In the nursery our approach to development and learning is a mixture of focused activities and child-centred, play-based learning.
The value of quality play in early child development is well-documented and we provide children with rich and meaningful play experiences through a responsive and flexible learning environment supported by caring and skillful interactions from the nursery practitioners.
Children are encouraged to develop and learn through playing, exploring, being actively involved, risk taking, problem solving and thinking creatively. They are encouraged to be independent through accessing resources freely, making choices and taking responsibility for their own learning within the supportive environment.
The value of this approach is evidenced in the overall progress children make from their initial starting points in the seven areas of learning within The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
Exploring Autumn
What a fantastic start to our nursery year! We have been exploring everything autumn using a range of activities to extend the children’s knowledge and learning.
This project teaches children about the natural changes that happen during the season of autumn, including how the weather changes, why trees lose their leaves and how wild animals prepare for winter.
Discovery Trays: We used a range of natural and craft resources to spark the children’s curiosity, imagination and intrigue.
Autumn Discovery picture cards: We used autumn picture cards during small groups to extend the childrens vocabulary and encouraged group discussions with each other.
Autumn play dough and Salt dough: The children had a fab time making autumn play dough and salt dough. They made leaves and hedgehogs developing maths and fine motor skills.
Spice paints: We made autumn scented spice paints for the children to develop their sense of smell, they then were able to make marks with the paints and explore the different smells.
Curiosity Cube: Our curiosity cube was filled with natural objects from the environment, it gave the children an opportunity to use their language to describe what they can see?
“From the tree” “I see six” “Looks like a grape” “I like the spikey one”.
Halloween and Diwali: We explored two autumn festivals providing the children with a range of activities:- discovery table, witches hats, spaghetti monsters, pumpkin plates, Diwali candles.
Autumn Rhymes and Stories –
Stickman, The Enormous Turnip, The Little Acorn.
Rhyme - Leaves are falling.
Spooky fingers (tune of Tommy Thumb)
Once upon a Time
We have been exploring the world of fairy tale stories, songs and rhymes. We have used a range of resources to extend the children knowledge and learning and that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end!
Discovery Trays: We have had a range of discovery trays over the term, they have included fireworks, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Christmas, Elf present wrapping station, resources to encourage story telling as they play.
“We did some mixing. We mixed porridge”
Cooking: Keeping to our fairy tale theme the children took part in baking plaited bread to represent Rapunzels long hair. They also have been baking Ginger bread People. The children were able to measure out the ingredients, mix them together, roll and cut out their shapes the wait for them to cook so we could eat our tasty treats.
“I liked baking gingerbread; it smells really nice”, “ we made gingerbread”.
The Three Little Pigs: Our focused book has been the ‘The Three Little Pigs’. The children have been making and building houses, Piggy hats and noses, piggy play dough, various discovery trays for the children to have ago at retelling the story independently…. Even making up their own versions. The children also loved our shadow puppet show at story time.
Winter and Christmas: The children have been exploring winter festivals and the changes between autumn and winter.
We made our role play areas into a Post Office where the children were able to explore how we send letters and parcels, writing letters, putting letters into envelopes, money and stamps.
For our younger group we made a Tree-pee, the children are able to sit inside to read stories and relax with their friends under the twinkle lights.
We set up a snowy winter scene for the children to explore on our light box.
There has been a range of activities celebrating the Christmas season with a Christmas concert for our pre-school group, lots of crat activities and a Nativity scene for our children to explore.
“Singing Christmas dinner”, “we post letters to Santa in the post office”, “I made a Christmas card”.
When we return for term 3 our theme will be Starry Night.
The Nursery Team wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!
Starry Night
We have been exploring what happens during the night whilst we are asleep!
This project explores the differences in the world at night compared to during the day. It teaches children about the importance of a good night’s sleep, and helps them to discover what is happening in the world while they are sleeping, including finding out about nocturnal animals.
Owl Playdough: The children used the dough to create their own owls. They used a range of materials to make eyes, feathers, beaks and wings. We were then able to recreate our Owl Babies story with Sarah, Percy and Bill.
