Nursery

Welcome to our Nursery Adventures Room 

Mrs Atkinson  & Mrs Garside are your Nursery Practitioners

Spring 2

Week commencing 24th March 2025 

Maths this week we have been working on Capacity. The children were introduced to the vocabulary “full” and “empty”. We looked at different containers that were full and empty both practically and pictorially. The children worked really hard in identifying which containers were full and empty.  We looked at the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears where the children recapped on their maths last week of tall/short,the children used the bears as they carefully lined and ordered them from tallest to shortest. The children then used the bowls in the porridge oats where they filled and emptied the oats in the bowl. Using their maths knowledge from this week. 
We have loved making milkshakes together as a group and filling our cups full and having a lovely taste of the milkshake after. 
 

Literacy this week we have continued our story of Jack and the Beanstalk. All the children were fantastic retelling parts of the story with their friends as we discussed part of the story and some of the characters too. 
We loved going into the garden where we acted out the story together. We met a Old man on the way to market to sell our cow. He gave us some beans which turned out to be  magic beans, you wouldn’t believe what happened when Mam threw them out the window. A big tall beanstalk grew up the side of the climbing frame. We loved climbing the beanstalk where we found a castle. The giantess let us in where we found a golden hen, we took it just like Jack did but the giant came and saw us. We had to quickly get down and run away. We were safe as we chopped down the beanstalk just in time before the giant came. Then we all explored the garden with our friends having so much fun together. We ended our outside play with snack and a story in the sunshine with our friends it was a great time. 
 

RE this week we have continued our discussion about Easter. We watched a story where Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. As a whole group the children discussed how Jesus felt when he was praying. We discussed how people pray to God, some of the children talked about what they would say if they were to talk  and pray to God. 
 

This week the children have loved spending time outdoors exploring the water. We have loved riding on the bikes, playing on the swings and slide. Some children have loved painting in the outdoor mark making area. Football has been very popular with some children on the grass. Others have loved making obstacle courses and houses out of crates and large cardboard boxes. 
We have loved exploring inside too, the children have loved playing in the Garden centre role play. They have shown excellent turn taking skills as they shared been the shop keeper. We have loved exploring the sand, making beanstalks out of kitchen roll holders. The children have loved making tall and short people and beanstalks in the playdough with friends. 

Week commencing 17th March 2025 

This week in nursery we have started a new book. The children have been so excited to share and read the story Jack and the Beanstalk. We have loved discussing the characters in the book, how they must be feeling at different times in the book. 
 

Maths this week the children have been learning about Mass.We worked together as we used different objects from around the environment to compare their weight. We had group discussions about which one they thought would be heavier. Before placing the objects on the balancing scales. We discussed as a group why one side of the scale was up and the other down. We discussed that this is how the scales show us which one is heavier. 
 

RE this week we have been looking at Easter. The children shared their ideas about Easter, the children all shared that the Easter bunny comes to leave us chocolate eggs. Some children shared some things they do with their families to celebrate Easter during the holidays. 
 

Launchpad this week we have been working on our Pragmatic, Auditory and vocabulary skills. The children have spoken of who lives in their house, who is there friend at nursery. 
We have loved playing dominoes as a game that goes together. The children showed excellent maths skills as they matched the dominoes as well as showing their excellent turn taking skills. 
 

PE we have continued developing our gross motor skills as we practised our balancing and moving skills. The children loved going in the hall where they walked along the bench onto the high horse and jumped onto the mat. It was amazing to see how far the children's confidence had grown from last week as they all had a try. 
 

We have been so busy exploring in nursery too. We have loved planting some beans in small plant pots to see if we can grow a beanstalk like Jack in our story. We have loved comparing our playdough beanstalks with our friends. 
We have had a special delivery of a new water feature in the garden this week. The children have had lots of fun exploring this in the garden with their friends. The weather has been so nice that we have been in the garden lots exploring and playing on the swings, slide and bikes. 

 

Please see below an overview of what your child will be learning this half term.

Week commencing 10th March 2025

This week in Maths we are looking at Tall and Short. The children have loved making comparisons between objects relating to size, and length. We have been building towers with the building blocks, identifying which one was tallest and shortest. Some children have used their counting skills alongside this activity as they counted the cubes as they made beanstalks. They discussed how they were going to make a beanstalk taller than the one they had already made. 
We have loved using the playdough to make long and short caterpilliars comparing them with the caterpilliars our friends had made. 
 

Launchpad this week we have focussed on our Receptive language skills, the children listened to a sequence of  two instruments in order with no visual support. Then they were asked if they could match the two instruments in the same sequence as they heard. All the children were fantastic at this activity. 

PE this week we have continued working on our movement and balancing skills. The children used a variety of ways to move from one end of the bench to the other by crawling, walking and shuffling. It was fantastic to see the children finding their own way of moving and how much their confidence has grew since last week. 
 

