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. We even made bird food for our new bird feeding area and to take home for the RSPB bird watch. Finally, this week we made sandwiches! Thank you to the parents who came in to help us celebrate Chinese New Year and Burn’s night. It is great to have so many parents sharing their culture with us. We all enjoyed the Chinese workshop with Earthsong, playing the drums and watching the dancing lion! Our big focus in maths has been 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 it was great that you could join us for all the activities. We learnt all about living in a flat in the city through our key text, ‘Alphonse There’s Mud on the Ceiling’ and compared it to the bear’s cottage in the woods in Goldilocks. As a treat at the end of term we made sandwiches for a picnic!
Parent Workshops
If you did not manage to join us for the workshop on fine motor and writing skills please check out the presentation deck below:
Writing and Fine Motor Skills Presentation for Nursery and Reception parents
Celebrations in Nursery



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 Tuesday 21st February with an action packed ‘Book Week’. Please remember to send your child in wearing pyjamas on the Tuesday and dressing up as their favourite character on the Friday. We will be learning and perform the poem ‘Grow Up’ by James Carter. The highlight this half term will definitely be on Monday 13th March 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. In Phonics we will learn alliteration, where we find words that start with the same letter ie ‘The pink pig pushed the prickly pineapple’. We will be introducing pictures that represent the letters s,a,t,p,i,n,m,d,g and o and teaching the children how to recognise and write them. 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!
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Rhyme Time Challenge
Our Rhyme Time Challenge concerts are on Friday 24th March Thank you for helping us practice the songs at home for our Rhyme Time Challenge. So far we have learnt : Open Shut Them; Polly Put the Kettle On; and Old MacDonald; There was a Little Turtle. Next half term we will be learning It’s Raining, It’s Pouring; Five Little Monkeys; A Sailor went to Sea.
Dates for your Diary
Start of term - Tuesday 21st February
Book Week (21 Feb to 24 Feb) - Please see information below and on the Newsletter. Don’t forget to do the Big Booky Bedtime sponsored read to help buy new books for our school.
Tuesday 22nd February - children (and staff) to wear Pyjamas for the whole session for a bedtime story!
Friday 25th February - Dress up as a book character
Pancake Day - Tuesday 21st February - we will be exploring which topping we like best on our pancakes! Donations of pancakes gratefully received!
FUDGE Day - Friday 3rd March - Fathers, Uncles, Dads. Grandpas and Every other male relative are invited to join us in the Nursery at 8.30am-9.30 and 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Holi Colour festival - Wednesday 8th March - if you celebrate Holi at home and would like to come and join in and talk to the children please let us know.
Eggs arrive - Monday 13th March - look out for videos and photos on Tapestry!
St Patrick’s Day - if any Irish parents would like to come and share the celebration with us please let us know!
Mother’s Day - Sunday 19th March - we will be making cards in the Nursery.
Rhyme Time Challenge concerts - Friday 24th March - parents are welcome to join us:
Blue 9am
Green and Orange 11am
Yellow and Purple 3pm
Easter Egg competition - Thursday 30th March - please see newsletter for further information.
End of term - Friday 31st March at 11.30am for Green and Orange and 1.45pm for Blue. No Yellow or Purple Nursery that day sorry.
Further Information
Busythings - you have all been given information and your individual login for LGFL Busythings. It is a brilliant resource full of interactive activities specifically chosen for Nursery age children, including art, phonics, maths and science. It’s also a great way for your child to learn computer skills.
Thank you for writing a note in the Reading record and returning the book bag every Friday. It is lovely to see your comments about how much you enjoy reading together at home.
If you are encouraging your child to learn to write, please help them use lowercase letters rather than capitals with the exception of the first letter in their name. Please always say the sounds rather than the letter names and say them correctly. Follow this guide on how to say them…https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/learn-to-read-phonics/
Thank you for naming all items of clothing, bottles and bags and choosing clothes that your child can run and climb in, and you don’t mind getting messy in the mud kitchen or when painting
Check Tapestry regularly for updates and send us photos and videos of what you have been up to at home!
Remember to talk to your child about what they have done or will be doing in Nursery - it helps the learning stick! You could ask them, ‘what was on the tuff trays today?’ Everyday there is something new and exciting to explore on our tuff trays.
Look out for the weekly Nursery updates on Tapestry. Essential information for the week ahead for you and your child.
Contact us if you have any questions on Tapestry or at the door - we are here to help!
Thank you as always for all your support. Have a good half term break
The Nursery Team