Unicorns and royal pigs

It's official! 

Those clever little learners of Sunnyside School, have now reached the half way mark of their time in the Reception Year. In the five months since they made those first tentative steps over Sunnyside School's threshold, they have made tremendous progress in all areas of their learning and development, especially so in the area regarding self confidence.

This increased self-assuredness is particularly evident when the little learners are participating in a speaking activity such as show-and-tell.

For a show-and-tell activity to be successful, it not only requires the speaker to be able to talk confidently about their chosen item to the group, it also needs individuals within the group to ask questions about the item. Whilst the standing in front of the group and talking aspect of show-and-tell doesn't produce any problems with the little learners, the asking of the questions part most certainly does at the moment. Even with careful role modelling from the adults in the class, the little learners feel compelled to make statements in response to the item on show, rather than ask actual questions about it. 

So today, the Team was thrilled and extremely encouraged to hear a little learner start his question with "how" following a wonderfully descriptive and lengthy monologue from this afternoon's shower-and-teller. Sadly, question time was brought to a rather abrupt end (after just one question), following the somewhat brusque retort from the showing-and-telling little learner.  

It all began with a lovely picture of a princess in a garden. The proud creator of the picture was positioned at the front of a ready and waiting audience of fellow little learners. Holding her picture aloft, the showing-and-telling little learner drew an enormous breath, and began......

"I drawed a picture of a beautiful princess in her lovely garden. I drawed some pretty flowers in her pretty garden and I drawed a tree, her hair is yellow and it's very long hair 'cause you can see it in the grass. I maked it with crayons and I used a yellow crayon for her hair and a pink crayon for her dress, and a green crayon for the grass and a brown crayon for the tree. Do you know...... princesses always live with a king and a queen. The dad is called King John and the mum is called Queen Alice and princesses walk around all day and swim in ponds. They have a pet wolf and some pigs. Princesses go to princess school and they only dance with princes then they have sleepovers with their aunties. Do you know........mermaids like ice cream and they have bones in their tails and I've got a real unicorn in my wall.......it keeps my pet dragon company."

When the little learner had finished her show-and-tell, Mrs Very Jolly invited the spellbound audience to ask questions about the little learner's beautiful artwork. She reminded them all first though, that a question needs to start with, how, why and where etc. Immediately a little hand shot into the air and began waving furiously in desperation to be chosen to speak. "How did you make your picture?" blurted out the little learner, terribly pleased with himself for actually asking a real question. The little princess artist set her picture on the floor and placed her hands on her hips, "I told you", said she, somewhat indignantly......."I maked it with crayons!!"

Well.....it was some while ago that she mentioned that fact!

Show and Tell

Sit up straight

And concentrate,

I need all eyes this way.

Please listen well

For show-and-tell,

I'm about to have my say!

I must confess,

I may digress,

I'm sorry if I stray,

But....on the subject of princesses,

I could jabber on all day! 

"Do I hear snoring?"