RE this week we have continued to look at the season Spring. We listened to a story called Rabbits Spring Adventure. We then discussed what baby animals Rabbit saw in the story and which animals are born in Spring. 
We looked and discussed the life cycle of a frog, the children were brilliant at remembering some new vocabulary from the life cycle. 
We then got busy with a little activity where the children worked on matching the adult animal cards to their baby animal. 
 

PSE this week we have been discussing feelings. The children used some emotion card faces to place on the girl and boy to match how they were feeling, the children were keen to share things that made them happy. Some of them were, “when Mammy reads me a story”.

”When Daddy gives me cuddles”.

”When I’m with my friends. “

We have loved getting very busy in nursery with our friends, we have loved retelling the story of the The Three Little Pigs using the masks. Some of the children have enjoyed getting creative designing and making their own pig houses using paper for bricks, straw and sticks. We discussed which house they thought would be the strongest to stay up after the wolf tried to blow it down. 
We have loved getting messy in the tuff spot with the Three pigs. The children thought it was so funny how messy the pigs were rolling around in the mud, the children worked so hard getting them out of the mud and all clean ready to go back to the farm. 
The children have loved been in the garden this week, riding on the bikes, playing football with friends and staff, we have read stories together, joined in with dough disco. It has been a fun packed week. 

Week commencing 3rd March 2025

Welcome back everyone we hope you all enjoyed your break with loved ones. It is fantastic to see all of you in nursery. We started the week with our story hook. The children were shown some puppets, pictures and objects that are all part of our story of the week. The children loved having a look at these things and were fantastic at guessing the title of the book. 
 

RE this week we have been looking at the signs of Spring. We all had a look at some pictures of all the seasons and after we had a discussion about what our favourite season was. The children gave some fantastic answers. We had “ I Don’t like Snow.” “ Summer I love it.” “Autumn in the woods.”

After our discussion we talked about all the animals and birds and how they might feel in the winter and spring. Before heading off to play a little game of matching. The children looked at a variety of pictures and placed them in the correct season box. 
 

Maths this week the children have been learning and counting to 6. We did a short recap on our counting to 5 before the holidays then we began to count to 6. We used 1 pennies to help us count to 6. As part of a maths activity the children were asked if they could count out 6 pence using the pennies to buy a pie for the King and Queen using a ten  frame for their counting. The children did very well. 
 

Launchpad this week we have focussed on our visual skills and visual memory. A group of children have been working on their receptive language as they showed their understanding of the words “ who, what where”. 
The other group of children have worked on their auditory skills as they matched two sounds to two objects from a choice of 6 items. We used musical instruments for this activity. 
 

PE this week the children loved taking part in a movement session. We lined two benches up side by side and asked the children if they could show us a variety of ways to move across the benches. The children all decided to walk along and jump off. We did talk about crawling, shuffling, sliding along too. To finish off our PE session we had a pancake race. The children had cardboard pans and pancakes. They had to run from one side of the hall to the other without dropping their pancake, they were fantastic at this race and we had so much fun. 
 

We have all had a great time making pancakes in the tuff spot. All the children loved cracking the eggs and mixing all the ingredients together using whisks, spoons. 
We have made a house out of straw for our Three pigs. The children loved glueing the straw to wallpaper so we could cover the arch for  the house. We then painted a cardboard house brown for the house of bricks. The children have been so excited to see if the houses were strong enough not to blow down if they huffed and puffed at them. We have loved been outside in the garden week, playing on the field and the swings and slides. We have mini games of football too. We have loved getting messy in the tuff spot designing and making brick houses using gloop and shaving foam as cement for the bricks. The children came up with some great designs for their houses.
 

World book Day, it was fantastic to see everyone dressed in their outfits today coming as their favourite book character or word. We all enjoyed looking at the books you all brought in to share. We all enjoyed listening to our friends as they spoke about who they had come dressed as. What a better way to finish off world book day by a trip to our school library to chose a book to share at home with our loved ones. The children love our weekly trip to the library. 

Week beginning 17th February 2025

Maths this week the children have continued with their recognition of numerals 1-5. We have used a range of activities to work with. The monster mats were a big hit as the children recognised the numeral on the card then placed the correct amount of eyes on the monster ending with giving the monster the same amount of snacks. We shared numeral car tracks in the construction area. The children enjoyed pushing the cars around them as they recognised not only the number but began to practice their formation of the number. Our last maths activity was cards where the children placed the correct amount of pegs on the card that matched the amount of objects on the card they could see. 
 

RE this week we have continued looking at the celebration Holi from last week. As a group we discussed what we could remember about the celebration and how they used coloured paint during the celebration. The children talked about when we painted our hands. As part of our learning we watched a small clip of people celebrating Holi through a colour party. Mrs Atkinson and Mrs Garside thought it would be fun to participate in our own. So we dressed in our waterproofs and a plain white t shirt before heading outside where we threw powder paint at each other the children and grown ups had so much fun.

Launchpad this week we have been working on our visual memory and receptive language development. The children have followed instructions containing three key words including early colour, size and position. We have followed instructions containing the words ‘behind, in front and next to’.

