What a worm-derful week

 

This week in Foundation, we have been diving into the wonderful world of Superworm by Julia Donaldson. This fantastic story captured the children’s imaginations as we explored all the incredible things Superworm could transform into—a hat, a fairground ride, a lasso, and so much more! The children were brimming with ideas, coming up with their own creative suggestions for what Superworm might become next.

To bring the story to life, we got hands-on with playdough, rolling and stretching it to make our very own super long worms! This led to a great discussion about length—we compared our worms, talked about which were the longest and shortest, and even used words like “longer than” and “shorter than” to describe them. It was a fun and practical way to build early mathematical skills while engaging in sensory play.

The rainy weather this week turned out to be a perfect learning opportunity! As soon as the garden became damp, we went on a worm hunt, carefully searching under leaves and in the soil. The children were fascinated to see real worms wriggling around, and we talked about why worms love the rain and how important they are for our gardens. It was wonderful to see their curiosity sparked by nature.

What a worm-derful week of learning and discovery! 🐛 We can’t wait to see what next week brings.

 Exploring Emotions in Early Years

This week, our focus has been on children’s mental health, creating lots of engaging activities to help the children understand and express their emotions. It’s been wonderful to see how much they already know about feelings and to build on that by exploring different strategies to help them recognise that all emotions are important—they make us who we are!

One of our favourite activities was making crazy hair photos, where the children added words to describe how they feel. It was such an enlightening experience, giving us a real insight into their thoughts and emotions. We also enjoyed storytelling, using both familiar tales and our own creations to demonstrate different ways to manage feelings.

Although this has been a special focus this week, supporting children’s emotional well-being is something we do every day in early years. We encourage them to talk about their feelings and remind them that it’s okay not to be brave all the time. It’s okay to feel sad, frustrated, or even angry—what matters is how we understand and manage these emotions.

By creating a space where children feel safe to express themselves, we’re helping them develop the tools they need for a lifetime of emotional resilience. 😟😠😢😕😏😆😃

I hope you all have a great half term.

                                                                 The power of creativity

                                                                  Here are our thoughts

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 It’s been a wonderfully vibrant and very Chinese week in the unit as we’ve been celebrating the Year of the Snake! The atmosphere has been buzzing with excitement as the children immersed themselves in a variety of hands-on activities, all linked to this fascinating festival.

One of the highlights of the week was creating our very own Chinese dragons. The children loved using  an array of materials to bring their dragons to life. Of course, no Chinese New Year celebration would be complete without a dragon dance! With their handmade dragons in hand, the children paraded around, swaying and stomping in time with traditional Chinese music—it was such a joy to watch.

Food is always a big part of any cultural celebration, and the children had a fantastic time preparing and tasting noodles. They even had a go at using chopsticks, which led to plenty of giggles and determination as they tried to master the tricky technique!

We also took a closer look at China on our map, sparking lots of curiosity about this vast and beautiful country. The children were particularly fascinated by the story of the Chinese Zodiac and enjoyed finding out which animal represented the year they were born in.

Another special moment was attempting some Chinese writing. The children showed incredible focus as they carefully copied Chinese characters, and we were so impressed with their efforts! It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and pride in trying something new.

This festival is always a favourite, and it’s easy to see why—the combination of dragons, dancing, storytelling, and food makes for an unforgettable experience. We’ve had an incredibly busy week, but most importantly, a week filled with laughter, learning, and lots of festive fun!

Mr Gradwell was feeling poorly so he booked an appointment at our hospital and was given several injections to make him feel better.

 Hello everyone,

This week in Foundation, we have been diving into the wonderful world of Superworm by Julia Donaldson! The children absolutely loved exploring the many incredible ways that Superworm could transform himself—into a hat, a fairground ride, a lasso, and so much more! Their imaginations ran wild as they came up with their own creative ideas for Superworm’s next adventure.

Our hands-on activities were just as exciting! The children had a fantastic time rolling out playdough to create their own super-long worms. They eagerly compared lengths, discussing which worms were the longest, shortest, or just right! It was a great opportunity to build their understanding of measurement and comparison in a fun and engaging way.

