Our Learning Journey
Summer 2
Literacy-Week 5 and 6 10.7.2023
The Three Little Pigs
Nursery have finished off their story of The Three Little Pigs by continuing to act out the story and learn about key events and vocabulary. The children have also been working on sequencing the story this week using pictures and also creating a story map of the story, using pictures and key sounds.
The children have been fantastic at writing different sounds for the pictures they have ordered such as 'p' for 'pig' or 'h' for house. They are fantastic at ordering the events of the story and have also enjoyed acting out the story in both the small world area, using masks, props and stick puppets and using the three little pigs tuff tray. You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons this week and some fantastic pictures of their story maps below- well done Nursery!
Maths-Capacity
Week 5 7.7.2023
This week Nursery have been learning all about capacity and volume using water.They have learnt about the vocabulary 'full, empty, half-full and nearly full or empty, discussing what these mean and using them to identify different amounts of water.
The children have been exploring with different capacity outside using the sand and water, helping Mrs Deocades decide what lemonade bottle to take for their picnic, talking about which holds more and less. They have also been making different wizards potions with Miss Murphy and making potions in different ways using their new vocabulary. Nursery have also been sorting different pictures of capacity and using different containers, spoons and ladles to explore and pour out water.
You can see pictures of them enjoying their lessons below and perhaps you could even ask them to explore some water and capacity at home with you? Perhaps they could have fun in their paddling pool or do the washing up and they could even bring in a picture to show us?!
UTW-Animals Workshop
Week 5- 6.7.2023
Nursery have finished off their topic of animals by having a wonderful animal workshop in the parish hall. We had the lovely Debra in to work with us, and she took us on a fantastic adventure looking at animals around the world.
We looked at lions at the zoo, saw sharks and whales in the sea, made the sound of pigs and cows at the farm, and acted out with snake and bird puppets in the rain forest. The children so enjoyed learning about the different animals and acting out as them and making various noises. We were able to find all the clues from the different places and put them in our special bag as we went round. Nursery then recapped the animals at the end of the session.
They had such a super time and enjoyed sharing their knowledge and learning even more new things about animals! You can see pictures of them enjoying planting the workshop below- great work everyone!
Maths- Shape
Week 4 28.6.2023
This week Nursery have been learning all about different 2D shapes. We have sorted different shapes such as circles, triangles, squares and rectangles and described the features and properties they have. Nursery have wowed us with using words such as sides and corners!
They have also made shape pictures using a variety of different shapes which include rockets, aeroplanes, trains and houses. They have matched shapes to pattern pictures and then created a whole different picture using the shapes. We have also been identifying, describing and repeating recurring patterns we see with shapes such as circle, triangle, circle triangle. The children have also been finding shapes in the environment- for examples, they know clocks and plates are circles and doors and books are rectangles.
You can see pictures of them enjoying their lessons below and perhaps you could even ask them to find some shapes around the house or outside in the environment? Perhaps you could even bring in a picture to show us?!
UTW- Farm and Woodland Animals
Week 4- 26.6.2023
Nursery have been continuing to learn about their topic of animals by learning about animals that live on the farm and in woodland. We have explored these different types of animals, naming them, their babies and where they live. The children know, for example that a baby sheep is called a lamb and foxes live in the den in the woods.
To show their knowledge children have been naming and describing different animals using picture cards and have been sorting them into different groups. They have also made their own woodland scenes using sticks and leaves. We went on an animal hunt around our local woodland in school and found different creatures such as woodlice and even foxes!
Nursery have also been exploring and looking at leaves and twigs in more detail using the magnifying glasses and have been playing farms with the farm animal small world and farm buildings. We have also been using farm animal puppets to play with, have different farm and woodland animals using playdough and have practised drawing them too! You can see pictures of them enjoying planting their animal lessons below- great work everyone!
Literacy-Week 4 28.6.2023
The Three Little Pigs
Nursery have started their last book of the half term- the well known fairy tale of the three little pigs. The children have absolutely loved this story so far and love being scared silly when they see the wolf coming!
We have been listening to the story in class and acting it out using actions, such as blowing the house down or building the houses. Nurseyr have then acted out the story using puppets and props and have discussed and talking about new key vocabulary from the story and what it means.