Following on from the children's interest of making potions last week, we have been making our own soup using a variety of chopped vegetables and water in the tuff spot. We have loved making roads and ramps in the construction area for the cars to move up and down. The children showed great turn taking skills as they worked together to make these roads. 
Our story this week is We’re going on a bear hunt. We loved going into the hall where we went on our very own bear hunt, we went through the forest “ stumble trip”, through the grass, “swishy swishy”. We have loved making our own bear masks using a variety of collage materials. The children have loved hunting in the tuff spot for the bears that were stuck in the mud. They used tooth brushes and water to clean them and find their way back home. 
 

Week beginning 10th February 2025

Maths this week we have looked at composition of 5. Through play and exploration we are beginning to learn that numbers are made up of (composed) small numbers, 
the children used numericon pieces 1-4 to make 5. We have loved making window patterns on rockets with red and blue counters to show 5. The children have also been learning the song Alice the Camel as their maths song this week. 
 

RE this week we are learning about Holi. We have discussed how colour is used during this celebration in India. As a whole group we read the story of Holi. We discussed how the boy in the story was feeling when he was covered in coloured paint. After our group the children went off and we each had a turn to paint our hands with a variety of colour. We had so much fun with the paints. 
 

All the children have had lots of fun celebrating Valentine’s Day this week. We loved making some potions in the tuff spot using bottles, bowls and rose petals. We made some heart patterns in the loose parts with our friends. The children got creative in the mark making area using kitchen roll tubes to make heart shapes before printing with them in the paint. 
We loved learning a new valentines song and dance where we all danced together. 
We have loved participating in our ow stick man race in the water tray. We loved blowing the sticks and occasionally making lots of bubbles in the water. The children loved making their own stick men using kitchen roll holders and pipe cleaners. 

Week beginning 3rd February 2025

Maths this week the children have been working on the number 5. The children have enjoyed going on a number hunt around nursery looking for pictures of number 5. We have worked really hard on counting sets of objects into groups of 5 and stopping when we reach 5. We have talked about the last number we have counted is the total of objects we have e.g. 1,2,3,4,5 we have 5 buttons altogether. We have loved designing a t shirt colouring, decorating  it with 5 items on them. 

RE this week we have discussed the Nowruz story. We watched a short video of some children explaining how they celebrate Nowruz. As a group we had a check at our nursery to see if it was clean and tidy. The children decided that they would like some feather dusters in our home corner to clean. 
As a group we spent a little time discussing special food the children ate in the Nowruz story. This led us to talk about some foods we have that special at home some of the children mentioned, “chicken nuggets, pizza, pasta, noodles.”

Just before the end of our group the children had a little try at following a dance that happens when celebrating Nowruz, the children were great. 
 

launchpad this week we have been working on our Visual skills and Visual Memory skills. The children participated in Kim’s game, where they were shown 4 objects they were then hidden and one took away. The children then guessed which item had been take. 
we worked hard on following simple instructions by asking the children to place an object on, in and under the box. Everyone did great. 
 

Everyone has had a fantastic week reading the story The Stick man. We loved going onto the school field collecting some sticks to take back to nursery to make our own stick men. But before we headed back Mrs Lawrence was so kind to put the fire pit on. We were so good at sitting following the rules that she toasted some marshmallows for us as we listened to the story Stick man whilst eating them it was so warm and they were delicious. 
Our chocolate mini rolls were a great treat as we added chocolate matchsticks to them with icing to make them into Stick men. 
We have loved exploring ice in the tuff spot using mini wooden hammers to free the stick man so he could get back to his family tree. 
In the garden this week we have loved mud painting in the art area using sticks. The children have been so busy cooking lots of soup and pies in the mud kitchen. We have loved making stick men in the playdough using herbs and sticks together with our friends. 
 

This  week has been Mental Health week the children have loved drawing some pictures of a character from the film Inside out, the children decided they would draw the character that they were feeling this week. The children have discussed how they have been feeling each morning at welcome time with their friends and thinking of ways to make their friends happy I’d they were feeling a little sad. 

Week commencing 27th January 2025

This week in maths we have worked on the number 4. The children have used a range of activities to support their learning of the number 4. We have used loose parts to make patterns using upto 4 of the same object. The children got creative making ladybird pictures using the bingo dabblers to place 4 spots on its body. 
We talked about the composition of 4. The children are working towards forming quantities in different ways,  separating and describing what can be seen. E.g. “I can see 3 and 1. 3 add 1 equals 4. 
 

Launchpad this week we are working on our Auditory Dicrimination/ Auditory memory for sounds. The children have listened to a selection of environment, transport and animal sounds and identifying them. 
We have played a memory game called Kim’s game. We started with 4 objects on the table. The children looked and made themselves familiar with the objects before they were covered and one object removed. When the objects were uncovered the children were then asked to identify the object that was removed.

PE this week we have loved creating our own Dragon dance as part of the our Chinese New Year celebrations. We have continued to develop our listening and upper gross motor skills as we practised rolling and catching the ball to our friends. We enjoyed using our bodies in different ways to move around the hall. We hopped, skipped, jumped, ran. 

