Spring 1 half term learning

Our topic this past half term was ‘Marvellous Making’ and the children enjoyed making all sorts of things! Making music and tapping out rhythms along to our key text ‘Tanka Tanka Skunk’ was great fun! We made lots of art, Chinese craft, models from junk and learnt how to construct towers with a strong base.  Our big focus in maths has been ‘subitising’ and counting. We started our rhyme time challenge and learnt lots of new songs. We have been observing the weather every day and watching the bulbs we planted start to come through as Spring arrives. Science Day was a huge success and the children loved all the messy play activities. In the final week of term, taking inspiration from our key text, ‘Alphonse There’s Mud on the Ceiling’ we are going to make sandwiches and take them outside for a picnic! I am  very sorry that we have been unable to open all of the Nursery the past week due to staff absence with Covid-19. Thank you for all your patience and kind wishes. We hope you found the online home learning suggestions and daily storytime videos on Tapestry helpful.

Parent Workshops

If you did not manage to get to the Early Years Maths parent workshop in November or the Nursery Reading and Phonics parent workshop in January I would encourage you to look at the slides here:

Nursery Reading Parent Workshop presentation - January 2022

Maths Workshop for Nursery and Reception - Nov 2021

Home Learning Photos

Learning in Nursery

Science Day

On Science Day our theme was investigating through messy and sensory play. The children had  a wonderful time getting messy and experimenting. Here are some ideas you can try at home:

Colour mixing - mix paints using wooden sticks on a large piece of paper: Investigate and ask what colour you get when you mix red and blue?

Gloop - gradually water into cornflour paint and mix until gloopy: Investigate what happens when you scrape through the gloop with a fork or your hands? What does it feel like?

What’s hidden? Use ripped up scrap paper, recycling, cut grass or leaves to hide toy bugs or animals to make dens and nests: Investigate with your eyes closed! What do you think is in there? What does it feel like? Can you make a pattern?

Making tracks- dip the wheels of toy cars or trucks cars to dip into the paint to create patterns over the paper: Can you make a straight line? Can you make it go fast or slow? What pattern do the tyres make?

Oranges, lemons and lime - squeeze the fruits over bicarbonate of soda and watch it fizz!: What is happening? What can you see? Does it smell? Does it make a noise?

Ice investigation- freeze dinosaurs or other small toys in water inside a balloon: What does it feel like? Can you see what is inside? How do you think we can we get it out?

Spaghetti painting- cook spaghetti in paint or food coloring or mix paint into the spaghetti: What does it feel like? Can you pick it up? Can you make a shape or pattern with it?

Sensory swamp - mix shaving foam with cocoa powder to make a swamp for toy worms or bugs: What does it smell and feel like? What can you find? Can you write or draw a picture in the swamp?

Water beads - a good idea for a Birthday present or special treat (about £7 on Amazon). You soak them in water and watch them expand - great for sensory play and fine motor skills: What is happening to the beads? Can you name the colours? Can you pick one up? Can you scoop them into a jug until it is full and pour them out? What do they feel like?

Overview of next half term

Our topic is ‘Eggtastic’’. The table above gives you an overview of the learning and activities we will be focussing on in the 3 year old Nursery. The 2yos will focus on a simplified version of this plan.  Term begins on 21st February with an action packed ‘Book Week’ where we all turn into explorers. The highlight will definitely be when 10 eggs arrive in an incubator and hatch into chicks in our Nursery. One of our key texts is  ‘Chicken’s Aren’t the Only Ones’, our first information text where we learn about all the different animals that lay eggs. Our other text is ‘Handa’s Hen’ which is set in Africa and helps us learn about the map of the world, different animals and counting. In maths we are focussing on counting, comparing quantities, shapes and subitising. Our Phonics we will learn alliteration, where we find words that start with the same letter ie ‘The pink pig pushed the prickly pineapple’. In Science we are investigating ice, wind and the signs of Spring. In art and DT we will be making Mothers’s Day cards, Easter cards, musical instruments and painting in the style of Jackson Pollock (see picture). It’s going to be messy!