“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” ― Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Seedlings:

This week, the Seedlings embraced the lovely hot weather as they got stuck into our camping topic.

The children had great fun exploring water in the garden, from activities that involved pouring and measuring to ones that involved fully splashing around getting wet. Lots of giggles were had throughout, with Oliver treating his peers to the biggest belly laugh.

With the help of the practitioners, the Seedlings built dens in the garden and in the room. They used their imaginations as they pretended to roast marshmallows over a fire while singing along to songs. Next, they bedded down in their tent ready to camp out with their cuddly friends.

Later on in the week, the youngsters enjoyed a teddy bears’ picnic. To get ready for the special occasion, the Seedlings took turns to spread butter on slices of bread before selecting which shape cutter they’d like to use to transform their sandwich. Daneyal chose a star cutter, while Penelope told her friends she was making a bunny sandwich.

We ended our jam-packed camping themed week at Broughton Cottage with hotdogs cooked on the BBQ.

Star of the Week:

Otis – For growing in confidence when communicating with his peers.

Saplings:

We’ve continued to embrace the wonderful summery weather with the Saplings this week.

The children worked on their scissor-handling skills as they made jellyfish tentacles. We challenged them to count out each tentacle before it was carefully stuck onto the sea creature’s body.

We also thought it would be a good idea to try and hold on to the sunshine by crafting sun catchers to display in our windows. To do this, we asked the children to tear up brightly coloured tissue paper ready to place in the sun catcher frame. This activity was brilliant for helping to strengthen fine motor skills.

Another engaging activity that had all the Saplings smiling, saw the children paint their hands before pressing them down on to paper to make a flower. The youngsters couldn’t stop laughing as the paintbrush bristles tickled their palms and fingers.

As we’ve had plenty of chances to spend time outside, the Saplings have also enjoyed lots of water play. They really loved tipping, filling and transporting water about in a variety of vessels.

Star Of the Week:

Tamsin – For trying hard to pronounce her friends’ names during registration.

Acorns:

This week in Acorns, we decided to focus on mini beasts.

To kick off the theme, the children took part in an activity where they dipped different bugs into brown paint, which represented mud. Once the critters had been suitably coated in the ‘mud’, the Acorns stamped them down onto paper. The whole class retained focus as a practitioner talked about the creepy crawlies that had been chosen, comparing their individual features.

Next, we looked at Eric Carle’s charming book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children listened in awe as the story was read aloud. The Acorns’ favourite part of the plot was when the caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly.

To extend this, we challenged the children to create their own hungry caterpillar print. Using a cardboard tub, tubes and red and green paint, the Acorns were able to make marks to symbolise the bug’s body and head. The children were excellent at pressing the tube down in a line to make  sections of its body.

To honour the storyline our Acorns made butterflies. With help from an adult, the children folded paper they’d just painted to create symmetrical wings.

Star Of the Week:

Arthur – For confidently having a visit to Seedlings.

Oaks 1:

Firstly we wish Fiona a quiet and relaxing retirement as she leaves us on Friday.

What a week! With summer finally in full swing, we’ve spent the last five days in a celebratory mood working on our festival theme.

The children had a go at making their own clothes, with Rosie taking the lead when it came to styling. Amelie made a ra-ra skirt from recycled items and joyfully splashed on paint to give it a unique look. Ronnie opted to make a suit of armour which he declared would protect him from getting sunburnt.

To broaden the children’s musical tastes, we’ve listened to lots of country music, jazz and blues. Oliver loved the sound of a saxophone and went on to tell his peers he’d like to be in a band when he’s older.

Mia wowed practitioners this week with her efforts to tidy up the forest area after deciding that it looked a little overgrown. She gathered up a team of helpers and got to work. Freddie and Adrian used the cutters to cut down a tree, while Ronnie used the saw to neaten the roots. The trio were convinced that they discovered a dinosaur bone so found tools to help them excavate.

Star Of The Week:

Oliver – For being a fantastic member of Oaks 1 during his last week in the room. We all wish him well on his summer adventures and at school.

Forest School:

We had a fabulous and totally absorbed session. The children really worked so harmoniously that the peace on so many occasions was ‘deafening.’ Cindy and I observed lots of small groups playing and working together with vigour and delight. And we witnessed just the most incredible imagination as the children cooked up a storm, sailed their ‘pirate’ ship and made ‘play’ camp fires. We carefully measured the stream’s depth before deciding it was perfect to take a dip. Ronnie, George, Jamie and Bodhi tested their core strength as they pulled themselves up the bank using the deep roots as a piece of equipment to aid them whilst Theo and Ralph enjoyed skimming stones, discussing the myriad of patterns emanating from each throw whilst Thomas, Freddie and Ophelia kicked back and relaxed in the beautiful sunshine.

Oaks 2:

It has been a gloriously sunny week at Broughton Cottage and naturally that has meant we have had lots of fun in the garden.

The children have enjoyed a variety of engaging activities from water play to soft play, construction to circle games. We also spent time discussing the importance of sun safety with the group and even made a collaborative poster about it. Zoe attempted to draw some visuals to support the text and the children then enjoyed decorating our poster with meaningful marks and careful colouring inside the lines.

To stay cool and hydrated, we made some homemade ice lollipops. The children were curious about the process, and all wanted to all join in. By pouring and mixing the different ingredients, Oaks 2 were able to develop their fine motor skills. They also demonstrated excellent turn taking. We’re sure you won’t be surprised to hear that the lollies went down a treat.

In the coming weeks, we are hoping to team up with Oaks 1 for a colour festival. In preparation, the children have been busy making bold and bright crowns.

Star Of the Week:

Helgi – For such brilliant behaviour.

Until next week…

Yours sincerely

The Broughton Team