This game uses ‘character’ and ‘attribute’ cards to create a personality for the individual and then they argue about whose combination would win in a fight, you have to be increasingly innovative to win, making it very challenging. Some of the outcomes have been both hilarious and well thought out.

As per usual the older girls spent their time talking or reading books in comfy nooks about the place and also helping out our staff with various tasks that were sufficiently interesting.

As the hotter weather has come back, so too has the reptilian wildlife in the area meaning many of the fellas have gone out skink and gecko hunting, with a surprisingly large amount of success! We had 4 scaly little friends living quite contently inside one of our OSHC hats for the majority of an afternoon. We have also been like the rest of the world, obsessed by the iguana and chaser snake video on Youtube. 

The waffle blocks have also received a work out this week being turned into both musical instruments (drums) and a titanic cubby house spanning most of the long room. The same thing was taking place in the SAC as children built massive bases and attempted to pillage items from one another.

Recently an interest has sparked up again in Plasticine and Clay; there is now an army of tiny plasticine men out in the world somewhere, and a few malformed creatures that even the kids weren’t certain about! Yet their creativity and imagination has come through.

One of our wonderful staff members, Damian, will be getting married this Saturday! I’m sure you all will join us in wishing him and Shelley congratulations from Eden Hills Primary School! We wish them all the happiness in the world.

DECEMBER VACATION CARE – bookings for the Christmas lunch excursion on Wednesday are now full. Make sure you hand in your bookings as soon as possible before other days fill up! Our January vacation care information is now available at OSHC. Have a look below, but please remember to bring in a signed form for your booking to be finalised.

Enjoy the Christmas Pageant on Friday night; if you look closely you will see lots of familiar faces in the acts that go by. 

 WEEK ONE

Monday 16/1/17– Friday 20/1/17

Monday 16th January Home Day  –  Summer cooking using seasonal fruits & vegetables (with Sarah) Using fruits and vegetables in season and with input and ideas from the children we will make – smoothies, icecream and juices. We will be enjoying our treats as we make them.                  Please bring lots of snacks and lunch.

Tuesday 17th January Excursion Day – Central Market (9-2) We will leave OSHC at 9am and travel by train and tram to the Central Market. At the market we will divide into smaller groups to explore. Each group will be tasked to find a food that no-one has tried before (last time we bought samphire, kangaroo fritz and lychees). We will return to OSHC by 2pm Please wear appropriate shoes for walking, bring some money ($10 max, no junk food/soft drink will be bought) and a bag to carry your belongings and purchases. Please provide snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.

Wednesday 18th January Home Day – Soccer Clinic with Damian (9-3) Damian will lead a clinic that teaches basic ball handling skills, soccer rules, the role of each position and end with a match. Lunch will be provided, please provide lots of snacks.

Thursday 19th January Home day – Stop go Animation (am) We will taking part in a computer animation workshop we will be using ipads and a stop-go animation program. The children will be using photos of themselves and placing them in a scenario (circus/jungle. The individual animation will be joined together to make a story that we will all watch on a big screen. Please provide lots of snacks and lunch.

Friday 20th January Home Day – Circus Elements (am) Scott from Circus Elements will be her to teach some basic circus skills – plate spinning, stilt walking and juggling. Please wear appropriate shoes and clothes for physical activity. Please provide lots of snacks and lunch.

wEEK TWO

Monday 23/1/17– Friday 27/1/17

Monday 23rd January Home Day – Basketball with Dwayne (pm) Our favourite ex 36’s basketball player Dwayne will involve the children in a clinic that introduces and teaches – ball skills, hand-eye coordination, accuracy, communication, team building and having fun. Please wear appropriate clothes and shoes for sport. Please provide lots of snacks and lunch.

Tuesday 24th January Home day – Pot plants Each child will get a pot to decorate and plant with a selection of herbs and flowers (parsley, chives, thyme, violas, coriander). We will talk about the different flowers and herbs. The children will take their miniature gardens home. Lunch will be provided, please provide lots of snacks.

Wednesday 25th January Excursion Day – Gorge Wildlife Park We will leave OSHC at 9am and travel by bus to Gorge Wildlife Park at Cudlee Creek. We will take part in a Koala patting and snake touching session. We will also explore the park – looking at dingoes, monkeys, eagles, camels, kangaroos and much more. We will be at OSHC by 3pm. Please wear clothes appropriate for the weather and walking. Please provide lots of snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.

Thursday 26th January Public Holiday No Vacation Care

Friday 27th jANUARY Home Day – Mobile Science ‘In your guts!’ (am) Our favourite nerds are back with a new show about the digestive system, expect some gross smells!! Please provide lots of snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.