Reception - Geography - Identifying Familiar Places in Darwen
Reception pupils embarked on an exciting geographical adventure today, discovering the town of Darwen through maps and Google Earth. Their exploration took in key landmarks like Darwen Tower and the library, as well as child-initiated points of interest including the church, Iceland, Asda, the leisure centre, and our own school. The highlight for many was locating their houses and sharing their journeys to school, some of which we followed virtually using Google Maps to discuss familiar stops. The children then used copies of the map and familiar landmarks to create their own representations of Darwen.This hands-on experience directly supports their understanding of the world and acts as a fantastic stepping stone towards Year 1 geography.
Nursery - Maths - Five Little Speckled Frogs
This week the children have shown high levels of engagement with the chia slime, exploring its texture with their hands, describing it as "slimy" and "squishy." When prompted to search for the hidden frogs, they demonstrated great observation skills, carefully moving aside the twigs, leaves and plants within the slime. As each frog was discovered, the children showed excitement and a developing understanding of object permanence. Upon finding a frog, most children were able to place it onto the designated log. As a group, they participated in singing "Five Little Speckled Frogs,". The children used some number language when counting the frogs, with some friends counting all of the frogs accurately.
Pre School - Computing - To Paint A Butterfly
In Computing the children painted a butterfly linked to our story The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Using the class chromebook the children sat and designed their butterfly on Purple Mash, selecting which colour they were going to use and then smaking their marks using the touch screen.
Reception - Handa's Surprise - Fruit Tasting
Our little explorers have been on a taste adventure inspired by "Handa's Surprise"! After reading the story, we explored the real fruits Handa carried in her basket: a creamy avocado, a sweet banana, a juicy mango, a tangy pineapple, and a bright orange. The children used fantastic describing words as they tasted each one. We heard about textures that were "smooth like silk," "bumpy like a road," and "soft like a cloud." Their taste buds had lots to say too – "sweet and yummy," "a little bit sour," and even a few "not so sure about that one!" faces when it came to the avocado! This hands-on activity not only brought the story to life and encouraged rich language development, but it also sparked our inner geographers! We had some great discussions about where these amazing fruits come from around the world, learning about the warm and sunny climates where mangoes and pineapples thrive.
Nursery - Music - Loud And Quiet Sounds
The nursery class engaged in a lively exploration of loud and quiet sounds, focusing on how their actions could influence the volume produced by the drum. The children eagerly took turns experimenting with different approaches to playing the instrument. We observed a range of techniques, from gentle taps with soft hands or fingertips resulting in quiet sounds, to more energetic banging with open palms or fists creating much louder noises. It was interesting to witness the children's growing understanding of cause and effect – how the force and method of their interaction with the drum directly impacted the auditory outcome. Some children intuitively adjusted their movements, seemingly delighted by their ability to control the volume. This hands-on exploration fostered not only an awareness of sound intensity but also encouraged experimentation, active listening, and a playful approach to understanding basic physical principles.
Pre-school - Maths - Repeating Patterns
In Maths this week we have been learning all about repeat patterns. The children have had different opportunities to repeat a pattern using colours or shapes. The children repeated a pattern on the caterpillar using colours linked to our story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and made repeating patterns using chalk to draw shapes in our outdoor provision and hop along shouting out their repeated pattern.
Nursery - Literacy - Fine Motor Skills
This week's fine motor activity presented a delightful challenge for the nursery class as they engaged in the task of accurately poking straws through various sized holes in colanders. It was fascinating to observe the diverse strategies the children employed to navigate this activity. Some children adopted a focused, deliberate approach, carefully aligning the straw with the hole before gently pushing it through. Others demonstrated more exploratory movements, experimenting with different angles and levels of pressure until they found success. We noted instances of impressive problem-solving as children encountered smaller holes, with some adjusting their grip on the straw to gain more control, while others persevered with gentle but persistent poking. The children demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt their approaches, showcasing their developing hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and problem-solving skills as they successfully completed the task. There was a clear sense of satisfaction and accomplishment evident as straws began to fill the colanders
Nursery - Computing - Creating Spinning Snail Shells
The nursery class enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to further develop their digital literacy skills by navigating the draw function on Purple Mash. With focused concentration, the two-year-olds explored the tools and experimented with creating lines and shapes. A clear objective was the creation of a spiraling snail shell, and it was fascinating to observe the diverse approaches children took to achieve this. Some children made deliberate, circular motions, carefully building their spirals from a central point outwards. Others experimented with more free-flowing lines, gradually curving them to suggest the spiral form. Throughout the activity, children demonstrated increasing confidence in using the digital drawing tools, readily clicking and dragging to bring their artistic visions to life. There was a palpable sense of pride and accomplishment as they showcased their finished snail shells, highlighting their growing digital proficiency and creative expression.
Pre School -Mark Making - The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The children used different media to make marks to represent parts of the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Some children drew pictures of what they could recall from our story, some created caterpillars using paint and dabbers and others painted symmetrical butterflies by painting half of their butterfly and folding their picture in half.
Reception - PE - Ball Skills
In today’s PE session, our EYFS children focused on developing their ball control skills through a fun and active series of activities. We explored rolling, catching, throwing, and aiming for a target — key movements that help build coordination, balance, and focus. The children practiced rolling balls to partners with careful control, ensuring they could send and receive accurately. We then moved on to catching and throwing activities, encouraging the use of two hands for control and promoting good hand-eye coordination. To make things even more exciting, we introduced aiming for a target — giving the children the chance to practice throwing with purpose. Whether it was knocking over cones or hitting a coloured spot, everyone showed great enthusiasm and concentration! It was wonderful to see the children’s confidence grow throughout the lesson. Well done, everyone — brilliant teamwork, focus, and effort!
Reception - Maths - Building Numbers to 14
Today, our Reception children were busy becoming number experts! We practiced counting all the way to 20 — and back again — with lots of claps, jumps, and smiles along the way. Next, we used our clever ‘10 and _ more’ model to build numbers to 14. The children impressed us with how they grouped 10 and then added the extra ones — real maths superstars! To finish, we explored odd and even numbers, discovering which numbers like to pair up and which ones are left out. Such amazing thinking and teamwork today — Reception, you are maths champions!
Nursery - Science - Chicks! Enrichment Lesson
This week we have had some very tiny visitors in nursery, 4 chicks! During the visit from the chicks the children showed significant interest in the new arrivals. They spent a considerable amount of time observing the chicks in their enclosure, pointing and using a variety of nouns to describe their actions, "eating " while watching a chick peck at food, "drinking" as one dipped its beak into the water, and "running" as they moved quickly around their space. When given the opportunity to gently hold a chick, the children approached with caution but followed instructions to use "kind hands and quiet voices. They stroked the chick's head gently with one finger, maintaining a quiet voice as prompted. This demonstrates developing self-regulation in managing their own behaviour and understanding the need to be gentle with living things. We discussed the life cycle of the chicks, the children recalled that the chicks came out of an egg and we spoke about what the chicks would look like when they grow. The children found the chicken out of a group of farm animals and linked this with the growth that we would see!
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