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Welcome to the Happy Kids parents blog!

Click on your child's class to access the class blog. 

Welcome to the Happy Kids parents blog!

Click on your child's class to access the class blog (password required). 

Cuddly Koalas

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 24 January 2025s

This week, our young chess enthusiasts had an exciting time learning and mastering the placement of chess pieces on the board.  They also dived deeper into understanding the important concepts of ‘Ranks’ and ‘Files’ through fun and engaging games!   It is incredible to see their skills and strategies grow with every session.

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 24 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas had an amazing time practising their drawing skills while creating the most imaginative snowmen ever!  Armed with crayons and vivid imaginations, each child brought their snowman to life with unique colours and designs. Every snowman was a masterpiece, as unique as the child who created it!  The joy and excitement on their faces during the process were truly heartwarming. Watching creativity bloom is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do!

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 24 January 2025

Exploring and playing instruments is a fantastic way to strengthen fine motor skills, and the Brilliant Pandas are discovering this firsthand. For example, playing the glockenspiel involves holding a mallet with a pincer grip, a motion that directly supports skills needed for writing, sports, and learning to play other musical instruments. The Brilliant Pandas are encouraged to use both hands while playing to enhance their development further. This practice strengthens their dominant hand and helps build coordination and strength in their non-dominant hand. Through these engaging activities, the Brilliant Pandas are laying the foundation for a wide range of skills—all while having fun making music.

Brilliant Pandas – 24 January 2025

The children have been participating in an exciting project where they planned and built their castles using recycled materials. First, they discussed what their castles would look like and what resources they would need. Parents supplied various excellent materials, and the children looked at pictures of different castles to spark ideas. As they explored other parts of the castle, new vocabulary was introduced, such as “battlements,” “drawbridge,” and “moat.” The children used their creativity in groups to design and build their castles. They told countless stories about what each part of their castles did—catching bad guys, holding secret cameras, setting traps, and even having arrow shooters! The children had a fantastic time working together, coming up with striking and creative ideas. It was an excellent opportunity for them to learn about design, construction, and teamwork while exploring the world of STEM.

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas levelled up in their latest chess class! They deepened their understanding of how different chess pieces move, reviewing how each one travels along the ranks and files of the chessboard. Special focus was given to the Rook, and the children had a blast learning its unique movements! Through fun, interactive games, they made learning both enjoyable and effective.

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas are diving into the world of polar animals in their latest art lessons. As part of their exploration, they painted adorable polar bears during a free-hand painting activity, using fun stamp painting techniques to create their furry friends. The children loved experimenting with this technique, adding texture and creativity to their artwork while learning more about these incredible animals.

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas had an exciting time tuning into the unique sound of the slide whistle, transitioning from low to high and high to low.  This helped them connect to glissando, where sound moves fluidly in pitch.

The children engaged in a dynamic, multi-sensory activity, using their voices and body movements to mimic the sound and shape of the glissando. This hands-on approach stimulates multiple brain areas, deepening their understanding of musical concepts in a fun and interactive way.

Incorporating movement and sound makes the learning process more impactful, enjoyable, and long-lasting, creating a strong musical foundation! 

Brilliant Pandas – 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas have been very busy learning about mass. We participated in a carousel of activities, each designed to engage and expand every child’s learning. To introduce the topic, the class used a balance scale to compare the mass of various items, predicting which would be heavier before measuring them. This activity then progressed to using digital scales to calculate the exact mass of one or more items in grams and then compare their masses. On the SmartBoard, the children played a game where they read an analogue scale and typed in their answers. The third activity involved baking cupcakes. The children were responsible for measuring the ingredients’ mass and mixing the cake batter. They then enjoyed the cupcakes as part of their afternoon snack.

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 19 December 2024

Checkmate in the making! In our recent chess classes, the Brilliant Pandas had an amazing time diving into the world of chess. They learned how to position each piece on the board and discovered the unique moves and special features of every piece.

To make learning extra fun, they played engaging games that sharpened their skills while keeping the excitement high. It’s wonderful to see their confidence grow as they master this classic game!

