Let’s make a splash!
We have had a very hot but busy week in Nursery. The children have done really well to keep themselves cool and hydrated. We talked a lot about sun safety and the importance of what this means. The children actively knew that when we were outside we needed to make sure we had our sun hats on, sun cream applied and we take some time out in the shade.
and of course a play in the paddling pool is also a bonus!
Our topic for this half term is focussed around the seaside. This week’s book has been… The snail and the whale by Julia Donaldson. In our maths learning we are exploring time. We talked about our morning and night time routines, here’s a few examples;
In the morning we wake up- Ella
I have a bath in the night and then put my pjs on and grandma reads a story- Gracie
I like to have a snack before bedtime- C
I like pancakes for my breakfast in the morning- Deacon
Here are some of the activities the children have been getting up to this week …
We made our own ocean exploring colour mixing with cornflour, water and powder paint. The children noticed how it can quickly change from a solid to a liquid.
We designed our own postcards from our favourite places.
The sea creatures were trapped so we needed to get our funky fingers working to untangle them. This process is supporting muscle development and fine motor control to supporting their writing.
We have also started our half term project, making our very own ice-cream parlour!
We hope you have a lovely rested weekend all ready in preparation for our school trip on Tuesday. We are so excited as I am sure you all are too!
Reminder- Tuesday 20 June (Piglets Adventure Farm)
Please make sure your child brings with them a small backpack that they are able to carry. This should include their packed lunch if they are bringing their own, a refillable water bottle, sun hat and some spare clothes just in case. I will be taking my own backpack full of emergency spares so please don’t worry if you forget something on the day.
Any last minute questions please feel free to catch me on the door or email me at: stjamesnursery@spherefederation.org
Miss Ward
What can I see? What can I see?
This week our focus book has been ‘The Train Ride’ by June Crebbin. We talked about what you might see on a train ride if you were looking out of the window, like the girl in the story.
“Some cows and sheep in the big fields”- Frankie
“The window is a mirror you can see yourself”- Gracie
“You might go through a tunnel and it will be very dark and you would need a torch so you can see” -C
Here are some of the activities we have been exploring in provision
The children really enjoyed their PE session outside in the sunshine. We played ‘Ants in your pants’. The children used a hoop as their pants and the beanbags were the ants. The children used their throwing skills to see how many ants they could get in their partners pants!
During our maths learning this week our focus has been looking for shapes within the environment. See if you can guess which shapes we found!
Reminder
We are coming into our last week before half term, it’s set to be a warm one! So please could I remind all parents/carers that sun cream should be applied before coming to school and that all children come with a sun hat and water bottle. Your child’s water bottle will be refilled throughout the day.
Have a fantastic weekend, remember to stay sun safe!
Miss Ward
Minibeasts everywhere!
Over the past few weeks we have been exploring all things minibeast! We’ve looked for worms in the garden with our magnifying glasses, made our own junk model insects and observed how our tadpoles are starting to change.
We also began to celebrate the upcoming Coronation of King Charles. The children joined in making afternoon tea, got creative using red white and blue to make their own flags and designed their own crowns for our school parade.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Miss Ward
But he was still hungry!
Welcome back Nursery! We hope you had a lovely break over the Easter half term.
This week we introduced our new topic ‘ wheels, wings and other things’. Our first focus book was ‘The very hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle.
Here is what we got up to …
We created our own caterpillars using loose parts and play dough. We took the children down to the big playing field to start our minibeast hunt, the children ticked off the minibeasts they found along the way. We also went to check out school pond to see if there were any tadpoles- safe to say we will be seeing lots of frogs very soon!
The Caterpillar goes into a cocoon and then comes out as a Butterfly – Gracie
It gets really hungry, it’s going to eat 5 oranges next- Joshua
Look Miss Harvey, there is a millipede here. It has lots of legs!-Deacon
1 apple, 2 pears, 3 plums, 4 strawberries and 5 oranges but he’s still hungry – Zubi
The butterfly is symmetrical because it’s the same on both sides- Austin
Notice
As the weather is starting to become warmer, please could you ensure your child/children bring a sun hat to school clearly labelled. We do have a sun hat box if you would like to leave it with us.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Miss Ward
Easter brings new life
This week our focus book has been ‘ The Easter Story’. The children have been getting very creative making Easter cards, building churches and designing our own Easter eggs!
We may of had a sneaky visit from the Easter bunny! The children got to work on the hunt to find our colourful eggs around our outdoor provision
Easter means new life and babies like baby chicks- Gracie
Jesus woke up again- Sophie
He died on a big cross- Austin
Hot cross buns!-Beau
You may of also heard the children coming home singing a song about a spring chicken. Reception, KS1 and KS2 visited the church on Wednesday to take part in their Easter service. They have all been practicing the song to perform at church, so nursery joined in and they loved it!
Here it is to share with your children at home …
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off auto play – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip
We have had a wonderful few weeks in Nursery. We wish everyone a happy and healthy Easter and a well deserved break! We look forward to welcoming the children back as we may have some special visitors…. here is a clue!