RE this week we have continued looking at other countries and how they celebrate New Year, the children loved decorating our home corner like the children did in the video we watched. The children were very interested in some of the foods they had seen been eaten. So we had a little try of some Chinese food, we had Spring rolls, noodles, rice. There were a few mixed feelings of the food been nice. Although the children did have great fun exploring and playing with the noodles in the tray.. 

The children have loved making Gruffalo Crumble this week, we were really careful as we chopped the apples. The children showed fantastic turn taking skills as they waited their turn. 
we have had so much fun in the Gruffalo cave where we found some torches, the children loved making their own shadows using some animal silhouettes and their hands to make shadows. Gruffalo tea was very popular in the water tray this week, the children loved making lots of cups for everyone. 
The children have been practising their writing skills in our new office area this week. They have loved writing letters to their friends and family. 

We have had so much fun outdoors this week, we have made camps, obstacle courses and loved exploring and playing together. 

Week commencing the 20th January 2025

All the children have been really excited about our book this week. We have started to read The Gruffalos Child. As a group we sat together and discussed what the book might be as we looked at the characters in the story. The children were fantastic and so quick at guessing the title. “Wow!” “Yeah!” Was some of the reactions we had. 
 

In PE this week we have been working on our gross motor and listening skills. The children enjoyed taking part in an activity where we listened to the instructions of Mrs Atkinson. Some of the instructions were, walk, run, skip, hop. The children showed great listening skills and were able to follow all the instructions gave  to them. After our activity we placed our Gruffalo masks on and began to dance around the hall to the Grufalo  song, showing our friends our best Grufalo moves. 
 

Launchpad this week we have been working on auditory attention skills. The children were asked if they could bring us two or three objects from around the nursery. It was fantastic seeing the children been able to follow instructions with two and three  key words for example “ can you get me a pencil, bear and book.”

Maths this week a group of children have been working with Mrs Atkinson. They have been working on the number 4 this week. The children have been looking at the numeral 4, recognising what it looks like. The children have used used their counting skills to place 4 buttons on a coat for Pete. The children have been working on their counting to 4. They have worked closely on recognising that the last number they have said is the total that they have. For example 1,2,3,4. I have four cakes.

The other group have been working with Mrs Garside, the children have been working on their matching skills, this week we have recapped on matching with colours. We are now matching with shapes, the children have shown great concentration and visual skills as they have worked closely matching buttons by shape and colour, they were also able to identify mistakes. Some boys and girls were able to continue patterns using the coloured buttons. 
 

In Re this week we have continued with celebrations. We discussed what they could remember from last weeks Re story The story of Chinese New Year, the great race.

the children were great at naming the animals that were in the race. 
We discussed what animal they would like to be if they were animals in the race. 
We finished our group by discussing how we celebrate New year by having a party sometimes. The children shared their experiences of parties they have been, what they wear to a party. 
 

All the children have had lots of fun exploring and playing in nursery. They have loved exploring our Grufalo cave, where they met some of the animals from the story. Ohh and they were so excitied when they came to nursery and discovered some Grufalo footprints had been left behind on the floor leading to the cave. 
We have loved making our own Grufalo crumble where the children added some knobbly knees and a poisonous nose, prickles from his back. 
We have loved fishing in the water tray finding some hidden fish, the children were great at counting how many they caught and saying if they had more or less than their friend. 
Some children have enjoyed playing  in the small world woodland house where they recreated the story of the Grufalo. 
We have had so much fun outdoors too, where we have made some obstacle courses working together as a team to create and explore. 
 

In maths we also created button with 4 holes. We practised our 1 to 1 counting then because our buttons were made of bread and jam we got to eat our tasty buttons!
 

We can’t wait til next week to see what fun we have together. 

Week commencing 13th January 2025

In nursery this week we are continuing our story Jack Frost, the children have been fantastic retelling the story as we shared it together. As a whole group we made a story map where the children retold the book. Mrs Atkinson drew some pictures as the children explained what happened from memory. It was fantastic hearing the children talk about the book from memory. 
 

in maths this week some children have continued working on the number 3. They have enjoyed singing the rhyme Three little kittens, before working together to fill a packed lunch box up with three of the same items. For example “ can you put three oranges in the box for me please.” The children worked extremely hard during the group participating and working together. 
The children have also worked on forming the numeral 3 using wipe boards, pencils and paper. 
Another group of children have been working together on colours. We had a important job of helping Mrs Garside with the coloured buttons. Someone had gone and put all her buttons in the same jar. We worked together to place the correct coloured buttons in the correct bowls. The children were great at recognising the colours, they were also very supportive with each other as they helped their friends. 
The children have loved going on a colour hunt around nursery this week, looking to see how many different colours we could find around nursery. 
On Friday we learnt about triangles linked to our number 3. The children then made their own triangles.

Launchpad this week we have been working on our Auditory attention. We looked at some instruments and listened to the sounds they made. Once we were familiar with them they were covered up with a blanket. Mrs Garside and Mrs Atkinson would then play three instruments under the blanket and the children tried to guess what they were using only their sounds. The children were brilliant at this activity, they impressed so much they blew our socks off. 
 

