Back in Foundation — Autumn Adventures in Nursery!
What a lovely few weeks it’s been back in Foundation! After spending some time in Year 3, I’m so happy to be back with our youngest learners — it’s been wonderful to see all those familiar smiling faces and to welcome our new children who have settled in beautifully. The nursery is once again full of curiosity, laughter, and that special early-years buzz of discovery!
This half term, we’ve been making the most of the autumn season and all the wonderful natural treasures it brings. The children have loved exploring conkers, acorns, leaves, pinecones, and even the occasional feather — using them in so many creative and meaningful ways across all areas of learning in the EYFS.
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Communication and Language: We’ve been talking about our autumn finds, describing textures, colours, and shapes, and learning new words like “shiny,” “rough,” and “spiky.” The children have enjoyed sharing their own discoveries from home too!
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Physical Development: Little fingers have been busy threading conkers, scooping acorns, and using tweezers to pick up tiny treasures — all brilliant for building fine motor skills and coordination.
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Working together to collect and sort autumn materials has encouraged turn-taking, sharing, and helping one another — such lovely teamwork on display.
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Literacy: Autumn has inspired our stories and mark-making! We’ve been using leaves for leaf-print writing, forming letters in trays of cinnamon-scented sand, and reading beautiful seasonal stories like Leaf Man and We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt.
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Mathematics: The children have been counting conkers, comparing sizes of pinecones, and making patterns with acorns — wonderful, hands-on learning through play.
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Understanding the World: We’ve talked about why the leaves change colour and fall, looked closely at seeds, and even noticed which animals might be preparing for winter.
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Expressive Arts and Design: Our creative area has been full of colour
It’s been such a joy to see the children so engaged and full of enthusiasm. The natural world provides endless opportunities for rich, meaningful learning, and autumn has given us the perfect backdrop for curiosity and creativity to flourish.
I’m truly delighted to be back in Foundation — there’s nothing quite like seeing the world through the eyes of our little explorers. Here’s to more exciting learning adventures as we move through this beautiful season together!