Nursery/Pre-School - R.E - Kind Hands And Caring Hearts
This week, the children in Nursery and Preschool have been exploring the Easter story. We focused on the scene before the Last Supper, where Jesus washed his disciples' feet. To help the children understand this story, we watched a short cartoon video that showed how Jesus cared for his friends. Inspired by the video, the children had the opportunity to act out this act of service themselves. After taking off their shoes and socks, they used wet wipes to carefully clean their own feet, just as they had seen in the story. Following the activity, we sat together to talk about the meaning behind this story. We discussed how even though Jesus was a very special man, he still chose to help people and treat others with kindness. We linked this back to our own classroom values, reminding the children that at nursery, we always use our kind hands and kind words. We spoke about our mantra, sharing is caring, and how we look after all of our friends to make sure everyone is happy and included in our play.
Nursery / Pre-School - Maths - Hungry Hippos
This week, Nursery and Preschool engaged in an exciting, large-scale game of "Hungry Hippos" to support their mathematical development. The activity was adapted to meet different learning focuses, allowing all children to explore concepts of quantity and comparison through active play. Exploring Full and Empty For some children, the focus was on the concepts of "full" and "empty." As they moved around the classroom to collect the scattered balls, they closely observed how their baskets changed. They practiced identifying when their basket was "empty" at the start and the satisfying moment it became "full" once all the balls were gathered. Comparison and Equal Quantities Other children used the game to develop their understanding of comparison. Working in teams, they aimed to collect the "same" number of balls in each basket. This required great focus and teamwork as they counted their hauls and compared them to the other team's basket to see if the quantities were "equal" or "different." Matching and Sorting To add an extra challenge, some children focused on the properties of the balls as well as the quantity. They worked to ensure that both baskets were "identical" by matching the colors of the balls they collected. This encouraged high-level observation and sorting skills, as they had to find the exact color matches to make their sets the same. This energetic activity successfully combined physical movement with key mathematical language, helping the children visualize and describe the groups they were creating.
Nursery / Pre-School - Science - Where Did Dinosaurs Live?
In celebration of National Science Week, the children in Nursery and Pre-School have been investigating the lives of dinosaurs. The lesson was sparked by the children's curiosity as they began questioning where dinosaurs lived and what their environments were like. To help answer these questions, the children accessed the playdough table to create their own dinosaur models. Using image references and Widgits, they worked to identify specific physical characteristics that provided clues about a dinosaur's lifestyle. They looked for features like long necks for reaching high trees, sharp teeth for eating meat, or wings for flying. The children used a variety of resources on the table to mimic these characteristics in their own creations. This hands-on exploration allowed them to move from simple questioning to making scientific connections between an animal's body and its habitat or diet. It was a fantastic way to encourage critical thinking and observation skills while celebrating the wonder of the natural world.
Nursery/Pre-School-P.S.H.E-Looking After Ourselves-Teddy Bears Picnic
This week in P.S.H.E., we explored the importance of self-care and healthy living. To put our learning into practice, we hosted a "Healthy Picnic" alongside some very special guests—our favorite teddy bears from home! During our session, the children discussed how to fuel our bodies with nutritious food and shared their daily self-care routines, from brushing teeth to keeping germs at bay with a good soak in the bath.
Nursery / Pre-School - Literacy - Using Gross And Fine Motor Skills To Put The Fires Out
Oh no! The nursery was "on fire" this week, and our brave children jumped at the opportunity to act out their firefighter dreams to help save the day. This high-energy role-play was a fantastic way for the children to develop their communication and language skills as they worked together to shout "Help!" and "Fire!" To "put out the fires," the children used a variety of tools that provided a brilliant workout for their fine motor skills and hand strength. They practiced different movements to build up their muscles by squeezing spray bottles and sponges, pinching pipettes to drop water onto the "flames," and gripping paint brushes to "paint" water over the fire. It was wonderful to see the children so engaged in their mission. By using these tools, they are not only being heroic firefighters but also developing the essential coordination and strength needed for their future writing journeys!