Tuff Trays: The children explored a range of sensory tuff trays. They explored winter, space and stars. Developing their fine motor skills, maths, turn taking and understanding the world.
Owl Drawings: The children created some fab drawings of owls, developing their pencil control.
Astronauts and Space Rockets: We read the book How to catch a star by Oliver Jeffers, the children then explored through a range of activities about space, astronauts, the moon, stars and rockets. We even had a dark den to pretend we were in space.
By the end of term 3 the children had learnt that nocturnal animals such as bats, owls, foxes and badgers are awake at night, that some people work at night (emergency services, airport, restaurants, cleaners), that it gets dark on planet earth at night because our part of the earth faces away from the sun, that the moon and stars come out at night. They also talked about bedtime routines and why it is important to get a good night’s sleep.
Dangerous Dinosaurs
We have been exploring the world of Dinosaurs and how they lived in the past millions of years ago.
This exciting project teaches children about the different animals that roamed Earth millions of years ago and how they are related to animals that live on Earth today.
Pancake Day: The children had the best time creating faces on their pancakes using a range of fruit. “they were yummy!” “the blueberries and bananas make us so healthy” “I love these”.
Dinosaur Tuff Trays: The children had fun exploring a wide range of tuff tray play. They were able to create their own narrative with the small world dinosaurs, making volcanoes whilst extending their vocabulary and developing a range of skills.
Dinosaur Drawings: The children had ago at observational drawings, looking at the different shape, size and features of the dinosaurs.
Cave Drawings: We read the story Cave Baby by ** ** Julia Donaldson. The children then explored cave drawings and had ago at making their own using the charcoal.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants: The children designed their ** ** own underpants after we read the story Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort.
The children were really enthusiastic whilst learning about the dinosaurs. By the end of term 4 they remembered that the word dinosaur means terrible lizard, that carnivores eat meat and herbivores eat plants, that dinosaurs lived in the past millions of years ago and that the scientists who find dinosaur fossils are called palaeontologists.
Sunshine and Sunflowers
This seasonal project provides opportunities for outdoor learning and teaches children how to care for the plants and animals in their local environment and how to stay safe in the sun.
The Hungry Caterpillar Story Table and Snack: We made a hungry caterpillar story table, the children were able to explore and retell the story independently using the book and props. We also made a hungry caterpillar themed snack, which the children ate all up….. but they were still hungry!
“ate five oranges” “yep! It’s a cake and watermelon…. Yep, yep!” “butterfly, butterfly, I’ve got the cocoon, butterfly comes out, flutter, flutter, flutter.”
Natural art: The children went exploring during one of their forest school sessions to find some natural resources to create pieces of art work. They also had scavenger sheets to tick off items on their lists.
“I like looking at the list” “I like outside” “We found worms.”
Shark in the Park: After reading shark in the Park by nick Sharrett. ** ** The children made telescopes to go exploring around the environment to see what they could find.
Mud Kitchen: Over the Easter break we had a new mud kitchen area installed. The children worked together to make their mudtastic creation.
Discovery Tables and Bug Trays: The children have had a range of discovery activities over the term. They explored bugs, poems, bee’s, also the king’s coronation where we had a picnic all together to celebrate.
“the king will get his crown” “it’s the coronation”.
The Hungry Caterpillar Art Attack: The children worked together to create a huge art attack that represented the story of the hungry caterpillar for the playroom.
Planting and Cia Seed slime: The children planted flower seeds at the beginning of the term, then they were able to water them and keep track on how they were growing each week. They also made slime using chia seeds mixed in water. This was brilliant slimy fun!
“its colourful” “I can draw in it” “it’s soft and amazing”.
By the end of term 5 the children had learnt that a plant is a living thing. That plants need air, warmth, water, sunlight and nutrients from the soil to grow. That an animal is a living thing. That plants have roots, a stem, leaves, flowers and petals and that on a hot day it is important to wear sun cream, sun hats, sun glasses and drink plenty of water.
