Playgroupaustralia.org.au - March 22 - 28, 2021 - Playgroup NSW
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March 22 - 28, 2021
playgroupaustralia.org.au
1
National Playgroup
Week Activities:
01 Summer Fun Month 08. Learn through Play Month
Frozen Animals Story Rocks
02. Friendship Month 09. Health & Wellbeing Month
Friendly Faces Rainbow Cups and Faces or
Playgroup Feast
03. All Play Together Month
Playdough 10. Right to Play Safely Month
Responding to child’s play
04. Nature Play Month
Seed Safari 11. Creative Play Month
Colourful Collages
05. Messy Play Month
Slime Time 12. Celebration Month
Fireworks Painting (Diwali
06. Music Month Festival)
Musical Rain Sticks
07. Cultural Connections Month
Food from Home
2 3
Summer Fun Month
Frozen Animals
Why? What you need?
Frozen Animals is an activity that can
• Ice containers and
be enjoyed by many, especially on a water to form the ice
hot summer day. It invites children
• Plastic animals and
to use their senses and explore the bugs
sensation of the ‘cold’ item while also
• Food colouring
offering the opportunity to explore how
to remove the items from the ice (i.e.
melting the ice away by using water and
sunshine, etc.). Children also employ Tip!
mathematical skills when taking part in
Read children’s books
this activity. For example, they learn the
such as Who Sank the
differences between liquids and solids.
Boat? and How Full is
Your Bucket?
Instructions
1. Fill the containers with water.
2. Place the animal/bug into the container
with a drop of food colouring.
3. Put container of water with animal into
Extension of the activity
the freezer and freeze overnight. Doing these activities with children will ignite their curiosity and enable them to
4. Remove from the freezer just prior to reflect on what they are doing, develop a love of learning and encourages them to
doing the activity. take the initiative.
5. Invite children to touch the ice and talk • Use balloons as the container and place plastic dinosaurs inside the water to
about its texture. create dinosaur eggs.
6. Combine this activity with water play and • Use recyclable items to measure capacity and concepts of sinking and
invite children to discuss ways of getting floating; use open-ended questions, “I wonder what frozen item will have the
most water after it melts?”
the animal or bug out of the ice.
4 5
Friendship Month All Play Together Month
Friendly Faces Playdough
Why? What you need? Why? What you need?
We all look different. No one person Making and playing with playdough
looks the same as another – even
• Paper plate • 1/2 cup oil
encourages social interaction and
identical twins have some differences! • Glue • 2 cups plain flour
exploration of textures. Not only
Encouraging children to interact and • Collage materials such
does it strengthen fingers, fine motor • Food colouring
become aware of individual differences as patty cake papers,
can be difficult. This activity allows skills and creativity, but making • Cookie cutters
pom poms, feathers,
children to create a face using a the dough together is the perfect Kitchen funnels
pasta, buttons, bottle
variety of different textures. It aims to opportunity explore measuring and
tops, felt, etc
encourage acceptance and celebration pouring, gaining early mathematical
of our unique differences.
skills at the same time. Tip!
Tip! Get the whole group involved
Instructions by making playdough in small
Use different coloured plates to Instructions groups.
1. Talk or read a book about emotions and create culturally diverse faces.
1. Add oil to flour and mix thoroughly Have a variety of playdough
facial features before you begin. Ask the Have some larger plates and
children to describe what they look like; collage elements for children 2. Add a few drops of food colouring to tools and ziploc bags on hand
for children who don’t enjoy
ask them to describe the person sitting who have difficulty grasping water and mix through enough to make
the sensation of touching the
little things. soft, coloured dough.
next to them (ie eye and hair colour, dough.
colour of skin, size and shape of nose, etc) Include hand held mirrors (with 3. Use for pretend play by supplying cookie
Traditional playdough can be
2. Pick out different collage items to make
adult supervision) to allow cutters and other kitchen utensils.
firm to handle, moon dough or
children to look at themselves.
their face kinetic sand are fun alternatives.
3. Glue items onto the plate and create a Extension of the activity.
face. Add different textures or scents to the dough.
Rice, oats, herbs or flowers with a few drops of
Modifications: essential oils or food essence will further support
sensory development.