We have also been making our own pigs and houses using cutting and sticking skills and have been acted out the story with our small world area and tuff tray, which includes sawdust straw, sticks and bricks. The children have so enjoyed building the houses, just like the pigs and acted out the story as the different characters. You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons this week below- well done Nursery!
Expressive Arts- Primary Colours
Week 1-3 22.6.2023
Nursery have been learning all about colour as part of their Art topic this half term and have began with exploring primary colours. The children have learnt about how red, blue and yellow make up the three primary colours and that we can then make other colours from these basic ones.
We have learnt about the three colours and painted objects in different paints to show our understanding. The class then made collages of the different colours using various coloured materials such as felt, card, pipe cleaners, lollipop sticks, pop poms etc. We have also been sorting colour cards as part of our continuous provision and colouring using the primary colours. Nursery also made blocks using different primary colours to show their knowledge. You can see photos of them enjoying their art lessons over the last few weeks below.
UTW- Planting and Growing
Week 1-3- 20.6.2023
A few months ago Nursery planted their own sunflower seeds as part of their growing and changing topic. Their sunflowers have now grown so big that we have had to move them from their pots into the ground outside!
The children have been going out in small groups with Mrs Deocades to plant their flowers in the outside allotments so that they can continue to grow and develop with the space and room they now need. We have been continuing to water and care for them on our class windowsill but they now needed to go on a new adventure!
The children so enjoyed learning how to re-plant their now very tall sunflower plants and we will continue to water them and care for them outside in their new home. You can see pictures of them enjoying planting their new plants below- great work everyone!
Physical Development in our Setting
Week 2 14.6.2023
This week the children have been working on their physical development in their outdoor activities. They have been matching their physical skills to tasks and activities in our Nursery setting, such as walking across wooden planks, balancing on our toadstools or crawling across the deck of the pirate ship.
The children have also been playing instruments to create and improvise their own songs using our music wall and various instruments from our EYFS box. They have absolutely wowed us with the wonderful songs they have created, from Baby Shark to Disney and Pirate Songs. We are so impressed with their wonderful Physical Development skills and well done Nursery! You can see pictures of them showing their skills below.
UTW- Animals and Babies
Week 2- 15.6.2023
Nursery have carried on with their animals topic and have been learning all about farm animals this week. We have learnt about what life is like on a farm and the animals that live there. The children have so enjoyed naming pigs, piglets, cow, calves and lambs and sheep.
The children also know that many of these animals are born in Spring. They have great fun painting these animals, playing with them in the small world area. building farms with Lego and sorting/ matching animals to their babies. You can see pictures of them enjoying their lesson below- great work everyone!
Expressive Arts- Making Music
Week 2- 13.6.2023
Nursery have been amazing this week at creating their own music using our music wall and school instruments. They have taken time to play and explore the instruments and the different sounds they make and have had such fun creating their own songs. They have used the wall, pots, pans, drums and even guitars and small pianos! We have Baby Shark, Princess Songs, Disney Songs and many more. The children composed some truly beautiful creations and we are so proud of them. You can see photos of them enjoying the music wall and creating their songs using the instruments below.
Maths- Length
Week 2 16.6.2023
This week Nursery have been learning all about length. We have used the vocabulary longer and shorter to describe and compare different lengths of objects such as caterpillars, string, classroom objects etc.
The children have even been measuring themselves using pens as a unit of measure. They have been sorting caterpillar snakes and have been looking at different items and telling us what they notice about the length. Nursery have so enjoyed getting practical and ' hands-on' with measuring and have really wowed us with their knowledge of length.
You can see pictures of them enjoying their lessons below and perhaps you could even ask them to measure some items with you at home? You could measure different objects around the house to help them with their understanding of length- perhaps you could even bring in a picture to show us?!
UTW- Animals and Babies
Week 1- 8.6.2023
Nursery have started their new topic of animals and their babies and have began by learning about domestic animals such as pets and their offspring. We have learnt about animals such as dogs and puppies, cats and kittens and rabbits and kits.
