Crazy Hair or Hat Day

Term 2 Chess Tournament

Congratulations to our Chess Team, coming 2nd place in this term’s chess tournament at The Mawson Centre. Representing Prescott Primary Northern, our top 12 players competed against five other schools.

A special mention to Tyson, Jap, Kareem and Sophia who were awarded with a silver medal. Sophia was also presented with a gold medal for Best Girl Player in the tournament. Well done to Hridhaan and Neil, our youngest members on the team making it in the top 12.

I was proud to be standing alongside our students, they demonstrated great sportsmanship and teamwork. Great job to everyone on their excellent performance and outstanding achievements.

Miss Toohey

International Mud Day

I’m not sure about your family, but my family love the rain! Well, maybe not the rain itself, but the mud and muddy puddles it leaves behind. 

 “Mud provides an ideal platform for children to immerse themselves in one of nature’s finest elements and in doing so build a life-long connection to the natural world.” (Nature Play SA)  

There are many benefits of playing with mud. It helps to develop fine and gross motor skills, provides a multisensory experience, encourages problem solving and creativity, and encourages unstructured fun play.  

This Wednesday was International Mud Day, so the students at Prescott got to play and splash in muddy goodness. The students were encouraged to bring their gumboots to school this week and play in the mud puddle, indulge in the mud kitchen to make delicious muddy pies and cakes, and enjoy free play with the mud. 

The smiles and giggles were seen all around as they squished and squelched in the puddles, and played with mud.  As the rain falls this week, will you put on a raincoat and some gum boots, and play outside in the mud and the puddles? 

International Mud Day Community Playdate

Wednesday the 29^th of June was International Mud Day, a day dedicated to getting as messy, dirty, and squishy as possible. International Mud Day started in 2009, when a West Australian Teacher, Gillian McAuliffe, and Bisnu Bhatta from Nepal met at the World Forum for Early Childhood Care and Education. What started as a collaborative way of enabling children in Nepal and Perth to play with mud has grown to be a day of mud celebrated around the world.  

Sometimes getting dirty can be scary, and may even cause a sense of worry. But it almost always ends up putting a big smile on everyone’s face. Not only is playing in mud and getting messy fun, it is also an important biological need for all our children. Researchers have proven that playing with mud is important for children to be exposed to the friendly soil bacteria, while also involving all their senses and increasing brain activity, among many other amazing benefits.  

Prescott Primary Northern reached out to the wider community to invite local toddlers and pre-schoolers to come and play with mud. We had familiar faces and some new ones, come and enjoy the fun had when playing with mud. There were muddy cars, mud painting, mud kitchen play, and the most fun was had in the giant mud puddle. What started with some children playing and splashing in the puddle became the main attraction with mud cakes, big splashes, and water play for all. 

For children, mud is fun! Instinctively they are drawn to getting dirty and playing in mud. Our job as parents and carers is to provide the opportunities for children to play in mud and to give them permission to get dirty!