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The Junior Infant classes in our school do something called Aistear… and it’s really very simple. We’re learning through play! We have differnt topics throughout the year, and we learn about this topics by playing and working together at our different stations. Here’s an idea of what the different stations are:

The Sand/Water & Playdoh Station

At this station the children can get their hands dug into our sand or water tray and experiment with feeling and touching different textures. During their playdoh time they are encouraged to use the dough to create models of whatever topic we’re talking about that month.

The Junk Art/Creative Station

 At this station we use lots of different things to create pieces of art that represent something in our Aistear theme. Sometimes we use paper, sometimes we use boxes and bottles, and sometimes we use a mix of all of those things! If your child brings home their Junk Art make sure to ask them about it. To grown ups their art work might be a bit confusing… I find if you say “Oh that looks great, tell me about it” you’ll soon find out what your child has made 🙂

The Small World Station

This station is exactly as it sounds, we create small worlds! The children use miniature animals, dolls, furniture, blocks and tracks to create a world based on reality or their imaginations. They use ideas from the Aistear theme to create their world.

The Building Station

 Here the children put on their hi vis jackets (we’re very safety conscious!) and head to the building site. They use lego, straws, wooden blocks, soft blocks and links to build lots of different things to represent items in the Aistear theme.

The Pretend Corner/Socio-Dramatic Area

Here the children let their dramatic side shine! They pretend to be different people from different places, and create an imaginary area that they work in. They have to act out their role, chatting to other characters and solving problems.