The children have focused on naming and describing these animals and their offspring and then talking about the features they have. We have also discussed how some animals look like their parents and have similar features whereas others look very different such as butterflies and caterpillars and tadpoles and frogs.
Nursery have had great fun decorating and making their own butterflies using crafts, sorting animals and their babies and acting out with animals using the small world. You can see pictures below of the children enjoying their Understanding the World lessons this week. Well done Nursery!
Maths-Week 1- 9.6.2023
Working out Maths Problems to 5
This week Nursery have been exploring different mathematical problems to 5 and solving them. We have been working on exploring which groups have more and fewer and have been solving different problems of adding more or taking more away.
Nursery then learnt about different mathematical signs such as +, _ and = and started to understand what these mean and how we use them in simple sums. We used practical resources to help us solve our problems such as dinosaurs, bikes, beanbags and little bears. Using visual resources really helped and supported the children and they enjoyed responding to questions such as 'if one more dinosaur comes to the lake how many will there be? If one bear goes outside how many are left in the house?'
You can see pictures of them enjoying their lessons below and perhaps you could even ask them to work our some simple problems with you at home? You could use resources around the house to help them with their understanding of adding and subtracting- perhaps you could even bring in a picture to see us?!
Literacy-Week 1 and 2 5.6.2023
Exploring Logos and Names
Nursery have started off the half term by learning all about logos. We know that logos are an image, letter or print that carries meaning and the children have enjoyed identifying some of their favourite logos. We know different logos such as McDonalds, Apple, SMYTHS, Starbucks and that these prints carry different meanings and are for different things. Nursery have so enjoyed exploring the logos and also copying them and making some of their own!
The children have also been working on finding and writing their names this week. We have done name hunts, practised copying and writing our name using pencil control and have discussed how our names have different sounds and letters and are all unique to us! You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons this week below- well done Nursery!
UTW- Food and Harvesting
Week 6- 25.5.2023
Nursery have finished their topic of Growing and Changing by learning about the different food we have. They have been discussing the different healthy foods we have in our country and have been trying different fruit and vegetables such as apples, carrots, oranges, bananas and potatoes.
We have also been exploring our fruit and vegetable patches in our school and greenhouses and discussing what we grow in our own community. The children have so enjoyed looking at this plants and discovering what they are! This includes carrots, strawberries, different herbs and rhubarb. We have also done lots of amazing roleplay with food items, creating healthy dishes and plates and have even done some creative fruit printing pictures. What a wonderful end to our topic and the children have so enjoyed learning so much. You can see pictures below of the children enjoying their Understanding the World lessons this week. Well done Nursery!
Maths-Week 6
Measuring Weight 25.5.2023
This week Nursery have been exploring a brand new topic of weight. We have been learning lots of new vocabulary about what this means and what we use to measure different objects. The children have learnt about the word 'scales' and know that we use these to measure a variety of different things.
The children have also learnt about how our scales change when items are heavier or lighter- the scales go down for heavier items or go up for lighter objects. We have had such fun measuring different fruits and classroom items and discussing what we can see. The children have been so brilliant at comparing the different weights and using the scales. We have also been so wowed by how quickly they have picked up the new vocabulary- great work Nursery!
You can see pictures of them enjoying their lessons below and perhaps you could even ask them to help you with measuring and weighing items at home, perhaps weighing ingredients for a cake recipe or weighing your suitcases for a holiday?!
Literacy-Week 6 24.5.2023
Creating Story Maps
Nursery have finished off their book this week 'Sam Plants a Sunflower' by creating fantastic story maps for the story. We have been drawing pictures from the story and even adding initial sounds onto our aps such as 's' for sunflower, 'g' for grows' and 'w' for water.
The children have drawn such amazing maps and have truly shown their amazing understanding of the story. They could confidently draw and sequence key events and talk about the, which is super! You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons this week below- well done Nursery!
UTW- Baby Animals and Life Cycles
Week 5- 19.5.2023
Nursery have continued to learn about Growing and Changing and have been focusing on animals and their babies. They have learnt the different names of baby animals such as 'calf, lamb, puppy, kitten, chick' and 'piglet.' They have been describing these animals and matching them to their parents using picture cards and the small world farm animals.
