Monday 29 October 2012

My Home Project!

So finally I've gotten around to writing about the My Home project. It's so simple, but My Goodness, the kids absolutely loved it.

Step 1: Preparation

I cut out house shapes on A3 card, and each child was given a Home for their own.
Next, I gave the parents of every child a note, which said something along the lines of:

Dear Parent/ Guardian,
In the coming weeks here at __________, we will be doing a project about our homes. It would be great if you could bring in some family photos for the project. These photos could include parents, grandparents, siblings, extended family, the child themself or even pets! Anyone who is important to your child could be included. One or two photos would be great, but please bring in as many as you like! If it is awkward to bring in photos then please email me some photos at __________, or bring them in on a USB and I will print them off. OR we could take a quick snap of you and your child one morning!
Thanks very much,
Rebecca

Step 2:

The kids painted and decorated their Homes as they wanted.


Step 3:

After the Homes had dried (we pegged ours on the indoor washing line overnight), the children and I chose photos from the selections their parents had brought in. The kids stuck their photos on with pritt-stick, and I made little lables with their names on, which they also stuck on.

Step 4: 

That evening I lamenated each Home. I would really recommend this, even though it wasn't in my original plan. The Homes were much more robust, and they surely needed to be after all the use they've had with us! I cut out the lamenated sheets around the Home, to keep their shape.

Step 5:

The next day we had a circle time session. Each child had their Home in their hands, and we went around the circle introducing our families and having a chat about similarities and differences. When each child had finished I said "Let's give a round of applause for ______'s family!" which encouraged the kids to praise each other and feel happy for each other's acomplishments and individuality.


Here's a picture of my finished Home. Yep, I made one too, and I did it step-by-step with the kids. It was fun, and the kids loved the idea of me having a life outside pre-school!







For the time being I'm keeping all the Homes in pre-school. This way, the children can access their Homes and pictures of their families whenever they like. It's been great to see the kids showing each other their families and asking to hear about each others' families. The parents have also taken a real interest in the project and have popped in to see the project as we moved through it.

My next post will be all about the Bird/ Migration Project- a Ma-hoo-sive success!
Bye for now!