“It’s a constantly changing story, and every time you go to the top, there’s a new and wonderful land waiting for you.” The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton 

Oaks 1:
We have had a lovely week enjoying our British summer (finally!).

We have said good bye to Jessica who is off on her new adventure with her family as they move to Wales. She will be missed by all so to ensure we gave Jessica a great sendoff we prepared a teddy bears picnic.
The children helped prepare their own party fare, with Sebbie leading the way, keen to make his own sandwiches.  It wouldn’t have been a party without sweet treats so the children got to work with Annette making cakes, lemon curd and jam twists. The afternoon was enjoyed by us and all our teddies as we played party games and showed off our dance moves.

This week will mark the longest day of the year with 17 hours of daylight on Thursday. We looked at the famous landmark, Stonehenge where the summer solstice is celebrated and recreated our own with Raul suggesting we used recycled materials to make our very own Stonehenge, Charlie stated it should be colourful, so that’s what we did, we set to work and created a nice big colourful Stonehenge discussing where the sun rises and where the sun set. We learnt that at Stonehenge a small festival is held annually in celebration so obviously we had to have our own; Adrian and Freddie created a sun dance around the stones and we all copied and joined in.

School taster days have begun in earnest and have been the talk of the room. All the children have been sharing their experiences which is having a positive impact for those who are unsure about their new adventure.

Star of the week: Jamie – for becoming a big brother and sharing his lovely news about his new baby sister at Show and Tell.

Oaks 2:

This week in Oaks 2 we have been exploring animals of all types, their different traits and habitats. 

The children have all really been interested in messy play so this week, we offered a different type each day to ignite their senses. A sea made from cornflour, water and blue paint ‘rippled’ away as the children shared their thoughts and planned what materials could best represent a sandy or rocky beaches.

We also used flour and paint brushes in the garden for mark making. We spelt out the children’s names and they attempted to copy. It was really messy but everyone enjoyed it.

Whist in the garden this week, Oaks 2 had fun making smores! We made a small fire and all the children got to roast their marshmallows over the fire and place them on their biscuit with chocolate. We enjoyed having them for our afternoon snack.

Star of the week: Eli, for his efforts to write his name in flour.

Forest School

Following on from Oaks 1’s festival vibe, we were very surprised to encounter a brightly painted double decker bus parked in the field parallel to the woodland; everyone’s thoughts were pooled as we wondered what it was being used for, “a party bus”, “a hairdressers”, “a gym bus” were all suggested. As we wound our way down to basecamp, we encountered a tent which everyone thought had been left for them unfortunately this was not the case, though no inhabitants could be detected. The children spotted a new hammock which they discovered was rather too high for them so we all set about figuring just how we could adjust it. The team then worked together to alter the height, using a stone to mark the tree; they were all very proud of their combined efforts.

Cindy helped the children build rafts with contributions from the children as they criss crossed the frameworks with colourful threads; Kiyan, Sebbie, Ralph and Theo all opted to make theirs adjusting height and length using saws until they had uniformity in size which they felt was essential in order to keep the raft steady and to avoid tipping. Well done everyone.

Seedlings:

This week, the Seedlings have been talking about going on holiday and what they might need to pack. 

In the garden, the children had great fun making an aeroplane out of natural resources before climbing on board and pretending they were going on holiday. Genevieve took on the role of the pilot and explained to her friends that her parents have just been on a plane. 

Once the plane had landed, we pretended we were at the beach and the children built sandcastles in the sandpit.

Inside, the children got crafty making flip-flops. They placed their feet into paint before stepping onto cardboard to leave a print. Pipe cleaners were added to finish the look.

We talked about what documentation we might need to travel before tasking the children to make their own passports. Each child had their passport checked as they boarded our indoor jet made from our sofa play. 

Star of the Week: All of the Seedlings – For their enthusiasm and imagination during their role play activities.

Saplings:

Summer has been our focus this week. 

They thoroughly enjoyed using craft materials to make bold and bright flowers. This activity was excellent for encouraging colour recognition. 

The Saplings were delighted to have a visit from Bertie the guinea pig this week too. Tamsin loved having the furry pet on her lap and held him very safely. 

We are keen to talk to the children about holidays so would be most grateful if you could send in two photographs that we can use to make a collage for our ceiling. We will complete our summery display with buckets, spades and beach balls. We are also looking forward to making sand pictures with the children.

Star of The Week: Amalie B – For helping Laura to wash up at mealtimes and cleaning the tables. Well done indeed. 

Acorns:

This week in Acorns. we continued our on the beach theme.  

Monday saw the children create beautiful boats using card. To decorate them, they self-selected paint pens in an array of colours. Devon decided to paint hers pink and purple, while Jessica opted for yellow.

Throughout the week, the Acorns have read Marcus Pfister’s charming book The Rainbow Fish. It was lovely to see a number of the children seeking it out to flick through with their friends. The class all demonstrated excellent listening skills when a practitioner read it to them.
The Acorns had so much fun playing with seaside-themed modelling clay. They pressed shells and sea animals into the pliable material to effect different patterns. The children loved squeezing the dough in their palms, watching it ooze out between their fingers.

Star of the Week: Georgia – For being more confident with in the room when playing.

Yours sincerely

The Broughton Team