The children then went on to learning about life cycles and learnt about the life cycle of a caterpillar. We already knew lots about this from having our caterpillars in class in Spring! The children sequenced the life cycle of a caterpillar, using the story of The Hungry Caterpillar to help them, listening to how an egg changes to a caterpillar, goes into a cocoon and becomes a beautiful butterfly! Nursery also decorated their own beautiful butterflies in class.
You can see pictures below of the children enjoying their lessons this week. Well done Nursery!
Literacy-Week 5 16.5.2023
Learning Initial Sounds
Nursery have had a fantastic week in Literacy, working on their initial sounds and matching them to the correct picture starting with that sound. We have mainly learnt 's,a,t,p,i,n' but have also been learning some new sounds such as 'm' and 'c'. The children have learnt actions to go with each sound and have been practising making the sound correctly using their mouths.
We then spoke about which objects start with that sound, discussing them both in our Phonics and Literacy lessons, saying things such as 'S is for Sam or Sunflower.' Now that the children can make the sounds and are starting to associate objects with them, we have been playing games with them where they match the correct object to its starting or initial sound. They have been brilliant at this and can match 's' with snake and castle, 't' with tiger and table and 'a' with apple and ant. Great work Nursery! You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons this week below- well done Nursery!
Literacy-Week 4 10.5.2023
Sam Plants a Sunflower
Nursery have started a brand new story this week which is called ' Sam Plants a Sunflower.' This story focuses on plants growing and so we have been growing our very own sunflower seeeds here in the classroom. The children have been planting and watering their pots this week and have also been learning key vocabulary from the story such as ' sunflower, plant, seed' and 'soil.'
Nursery have also been sequencing pictures of the sunflower cycle to help with their understanding oh how plants grow. They have learnt how a sunflower starts as a seed, turns to a shoot plant with green leaves, becomes a beautiful sunflower and then dies. The children have enjoyed ordering pictures of sunflowers and discussing what these mean. You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons this week below- well done Nursery!
Maths-Week 4
More and Fewer 11.5.2023
This week Nursery have been exploring more and fewer in relation with numbers to 5. We have been exploring what these terms mean and identifying more and fewer using practical objects such as cubes, dinosaurs and even bears!
The children have been amazing at listening to, understanding and then using this new terminology in their Maths lessons. We are so proud with the progress of all the children and how well they have done. You can see pictures of them enjoying their Maths lessons this week below. Well done Nursery!
Healthy Eating in Nursery
Week 2 27.4.2023
This week, the children have been learning all about Healthy Eating, and what foods are good for us. They have been sorting different foods, discussing whether they are healthy or unhealthy. Nursery have looked at fruit and vegetables, meats and dairy and treats or sugary food.
They have also been discussing the different fruits have been eating at Snack time and have looked at the different foods we can eat every day, such as apples, bananas and oranges, because they are so good for us! You can see pictures of the children sorting different healthy and unhealthy foods- well done to everyone in Nursery! Perhaps they could show you what foods are healthy at home and do some sorting for you?!
Physical Development and UTW
Week 2- 25.4.2023
Nursery have continued to learn about Growing and Changing and have been learning about how flowers grow in Spring. They have gone on various Spring Hunts to find flowers growing and to observe beautiful green leaves growing on the trees.
We found lots of things growing, which told that we were in the season of Spring. We found flowers and grass growing and beautiful blossom on the trees! The children then compared and contrasted the green leaves that they saw and used them to make a wonderful leaf collage.
We have also been working on our physical development skills and have been striking different poses and hopping and jumping. Nursery have done us so proud with all their wonderful learning this week!
You can see pictures below of the children enjoying their lessons this week. Well done Nursery!
Dance in PE Lessons
Week 1 and 2 28.4.2023
For the last few weeks, Nursery have been learning about Dance in their Friday PE lessons. We have been focusing on different themes each week including colours, emotions and animals. The children learnt about and practised different poses together and then practised them in groups. We learnt different moves and poses for happy and angry dances and then performed these to music.
The children also experimented with different levels for animals, standing tall for giraffes, crouching down low for frogs and slithering along the floor for snakes. They also showed us fasntastic frogs, crouching and hopping whilst also performing wonderful elephants, stomping their feet and using their arms for trunks.