Encourage the children to create different faces and talk about feelings,
textures, colours and appearances. Have the children create different
characters or animals using the same materials.
6 7
Nature Play Month
Seed Safari
Why? What you need?
You’re going on safari. But you’re not • Containers for
looking for elephants or zebras. You’re collection
on a ‘seed’ safari. Go out into the
• Outdoor space to
backyard and collect as many different
types of seeds as possible. Put them in a
explore
container. What do they look like? What • Magnifying glass
textures do you have? Can you tell which
plants they come from just by looking at
them?
Tip!
Instructions Plant some seeds
and see if they
1. Give each child a container. grow.
2. Ask children for their ideas about seeds.
Where are they found? What do they look
like? Extention of the activity.
• Check on them regularly and
3. Head outside and encourage the children measure any changes.
to find and collect seeds. • Find out what type of plants
they are.
4. Come back together and look at
everyone’s finds (this is where the
children can use the magnifying glass to
take a closer look at the seeds).
5. Be sure to supervise this activity with
young children.
8 9
Messy Play Month Music Month
Slime Time Musical Rain Sticks
Why? What you need? Why? What you need?
This is a fantastic activity with an Rain sticks are fun handmade
• 2 cups of water • Paper towel roll
easy recipe to match. Parents it is instruments that you turn upside
• Food colouring • Piece of aluminium
also a good stress reliever. Join the down to make it sound like rain. This
• 3 cups of Cornflour foil
kids and let your mind drift as you method of making a rain stick uses
play. • A big bowl and items found in most households, • Plastic wrap
trough making it a fun and accessible • Rice or dry beans
Instructions * have extra water and way to make your own musical • Tape or rubber band
cornflour on hand to get the instrument
1. Add food colouring to the water - start • Crayons, markers
texture to your likingperson
with about 20 drops and stickers for
Instructions decorating
2. Pour the coloured water and flour into the
mixing bowl and stir 1. Crumple up a long, thin piece of aluminum
Tip! foil and insert it into the paper towel roll.
3. Experimentation is the key! If the mixture
is too stiff, add more water. If the mixture
Make an imaginative world for The aluminum foil will act as the barrier to Tip!
the kids to get lost in! ensure the rice or beans move through the
is too sloppy, add more flour Encourage children to
Add little animals. If you add roll at a slow rate, mimicking the sound of
make different types of rain
4. When left in the bowl the slime will look cocoa powder you can play pig falling rain. sounds
and feel like a liquid. Rapid stirring will in the mud or create a land for 2. Put a doubled-up piece of plastic wrap
make the slime feel like a solid. When the dinosaurs exploring. over one end of the paper towel roll and
stirring is stopped, the slime will revert to tape (or use rubber bands) to secure in
Add leaves, twigs and flowers
its liquidlike state. from the garden to add place.
different textures and create 3. Pour about a tablespoon of dry rice or Extension of activity:
DO NOT dispose of the slime down the drains further talking points and ideas. beans into the open end of the roll then
as it can cause blockages. Allow it to dry out, seal the end with a doubled-up piece of • For different sounds try
wrap in newspaper and put it in the bin plastic wrap. Tape plastic wrap in place. inserting different materials
4. Decorate tube as desired with tape or into the paper towel roll. For
example, try pipe cleaners or
stickers.
crumpled up paper instead of
5. Tip back and forth to hear the sweet
aluminum foil, or use buttons
sound of rainfall!
instead of rice.
10 11
Cultural Connections Month Learn Through Play Month
Food from Home Story Rocks
Why? What you need? Why? What you need?
Australia’s national identity is made Gather the rocks. Spray-paint the top
• Recipes from the • 10 - 20 smooth
up of many cultures and ethnicities. of the rocks white. Once the rocks have
children, their rocks
Immigrants to Australia bring with dried, draw designs such as the sun,
them food traditions that enrich our families (parents, moon, people, flowers, animals, trees, and • White spray paint
culture. In this activity, children help grandparents, rivers on the rocks with markers. Place • Permanent markers
to compile a cookbook out of their carers) them in a basket
favourite traditional recipes from
• Basket
• Photos or
home. The activity connects children
to their cultural roots and nurtures an illustrations of the Instructions
children making
appreciation of the ways in which each
1. Have your toddler choose a rock from the Tip!
one of us contributes to our community. food at home
basket. Start a story based on the rock
• To save time, just
• Art materials that your toddler picked.
