A dog was the most popular choice for this one, closely followed by a goldfish, and perhaps one of the most surprising entries; an elephant! We used our class puppy to pass around the circle, following the rule of only talking if you were holding the puppy. The children displayed fantastic listening skills during our Circle Time.

We also used a tally chart to count and record the number of children that liked different pet animals. It was tricky to remember to cross through at number 5, but the children did a fantastic job at reminding me.

Some of the children wanted to make a sock pet and thought very carefully about the features it would need. Everyone took very good care of their pet, making sure it was well-fed and had a cosy bed. They loved meeting the other sock pets in the class too. 

We enjoyed reading the story, The Great Pet Sale, and practised our number recognition to find the correct price tag for each of the animals in the story. We then counted out the correct amount of coins to buy the pet. We have also enjoyed reading The Pet this week whilst eating our snack outside, in the glorious sunshine!

On Tuesday, we practised our listening skills again as we played musical statues in The Paddock. We played some music on the outdoor piano and some very kind children even joined me in a duet! I thought I might catch some children out, but every time I turned around, everyone was as still as statues. Their listening skills were just too good for me! 

On Wednesday this week, it was our Class Assembly. All the children were very excited to perform in front of the rest of Pre-Prep. They have been practising so hard and their dedication has really paid off, as it was the perfect performance! Everyone said their words so clearly and confidently, and they sang the song so beautifully. I felt incredibly proud of Transition Class and they thoroughly deserved the four marbles that they earned for their performance. 

We have been spending lots of time talking about kindness and ways in which we can show kindness to others, using our words and actions. The class met Walter Wizard who was feeling very sad as Fiona Fairy had been unkind to him. The children came up with some wonderful suggestions as to how he could put things right by saying sorry, offering her a cuddle and even buying her an ice-cream! Transition Class then acted out some different scenarios of how we can help if someone has hurt themselves, is feeling sad or has just joined our class and is feeling a little shy. It was lovely to see how thoughtful and caring all the children were to each other and they certainly cheered me up! 

Afterwards, we decided to make a kindness tree where we could recognise acts of kindness by writing the children’s names and actions on a leaf. It wasn’t long before two of our children earned their first leaves by sharing the builders' tools with their friend, and for giving up an instrument in our music lesson, as their friend really wanted it. We are looking forward to watching our tree sprout many more leaves! 

On Thursday, we learned about a charity called the R.S.P.C.A. We spoke about our senses, and thought about what makes us feel happy, what makes us feel sad, and the similarities between us and animals. It was a positive conversation, as even though certain situations made the children feel sad, they knew just what to do to make themselves feel better! 

They have also been busy practising for Sports Day, selling food and blankets in our pet shop, bathing the babies, finding the correct keys for the padlock and building homes for their pet elephants!