We are so proud of the children and the wonderful dances they created. They were so brave and even performed their dance moves to each other in small groups- wow! You can see pictures of Nursery enjoying their PE lessons below and see their wonderful poses!
Understanding the World- Week 1
Seasons- 20.4.2023
Nursery have started a brand new Understanding The World topic this week of Growing and Changing. The children have began with reviewing and learning about the 4 seasons that we have on Earth- Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
For the lesson the children recapped the 4 seasons and matched up different objects, items and clothes for each season. They also made leaves using lego and playdough and made their own creative pictures using objects such as leaves, grass and twigs. We also did a Spring hunt outside and found lots of things growing, which told that we were in the season of Spring. We found flowers and grass growing and beautiful blossom on the trees!
You can see pictures of the children learning about dinosaurs this week below. Please ask them what they can tell you about the Seasons-we are sure they can tell you lots! Great work Nursery!
Maths-Week 1
Total Amounts 20.4.2023
In the first week after the holidays, Nursery have been learning about total amounts. We have been counting out different objects and saying the total number altogether, using the cardinal principle.
The children have also been outside, exploring and counting different sets of natural objects and have so enjoyed recognising numbers and matching amounts, counting them as they do so. All of the children have also done fantastic number formation and have shown amounts in different ways using playdough, small world objects, trains etc.
We are so proud of them and you can see pictures of them enjoying their Maths lessons this week below. Perhaps you could ask them to count different objects at home and tell you the total amount- I know they will impress you! Well done Nursery!
Literacy-Week 1 & 2 18.4.2023
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Over the last two weeks the children in Nursery have been focusing on the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We have been using this story to practise key vocabulary and to act out the story to show our understanding. We have also been focusing on developing our tripod pencil grips and making marks and pre-writing shapes using the story. The children have been drawing pictures from the story, and focusing on pencil control, tracing caterpillars, butterflies and different fruit.
The children in Nursery are really enjoying this story and have also been taking part in many provision activities such as painting characters from the story, waving butterfly flags, matching different objects from the story and playing with the small world scene. In our second week we even incorporated colour mixing and the children mixed blue and yellow to paint beautiful green caterpillars. You can see pictures of the children enjoying their literacy lessons on The Very Hungry Caterpillar below- well done Nursery!
Summer 1
Caterpillars in Nursery- 27.3.2023
Week 5 and 6 Spring 2
Something very exciting is happening in Nursery- we have caterpillars changing into butterflies! Aa part of our Life Cycles and Growing and Changing Topic we have been looking after caterpillars for two weeks and watching them change and develop to get bigger and bigger. Now they have attached to the top of the cups and are changing into chrysalises- WOW! They will now stay like this for a few more days until they emerge as... BUTTERFLIES!
Unfortunately this will probably happen over the Easter Holidays but keep your phones to hand because we will upload a photo to you via text once they have become butterflies. I will continue to feed them over Easter and then will bring them back into class after the holiday for the children to feed, observe and look after for a few days. We will then release them into the wild to be free and live in God's beautiful world.
You can see pictures of our caterpillars journey below, from when they came to us as little caterpillars, as they got bigger and then evolving into their chrysalises. We will continue to show you more photos as they emerge into butterflies- what an amazing life cycle and journey!
Maths-Week 4
Making Shape Pattern 21.3.2023
Over the last few weeks, Nursery have been continuing to learn about Patter. They have learnt about different colours in a Pattern and are now looking at shapes, and which shapes are repeated in a pattern.
Nursery have been explaining different shape patterns they can see and exploring and creating their own patterns in the classroom using real shapes as well as mark making such as paint, pencils felt tips etc. They have had great fun using different materials to explore shapes and different patterns around them.
The children found shape patterns a bit tricky at first but have shown tremendous resilience and determination to keep trying at it. Due to their hard work, they have made such super progress and are now very confident at identifying different shape patterns and making their own.
We are so proud of them and you can see pictures of them enjoying their Maths lessons this week below. Please ask them to show you different shape patterns at home- they will be brilliant! Well done Nursery!
