Dear Parents,
We’ve welcomed Poppy and Charlotte to the Broughton family and hope they will be very happy and enjoy their time with us. We also say good bye to many of our school leavers and wish them every success for the future; we look forward to seeing them and their families at our leavers’ party on the 21st August.
Oaks 1 and Oaks 2:
This week Oaks 1 and Oaks 2 joined forces. This provided an opportunity for the children to get to know those from another group, strengthening bonds all round.
We’ve focussed on transitions and spent time talking about ways to adapt to change. During circle times, the adults chatted to Oaks 1 about the new schools they’ll be starting, putting the move they’re soon to make in a positive light. We also discussed the pictures the children brought in of themselves wearing uniform. We went on to explain to Oaks 2 that they’ll be transitioning into the Oaks 1 room imminently. The children enjoyed having the chance to take a closer look at their future room.
The practitioners sought to boost the mathematical skills of Oaks 1 this week too. Using their physical development to piece together jigsaws, they spent a considerable amount of time constructing a number puzzle. James pondered the colours on each individual piece before fitting them together in the correct order. The group then worked together to complete a complex dragon jigsaw, comprised of abstract-shaped pieces. Theo E concentrated wonderfully throughout and was very proud of himself when he completed it. Alba decided to practice her literacy skills and was able to identify simple words like ‘pig’ and ‘cow’. With the longer and more challenging words, Alba looked at the colours of the pieces to match each one together.
Hot and cold was a theme we explored with Oaks 2. The adults asked the children opened-ended questions such as ‘How do we react when we’re cold?’, ‘What do we do when we are hot?’ and ‘How might animals behave if they’re feeling cold?’. The children volunteered a whole host of answers, with some quipping: ‘We could get blankets if we’re cold’ and ‘When we are hot, we take our coats off’. One of the class cleverly suggested that animals could go into their nests to keep warm! This led to a conversation about which creatures might make nests, with the children naming birds and owls. This activity supported the group’s language development as they were encouraged to give long answers.
Next, we completed hot and cold worksheets. The practitioner instructed that the hot items on the page should be coloured in red and the cold items should be coloured in blue. The hot section featured the sun, an oven and a radiator among other items. The cold items included ice cubes, ice cream and a picture of a child shivering. Some of Oaks 2 were puzzled by the shot of the chilly child, but we explained that people cross their arms to keep in their body heat in order to stay warm. By using pencils to complete the task, fine motor skills were enhanced.
When making mini-ice lollies, the children poured apple juice into love heart moulds ever so carefully. With support from a staff member, the youngsters cut up little bits of apple, testing their hand-eye co-ordination to add to the juice before popping them in the freezer. Once ready, they were eagerly eaten by all.
Finally, Oaks 1 and Oaks 2 spent plenty of time in the garden furthering gross motor skills with ball games. Whilst outside, the children created a wonderful orchestra with the use of pots and pans from the mud kitchen. Jaime and James commented that the bigger pans sounded louder with a higher pitch than the smaller ones. They also considered how using utensils might alter the sound. Rafe wowed everyone with his dance moves.
Star of The Week:
Jaime – For superb tidying skills and for being an excellent role model for the Oaks 2 group.
Alf – For engaging in more conversations with adults and even talking lots to children he’s unfamiliar with!
Saplings:
We were very excited to welcome all our lovely Saplings back to the nursery and it’s been a great week getting back into our usual routine. The children were given freedom to decide which activities they’d like to participate in – something that proved to be excellent for developing their independence and self-confidence.
Many chose to work on their fine motor skills by getting creative constructing monsters with red Play-Doh, linking back to the theme we started a few weeks ago. The Saplings added interest and personality to their unique creatures using pipe cleaners and other materials. During this activity, the children impressed with their decision-making ability and precision when securing their pipe cleaners in the colourful clay.
The group also expressed a desire to paint so we tasked them with transforming wooden spoons into puppet characters. They helped mix paints to create an array of pastel shades, giving them the chance to practice colour recognition. The children all successfully mastered the tripod grip when holding paintbrushes, while also demonstrating fabulous control as they dabbed on paint. The Saplings adore playing with our new theatre so it came as no surprise that they loved taking part in this crafty project.
To enhance the Saplings’ understanding of health and self-care, we’ve been working towards teaching the children to dress themselves. Throughout the week, we encouraged the class to have a go at putting on their own shoes and coats when required. It would be wonderful if parents and carers could continue this at home.
Star of The Week:
All of the Saplings – For settling back into life at Broughton Cottage so well after isolation.
Seedlings:
We’ve been exploring and discovering our senses particularly our sense of touch as we investigated different textures; most notably those which were soft, fluffy, scratchy, hard, smooth, prickly and squidgy. The children loved the feel of sand and soil as it trickled through the palms of their hands with Maila commenting that the soil felt ‘soft’; they continued experimenting by filling and emptying containers and transporting the goods from place to place. Textures were further explored as the Seedlings were involved in topical activities using corrugated card, bubble wrap and sponges; applying paint and imprinting to reveal different results. Sofia displayed acute hand-eye coordination as she got involved.
Star of the Week:
Theo for his ever-improving social skills with his peers.
Acorns:
The Acorns have continued with their fruit and vegetable theme this week.
Activities we’ve undertaken have included fruit printing and mark making, carrot painting and using flowers to make collages. The children replanted their sunflower seedlings too and tasted our newly grown lettuce. A game we called ‘What’s In The Box?’ proved to be a hit with the Acorns and provided an opportunity for the children to repeat the names of different fruits and vegetables.
While baking lavender biscuits, the Acorns took turns to mix the ingredients together using a wooden spoon helping them strengthen their gross motor skills. The children then rolled the dough into balls before pressing cookie cutters into it. Dried lavender was sprinkled on top. The bakes went down a treat at snack time with a warm cup of milk.
Star of The Week:
Sebastian and Alfie are our winners this week. Sebastian took five steps, while Alfie communicated so well with peers and staff.
Enjoy your weekend and the rugby.
The Broughton Team