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Pre-School-Understanding The World-Changes As We Grow
Last week in Understanding the World, I asked parents to send in a baby photo of their child. The children loved looking at their pictures and talking about how much they’ve changed since they were babies and what they look like now. This simple activity sparked so much learning: • Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Talking about their own baby photo helped the children build confidence and recognise how they’ve grown. • Physical Development: They could see how their bodies have changed – from not being able to walk to now being able to run, jump, and climb. • Understanding the World: The children explored the idea of change over time, learning that people and living things grow and develop as they get older. • Communication and Language: They enjoyed using descriptive words, asking questions, comparing their photos, and sharing their memories.
Pre-school-Maths-Counting through song
In maths this week, we have been singing nursery rhymes such as Five Little Ducks, Five Speckled Frogs and Five Cheeky Monkeys. The children enjoyed acting them out as they sang. They also had the chance to practise recognising numbers 1 to 5 using flashcards.
Pre-School-Phonics-Singing With What's In The Bag
Pre-School have started our phonics this week while singing what's in the bag. Each child is given an opportunity to pick out a nursery rhyme from the bag for all to sing. Children loved to sit in a circle singing what's in the bag before a child is chosen to pick out one object for all to sing.
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Recognising and Managing Stress
Stress is something we all experience – but for children and young people, it can feel especially overwhelming. This guide presents 10 simple, actionable strategies to help young people manage stress in a healthy and balanced manner. Whether it’s noticing early signs, encouraging open conversations, or modelling calm responses, there are plenty of ideas here to support positive change. Perfect for both school and home settings, the guide equips adults to identify subtle signals of stress and create safe spaces for pupils to open up. It also suggests mindful habits and healthy routines that can become part of daily life, promoting long-term emotional strength and mental wellbeing.
Pre-School- Physical Development- Wake and Shake
The children take part in wake and shake everyday. It is a good way to wake up our bodies and get ourselves ready for the day. The children move to different sounds and actions and our favourite is the wriggle dance. The children have been independent selecting the videos on the board and starting them for all of us to join.
Staying Safe Around Water
Whether it’s sunny days at the beach or fun in the paddling pool, children are naturally drawn to water. But with excitement comes risk. This guide brings together 10 clear, practical tips to help parents and educators protect children around water – whether that’s at home, on school trips or on holiday. Backed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK, the advice includes knowing what beach flags mean, avoiding inflatables in open water, and learning to ‘float and call’ in an emergency. With a focus on prevention and supervision, this guide is a must-read for summer safety and beyond.
Nursery And Pre-School - Imaginative Play, Pirates!
The nursery and preschool children have loved the pirate theme this week, quickly selecting dress-up items to transform into swashbuckling pirates. A significant highlight was the children's collaborative effort in constructing a pirate ship using the jumbo building bricks. They worked together, demonstrating emerging cooperation and negotiation skills as they discussed where to place bricks or how to make the ship bigger. Once their magnificent ship was constructed, the children climbed aboard, steering their vessel and actively sailing their ship across the imaginary seas. They eagerly engaged in target practice, throwing 'cannonballs' at 'enemy ships' in the distance. This action-packed segment refined their gross motor skills, including throwing and aiming, and further fueled their imaginative narrative.The rich vocabulary used by adults (e.g., "Ahoy, matey!", "Walk the plank!") was frequently echoed by the children, showcasing developing communication and language skills within their play.