In PE this week we have been working on our listening skills and following instructions. Mrs Atkinson asked us to run around the hall and she would call a instruction we then would show her by demonstrating the instruction. These were, hopping, walking, running, jumping, skipping, tip toeing. Everyone was so good at the different ways they could move around. 
 

Re this week we have Continued learning about celebrations, this week it was about the Chinese New Year, the children watched a small clip of some children preparing for the celebration. We talked and discussed the country China and how they celebrate their new year together.
 

The children have been getting very creative in nursery this week, in the small world we had some polystyrene blocks to make igloos with. Some of the children decided to scrunch the blocks and make fake snow, this encouraged more and more children to join in. The nursery was covered in polystyrene and so were the children. Some of the children got very excited as they said it was just like a foam party, others decided it was just like snow and began to make snow angels. We had so much fun and laughter playing with you. Who thought polystyrene could bring so much excitement. 
We have loved painting with ice cubes in the tuff spot, getting creative as we practised our cutting skills in the mark making area as we cut and glued shapes into snow men like in the book Jack Frost. 
We have have loved reading stories in the reading area, our giant bean bag has been a big hit with the children. Everyone has loved been in the garden, exploring the bikes, cars, slide and swings. 
 

Week commencing 6th January 2025

We would like to say a big welcome to everyone after the Christmas holidays it is lovely to see everyone. A huge welcome to our new children that have joined us this term. You have all settled in fantastic. 
 

We have been very busy this week, the book we are reading  is called Jack Frost. The children have loved sharing the book together. We have lots of discussions around the season winter. We have looked at the changes of the trees, how we need to dress for the weather. The children have loved sharing their own experiences of Jack frost and how he has painted the ground ready for them coming to nursery. 

We have loved exploring in the winter small world, everyone has had lots of fun looking and learning about animals that live in Antarctica. 
The  children have had a go at building their own igloos using sugar cubes, the children showed great problem solving and creativity as they carefully stacked and arranged the cubes to construct a igloo. 
Our own igloo in the reading area has been a great success as we shared books together in there, as well as playing together imaginatively. 

The children have enjoyed making winter chocolate cupcakes, we developed our turn taking skills as we aired our turn to pour and stir the ingredients. We developed our vocabulary as we discussed the texture and changes of the mixture. Once the cakes were cooked we decorated the cupcakes with icing and eatable snowflakes. Before eating them for snack. 
 

In maths this week we have been looking and learning all about the number 3. Our rhyme this week was 3 Blind mice.  The children have worked really hard as they played games as they subitised. We looked at the numeral 3 as we worked together to write the number 3.
 

in RE this week we have been discussing celebrations. This week we focussed on New Years Eve.  As a class we discussed why we celebrate New Year. We discussed what they thought people did at New year. We watched Clip of Big Ben striking 12 and the London fireworks as we had our party hats on ready to celebrate together. We discussed resolutions that people sometimes have. The children shared some of there resolutions, some were read, eat chocolate, play with friends. 

Week Commencing Monday 9th and 16th December 2024 

Well… that’s a wrap for to 2024! 

The build up to Christmas is definitely our busiest time here in nursery. The past two weeks have been great fun, with plenty of smiles, joy and excitement, whilst building such special memories along the way. We can’t wait to make further memories with our little ones in the new year. 

The children have demonstrated such determination, resilience and confidence throughout the nativity rehearsals, especially on the big day! On behalf of Mrs Leightell and Mrs Garside, we are extremely proud of all the children. 

The children have participated in many fun filled Christmas activities whilst also developing important skills. The boys and girls enjoyed making Christmas cards, and a calendar for their loved ones. They created their own snowmen, made their own reindeer food, and also hot chocolate for them cosy nights. The boys and girls have danced their little socks off, and sang their hearts out to all their favourite Christmas songs. Everyone had a fantastic time during party day, playing games and winning prizes….sweets! We enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings, and we received a special visitor… Mrs Claus! The children sat brilliantly throughout this years pantomime, Beauty and the Beast. They enjoyed joining in with the songs, phrases and actions. 

We hope you all have the most magical Christmas and look forward to welcoming you back in 2025! 

Week Commencing Monday 2nd December 2024 

Our Maths focus this week has been all about patterns. Key staff have supported the children with recognising different patterns, and when completing repeated patterns. The children learned through trial and error when participated in an interactive pattern activity, and some children where able to talk about, and explain which colour would come next. Some children further developed their knowledge of colour when recognising matching colours within their surroundings. One child said “the green colour on the board, is the same as Mrs Garsides jumper.” The boys and girls further developed their communication and language skills, and maths key vocabulary. The children used phrases such as “Teddy bear pattern.” “Repeated pattern.” “Blue comes next.” “Orange comes next.” Some children were then able to further demonstrate their knowledge and understanding during ‘get busy’ time. They independently used this time to create their own repeated patterns with the sorting bears. 
 

