We are delighted that Annie is running the London Marathon today in aid of Muscular Dystrophy UK. If any parents would like to support her and this very worthy cause please do so via her Just Giving page using the following link. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-annie
Many thanks.
Oaks 1:
It’s been a very busy week in Oaks 1.
We started off by selecting our new role play theme, with Jamie suggesting ‘shop’. The children decided that their favourite store to visit was Tesco. Together with the adults, they created their own version of the supermarket complete with real food. The group loved touching and smelling different vegetables, with some sampling the bright red radishes. Danny wasn’t keen on the taste, describing the popular salad item as a little bit ‘garlicky’.
This activity saw the children play alongside one another beautifully. Ottie and Imogen made excellent cashiers while Thomas and Theo became discerning shoppers. We saw an opportunity to encourage the development of mathematic skills too. Oaks 1 were asked to compare weights of potatoes and tomatoes before writing down the numbers displayed on the scales.
During our weekly forest school experience, we explored some woodland and the youngsters were thrilled to spot deer. One of the group quipped that the smaller of the two creatures might be Bambi. We also happened upon a herd of cows. Oaks 1 were fascinated to learn that cows have different markings, leading to a discussion on how differences make us all unique. Theo sweetly stated that ‘people are the same but we all look different’.
While outside, we also enjoyed a muddy ‘bear hunt’. Our route saw us wade in puddles, navigate long grass and traipse through the forest under the tunnel until we reached ‘Christmas Tree Land’. Bugs we caught a glimpse of along the way included snails, slugs and woodlice.
For lunch we feasted on chicken sausages, potatoes and baked beans cooked on a fire. Toasted marshmallows and a cup of hot chocolate proved to be the perfect pudding. The children sang a rendition of ‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’ as they ate.
Once again, our cooking lesson was a huge hit and the children made delicious berry shakes for everyone in the nursery. Broughton Cottage chef Annette was amazed by Alfred’s blending skills and asked if he’d help prepare pizzas alongside Imogen and Hassan. He happily whizzed up a delicious tomato sauce with extra vegetables added in to the mix. Oaks 1 also baked focaccia. Kneading bread is an excellent way of strengthening fine motor skills and was something Thomas excelled at.
Throughout the week, we’ve spent more time focussing on name recognition and counting up to 20 too. Each day, the children were tasked with doing daily head counts. They relished having this responsibility.
Star of The Week:
James – For demonstrating exceptionally kind and caring behaviour towards peers.
Oaks 2:
Oaks 2 have been mastering activities which involve the use of fine motor movements this week.
First of all, we helped the children hone their brush-handling skills when painting. Before getting started, we asked the class what they’d like to paint and the answers included ‘mummy’, ‘daddy’, ‘flowers’ and ‘cars’. We then went on to talk about the type of shapes that might be present, including squares for car windows and circles for faces.
Oaks 2 enjoyed a number of other crafty tasks too. They loved making necklaces by threading beads and shells on to string, and had fun putting pins in the holes on a pin board to create pretty patterns. The latter required high levels of concentration and we were impressed to see that the group remained focussed for a long period of time.
The practitioners have continued to encourage the children’s independence by asking for their assistance when putting the CD player on. Fine motor skills are required to push the switches, press the buttons and pull the lid down.
In the garden, Oaks 2 expressed themselves while drawing on the chalk board. The adults wrote each child’s name in bubble writing and the children loved colouring them in.
Star of The Week:
Sofia B – For being really brave during her transition to Oaks 2 and for getting involved in activities.
Saplings:
Autumn has been our core focus this week.
The Saplings’ first task was creating their own interpretation of leaves using a range of mark-making tools such as paintbrushes, toothbrushes and sponges. The children called out the different colours as they used them. Once finished, we headed into the garden as a group to look for sticks that we’ll use to create the trunk of a tree next week.
Everyone enjoyed an activity we undertook involving clothes pegs and a hedgehog featuring peg marks and numbers. With support from an adult, the Saplings matched the pegs to the numbers on the hedgehog.
While enjoying a spot of quiet time, we read Let It Fall by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. The autumnal story talks about leaves changing colour and has beautiful illustrations of children jumping in leaf piles. The Saplings also listened to some relaxing sounds that are associated with the season. They were all very calm as they heard leaves rustling, the wind blowing and rain falling.
Star of The Week:
Stanley – For his growing confidence and socialising skills with both peers and practitioners.
Seedlings:
The Seedlings have continued with their animal theme this week.
Archie, Raul and Sebbie all excelled at colouring in butterflies using different pens. We’ve put these on display on our window to enable parents to see them.
Outside, we created a wildlife Tuff Tray and the class loved searching for insects with magnifying glasses.
Ralph kept peers very entertained this week with his goat impressions – he’s doing so well learning new animal names and sounds.
At song and story time, which takes place before meals, ‘Baa Baa’ was the most popular request. The Seedlings took great interest in touch and feel books too. To extend this, we ask them to explore our basket full of textured items. The children beamed as they discovered wooden and metal multicoloured objects.
Next week we’ll be looking at mini-beasts.
Star of The Week:
Ralph – For his increasing vocabulary, especially when learning animal names and identifying modes of transport.
Acorns:
We’d like to start by wishing a warm welcome to Caspar and Jessica who have joined our room. They have had a brilliant week and are both settling in very well.
Our sound topic moved on to cover the noises made by vehicles this week. All children were so engaged as they pieced together our special transport-themed sound puzzle. A number of the group were delighted to hear the train.
We also listened to the sounds created by our sensory lamp. The Acorns were transfixed by the way the colourful balls inside bounce around and collide with bubbles.
A fun sensory activity saw the group experience different textures as they painted a collage with their hands and feet. We found time to read a number of touch and feel books too. The children mimicked the adults as they poked, scratched and stroked the pages.
Star of The Week:
Caspar and Jessica – for settling in so well
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
The Team at Broughton.