add stickers to the
Instructions (coloured pencils, 2. Choose another rock and add another rocks
1. Collect favourite recipes from the children crayons, oil pastels, part to the story.
and their families paints, stamps,
3. Take turns choosing a rock and adding
2. Aim to showcase the ethnic and cultural textas) parts to the story.
diversity of the community
3. Collect photos of the children cooking at Caution: Keep your child away from the
home with family members. The children
Ask questions like... spray paint
could also draw these scenes
4. Compile the recipes, photos or drawings What do you like to eat at
to create a cookbook home?
5. Illustrate the cookbook. Images could be Do you help with cooking?
pictures of the ingredients and equipment
What do you like to do most in
used in the recipe, or what the finished
the kitchen?
dish looks like
6. Label the recipes with the children’s
names (so that everyone can see their
part in the book)
12 13
Health & Wellbeing Month
Playgroup Feast
Healthy Cooking
Why? What you need? Safety:
When children experience cooking Including playgroup members...
Choose one feast:
with fresh food they are learning • Allergies: be sure to cater for children who have allergies.
Fruit Salad
to be involved in the process of • Children need to be supervised when cooking to avoid injuries.
• Watermelon, orange,
preparing healthy snacks and • Choking: be sure to avoid chunks of food items that are hard or
banana, grape, apple.
meals. While cooking the children items that should be avoided for young children.
Vegetable Soup
are using skills such as cutting,
measuring, stirring, pouring and • Carrot, potato,
mixing. Children are use their senses zucchini, pumpkin,
vegetable stock.
Extention of the activity.
- smelling, tasting and touching Tip!
food that has different textures. Healthy Sandwiches • Pretend play-hospital or doctors
surgery; singing the ‘skeleton Sing songs while
What a fun way to spend some time • Bread, tomato, lettuce,
song’. cooking
preparing a delicious snack to eat at cheese, cucumber
• Read books like The Great Big
playgroup! Frozen Ice Blocks
Enormous Turnip, The Very
• Fruit - oranges, Hungry Caterpillar or Stone Soup
Instructions bananas, fruit or puree • Plant some veggies or herbs and
of yoghurt. Place your water them, while they grow and
1. Invite families to bring an item for the
chosen ingredients in explore where our food comes
healthy snack you are going to make at
an ice block tray and from.
playgroup.
freeze in the freezer. • When using the cooking use
words like ‘short, long, add, hard,
2. Involve the children in the cooking of the
big, small, soft’.
snack. Note that some snacks need to be
• Incorporate the use of colours
frozen so it might be an idea to have one
into an activity (e.g., invite the
batch already frozen or cooked!
children to name a food item and
its colours and textures).
• Make a healthy pizza at home.
14 15
Right to Play Safely Month Examples of how you can support your child’s play, without leading
Responding to Child’s Play or taking over.
• Wait to be invited to play. • Let your children develop
If your child is happily skills at their own pace.
Children play naturally. Usually the most important things you can playing, it’s fine to leave It’s tempting to step in to
do to support this are giving your child enough space and time to them to it. help your child when they
play every day and having an understanding attitude. If your child find something difficult but
sees that you are happy they’re playing, they tend to enjoy it more. • Help protect your child’s
that’s how they learn.
play from interruptions.
During this coronavirus pandemic, your child is expected to be at If your child is absorbed in • Let children choose the
home for long periods of time. They may be physically separated playing, avoid switching on themes of their games.
from friends, family, routines and places that are important to them. the TV or games console, Even if the themes seem
It is a new situation for them – and for most of us. asking questions or asking difficult or upsetting, it’s
them to stop for other their play.
You might see your child playing in a different way. They may
activities.
return to play they enjoyed when they were younger. They may play
games that are linked to illness, loss or even death. Their play might • Let your child explore and
show feelings such as frustration, boredom or confusion. make mistakes.
Let your child use trial and
error and their own ideas
Responding to your child’s play
without feeling foolish or
Playing is one way children deal with stress and cope with the judged.
situation they’re in. When children play, they are working out what
they think and how to respond.
These are general tips for supporting your child’s play. Trust your
Unless your child seems distressed or stuck in their play, you can own judgement.
usually be reassured that it’s part of how they are coping.
