Friday

To complete today's activities, you will need:

something to draw on

something to draw with

football

bubble blowing mixture and a blowing wand

mixing bowl and spoon

measuring cup

paintbrush

muffin pan or small containers

corn flour, food colouring, water

Overview of today's activities:

  • Activity 1: Friends at school (15 minutes)

  • Activity 2: Make your own compost (20 minutes)

  • Activity 3: Taking a mark in AFL (15 minutes)

Break

  • Activity 4: Painting (20 minutes)

  • Activity 5: Bubbles are a sphere (15 minutes)

Please note, these times are an approximation only.

Friends at school

Learning goal: Children think about the friends they will have at school.

Logo indicating this activity relates to supporting transition to school

When you go to school, you might see friends from your street or from preschool. You might have lots of friends going to the same school as you, or you might only have a few. It will be exciting to make new friends at school too.

1. Watch Bluey and her friends playing helicopters together at school.

ABC 'Bluey: Helicopter' [video] ABC iView, accessed 8 October 2021

You may need to create a free iView account to access this video.

2. Did Bluey and her friends share? Did they get on well?

3. Think about the friends you will play with at your new school.

4. Draw a picture of you with your friends at school.

Image owned by the NSW Department of Education under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth)​

Image owned by the NSW Department of Education under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth)​

Too hard?

  • Talk with someone about the friends you already know who will be starting school with you.

Too easy

  • Ask someone to help you write a list of the names of the friends who will be starting school with you.

Make your own compost

Learning goal: Children consider simple ways to help the planet through composting.

Watch this video about making your own compost.

GardenTags (31 December 2018) 'Trench composting and how to do it' [video], YouTube, accessed 8 October 2021.

How to make compost:

1. Ask someone to help you dig a hole in your garden.

2. Put your garden scraps, some leaves, sticks and torn up paper into the hole.

3. Wet your hole a little.

4. Fill the hole up again with dirt.

5. Remember where your compost is as this will make a great place to plant things.

Too hard?

  • Ask someone to dig you a hole. Pour the food scraps in.

Too easy?

  • Put a small piece of plastic in the hole. Dig it up a few weeks later. What happened to the food scraps? What happened to the piece of plastic? Put the plastic in the bin.

Taking a mark in AFL

Learning goal: Children persist when faced with challenges.

  • Taking a mark in AFL means catching a kicked ball from a long distance, before it hits the ground. It takes lots of practice to be able to take a mark.

  • Watch the video to see Little J take a mark.

  • Little J doesn't catch the ball the first time, but he keeps trying.

  • You can learn lots of new and exciting skills if you keep practicing.

NITV (15 May 2017) 'Little J takes a mark from AFL legend Adam Goodes' [video], YouTube, accessed 8 October 2021.

1. Have you ever tried to catch a kicked ball?

2. How do you feel when you try something and it doesn't work the first time? You might feel sad, angry or frustrated.

3. Find someone who can kick a ball to you and practice taking a mark like Little J did.

Photo of AFL footballer, Adam Goodes, catching a football.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Too hard?

  • Try throwing and catching a ball with someone. See how far apart you can stand and still catch the ball in your hands.

Too easy?

  • Try throwing and catching a ball with someone with two hands and then one hand. Then move further apart for an extra challenge.

  • Try kicking a ball between two objects.

Take a break

Here are some things you might like to do:

  • have a drink of water and a healthy snack

  • play or have a rest

  • go to the toilet and wash your hands.

Painting

Learning goal: Children begin to form letters and numerals.

What you need to make chalk paint:

  • 2 cups of corn flour

  • food colouring

  • 2 cups of water

  • a mixing bowl

  • spoon

  • muffin tins or small containers for each colour

  • a paint brush.

What to do:

1. Put the corn flour into the mixing bowl.

2. Add the water and mix until it is very smooth.

3. Divide the mixture into your muffin tins or small containers.

4. Add food colouring and mix to make different colours of chalk paint.

5. Use your chalk paint to make pictures on concrete, a fence or paper.

6. Look at these numerals. Can you find the numerals that are on your mailbox? Copy and paint these.

numerals 0-9 in NSW Foundation font

7. Find the letters in your name. Copy and paint these:

Too hard?

  • Paint strokes or lines from top to bottom.

  • Paint circles in a clockwise direction.

Too easy?

  • Paint the words you already know.

  • Copy some of the words from your favourite book.

Bubbles are a sphere

Learning goal: Children will experiment with cause and effect, and observe scientific phenomena by blowing bubbles.

Bubbles are fascinating!

Watch this slow-motion video of bubbles floating and popping.

As you watch, notice each bubble's:

  • shape

  • colour

  • size.

The Slow Down Show (13 August 2013) 'Bubbles bursting in slow motion' [video], YouTube, accessed 1 Oct 2021.

1. Use bubble mixture to blow some bubbles!

2. Count how long a bubble will last before it pops.

3. What do you think makes bubbles pop?

4. Try blowing harder. Does this change the bubble?

5. Ask someone to film you blowing a bubble.

6. Look at the video in slow motion. Did the bubble's shape change?

Activity shared by Little Scientists Australia.

Too hard?

  • Ask someone to hold the bubble wand as you blow.

Too easy?

  • Investigate if you can make a square bubble by using a square blowing wand.

Extra learning activities

  • Made for families, this video shares some great tips on messy play.

Child voice