A personal plea to all parents
As the weather begins to warm up, we plan to be outdoors increasingly over the coming week. To support children’s
learning, we have researched the learning spaces and considered what resources would provide opportunities of
exploration, discovery and support creative thinking. The resources have been ordered; many have already been delivered
and as I write, the team are setting up learning opportunities for the children. To maintain these opportunities for the
pupils, I ask that parents take time to ensure that they observe their children around these resources, so that they can
be enjoyed by other children. As Wellington College families, our values are shared, we all have a responsibility to
take care of our surroundings and be respectful of the setting.
Top 5 ways that children develop through play
1. Play leads to discovery of the physical world.
“Each time one prematurely teaches a child something he or she could have discovered for himself, that child is kept
forever from inventing it and consequently from understanding it completely.” Jean Piaget, 1970. Piaget was the Swiss
expert who has dominated thought on the nature of children’s thinking and learning since the 1960’s. He is said to be
one of the most frequently mentioned and least understood developmental psychologists, his major achievements were in
creating a sense of curiosity about the ways in which children learn as opposed to what or when they might learn. Piaget
noticed through his observations and research that when children play they discover things about their world and, in
doing so develop a deep understanding of the natural physics and mathematical principles of our world. Piaget saw the
child as constantly constructing and reconstructing reality – achieving increased understanding by integrating simple
concepts in to more complex ones. He believed that children were active agents in their own learning; learning isn’t
something that happens to you, it is something that you do. Hence, as adults, if we step in and show our children how
something works or do it for them, we take away that first joy of discovery.
TIP: Guide and help but let children have a go (even if they get frustrated).
2. Play leads to creative thinking and problem solving.
As children discover their world through play, they are also developing the ability to problem solve. These discoveries
involve observation, comparison, classification, and trying different ways to solve the problem.
TIP: Step away from the play!!! Independent play opportunities lead to better and more innovative problem solving than teaching a child how to solve the task.
3. Play helps children develop self-control and social skills. This happens through social play.
When children work towards a common goal, they must regulate their impulses in order to co-operate. Social rules
(sharing, negotiating, resolving conflicts and how to behave in a group) are developed to achieve a goal or get
something done. In addition to this, focused attention develops during this time.
TIP: Make time for your children to play with other children.
4. Play builds healthy minds and bodies.
Play leads to greater physical health and reduced mental stress. Children are naturally motivated to exercise in a
playful way and this supports development of strength and endurance. Moving bodies gives input to developing brains and
bodies.
TIP: Get outside for greenspace play, especially with high energy children. Reduce screen time and be active together as a family.
5. Play promotes connection and relationships.
Play is how children interact with their world and how they communicate. To be a part of their world and connect, we
need, as adults, to allow ourselves to be playful.
TIP: Immerse yourself in your children’s world to develop closeness and trust.
Adapted from encourageplay.com, nurtureandthriveblog.com and How Children Learn: From Montessori to Vygotsky – educational theories and approaches made easy (Pound, L. 2006).
The Adventures of Bobby
Bobby 的学习之旅
We say a fond, yet sad farewell to our founding family this week as Bobby from Robin Class heads off on new adventures
to the United Kingdom. Bobby and his family have played a significant role in the setting since it opened last year;
they are Wellington through and through. Always willing to help, Mr Zhu and Ms Liu have been an important part of our
evolution, from speaking at our 100 Days of Friendship to helping out at the Winter Market and meeting our special
guests from Wellington College UK, they have become a cherished part of the family. On behalf of the team here at
Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai, we wish Bobby and his family every success as they start the next chapter of life
– make memories and keep in touch!
Classroom News for week beginning 13th March 2017
Early Years 1
We will begin learning about things that we can pull and push, experimenting with pushing big and small balls to hit
water bottles to determine the effect. EY1 will explore how to create ramps using flat, rectangular wooden blocks and
Lego bricks in order to investigate how fast cars can go when pushed from the ramp. EY1s will learn about things that
can roll by experimenting with rolling different shapes blocks to find out which shape can roll and which can’t. We will
also try paddling and rowing a boat (on dry land). We will observe the way colours change when mixed by using food
colouring. Throughout each day, we will talk about our daily life, such as what do we do in the morning and what do we
do in the afternoon.
- We are reading: Open! Open!; Home for a bunny; Whose hat is that?; Xiao ren bang shou; Yuan yuan de shi shen me?;
Ying zi shi wo de hao peng you.
- We are singing: Row, row, row your boat; open and shut; one finger one finger; turn, turn, turn; How’s the weather
today?; chun tian zai na li?; cai ying zi
Early Years 2
With spring and summer behind us the children will start to focus on the third season, Autumn with its bountiful
harvest. The children will engage in a multitude of activities, continuing to be inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Season
composition, Autumn leaf counting, Autumn tree mural, and making a seasons mobile. The children will go on sound walks –
walking on the dry leaves, leaf printing, making vegetable or fruit masks and matching the numbers to the item.
- We are reading: 风中的树叶（安娜·莫勒）; Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit – A Book of Changing Seasons (Il Sung Na); We’re Going on
a Leaf Hunt (Steve Metzger); The Jacket I Wear in the Snow (Shirley Nieitzel)
- We are singing: 蓝蓝天空，太阳公公; Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down; We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt; How Many Leaves in a Tree
A note from the EY2 team: Summer and the sun is coming, please ensure that your child’s Wellington hat is sent to school with your child.
Early Years 3
During the first 2 weeks of our ‘Fairy Tales’ theme, the children have really developed their story-telling skills and
some are even beginning to use story language (such as ‘once upon a time’, ‘one day’ and ‘the end’). For the next 2
weeks, we will be focusing our activities on the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. Again, we will be thinking of
actions to help us remember the story and thinking about our favourite events and why we like them. We will also be
creating ‘small world’ scenes from other well-known stories for the children to use their imagination skills.
- We are reading: Jack and the Beanstalk; Little Red Riding Hood; Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- We are singing: What shall we do?; Jack went to market; And the beanstalk grew; And he went higher!;
Fee-fi-fo-fum!; I am the golden hen; We’re rich!; 采蘑菇.
(The above English songs can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/music/jack/what_shall_we_do#)
A note from the EY3 team: Please continue to encourage your children to bring in any fairy tale stories that they have at home – they really do enjoy sharing their favourite books with their friends.