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 19 December 2024

The Christmas spirit was in full swing as the kids let their imaginations run wild! Armed with crayons, markers, and a lot of holiday cheer, they drew their Christmas trees and decorated them exactly how they envisioned.

Each tree was as unique and creative as the little artists, from glittery ornaments to colourful lights.

 

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 19 December 2024

In the fun-filled activity Beat and No Beat, the Brilliant Pandas honed their listening skills by carefully distinguishing between music with a beat and without one.  As they listened, they responded creatively, exploring movement and expression based on what they heard.

This activity is more than just fun—developing rhythmic awareness through music helps children recognise patterns and rhythms in the world around them, enhancing their ability to speak, read, and listen with fluency and understanding. Identifying these rhythmic structures lays a strong foundation for literacy and communication, making learning more enjoyable and meaningful.

Through this playful exploration, the Brilliant Pandas are building skills that will support their musical and language development in exciting ways.

Brilliant Pandas – 19 December 2024

The Brilliant Pandas have been blending tech and nature in our latest TRIBES activity. The children explored the garden in their TRIBES groups, snapping photos on the school tablets. They then used those photos to create their garden maps. So much thought and creativity went into their designs, and the results were amazing! We wrapped up with a class reflection, sharing what went well and ideas for improvement next time. The children could not decide if they loved taking photos or drawing the maps more – both were a hit!

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 6 December 2024

Listening, thinking, and making choices are required for the Brilliant Pandas to pay attention to the sound prompts in this game. In this process, they are using and developing their listening skills. They are using and developing their creative thinking skills as they think about the sounds in nature and imitate them (e.g., a bear’s growl). Finally, as they choose and use these sounds in the game, they are exercising choice and strengthening their listening awareness.

Brilliant Pandas – 6 December 2024

The Brilliant Pandas explored directions through exciting games! From running challenges to guiding blindfolded teammates, they have been practising forwards, backwards, left, and right in a fun and interactive way.

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 22 November 2024

The Brilliant Pandas took their chess skills to the next level with the enchanting story ‘The Campfire’, which brought each chess piece to life in a relatable and exciting way. They also mastered chessboard ranks with fun activities like ‘hide and seek’ and the energetic ‘bean bag dance.’ Learning chess has never been this lively and engaging.

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 22 November 2024

Our brains are hard-wired to see patterns and sequences in the world around us. Learning to see or hear and then recall patterns and sequences means that we can extract meaning from information, language, music, and movement and organise the information to remember it more easily. As the Brilliant Pandas develop the ability to recognise and decode patterns and sequences, their learning potential is greatly enhanced because their brains build skills in prediction and categorisation, which can be applied to any new information they encounter.

Brilliant Pandas – 22 November 2024

The Brilliant Pandas have been learning about ordinal numbers. Rather than sitting on the carpet, staring at the board or flicking through a book, we took our adventure outside for some racing. Each race consisted of different actions and movements, and we discussed who came to which place after each. The children were very good at tracking their classmate’s positions and could go much further than the traditional first, second and third place. They all encouraged one another, and there were no negative reactions from those who did not win. The fresh air and active learning programme meant the children had much fun and were engaged throughout the lesson.

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 8 November 2024

The Brilliant Pandas dove into the fundamentals of chess, learning each piece’s names, movements, and unique characteristics. They had a great time navigating the chessboard and exploring ranks and files. A highlight of their week was the musical chess game, paired with some delightful chess-themed rhymes.

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 8 November 2024

Through singing games, the Brilliant Pandas are developing critical social skills that will benefit them into adulthood. They learn to take turns and wait patiently, as well as how to work cooperatively with others. These activities also encourage them to observe and consider each other’s ideas. They practice leading and following, which builds both skills and confidence. Additionally, they improve their abilities to watch, listen, and communicate effectively with one another.

Brilliant Pandas – 8 November 2024

The Brilliant Pandas have recently been learning about 2D shapes and their different properties. After a discussion using the Smart Board, we went outside to the garden and played a running game in which the children had to identify the correct shapes. They then collected a giant pile of leaves and practised their cutting skills as they used scissors to cut out the different shapes before placing them in the correct area of the football pitch.

