Little People's Academy

Grade R (5 - 6 year group)

Our Grade R learners learnt about the thematical unit called Our Society, where learners covered the jobs of various community members that make up our society.
These included jobs that are often carried out by mums, dads, aunts, uncles and family friends who may be doctors, nurses, policemen, firefighters, builders, teachers, paramedics, and many more.👮🏻‍♀️👷🏻‍♀️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍🌾👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🏫👩🏻‍🚒👩🏻‍✈️
Here we see our Grade R learners enjoying creating an art piece using colours and colour paper that shows a firefighter in action.
👩🏻‍🚒🧑🏻‍🚒👨🏻‍🚒 💦🔥

Grade R (5 - 6 year group)

Our Grade R learners carried out the Endangered Animals thematical unit and learnt about a host of animals, where efforts are constantly carried out to protect the species. 🦍🦧🐅🐆🐘🦏

Orangutans are gardeners of the forest. 🍃 🦧🍃
They eat fruit and spread the seeds through the forest. They help grow new trees and keep the rainforest healthy.
If orangutans dissappear, the whole forest ecosystem suffers.
Scientists estimate that we have lost over 80% of orangutans in the past 50 years, mainly due to habitat loss caused by forest fires, logging, poaching, as well as cutting down of forests to obtain palm oil.
An orangutan mom only has 1 baby every 6-8 years.
It becomes difficult for the population to grow this way.

Our learners carried out an orangutan art piece by manipulating paper to recreate the vines that would be found naturally in the forest 🦧🌴

Grade R (5 - 6 year group)

During the thematical unit on My Home🏠, our learners carried out a mosaic made up of a mix of colours that came together beautifully. 🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣
Mosaics require learners to focus on the task at hand, and be patient with the outcome.
Gluing and sticking takes time and makes use of their fine motor skills to be carried out.
Arts and crafts teaches us that while the finished project may take time and concentration, it also builds confidence when our learners are proud of their completed efforts and are able to say, "I did this!" 🤩✨

Grade R (5 - 6 year group).

When our learners covered the thematical unit on My Body 🧍‍♀️🧍 , they learnt about the different aspects that make up their bodies.🧠🫀👃👂🦵💪🦷🫁👁🦴
Our skeletal system is made up of 216 bones! 🦴
Our learners created their own x-rays, as they cut and pasted bones together to create their skeletons!

Learners had to make use of their listening skills as well as coordination and cognitive skills to ensure that the correctly connected together.

Grade R (5 - 6 group)

Caring for my environment, is an exciting thematical unit that focused on conservation, as well as the importance and benefits of the 3 R's: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle!🌎♻️

Our Grade R learners created their own handprint art pieces that included a pledge that they promised to undertake, to do their but to help save our planet 💚💙💛

Non Readiness (4 - 5 year group)

Our Non Readiness learners enjoyed the Transport thematical unit where they learnt about the various forms of air, land and water transport.🚗🚜🚲🛩️🚁⛵🚢
Hot air balloons are so magical!

They were the first aircraft to carry humans.
The first hot air balloon flight with people was in 1783 in France. The passengers? A duck, a sheep, and a rooster. The humans went up 8 minutes later!

There’s nothing special in the balloon. It’s just regular air heated to very high temperatures.
Hot air is lighter than cold air, so it floats!

Our learners enjoyed creating their own hot air balloon art pieces by colouring and finger painting.
So many colours, such beautiful pieces! 🎨 ✨

Grade R. (5 - 6 year group)

When our Grade R learners covered the Animals in Armor thematical unit, they created some spiky hedgehogs by doing fork painting.🎨
Our learners cover a variety of painting techniques through the year, showing them how different items can be used to create art.
Hedgehogs have their own built-in armor. 🦔 🦔 🦔
A hedgehog has about 5,000 - 7,000 spines on its back!
The spines are actually modified hairs made of keratin - same as your fingernails. When they feel scared, they roll into a spiky ball!

Non Readiness (4 - 5 year group)

During their thematical unit on Pets🐶🐱🐰🐹🐦🦜, our Non Readiness learners learnt how to create their own goldfish art. They used a beautiful mix of coloured mealie rice to replicate the gravel found at the bottom of the fishbowl.🐟🐠

Arts and crafts is not just a creative experience but a sensory one as well!
The use of different materials exposes learners to a variety of everyday items that can be repurposed to be used as art!🌱🍁🪶🍃 🗞📦

Non Readiness (4 - 5 year group)

What have our little ones been up to during their arts and crafts sessions? 🎨🖌🖍
During the thematical unit on Homes Around The World🛖🏠🏢🏯, our Non Readiness learners learnt about the different forms of homes that can be found across the world, along with their origins and what makes them so special.
Here we see our learners creating their colour and paint art pieces based on the Teepee, built by Native Americans.

Did you know that arts and crafts is a fun way to incorporate fine motor skills?
Learners get to strengthen those tiny hand muscles during cutting, tearing, painting. They also get to practice hand eye coordination with colouring as well as gluing.

We see loads of smiles after they complete their efforts!🤩

Silverglen Grade R

✔️Constructive Play

Moveable Tic Tac Toe ✖️⭕
Who knew we were learning so much in a game that spans about 2 minutes?
This game combines fine motor skills together with congnitive and thinking skills, and socio-emotional skills.

🌟Precise placement - Fitting pieces neatly in each square trains hand-eye coordination + control.

🌟Strategy + planning - “If I go here, they’ll block me... so I go here instead.” Early logic + problem-solving.

🌟Spatial awareness - Understanding rows, columns, and diagonals on a grid.

🌟Sportsmanship - Winning, losing, and wanting a rematch — all in 2 minutes.

🌟Focus - Short rounds mean kids stay engaged and see a result quickly.

It’s only 9 squares, but it’s big work for little brains + hands 💚💛💙