Pyjama Day at Buckle My Shoe!
With winter upon us and the colder weather well & truly setting in, we decided it might fun to have a Pyjama Day at Buckle My Shoe!
All our little ones were excited that they were going to be able to wear their PJs to the centre during the day time! “Will you also be wearing your PJs to Buckle My Shoe?”, one child asked the teachers and after hearing “yes”, thought this was the funniest thing ever! 😄
As each child arrived at the centre in their warm winter PJs, they showed off their attire and conversations began about what pictures or designs were on their PJs and the different types of sleepwear they were wearing. Some children wore onesies, whilst others came with dressing gowns and slippers. Regardless of what they wore, it was clear to see that everyone looked snuggly and warm.
Being in PJs didn’t stop the pace of exploration at Buckle My Shoe, with some boys heading straight outside and onto the bikes while others got stuck into digging in the sandpit.
For our morning mat time, our beautiful Kathryn brought out a snuggly winter blanket and invited children to create a circle - hiding their toes underneath. Since it was Pyjama Day and everyone was in their PJs, the theme of our mat time was related to sleeping and winter.
Kathryn read a special story called “Shhh! I’m sleeping” whilst everyone huddled together and listened in. Then it was time to act out one of our favourite rhymes – 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.
As our little learners were brainstorming about winter, the concept of cold temperatures and the look of snow came up. With this in mind, one of our morning activities was a fun, messy one! Using shaving foam, a winter sensory experience was born and soon there were hands covered in shaving foam busy on the table! Sensory play experiences are great for children as they stimulate the senses and provoke children to investigate, create, play and explore.
When thinking about winter and wearing their PJs, many children mentioned memories of snuggling up and watching a movie. So we decided to recreate this winter experience by setting up a quick video to watch after lunch while our tamariki snuggled in blankets with a bowl of yummy popcorn. While this was happening, the weather outside turned dark and wet – making it the perfect movie watching experience!
To continue on with exploring the concept of snow – we researched and found a recipe to create snow dough. Using a simple combination of cornflour, conditioner & glitter, a snow-like material was formed.
“It smells so nice”, one child said whilst bringing the material up to her nose. Others let their hands do the exploring. Squishing, squeezing, patting and pinching – different shapes and structures were made with added conversations about our tamariki’s real life experiences with snow.
To finish the day, our tamariki enjoyed crispy toast with a variety of spreads and a warm cup of Milo for afternoon tea. Yum!
What a fun way to explore and experience winter, our little ones sure had a super time! 😊