Our RE focus this week has been all about ‘Jesus’, and ‘The Christmas Story’ book. The children engaged well throughout this topic, and enjoyed participating in group discussions. We talked about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, the children further developed their communication and language skills when retelling the story, and when identifying various pictures. Key staff asked questions such as, what animal carried Mary?    Where was baby Jesus born? Who came to visit baby Jesus? The children responded with “ travelled on a Donkey.” “Travelled to Bethlehem to have baby, they stayed in a stable.” 3 kings brought gifts.” Key staff talked about the three wise kings gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Key staff then asked the children what other gifts could be given to baby Jesus. They said “food”, “bike” and “rocking chair”.  
 

Week beginning 25th November 2024

This week has been a busy week for us in Nursery. We are in full preparations for our Nativity the children are doing so well learning their words and songs ready for their grown ups coming to watch very soon. 
 

In maths this week we have been working on sorting and grouping the children have worked very hard discussing and working out the rules for sorting. We have noticed that sorting doesn’t just have to be groups of colour it can be toys that have wheels and toys that don’t. We have noticed that groups can be toys with soft and toys that are hard. 
 

English this week we have continued with our story The very First Christmas. We have enjoyed discussing how Mary and Joseph travelled on a donkey to Bethlehem. The children were very interested in why they didn’t go in the car our bus. 
 

RE this week has been looking at the Shepherds role. We spoke about how important the role of the Shepherd was having to look after all the sheep and make sure they were all ok. The children discussed other job roles that they think are important. Our top 5 important jobs were, 

1) doctors - they look after us when we are poorly 

2) fireman - they put out the fires 

3) police - they keep us safe 

4) bus drivers- they take us places and drive the buses 

5) Mrs Hill - she looks after us at school. 
 

The children have been reading the book the Enormous turnip in the reading area this week which led us to talk about soup and how you make it. So we thought it would be a great idea to make some vegetable soup on nursery. Mrs Garside went shopping and bought a selection of vegetables for us. We were very careful as we all had a go at chopping some, potatoes, onions, carrots, leek. The children used some fantastic vocabulary as they described the texture, smell of the vegetables. Once they were all chopped up we carried the mix along to the kitchen where Lisa boiled them up for us with some stock. Once it was cooked and cooled down we blended it and had a bowl for snack with a lovely slice of bread. 
Half the children thought the soup was nice and the other half were not too keen.

Week beginning 18th November 2024

The children have been talking lots to each other about where they have been on their holidays or where they are going. Following on from this we made our own travel agents in the nursery. The children have had great fun looking at different countries, making their own passports and pretending to book staff and their friends on a holiday of their dreams. 

In RE this week we have been looking and discussing the special story of The First Christmas. We discussed how there was no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph so they had to stay in a stable where Jesus was born. The children shared their views about how Jesus was a special baby and how he helped lots of people. The children were fantastic at remembering lots from our previous RE group times. 

This week in Maths we have been looking at the number 2. the children have been working on writing the number 2 using the interactive board. The children have worked very hard on grouping and sorting this week. We have discussed and worked on how we can make two groups of objects. The children have been doing this through colour and shape. We worked together as used different coloured buttons to sort into groups. The children were brilliant working together as a group to help. 

Launchpad this week we have been listening for meaning and semantic sorting. The children selected a familiar object by function when the simplist  verb was used e.g " can you find me the one you cut with." All the children were great at this activity. 

The weather didn't stop our fun in the garden this week, we wrapped up well in our waterproofs, hats, scarfs and gloves as we explored in the frost and snow. The children loved making potions in the mud kitchen, sliding down the hill on their tummy and body boards. 

Week Beginning 11th November 2024

This week we have been discussing Remembrance Day, the children watched a short video called Poppy animation (cbebbies) on you tube. After the video the children asked about the animals in the video. The children recognised that it wasn't only the soilder's that were involved in the war it was also animals too. 

The children went off to do their own poppies for a wreath to lay on the cenotaph in Hetton. 

In maths this week we have been learning about the number 2. the children recognised that if you add 1 and 1 together then it makes 2. The children worked on writing the number 2 on the wipeboard as well as going on a number 2 hunt around the classroom.

Carrying on from last week and kindness the children asked if we could make some cakes and give them to some people they cared for in school. The children asked if they could make Mrs Gardner for always been nice, Mrs Hamilton for working hard and coming to see them, Mrs Hill  for looking after them and Mrs foster for coming to nursery and reading them a story. 

We have loved exploring in the garden this week getting very dirty as we  made  lots of soup in our mud kitchen, sliding down the hill on our tummies and body boards. The swings and slide have been a big success too in nursery. 

Week beginning 2nd November 2024

We have had a great week in nursery, we have been very busy sharing our experiences of watching fireworks. The children loved sharing their ideas of been safe around fireworks and how you have to be extra careful with sparklers. Our book this week has been a book of poems called Zim Zam Zoom. The poems are all about fireworks. We looked at one of the poems that described fireworks before we went off to design and make our own pictures. The children used two different techniques one was splatter painting the other was using the back of a fork to make fireworks with glitter. 