Brilliant Pandas -18 October 2024

The Brilliant Pandas enjoyed an active day at Rolli Polli, tying in perfectly with our unit on health and fitness! They practised gross motor skills through rolling, jumping, and climbing, and absolutely loved the giant inflatable trampoline. Each movement helps build their strength and coordination, all while having a blast!

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama,18 October 2024

Imagine the brain as a set of filing cabinets! For Brilliant Pandas, each clap, stomp, and movement strengthens brain connections, boosting multi-tasking and problem-solving skills. These fun sound and movement activities help build pathways that support lifelong learning!

Brilliant Pandas – Chess,18 October 2024

The Brilliant Pandas buzzed with excitement during chess class! They learned the names, moves, and personalities of each piece, practising how to navigate the board through ‘ranks’ and ‘files’ with fun games and rhymes to remember.

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 4 October 2024

During the chess lesson in Brilliant Pandas class, the children were introduced to the basics of chess, from the names and features of the pieces to understanding the ranks and files on the chessboard. They engaged in various chess-related games and enjoyed learning chess rhymes, which added a fun twist to the lesson. The children’s favourite activity was the musical chess game, where they walked in a circle, anticipating when a chess piece would be raised so they could sit down and participate in the game. They also enjoyed playing the “passing the chess piece” game, reinforcing their learning playfully and interactively.

Brilliant Pandas – 4 October 2024

The Brilliant Pandas have been continuing our unit of inquiry on how to keep ourselves healthy. This week, the focus was on hand washing and good hygiene. We discussed when we should wash our hands and why it is important to do it properly. To symbolise how germs spread, the children put a glitter mixture on their hands, symbolising the germs, and then the class shook hands with one another. The children were shocked to see how much the ’germs’ had spread around the class. To investigate the best way to wash our hands, the class experimented using different water temperatures with soap or not. First, we hypothesised what would happen, and after the experiment, we compared our predictions to what actually happened.

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 4 October 2024

Children are naturally inclined to move, and in our Brilliant Pandas classes, we harness this innate energy through creative movement activities. These experiences are multi-layered, allowing children to explore their world physically while expressing their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Creative movement is an invaluable brain-building tool, engaging multiple learning modalities, including auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic, spatial, and conceptual learning. Through these activities, Brilliant Pandas develop their physical coordination and strengthen executive function skills such as problem-solving, comparing, and experimenting with new ideas.
Movement in our classes is more than just physical activity; it’s a rich cognitive experience saturated with opportunities for language development. Children engage in receptive language (understanding others) and expressive language (sharing their thoughts and ideas), fostering communication skills crucial for their overall development. By weaving together physical, cognitive, and linguistic elements, we create an environment where children can flourish, building confidence in their ability to explore the world and communicate their ideas effectively. These early experiences lay the foundation for lifelong learning and emotional resilience.

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 4 October 2024

The children at Brilliant Pandas had a fantastic time creating harvest baskets! They began the activity by colouring basket samples and fruits with vibrant oil pastels. After that, they cut out their designs and glued them together to form delightful fruit harvest baskets. This hands-on project encouraged their creativity and helped strengthen their colouring, cutting, and sticking skills. What a wonderful way to celebrate the harvest!

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 20 September 2024

During their chess lesson, the Brilliant Pandas delved into the basics of chess with a captivating tale about the “Chess Palace.” They got to know the names and characteristics of the chess pieces through various games and catchy rhymes, making the learning process both fun and memorable.

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 20 September 2024

The Brilliant Pandas began the school year with excitement, learning about themselves through mirror self-portraits. They collaborated on tribe-themed artwork, shared summer memories, and familiarized themselves with art room routines. They also enjoyed directed drawing lessons to depict pandas and celebrated International Dot Day with colorful dots and patterns.