Your child might like you to play with them or simply be nearby, so
However, your child might rely on you more than usual to make sure they feel safe and cared for. They may also like some privacy while
they have things to play with and space and time for them to play they play – for example, if they’re not used to spending so much
every day. Sometimes they might need extra attention to feel safe time indoors with you.
and cared for.
16 17
Photo Collage
Creative Play Month Print off family photographs, encourage children to
cut around the shape – if it is a person, help them cut
Colourful Collages around the outline of the person’s body. Stick these
different cut outs down onto a large piece of paper
– or you could try using a canvas! Paint a coloured
background on the canvas, let it dry, then layer up your
What you need? photograph cuttings. Use items like buttons, stamps or
Why?
lace to create a border.
Borrow a little bit of this and that to • A collection of craft
make a beautiful and bright collage. materials that will stick
Collage with Paper
This exercise encourages hands on • Old magazines or
Cut or tear pieces of coloured paper into various shapes
creativity and imagination. catalogues, newspapers,
– assemble and glue. Guide children on how to colour
material offcuts, ribbon,
code. This teaches matching up different shades of one
natural objects like
Instructions leaves or feathers, wool,
colour. Try layering different types of paper like tissue
cellophane, buttons, paper or thicker card.
1. Cut up lots of different craft materials
patty pans, foil, stamps,
in interesting shapes and sizes – use a
stickers, photographs –
mixture of colours Collage Journal
whatever you can find!
Using a scrapbook or notepad to create a mini collage
2. Stick your items down however you want • Kids scissors
that represents each day, week or month. Encourage
3. You could draw the outline of an animal, • Glue
children to collect a couple of items throughout their
a flower, a friend, a house- whatever you • Paper, card or a day – set aside some time to stick these items into the
like- then paste your craft materials on to scrapbook journal. Help them write notes and the date. This will
the picture make a beautiful keepsake for years to come.
4. Be as creative as you like!
Tip! 3D Collage
Make your collage into a card Use cardboard or textured materials like sand, wool or
There are so many ways to collage, let and gift to a loved one pom poms to create a 3D artwork – encourage children
your craft materials and imagination to create a self-portrait using this method.
guide the way. Check out the following
page for collage ideas: Mixed Media Collage
Use fabrics layered on top of different textured papers.
Get creative! What do you have on hand? Collect some
items from nature like grass cuttings or leaves. Tear
up pieces of foil, scrunch them up then smooth them
out and stick down. Use paper patty pans to create
depth – talk about the textures created by the different
materials.
18 19Celebration Month
Fireworks Painting
(Diwali Festival)
Contributed by Karen from Mulligrubs
Middle Mount Playgroup. What you need?
• Poster paint (four
Why? colours is perfect)
Children of all ages will have fun • Plates to put the
creating this colourful work of paint on
art. The cut, fanned cardboard
• Large sheet of
rolls create the fireworks effect so
butcher paper
nicely. Children can choose a range
• Cardboard rolls
of sizes and colours making their
artwork uniquely their own. The • Scissors
activity does not require advanced • Glitter (optional)
skills. Learning opportunities
include hand-eye coordination,
imagination and creativity, fine
Tip!
motor development and language
To prevent the
development. cardboard fan from
going soggy, place in
paint just prior
Instructions to using.
1. Cut the cardboard tubes into different lengths
Extension of the activity
fanning them out to create various sized • Add a little bling to your creation with glitter.
fireworks. • Talk about the colours and size of the fireworks. Which one do you think
2. Start printing with the largest fireworks first would be the loudest? Where have you seen fireworks? What do you think
using a kind of bounce and twist motion. Print your fireworks could be celebrating?
over the top with the next size fireworks. • Maybe the artwork could be framed and given as a gift for a special
3. Try creating fireworks using the smallest celebration.
fireworks tube then the biggest. • Read a story that features fireworks.
4. Create single fireworks.
20 21National Playgroup Week
Become a
Playgroup Pal!
22 2324 25
26 27
28 29
We would love to see your playgroup pal drawings.
Share them with us at playgroupaustralia.org.au/playgroup-stories/
or upload to our facebook accounts.
30 31playgroupaustralia.org.au
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