In RE this week we have been talking about kindness, we had Humpty Dumpty, a dog, a doll and a tiger. As a group we discussed what would be a great present to give them as present. After a long discussion we wrapped the presents and gave them. We discussed how it made us feel giving others a present. We then had a group discussion about others that we would give a present too the children decided they would like to give Mrs Gardiner a book as a present. 

Week Commencing Monday 21st October 2024 

What a wonderful ending to a fantastic first term!

We are extremely proud of everyone, especially our new little ones. Everyone has settled brilliantly, and demonstrated such resilience when adapting into their nursery setting. 

This week we have had great fun, in preparation of ‘Halloween’. The children have enjoyed participating in various activities to facilitate their interest of Halloween. The children further developed their communication and Language skills, and also their personal, social, and emotional skills when participating in group activities, when exploring pumpkins. We discussed textures, colours, and smells when initially exploring the pumpkins. We discussed what could be inside, when we safely cut the top off. The children enjoyed putting their hands in, and some enjoyed using the wooden spoons to scoop out the seeds. The boys and girls loved listening to the story book ‘FunnyBones’, they were able to join in with some of the repetitive key phrases within the story. We made our own skeleton pictures, using white paint, and cotton buds to represent the Skeleton’s from within the story book. 

We have continued to explore patterns, using colours, objects, shapes and when identifying objects from around the environment that can also be used to create a pattern. They children have worked super hard throughout, and have also enjoyed creating their own patterns on paper when using the felt tip pens. 

Week Commencing Monday 14th October 2024 

This week the nursery boys and girls have been working extremely hard when participating in this weeks math’s topic, all about ‘patterns’. We also incorporated a Launchpad for Literacy target to coincide with this weeks math’s topic. Firstly we looked at hand gestures when clapping our hands, and patting our knees. Key staff modelled this to the children, then encouraged them to copy. Many children were able to carry this out in the correct order, while some were able to copy the gestures but occasionally jumbling up the order. We discussed as a group what other things can also be a pattern, or used to create a pattern. Some children suggested numbers, colours, and objects. Key staff suggested musical instruments, as a fun activity to keep the children engaged. Key staff shook, banged and tapped the musical instruments in a specific order, then encouraged the children to try and copy. We then looked at colour patterns, using the the coloured sorting bears, many children could confidently complete the pattern by placing the correct coloured bear that came next. Some children selected the correct coloured bear but placed it at the opposite side of the pattern line.

The children have enjoyed participating in music and movement activities during this weeks PE session. The children explored moving their bodies in many different ways in time with the music. The children jumped, hopped, crawled, and skipped.  

We have enjoyed exploring the construction area, demonstrating a huge interest in the magnetic shapes to create models, and structures, while also developing the skills to share their ideas with their peers. 

The children are trying very hard to further develop their independence ,when trying to select and put on their own coats, and wellies ready to play in the outdoor environment. 

We also went to visit the library this week to exchange our books, the children enjoyed listening to a story while also being given the choice to select their own book to take home for the next 2 weeks. 

Week Commencing Monday 7th October 2024 

This week our nursery topic has been ‘The Little Red Hen’, the children have enjoyed exploring this story, while also developing their communication and language skills, and personal, Social, and Emotion Skills, when having group discussions about the story. Many children were able to identify the various animals within the story, while also being able to share different feelings when no one would help ‘The Little Red Hen’. Some children shared one word answers, such as “Pig”, while others shared answers using full clear sentences, such as “she’s going to ask someone to help”, and “the dog, he wasn’t helping.” 

Our maths focus this week has been about shape, and structures. Many children were able to correctly identify various different shapes, such as a ‘circle, triangle, square, and rectangle’. We looked at what ‘structures’ could be created when using the different shapes. One child made a structure of ‘London’, while another made a structure of ‘a farm’. The children also had great fun participating in a interactive shape sorting game on the interactive white board, and also joining in with the words and actions of a song all about shapes.  

R.E this week has been about ‘special people-Jesus’. We looked at different pictures of Jesus on the internet, key staff asked the children to compare the pictures. Key staff asked the children questions about what they could see, such as “what does Jesus look like?” And “What can you remember about Jesus?” Some children offered answers such as “He’s got long hair” and “He helped people”. We explored a man called ‘Bartimaeus’, he was a blind man that Jesus helped, and healed. We explored how we would feel if we could not see, and talked about how this would make things difficult for us. 

This week the children have also participated in a ‘Launchpad for Literacy’ activity. The children have been developing the skills to follow instructions at a 2 word level, while also developing their memory skills. We played a little game to support this, the children were asked to find 2 objects in the correct order, then bring them back to the carpet to show their friends. Key staff said instructions such as, “can you find me a car, and a teddy bear.” 

Thursday was ‘Mental Health Day’, the children enjoyed participating in a hand print, colouring activity. The children were each given a hand print, then asked to say something kind about one of their friends. To say something that they liked about this person, and what makes them special to them. The children offered some brilliant answers about their thoughts and feelings.  