World Book Day Reading Cafe
???? A Page-Turning Success: Our World Book Day Reading Café! What a brilliant way to celebrate World Book Day! It was truly wonderful to see our school community come together to transform the hall into a buzzing hub of stories, snacks, and shared imagination. From pupils to parents, the turn-out was fantastic, and the atmosphere was even better. Here’s a look at the highlights from our literary celebration: ????️ The Great Masked Reader Hunt The highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly our Masked Reader Hunt. It was a joy to watch everyone turn into literary detectives! Using a series of clever clues, pupils had to figure out which teachers were hiding behind their favourite books. ???? A Marvellous Finale To wrap up the event, Miss Peckson took to the "reading throne" to share a chapter from her all-time favourite: George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl. There’s nothing quite like the magic of being read to, and you could have heard a pin drop as we followed George's mischievous concoctions. Why it Matters At the heart of today’s event is a simple but powerful goal: fostering a lifelong love of reading. Reading isn't just about literacy; it’s about empathy, adventure, and expanding our horizon. Seeing our pupils enjoying books together reminds us that a good story is one of the best ways to connect with each other. "A book is a dream that you hold in your hand." – Neil Gaiman #WorldBookDay #ReadingCafe #LoveOfReading #SchoolCommunity
Pre-School-P.E-Yoga
In P.E. last week, the children really enjoyed and engaged in our yoga session. It was a fun and energetic way to learn new skills using our bodies to develop both gross and fine motor skills. The children all tried their very best to achieve each yoga pose, using their upper body strength in some poses and lower body strength in others.
Nursery/Pre-School - Maths - Matching Shadows
This week, the children in Nursery and Preschool have been busy working in our classroom "Vets" to help identify hurt animals that need their care. The children entered a special "X-ray room" where they were challenged to look at images of animal shadows and bones. This activity focused on their observation skills and their ability to recognize shapes and properties. The children looked closely at the silhouettes to spot identifying features, such as a long tail, big ears, or a sharp fin. Using these visual clues, the children then had to search the veterinary clinic to find the matching animal. This task encouraged the children to use mathematical language to describe what they could see and to use comparison skills to link the 2D shadow to the 3D toy animal. It was a wonderful way to develop their problem-solving skills and attention to detail while engaged in purposeful role-play.
Nursery/Pre-School-Chinese New Year
This week in Nursery/Pre-School we have been celebrating Chinese New Year- The year of the horse. The children have really engaged in our chinese restaurant, cooking up some lovely chinese food from our chinese menus. The children have been learning new fine motor skills to help them when using the chopsticks to pick up the chinese foods. Children have also enjoyed creating and decorating chinese lanterns which are on display around our environment.
Nursery And Pre-School - PSHE - Valentine's Stay And Play
This week, Nursery and Preschool were delighted to host a special "Stay and Play" session, inviting the children's grown-ups into the setting to celebrate Valentine's Day together. The children took great pride in being "tour guides" for their visitors, showing their grown-ups their favorite areas to play and explaining their daily routines. This provided a wonderful boost to their confidence and communication skills as they shared their learning environment with their families. Throughout the session, the children engaged in various collaborative crafts, working side-by-side with their grown-ups to create Valentine-themed art. It was lovely to see the children interacting so positively with each other and their families, demonstrating their ability to share resources and work together on creative tasks. The morning was a beautiful celebration of the bonds between home and school, filled with happy faces and a wonderful sense of community.
Nursery And Pre-School - PSHE - Valentine's Stay And Play
This week, Nursery and Preschool were delighted to host a special "Stay and Play" session, inviting the children's grown-ups into the setting to celebrate Valentine's Day together. The children took great pride in being "tour guides" for their visitors, showing their grown-ups their favorite areas to play and explaining their daily routines. This provided a wonderful boost to their confidence and communication skills as they shared their learning environment with their families. Throughout the session, the children engaged in various collaborative crafts, working side-by-side with their grown-ups to create Valentine-themed art. It was lovely to see the children interacting so positively with each other and their families, demonstrating their ability to share resources and work together on creative tasks. The morning was a beautiful celebration of the bonds between home and school, filled with happy faces and a wonderful sense of community.
Nursery - Art - Valentine's Flowers
This week, the children in the nursery class have been busy creating beautiful vases of flowers as special Valentine’s gifts for someone they love. The project began with the children focusing on their mark-making skills to decorate their vases. Using a variety of tools, including dabbers and felt tips, they practiced their control and intentional design to make each vase unique and colorful. To create the flowers, the children engaged in a tactile sensory experience by painting their hands with bright red paint. They then carefully used handprints to represent the flowers growing from their vases. This activity was a wonderful way for the children to explore the properties of paint and see how they can use their own bodies to create art. The finished pieces are a lovely celebration of the children's creativity and the spirit of Valentine's Day!
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