Breakfast

It is well known that breakfast is a very important meal for the day. Possum has been doing very well with eating a variety of pureed and mashed foods and has proven to have a very large appetite, especially early in the morning. 

To encourage her to have good eating habits I always try to have us eat meals together. 

In my experience as a teacher, children are constantly looking for role models and I intend to be her best. When I introduce a new food into her diet I show her that I am happy to eat it myself and then allow her to try. Of course I always make a bit of a happy fuss when she has given something a go. 

Peek-a-Boo!

PEEK-A-BOO

Peek-a-boo games can be giggle producing favourites. Possum absolutely loves it! I read that from about 5 months of age babies are beginning to understand that things continue to exist even when they are out of sight. 

Here is my sister playing Peek-a-boo with Possum. 

"Where has Aunty gone?"

"Boo! There she is".

Of course there are so many different variations you can do when it comes to playing 

Peek-a-boo. How do you play? 

Play Ball

Possum is at the age that she is starting to sit up somewhat independently. I'm still not comfortable with allowing her to sit without support behind her because it became clear that  when she had had enough of sitting she would launch herself backwards. Argh!

So I started to become inspired to think up a way that would help her develop her balance and have fun at the same time. I wedged a soft pillow into the corner of a couch and sat her in front of it. My husband, who always loves to play, sat before her and rolled her a ball. 

Possum found this really fun because it was like she was receiving a reward after each time the ball came to her. After a few minutes it became clear that she was beginning to understand how the game worked and started to use her hands to throw or feet to kick the ball back to my husband. 

Because of this game she was testing out her balancing skills and having fun at the same time. 

To extend this activity further I decided to have her play with different balls. One ball made a rattling sound when it moved, another felt different because it was made from soft fabric. I found that as soon as she lost interest in one type of ball I was able to introduce another, which would have her play for a few minutes more. How wonderful, she was balancing for the longest period of time and without any support. Win! 

                                           

Hello and welcome!

My name is Kate and I am a primary school teacher from Australia. I have taught for nearly 10 years in various inner-city primary schools and worked as a literacy and numeracy coordinator. 

I'm currently enjoying life as a full time stay at home mum and feel blessed to look after my gorgeous baby girl, whom I'll nickname 'Possum' for this site. 

My teaching philosophy has always been 'Laughing Kids Learn'. It is with the idea that children, when engaged in fun and interactive tasks, will achieve a deeper level of thinking and gain more from the learning experience.  

I decided to start this blog as a way of sharing my day-to-day teaching and learning with Possum and channelling some creative energy while not in the classroom. I hope that you enjoy reading and following this blog and feel inspired to try some of the simple and effective activities and ideas that you can use at home with your own children. 

Kate