Recyclables come in handy for young learners during lockdown

The Rutland Playschool in Craighall Park has been making weekly activity packs since schools closed in March.

Teacher at the school, Tamsin E’Silva, said normally they would send packs home on the last day of school.

“When the lockdown was announced, we made extra packs and delivered them to the children’s homes before we went into lockdown. Since the lockdown extension, we have been making weekly packs based on the themes we would have been doing at school,” E’Silva explained.

She added that these packs are delivered every Friday to use the following week. Teachers do pavement drops at homes that are on their route to the shops and the rest of the packs are dropped at Pick and Pay Craighall Park for the parents to pick up.

E’Silva said each teacher makes packs for her class so they are age-appropriate and relevant for her class. The school has children from two to six years and they are making around 40 packs a week. This includes their Grade 0s who are also doing online learning.

She said, “We include a combination of recyclables, it’s actually amazing how many things you can make with toilet rolls and egg boxes, and craft items like googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom-poms. We also send glue and paint for those who need.” E’Silva said feedback from the parents has been positive as it keeps the children busy and entertained.

“I think a lot of them do their activities when their older siblings are online. We receive a lot of photos over the week from the children showing us what they have made,” she said. The teacher said they have had requests from a couple of people who know them and have seen their activities on Facebook, so they have made packs for them at a minimal charge.

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