The rainy weather this week turned out to be a wonderful bonus. The children put on their wellies and ventured into the garden, where they were thrilled to discover real worms wriggling in the soil! They carefully observed their movements, counted them, and talked about where worms like to live and why they are so important for the earth. It was lovely to see their curiosity and excitement blossom outdoors.

Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable weekend!

Bird Watch

Early Years Update: Great British Bird Watch

This week, the children have been immersed in the exciting activity of the Great British Bird Watch. As part of this, they participated in making bird feeders, which not only supported their fine motor skills but also provided an opportunity to learn about how we can help care for wildlife during the colder months. The children were thrilled to use their handcrafted binoculars to observe the birds visiting our outdoor area.

A highlight of the week was the visit from vibrant parakeets, which sparked discussions about the variety of birds we can find in our local area. We also spotted several robins, with their bright red chests providing a beautiful splash of colour amidst the winter scenery. The children recorded their observations through drawings and notes, building early skills in data collection and observation.

Next week, we will continue our birdwatching journey and encourage the children to see if they can identify any new bird species. We will also explore bird habitats and diets further, linking our observations to stories and songs about nature to enhance their learning experience.

One of our favourite stories is 'Owl Babies'.

Daveen helps Mrs Sheehan do the register every morning.

Science

 We have had lots of scientists in the unit this week. We have been doing lots of science activities  and the children have learnt so much through experimenting and problem solving.

We have been learning about bubbles, magnets, rockets, gravity, metal detection, outdoor cooking with mud and lots of other scientific investigations. We have done all this whilst playing which is what makes early years an amazing place for learning.

Next week we will be  focusing on the Great British Bird Watch. We will make bird feeders and  binoculars for the children to observe and record what they see. We are hoping that the parakeets come to visit and also lots of robins. The children will record what they see.

Nursery children will be bringing home a library book this week. Please return this book before next Friday when they will choose another one.

Have a great weekend 

Mrs Robinson.🐦🐥🐧🐤🐦🐦

 

Happy New Year

  Welcome back. It was so lovely to see the children this week full of enthusiasm and happy to be back. They have settled straight into their learning and have spent lots of time playing and learning with their friends. It is always at this time of year when we start to see the children blossom and really understand how to access learning in the unit. Their communications and language skills have developed and their ability to 'have a go' has become a natural thing for them to do with confidence. 

It has been very cold this week, but it has not stopped us been outside. the children have continued to use the outside environment for learning. Unfortunately, this has meant that they have been a little wet. Please be reassured that we will change the children if they get very wet.

 Next week we will carry out a number of experiments related to changes in temperature. 

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Mrs Robinson:) 

This weeks photo's were taken by the children.

Mele Kalikimaka

 We have finished!

Thank you for all your kind gifts we appreciate it very much. Have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to seeing you on the 7th January 2025.

Mele Kalikimaka 🎄🎅🤶🎅🎄

XMAS

 Well Xmas is definitely here now and the children are beginning to get excited about the show and all the other fun things we are doing. Sometimes it is hard for the children as the routines change. Please don't worry if your child is a little unsettled this is completely normal, we all like our routines.

We will be singing our songs for you next week. This will only last approx 10 minutes but this is long enough for the children to be on the stage. We will look after your child if they become upset as seeing family in the audience is sometimes hard. 

We had our xmas lunch today and the children had crackers and sang song to the kitchen staff who work really hard for us all year round.

Please speak to me if you have any queries about next week.

Christmas concert

The children are looking forward to performing for you on the 17th and 18th of December. Please can you dress your child in Christmas clothes on Monday 16th, Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December as we will be performing the concert for the school on the Monday. This can comprise of any Christmas festive clothes that you have at home. Please do not go out and buy new clothes for this. Red, green and/or white will do.

Have a great weekend

Mrs Robinson 🎄🎅🤶

 This week in Foundation our focus was on The Three Billy Goat Gruff story. The children used puppets to retell the story and we have drawn a story map. We loved joining in singing while listening to the audio version of the story. 

Next week we will be having our Christmas lunch on Friday. If you want your child to have this please make sure you have ordered it in the office. The xmas dinner is a very noisy time in the dining hall and the nursery children often find it a little overwhelming. Please do not feel this is compulsory for your child to attend but speak to me if you are concerned.