Week Commencing Monday 30th September 2024 

This week we have explored the ‘Owl Babies’ story book from our medium term plan. The children enjoyed being read too by key staff, they enjoyed discussing the book, while also being able to answer questions in relation to the story, and pictures. Key staff asked questions such as, “which part was your favourite?” The children gave some brilliant answers, many said “when the Mammy came back.” They enjoyed joining in with repetitive phrases, while also sharing their thoughts about what could happen next. The children also engaged in various activities throughout the week in relation to the topic ‘Owl Babies.’ 

Our maths focus this week was ‘Comparing’ bigger, and smaller quantities. The children were set a challenge, and were asked to tell key staff which hoop had the most toys. The children have been working super hard to develop these skills throughout the week, learning through trial and error. We counted the toys out together, to find out if the children had picked correctly.  

During PE this week we have been developing the skills to follow key instructions when being directed by an adult, while also developing our physical skills. The children were asked to stand in a line, one behind the other, while also maintaining their focus, and attention. The boys and girls had great fun exploring different ways of moving, we mainly focused on ‘balance’ and ‘jumping’, landing safely on two feet.  

The children had great fun while participating in a Launchpad for Literacy activity, they have been developing their Auditory memory skills. The children were shown various pictures, then asked to listen to a sound. Key staff then asked the children to say, or point to the correct picture that matched the sound.  

Week Commencing Monday 23rd September 2024 

We have had such a busy, fun filled week! The children have been developing their hand eye co ordination skills, mark making skills, and pencil control when participating in a self portrait activity. The children were asked to explore their faces when looking in a mirror, then asked questions in relation to what they could see. They demonstrated a good understanding of the task, while also developing their vocabulary throughout. The boys and girls are developing the skills to draw a circle to form a face, then add eyes, a nose, and a mouth. 

We all had great fun participating in this weeks RE group activity, talking about the special people in our families. We all sat within a group, taking turns one at a time, to share what we enjoyed doing the most with our families. All of the children shared some lovely memories, and experiences, while developing their communication and language skills, and also their personal social and emotional skills.  

The boys and girls have worked very hard, developing their number knowledge and skills. We have been looking at the numbers 1-3, recognising these numbers in songs, and rhymes. To be able to show the correct number of fingers when asked, ‘show me one,’ ‘show me 2,’ ‘show me 3.’ We also clapped our hands, and stomped our feet in time with the correct number/numbers.  

During this weeks PE session, we have focused more on following instructions, and turn taking. Key staff sat the children in pairs, while supporting them with rolling the ball back and forth to each other, then bouncing the ball to each other. 

In addition to all the adult lead activities, the children have also had great fun participating in many other activities, such as baking cakes, exploring various herbs in the play dough area, peas in the water, and potato printing. Some of these activities were to facilitate some of the children’s interest of the story book ‘supertato.’

Week Commencing Monday 16th September 2024 

This week the boys and girls have engaged in many activities to further develop their skills. They have been extremely busy developing their maths knowledge when looking at the numbers 1-5, they enjoyed participated in rhymes and songs that contained familiar numbers. Key staff offered opportunities throughout, for the children to share their developing number knowledge. We asked questions, such as “what numbers did you hear?” “Can you show me using your fingers?”  
 

The boys and girls enjoyed this weeks RE activity, it was all about ‘special people’, such as family and friends. The children were asked to pick a friend when sitting within a small group, to then say something special about them. Everyone demonstrated brilliant understanding throughout, and offered some lovely comments about their friends. 
 

The children engaged in their first PE lesson of the new term, developing the skills to work alongside their friends, take turns, wait, and share. While also developing their gross motor skills when throwing, catching, and rolling a large ball. 
 

Our focus, and main story this week has been ‘The Family Book’, the aim was to develop the children’s participation during group activities, to develop their comprehension when talking about their own families, and to identify initial sounds when exploring the pictures within the story book. The children enjoyed telling key staff about their own families, who lives within the family home, and of course their furry little animal friends.  
 

In addition to all of the exciting learning opportunities offered throughout the week, the children have also had great fun playing, and exploring. They have enjoyed many mark making activities, such as painting and whiteboard marker pens. They have enjoyed making pretend birthday cakes when exploring the play dough, and having tea parties in the home corner. We have also spent a lot of time outdoors, developing physical skills when running, climbing, swinging and rolling. 

Week Commencing Monday 9th September 2024

What a wonderful start to the new school term, we are extremely proud, and happy with how well all of the children have adapted, and settled into nursery. Well done everyone! 
 

This week we have observed the children, giving them the opportunity to play, and explore their surroundings. They have all explored many different areas, while demonstrating their own interests throughout their play. 
 

Throughout the week we have been developing our personal, social and emotional skills when playing alongside friends, and participating in small group activities. We have also been developing our communication and language skills during group, and 1-1 discussions, and developing our listening, and understanding when following key instructions.  
 

Mrs Leightell and Mrs Garside are looking forward to seeing what the upcoming weeks bring, to get to know each other more, and to further develop skills.