FIRE

An Exciting Visit from the Fire Service! 🚒🔥

This week, we had some very exciting visitors at school — the local fire service came to talk to us all about the important role they play in keeping our community safe. It was a brilliant experience, and both the children and staff were buzzing with excitement!

The firefighters gave us a fascinating talk about what their job involves, the types of emergencies they respond to, and how we can all help to stay safe. The children were full of questions, and the firefighters were amazing at answering them all — with plenty of fun facts along the way!

One of the highlights was definitely getting up close to the fire engine. The children had the chance to explore the vehicle, see the different equipment the firefighters use, and even peek inside the cab where the crew sit. There were lots of wide eyes and big smiles as we learned about the hoses, ladders, and protective gear.

Inspired by the visit, we spent the rest of the week drawing fantastic pictures of fire engines and writing about everything we had learned. From how firefighters rescue people to the different parts of their uniform, the children were full of ideas and enthusiasm.

It was a wonderful way to connect classroom learning with real-life heroes in our community — and a big thank you to the fire service team for making it such a memorable experience!

Our Hair Salon is Open for Business! 💇💅☕

We’re very excited to let you know that the Hair Salon is officially back—and it’s already buzzing with activity!

The children have been so enthusiastic about creating new hairstyles for everyone, and we decided to set up this role play area after noticing them making their own mini salons using whatever they could find. As many of you know… I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to resources (just in case!), so we’ve pulled out all the stops and created a fully-equipped salon, complete with manicures and hand massages! 💖

The children have really taken ownership of the space. They’ve created their own price lists, set up an appointment system, and even booked in all the teachers across the school—so keep your eyes peeled for some fabulous transformations next week! ✂️💁‍♂️

While it’s loads of fun, there’s also so much learning happening here. The children are:

• Using their communication and language skills to plan, negotiate, and chat with clients and staff
• Practising literacy by writing signs, appointment cards, and menus
• Exploring maths through money handling and pricing
• Developing brilliant creativity and problem-solving through role play

We support and stretch their thinking with lots of open-ended questions—and they never cease to impress us with their ideas and collaboration.

Next week is set to be very busy in the salon, and I’ve been told my role will be sweeping the floor and making drinks for the clients! I’ll be ready and waiting for instructions… ☕🧹

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

FE FI FO FUM

 We kicked off our week with an exciting visit to the planetarium, which was set up right in our school hall! The moment we stepped inside, we were transported to a world beyond our own, surrounded by dazzling stars, distant planets, and swirling galaxies. It felt as though we had been launched into space on our very own cosmic adventure!

The experience was truly mesmerising, with fascinating facts about our solar system, constellations, and even the possibility of life beyond Earth. We learned about the different planets, how they orbit the sun, and the incredible stories behind some of the stars we see twinkling in the night sky. The immersive visuals and engaging narration made everything feel so real—it was as if we were astronauts exploring the universe!

Everyone was captivated by the experience, and it sparked so many interesting questions. Could we ever live on Mars? How big is the universe? What would it be like to travel at the speed of light? It was a truly unforgettable visit, leaving us all inspired to learn even more about the wonders of space! 🌍🚀✨

Our Magical Beanstalk Adventure continues!

 We have continued to enjoy  the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, and it’s safe to say that the story has sparked plenty of excitement in our classroom! Inspired by Jack’s incredible adventure, we decided to conduct a little experiment of our own—could we grow our very own beanstalk?

Last week, armed with our very own ‘magic beans,’ we carefully planted them in rich, dark compost, making sure to tuck them in snugly. But, of course, ordinary water just wouldn’t do for this experiment! Instead, we used a special dose of ‘magic water’ (with plenty of imagination sprinkled in) to help give our beans the best possible start.

All week, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the pot, eagerly checking for any signs of growth. And on Friday morning—just like magic—something amazing happened! Tiny green shoots had begun to push their way through the soil. The excitement in the room was contagious as we realised our very own beanstalk was beginning to grow!

Now, the big question is: what will happen next? We can’t wait to return on Monday to see if our plant have grown even taller over the weekend. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be closely monitoring the progress, making observations, and recording what we see. Who knows—maybe, just maybe, we’ll end up with a towering beanstalk of our own!

Once our beanstalk is fully grown, we’ll use it as inspiration to create our own magical stories. Will there be a giant at the top? A hidden treasure? Or maybe even an entirely new adventure waiting for us? We can’t wait to find out!

Stay tuned for updates on our beanstalk experiment—we’re hoping for some big things (literally!) in the weeks to come! 🌱✨

FUN FUN FUN

  A Week of Science, Stories, and Sunshine!

This week has been full of excitement as we explored the wonders of science! Our little learners had the chance to take part in hands-on experiments, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm. From bubbling potions to fascinating reactions, the children were fully engaged, eager to predict outcomes and observe changes. As the week went on, we delved deeper into cause and effect, encouraging discussions about why things happen the way they do. It’s clear we have some budding scientists in our midst! To nurture this newfound passion, we are further developing our science exploration area, creating more opportunities for discovery and investigation.

Alongside our scientific adventures, we also had a fantastic time celebrating World Book Day! The children looked absolutely wonderful in their costumes, bringing their favourite book characters to life. We spent time sharing stories, talking about much-loved books, and immersing ourselves in the joy of reading. It’s always a delight to see the children so engaged in storytelling and imagination!

  We have been reading the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. We decided to plant some magic beans to see if we could grow our own beanstalk. We have watered the compost with some magic water and on Friday morning we noticed that it has started to grow. Hopefully on Monday it will have grown some more. We are going to be monitoring what happens over the next couple of weeks and hopefully we will end up with a beanstalk that we can use to create stories.

The glorious weather has been an added bonus, allowing us to make the most of our outdoor space. The children have relished the opportunity to take their learning outside, exploring nature and engaging in a variety of outdoor activities. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this sunshine continues!

Here’s to another week of discovery, creativity, and fun! 🌿📚🔬

 I hope you all have a great weekend.

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

---