Miss Ward
We are growing potatoes!
Over the past few weeks we have been reading some fantastic focus books.
‘A superhero like you’ by Dr Ranj and Liam Darcy
The children expressed what ‘real’ superhero they wanted to be when they are older. We transformed our provision into a world of occupations from a farmer to a dentist!
‘The girl is like Mummy’- Savannah
‘They don’t wear clothes like batman’-Deacon
‘I like building with my hammer’- George
‘Oliver’s Vegetables’ by Alison Bartlett and Vivian French
The children enjoyed learning about all the vegetables that grew in Oliver’s garden. We talked about what we have grown at home before and what we would like to grow in nursery. We all decided we wanted to grow some potatoes just like Oliver so we could make our own chips!
‘I grow peppers with my Grandad’ – Ella
‘I got carrots and potatoes’ – Frankie
‘I’ve not had beetroot before, it’s purple’- Austin
‘ Daisy eat your peas’ by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt
Daisy does not like peas and there is nothing that her mum can do to get her to eat them! The children discussed their likes and dislikes around food. We then started to talk about which foods are healthy and which are not so healthy but in the end we all decided we love ice-cream!
‘Daisy didn’t want to eat her peas and then she tried to get mum to eat her brussel sprouts but she didn’t like them either’- Gracie
‘I don’t like sprouts, I like carrots’ – George
‘ I had sprouts at Christmas’- Austin
‘ I like Yorkshire pudding’- Ella
‘ I like to drink apple juice’- C
‘ Daisy is funny because she didn’t want to eat her peas’- Joshua
Notices
Thank you to those that have booked an appointment for parent consultations, I am excited to share with you your child/children’s progress this term. There are still some appointments left so the list will be displayed in the nursery window if you wish to attend.
Please keep sending in any photos you would like to share with nursery for the children to share in our circle times. The children really enjoy sharing what they have been getting up to at the weekend with their grown-ups!
Our email address is stjamesnursery@spherefederation.org
Have a lovely happy and healthy weekend!
Miss Ward
Jaspers beanstalk
This week in nursery our focus book has been Jaspers Beanstalk. The children really enjoyed listening and joining in with the story.
‘he isn’t happy his bean hasn’t grown’
‘he needs to get all the slugs off so that it doesn’t get eaten’
‘he wants to climb the beanstalk to go find a giant like Jack did’
We planted our own beans to what them grow!
We started to explore what we might need to help seeds grow…
‘we need some mud to put the seed in’
‘ the water helps make it grow’
Polite notice
Next week we will be drawing our faces. If you could bring in a photo of your child when they were a baby so we can compare how we have changed!
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Ward
Rahhh!
We have been getting our stomp on in nursery this week!
The children have been exploring out dinosaur provision. Our focus story for the next two weeks is called ‘Dinosaur Roar’ by Paul and Henrietta Stickland. Here is what we have been betting up to!
The children created their own fossils out of clay. We also compared what our feet looked like to a dinosaur using paint. The children used their listening skills to interpret and make their own dinosaur sounds, we stomped around the classroom to the music.
It’s like a dinosaur been in it but then a person has taken the dinosaur out and it’s a pattern – Gracie
Paint toes, make dinosaur feet- Frankie
Dinosaur squeak, dinosaur fast, dinosaur tiny, dinosaur strong- Austin
Have a happy and healthy weekend!
Miss Ward
It’s a dragon!
This week our focus story has been Zog by Julia Donaldson. The children have enjoyed exploring our Zog themed provision, here’s what we have been getting up to!
We did our first science experiment! The foaming dragon. The children watched how the baking soda reacted with the vinegar to create a fizzing foam.
It exploded out of the dragons mouth-Gracie
Red dragon- Hunter
It’s got circles and triangles, the circle is the dragons head- Cora
It’s got lots of spikes- George
Zog wanted to help the princess be a doctor-Austin
Here is a link so you can enjoy watching Zog at home with your child/children ….
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off auto play – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip
Next week is all about DINOSAURS, so make sure you bring your stomping feet! RAHHH
Miss Ward
It’s freezing!
This week the children explored our outdoor provision to see if they could find some ice. We talked about why and how things freeze and what would happen if the temperature would increase.
The soil is hard because it’s got water in – Austin
It’s frozen in the same shape, you can see the lines from the tyre- Gracie
Look Miss Ward, the car is stuck in the ice!- Deacon
The sun has melted the grass- Beau
We also explored Lunar New Year this week. Lunar New Year is the beginning of the lunar calendar, the months are based on moon cycles. This event is a celebration observed by many cultures around the world.
The children cooked up a storm in the kitchen, experienced using chopsticks, made rabbit sun catchers and enjoyed a traditional new year meal in school. 2023 is the year of the rabbit.
Red is a lucky colour- C
They clean their house to get rid of bad things- Sophie
A horse , a dragon and a rabbit- Frankie
I like noodles- Ella
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Ward