Classrooms

Nursery Message

4 months ago
Posted on 22nd Nov 2024 by

Old McDonald Had a Farm

This week at the nursery, we’ve been singing and learning through the beloved rhyme Old McDonald Had a Farm. Using the song as inspiration, we explored farms, discovering the fascinating sounds of animals and discussing the various amazing jobs that happen on a farm. It was lovely to hear the children share which farm jobs they’d love to do and their personal experiences of helping out on farms. Their enthusiasm and creativity brought our farm-themed activities to life!

We’ve also been working hard at our counting skills this week, focusing on counting the animals we might see on a farm. It has been a delight to see how much progress the children have made with their counting abilities and how their confidence in maths is growing. From chickens to cows, the children have eagerly counted their way through farm life.

Finally, we’ve had a magical time enjoying the great outdoors. The snow provided endless fun as we built snowmen, made snow angels, and embraced the winter wonderland. In our forest school area, the children worked together to create a leaf maze and ended the adventure with warm cups of delicious hot chocolate. It’s been a week full of laughter, learning, and unforgettable winter memories.

Wishing you all a cozy weekend!

4 months ago
Posted on 15th Nov 2024 by

Five Little Ducks

This week in nursery, we’ve had an exciting time focusing on the much-loved nursery rhyme Five Little Ducks. The children have been thoroughly engaged in creating their own stick puppets to act out the song, bringing the story to life in such a creative way. It’s been delightful to see their imagination at work as they sang along and made their puppets waddle and quack during playtime.

The children also amazed us with their descriptive skills during an activity where they described a duck. Rather than sticking to one-word answers, many children expressed their ideas in full sentences, using some wonderful descriptive words. It’s been a joy to hear them use words like “soft,” “feathery,” and “yellow,” showing their growing confidence in communicating their thoughts.

This week’s experiment had everyone excited as we explored what floats and what sinks! We tested various objects, including a rubber duck and a rock, to discover what would float and what would sink. The children loved predicting what would happen and were thrilled to see the rubber duck stay afloat while the rock sank to the bottom. It was a fantastic hands-on learning opportunity that sparked a lot of curiosity.

Lastly, we explored the lifecycle of a duck in a fun and interactive way. The children worked with a toy duck, an egg, and a duckling, arranging them in the correct order. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they pieced together this natural sequence. Hands-on activities like these are great for helping children connect with the world around them, and they all did a fantastic job!

Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to share more adventures with you next week.

5 months ago
Posted on 08th Nov 2024 by

Five Little Speckled Frogs

This week, we’ve had so much fun singing the classic nursery rhyme, Five Little Speckled Frogs! Not only is it a delightful tune, but it’s also a fantastic way to practice counting to five. The children did brilliantly using their fingers to count down the frogs as they “jumped into the pool.” Singing along together helped reinforce their understanding of numbers and counting, and it was lovely to see everyone so engaged and enthusiastic!

In addition to singing, we’ve been exploring the fascinating lifecycle of a frog. The children were captivated by the different stages—from frogspawn to tadpole, and finally to frog. They were especially curious about frogspawn, describing how it looks just like jelly! Through hands-on activities and colourful visuals, the children deepened their understanding of how frogs grow and change, sparking excitement about nature and the amazing transformations in the animal world.

5 months ago
Posted on 11th Oct 2024 by

The Colour Monster

We’ve had another wonderful and busy week at nursery! Our focus this week has been on the story The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas. This delightful story has given us the perfect opportunity to explore and talk about our feelings. Just like the Colour Monster who sorts his emotions into different colours, we’ve been thinking about our own feelings and discussing how we can manage them when we feel upset or angry. The children have been fantastic at expressing themselves, and it’s been lovely to see them recognize and understand their emotions!

On Thursday, we had a special Wear Yellow Day to promote positive mental health. It was such a bright and cheerful day with so many of us wearing yellow! We talked about the importance of feeling happy and the different things that can help us maintain a positive mindset. During our class discussion, it was heart-warming to hear all the lovely things that make the children feel happy, from playing with friends and cuddling their favourite toys to spending time with their families.

Thank you all for your continued support, and we look forward to another exciting week of learning and growing together!

6 months ago
Posted on 04th Oct 2024 by

Harvest Festival

What a wonderful week we’ve had at nursery as we’ve been learning all about Harvest Festival and why it’s such an important celebration for us all! The children have had an amazing time exploring what the harvest festival is and understanding how it connects us to nature, farming, and the food we eat.

This week, we also made fantastic progress learning the song “Big Red Combine Harvester”. The children were brilliant at having a go at the lyrics and the fun actions that go with it! They showed so much enthusiasm and joy while performing, and we are so proud of their efforts.

Our creative side really shone through as well, with everyone taking part in an exciting group art project. Together, we painted a giant class tractor, and the children loved contributing their own artistic touches. We’ve proudly displayed the finished masterpiece in our classroom.

To finish off our Harvest Festival celebrations, this afternoon the children had the chance to try some delicious harvest bread. It was a lovely way to experience the flavours of the harvest, and everyone enjoyed tasting it together.

It’s been a truly special week, full of learning, creativity, and fun!

Thank you for your continued support.

6 months ago
Posted on 27th Sep 2024 by

My Family, Your Family

This week in nursery, we’ve been enjoying the delightful book My Family, Your Family by Michaela Dias-Hayes. This story has given us a wonderful opportunity to explore the different types of families we all have, sparking lots of thoughtful conversations. We also learned about what a family tree is, and together, we created a class family tree which is now proudly displayed on our nursery door. After that, the children made their own individual family trees, reflecting the uniqueness of each family in our community.