Pre-School - Expressive Art And Design - Creative Play - Making Rockpools
In Pre-school this week our story is- Sharing a Shell, the children have really enjoyed this story especially learning about rockpools. The children created their own rockpool in our sand tray, selecting different materials such as rocks, wood, shells, twigs and pinecones. They created a circle shape in the sand and built a wall around their shape using these materials and then I poured water into their rockpool to see if their wall would hold the water or would the water pour out. This type of hands-on, imaginative play directly supports several EYFS learning areas: Understanding the World: Children explore a miniature ecosystem, learning about marine life, natural habitats, and different materials. They might discuss where rockpools are found, what creatures live in them, and the characteristics of various natural elements. Communication and Language: As children create and interact with their rockpool, they naturally engage in conversations. They might describe what they are doing, ask questions, explain their choices of materials, and even create stories about the creatures living in their rockpool. This enhances their vocabulary, listening skills, and ability to express ideas. Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills): Manipulating different materials like sand, pebbles, shells, and water helps to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity. Scooping, pouring, arranging, and picking up small objects strengthens the muscles in their hands and fingers. Expressive Arts and Design: Children are using their imagination and creativity to design and construct their rockpool. They are making choices about materials, textures, and arrangements, essentially creating a miniature world. This also allows for sensory exploration as they touch and feel different elements. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: If children are working together, they develop social skills like sharing, taking turns, and collaborating. The open-ended nature of the activity also allows for emotional expression and can be a calming, sensory experience. Mathematics: Children might engage in early mathematical concepts by sorting materials (e.g., by size, type), counting shells or pebbles, or discussing quantities of sand and water. Problem-Solving Skills: Children might encounter small "problems" to solve, such as how to make the water stay in a certain area or how to arrange the rocks to create a sheltered spot.
Beached Themed Reading Cafe
Wow, what an incredible day we had at our beach-themed reading café! A massive thank you to everyone who joined us and made it such a fantastic success. It was truly wonderful to see so much fun, laughter, and, most importantly, a clear passion for books filling the room!
Pre-School-Understanding The World-Harvesting
This week in understanding the world we have been looking at harvesting, What can be harvested?, who harvests them? and why we harvest fruit and vegetables. "Harvesting" in the Early Years refers to engaging young children in activities related to the gathering of crops, fruits, and vegetables. It's a fantastic way to introduce them to concepts of nature, food, and the wider world. Key Learning Areas in EYFS Covered by Harvesting Activities: Understanding the World: The Natural World: Learning about plant life cycles, where food comes from, the importance of water and sunlight, and the role of insects. People, Culture and Communities: Understanding how farms provide food, the concept of a harvest festival, and the idea of sharing and gratitude. Physical Development: Fine Motor Skills: Planting small seeds, picking berries, husking corn, using child-friendly gardening tools. Gross Motor Skills: Digging, carrying baskets, moving around a garden or outdoor space. Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Managing Self: Developing patience as they wait for plants to grow, taking responsibility for caring for plants. Self-Regulation: Sharing tools, taking turns. Building Relationships: Working cooperatively with peers and adults. Communication and Language: Listening, Attention and Understanding: Following instructions for planting and harvesting. Speaking: Describing textures, smells, and tastes of harvested items, discussing what they are doing. Mathematics: Number: Counting fruits, vegetables, or seeds; measuring quantities of soil or water. Shape, Space and Measure: Sorting by size, comparing quantities. Expressive Arts and Design: Creating with Materials: Making fruit/vegetable prints, collages with seeds, designing scarecrows. Being Imaginative and Expressive: Role-playing a farmer or market stall holder. Harvesting Activities for EYFS: Real Garden Harvesting: Planting and Growing: If possible, have a small garden patch where children can plant seeds (e.g., beans, cress, sunflowers) and care for them. The ultimate harvesting experience! Picking: Picking ripe fruits (strawberries, raspberries) or vegetables (peas, cherry tomatoes) they have grown. Root Vegetable Digging: Burying vegetables like potatoes or carrots in a sensory bin filled with soil or compost for children to "dig up."
Pre-School-Expressive Art And Design-Making snails.
At the workshop table this week we have been creating snails using a range of materials, this is linked to our story The Snail and The Whale.
Let’s Talk Dummies – Helping Your Pre-Schooler Get Ready to Talk and Learn
Dummies can be really helpful when children are little, especially for comfort and sleep. But as they grow and get ready for nursery or school, dummies and bottles can start to get in the way of their talking. Using a dummy too much can make it harder for children to: • Babble and practise new sounds • Move their tongue properly for clear speech • Develop teeth and mouths in a way that supports speaking All of these things are really important as children build their confidence with talking, listening and joining in – key parts of being ready for school. How can you help? • Try to keep dummy use just for sleep times • Take the dummy out when your child is playing, exploring or talking • Start to reduce dummy use gradually – and aim to stop altogether before they turn 2 If you’re not sure where to start or would like some ideas, just ask a member of staff – we’re always happy to help. Together, we can support every child to find their voice and feel confident for their next steps. ????????
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