Brilliant Pandas – 20 September 2024

Taking the learning outdoors allows for the lesson to become a multi-sensory experience. The Brilliant Pandas have been utilising this for our maths lessons. The large open space allows for a carousel of different activities to keep the children busy and engaged whilst also being in a natural and calming environment. Sending the children running off in all directions to find a set number of leaves, sticks or stones meant that not only were they practising their counting skills but also being active in their learning and expanding their language skills. A giant hopscotch was drawn on the football pitch, and the children had a lot of fun calling out the numbers as they jumped between the boxes. Those who would benefit from additional challenges were then asked to jump over one or two boxes at a time to improve their skip-counting abilities.

Our Unit of Enquiry is currently exploring how to keep our bodies healthy. Keeping active and natural fresh air go hand in hand to achieving this. We began our journey in the classroom where the class learnt about the heart and how it works. We discussed what we thought might happen to our heart rate when we exercise, but the class was divided and unsure. The learning then moved into the garden, and we played some running around games. The children were very excited to be able to check their heart rates and discover their own answers to the previous question. Learning experiences such as these not only promote the children’s love for learning but also their ability to research and find answers for themselves.

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 20 September 2024

Pretend play enhances learning by engaging multiple areas of development simultaneously, including physical, social, emotional, mathematical, musical, language, and literacy skills. Through pretend play with others, the Brilliant Pandas are learning how to transition from concrete physical experiences to more abstract symbolic thinking, such as creating mental images. Their literacy skills are also evolving as they use symbolic thinking and language to structure simple actions into more complex sequences and imaginative scenarios. This lesson strongly emphasises pretend play activities, which simultaneously stimulate various areas of the brain, providing the Brilliant Pandas with valuable opportunities to practice and develop concrete and abstract skills. The approach supports a holistic method of learning, enabling children to grow in multiple developmental domains while having fun.

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 24 January 2025s

This week, our young chess enthusiasts had an exciting time learning and mastering the placement of chess pieces on the board.  They also dived deeper into understanding the important concepts of 'Ranks' and 'Files' through fun and engaging games!   It is incredible...

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 24 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas had an amazing time practising their drawing skills while creating the most imaginative snowmen ever!  Armed with crayons and vivid imaginations, each child brought their snowman to life with unique colours and designs. Every snowman was a...

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 24 January 2025

Exploring and playing instruments is a fantastic way to strengthen fine motor skills, and the Brilliant Pandas are discovering this firsthand. For example, playing the glockenspiel involves holding a mallet with a pincer grip, a motion that directly supports skills...

Brilliant Pandas – 24 January 2025

The children have been participating in an exciting project where they planned and built their castles using recycled materials. First, they discussed what their castles would look like and what resources they would need. Parents supplied various excellent materials,...

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 10 January 2025

​The Brilliant Pandas levelled up in their latest chess class! They deepened their understanding of how different chess pieces move, reviewing how each one travels along the ranks and files of the chessboard. Special focus was given to the Rook, and the children had a...

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas are diving into the world of polar animals in their latest art lessons. As part of their exploration, they painted adorable polar bears during a free-hand painting activity, using fun stamp painting techniques to create their furry friends. The...

Brilliant Pandas – Music and Drama, 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas had an exciting time tuning into the unique sound of the slide whistle, transitioning from low to high and high to low.  This helped them connect to glissando, where sound moves fluidly in pitch. The children engaged in a dynamic, multi-sensory...

Brilliant Pandas – 10 January 2025

The Brilliant Pandas have been very busy learning about mass. We participated in a carousel of activities, each designed to engage and expand every child's learning. To introduce the topic, the class used a balance scale to compare the mass of various items,...

Brilliant Pandas – Chess, 19 December 2024

Checkmate in the making! In our recent chess classes, the Brilliant Pandas had an amazing time diving into the world of chess. They learned how to position each piece on the board and discovered the unique moves and special features of every piece. To make learning...

Brilliant Pandas – Visual Arts, 19 December 2024

The Christmas spirit was in full swing as the kids let their imaginations run wild! Armed with crayons, markers, and a lot of holiday cheer, they drew their Christmas trees and decorated them exactly how they envisioned. Each tree was as unique and creative as the...