In addition to learning about families, we’ve had a fun-filled day exploring the vibrant season of Autumn. We ventured into our forest school area to collect beautiful autumn leaves, which we then used for a creative activity. The children made autumn crowns by printing the leaves with paint onto them, producing some fantastic creations! It was a wonderful way to connect with nature while celebrating the changing seasons.

6 months ago
Posted on 20th Sep 2024 by

Family and Me!

This week, we had the joy of reading Family and Me by Michaela Dias-Hayes. This delightful book takes children on a journey of self-discovery, showing how their unique traits, features, and heritage are lovingly passed down from both biological and chosen family members. The story follows a young girl as she explores her family tree, finding joy in the physical features she has inherited from her relatives. It has been a wonderful way to help the children understand and celebrate their own family connections and backgrounds.

Our class has had an exciting time sharing personal family stories! The children brought in pictures of their families and were so eager to show them to their classmates. They enthusiastically shared details about their family members, from parents and siblings to grandparents and pets! Afterwards, the children expressed their creativity by painting their own family portraits. It was heart-warming to see their pride and excitement as they captured their family members on paper.

During our maths sessions, we have been focusing on developing hand-eye coordination through a fun activity—showing ‘finger numbers’! We have begun practicing holding up the correct number of fingers to represent numbers up to 3. The children are catching on quickly and enjoying this engaging way to learn early maths concepts, while also improving their fine motor skills.

6 months ago
Posted on 14th Sep 2024 by

Fundraising Group

A big thank you to our Parent Fundraising Group who have allocated £1,000 towards school trips. Each class will have £100 towards an in-school workshop or an educational trip out.

This will allow trips to be subsides for all children.

The fundraising group had their first meeting of the new academic year and have plans for a spooky disco in October and a Christmas fair in December.

The group are always looking for new parents to join and welcome anyone who can volunteer to help run the events.  If you are interested, please let the office know.

 

 

6 months ago
Posted on 13th Sep 2024 by

Monkey Puzzle

This week, our classroom has been enjoying the delightful world of Julia Donaldson’s Monkey Puzzle. In this story, a young monkey who’s lost his mum receives help from a friendly butterfly. As they journey through the jungle, they meet various animals that all look different. The children have been eagerly discussing the monkey’s journey and learning about the different animals he encounters, which has sparked many imaginative and interactive activities.

In maths, we’ve been incorporating nursery rhymes to make learning numbers up to 5 both fun and effective. Songs like “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I caught a fish alive” have helped the children practice counting in sequence while enjoying the rhythm and melody. The students have particularly enjoyed acting out the songs, which has turned our maths time into lively and engaging sessions. This hands-on approach is not only enhancing their numerical skills but also making the learning process joyful and memorable.

Our nursery has been buzzing with creativity as students have been working on self-portraits. Using mirrors to observe and carefully consider the positioning of facial features, the children have created some truly impressive artwork. There have been some amazing self-portraits that reflect each child’s unique personality and growing artistic abilities which has been displayed so that all the school can see our amazing work.

In music, we’ve been exploring a variety of instruments, which has been a big hit with the kids. Each student had the opportunity to try out different instruments, from drums to xylophones, and then select their favourite. Following this, we practiced taking turns giving instructions like “stop” and “go,” which helped the children develop their listening and coordination skills. It’s been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and creativity in making music together.

Lastly, our physical education sessions are a highlight of the week, with PE taking place on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. The children are thoroughly enjoying the chance to get active and develop their physical skills. Additionally, our Friday afternoons are dedicated to Forest School, where students explore the outdoors, engage in nature-based activities, and learn about the environment. These sessions are not only a great way to stay physically active but also provide invaluable opportunities for experiential learning and connection with nature. Thank you for your continued support in making our school experiences so enriching and enjoyable.

8 months ago
Posted on 12th Jul 2024 by

One Day on our Blue Planet

This week in Nursery, we had the pleasure of exploring two delightful books: One Day on our Blue Planet: In the Savannah and In the Rainforest by Ella Bailey. These beautifully illustrated stories took us on a journey through two distinct and vibrant habitats, providing a fantastic opportunity for the children to compare the lives of animals in the savannah and the rainforest. Through these books, the children were able to explore the unique characteristics of each environment and have some great class discussions about how the two habitats are different or the same.

The children have made brilliant progress in their writing skills, particularly in hearing and writing the first sounds of their favourite animals from the stories. It has been wonderful to see them holding their pencils correctly and using the sound mats to guide them. This activity not only reinforced their phonetic awareness but also boosted their confidence in writing. We are very proud of how hard they have all worked at holding their pencils correctly and having a go at writing different sounds.

In addition to our focus on writing, we had a lot of fun practicing our numbers this week. The children enjoyed writing numbers in a variety of ways, such as in the sand and in shaving foam. These hands-on activities made learning numbers an exciting and sensory-rich experience, helping to solidify their number recognition and writing skills in a playful and engaging manner.

We have all had such a fun afternoon today having a class party to celebrate 10 years of our amazing school. The children loved doing some party games and I was so impressed with how good they are at being good team players. We then all had some lovely party food which every one enjoyed sharing with their friends. Thank you for all the donations that made this wonderful day possible.