Mini Professors is a new class for 2 to 5 year olds. The children take part in experiments stories, singing and the whole class is very interactive (so perfect for this age range). Classes last 40 minutes and aim to show children how science can be related to everyday objects and everything that they do.
We arrived at the session and were immediately greeted by Regina. She welcomed us all straight away and started to get the girls talking and feeling comfortable. On the signing in table were name badges, Kairi (4) was so happy to be able to look for her name and Naminé (2) was so pleased she had one also. At the end of the table was a child's height coat stand full of lab coats, both girls were very excited to wear one.
Once the girls were wearing their lab coats, (They looked so cute and I took about 50 photos!) we took a seat on the bug themed mats (obviously Kairi chose a butterfly and Naminé chose a ladybird), while we waited for others to arrive, we grabbed a book from the box and read a story.
Regina started the class by mentioning that Barney the book box was hungry, I loved how all the children rushed over to fill up the Barney's tummy. You can tell that Regina is totally comfortable around children and they are round her too.
So she started the lesson off, we were sitting on our mats and facing a projection on the wall. It was a the words to a song and we all started singing, to my surprise the girls joined straight in, they knew just what to sing (even though they had never head the song before and obviously couldn't read yet) it was a perfect start to the session and had everyone engrossed ready to see what happens next.
Once we had sung our hearts out, Regina showed us a microscope (the topic of the weeks session) and talked about the different ways to adjust it. She also took out some photos. We first looked at the photos and tried to guess what they were, then Regina confirmed if they children were correct. For the first photo the children guessed it was gherkins, Regina told them that was a fantastic answer because they did look like gherkins, but they were actually bacteria. Kairi thought this was great and it really stuck with her as an easy way to remember, as a parent, I loved how Regina didn't dismiss the children's suggestions, but used them to help make memory links and learn about the bacteria instead.
Regina asked the children a few questions like what do we do after using the toilet? (wash our hands) and the children answered them. Regina congratulated them by saying 'well done professor Kairi'. This was a fantastic touch and made Kairi want to answer more and sense of proud mum rushed over me.
Next we started the first hands on activity, we headed over to the tuff trays on stands and all the children were handed a magnifying glass each and shown how to use them by putting them closer to their hand rather then their eyes. (Which is something I hadn't been told in my many years on this planet!) Regina then brought out some petri dishes (which she had sealed and bagged to stop the spread of germs). She told us where the germs from each dish had come from (hands after using the toilet, mobile phone screen, hands of a baby who can call inside and outside etc.) The children and of course us adults (as it was far to exciting not to join in) used our magnifying glasses to take a closer look at the germs. It was so fantastic to see such a variety and a few even had some mould growing too.
Back to the mats again and we watched a short video on germs. Once it had finished, we had a small discussion about it and then went on to listen to a story all about a princess that kept getting told to wash her hands and didn't understand why. The story fitted in with the session really well and I've seen over the past few days that the girls really took it in and learnt from it. We had a little bit more discussion and headed over to the small blue table.
On the table was a computer set up with a microscope, Regina showed us what a slide looked like and then put it under the microscope. As my children have an interest in nature at the moment, they loved to see the wings and legs up close.
We went back to the mats one last time and sung our hearts out. The girls were given little learning log and a sticker to put in it to say they had taken part. There was space on the back for me to write what sessions they had done too. We then took one last photo of them in the lab coats (how can you not, they looked so cute!) and hung them back up before saying goodbye.
On the way home Kairi gave me feedback without asking, 'I had lots of fun' she said. 'I liked doing the microscope on the computer'. Naminé then pipes up that she 'liked singing and dancing to the song'
As a parent, I have been looking for a class like this for a while. I wanted something that was no longer a baby group but where the girls could play, learn and have fun in a semi-structured way. I love how mini professors doesn't dumb down the terminology, just the explanation. Both the girls seamed to pick up the words very easy and knew exactly what they meant because they were explained on their level. The class had a routine/structure to it, but was still plenty of fun and kept them occupied so there wasn't awkward moments of me pleading with them to take part.
The Mini professors class currently runs in Ely on a Monday afternoon. It is perfect for all children who have moved on from the constant free play of baby groups and are ready to start learning the skills required to make the most out of their education (whether that be at school or at home).
If you would like more information head over to the Mini Professors Facebook Page or the Mini Professors Website and don't forget to pop over to our Instagram to see more photos. Mummies Waiting Instagram
*I received a free session in return of a review, all opinions and comments are completely my own*