We would like to welcome Oscar to our Acorns room and hope he will be very happy with us.

News from the rooms.

Oaks 1:
This week in Oaks 1, the children have been developing their understanding of technology.

By using the computer to complete a simple programme, they’ve not only furthered their fine motor skills but have also begun to consider how information can be retrieved. The children had the option of a range of games and the majority of the class chose to create their own vehicles, houses or playgrounds. Danny and TJ really concentrated on using the mouse, moving it on to the various parts they needed. The duo pointed out that the house they’d built did not look like the ones they live in. The children also engaged in office role play. Using telephones and keyboards, the group made important calls to their parents, informing them they’d like to visit the park. Nova telephoned her nanny and sang her a beautiful song, which she later performed for the whole group.

The week also saw us start our new topic on growing, with Oaks 1 considering the essential elements needed for plants to sustain life. It was identified that sunlight and water are both vital. Using a plastic cup, kitchen paper and water, the children ‘planted’ their own broad bean seeds. A number of the group asked why soil wasn’t needed for the seeds to grow. This sparked a conversation on why certain plants grow in different ways. Oaks 1 rolled their kitchen paper into a cylinder, correctly identifying that it was a 3D shape. It was then placed inside a cup. Carefully and cautiously, the children took turns to moisten the tissue by pouring in small amounts of water. Seeds were then sprinkled down the side. This is a process we will observe over time.

To help improve the listening skills of the group, we have developed ‘Golden Time’. This is a period at the end of the day where the children select an activity and have free rein over it. Some chose to play on the computer and others drew, while a few members of Oaks 1 played with puzzles and treated peers to a puppet show. This has worked as a very strong incentive – one the children helped to invent – to follow the rules within the group. These are:
– Kind hands
– Good listening
– Kind words
– Saying please and thank you
– Not telling lies
– Good sharing
The children are very accustomed to these rules and are very keen to ensure everyone works hard towards their ‘Golden Time’.

Star of The Week:

Ottilie – For always upholding the class values, being kind to her peers and making everyone laugh.

Oaks 2:
The activities in Oaks 2 this week have centred around The Gruffalo.

We introduced the grizzly creature to the children by reading Julia Donaldson’s book together during circle time. This supported the children’s literacy development as we talked about everything from what an author is, to book titles and illustrations. To see if the class could recall the tale’s popular phrases, the adult would stop reading and wait for the children to finish sentences.

We also looked at the different animals featured in The Gruffalo, setting up a Tuff Tray scene of a wood with mud and tree stumps. We added snakes, mice, an owl and the main character himself. This activity was great for social development as it encouraged the children to engage in role play while working on friendships.

Oaks 2 then had a ball crafting their own snakes. After using fine motor skills to cut out a circle, a practitioner encouraged the children to do a swirly line. The children were then asked to cut along it to create the reptile’s coiled body. Next, Oaks 2 painted bubble wrap to decorate their snakes. The children relished having the opportunity to choose which colour paint to work with.

Finally, the children donned aprons to bake a special Gruffalo crumble made of flour, sugar, dairy free butter, peaches, dried strawberries and raisins. Rather inventively, Oaks 2 pretended that the raisins were the Gruffalo’s poisonous warts and the peach pieces were scrambled snake!

With an adult giving instructions such as ‘put two scoops of flour into the bowl’, baking offers a fabulous chance to enhance mathematical development. It also promoted team-building and the use of fine motor skills, with hand muscles required to combine the ingredients.  
Star of The Week:
Tilly – For always comforting her friends when they are sad and for showing brilliant engagement with our Gruffalo activities this week, especially the crumble!

Saplings:
Following on from last week’s look at ladybirds, the Saplings have been discovering other mini beasts.

We started the week reading Superworm by Julia Donaldson, encouraging the Saplings to sit and listen carefully to the repeated refrains, while learning new vocabulary and deepening their knowledge of worms and their habitats.

Next, we headed outside for a ‘worm hunt’. After discussing how the worms tunnel through the soil, the class made their own ‘tunnel paths’ using their fingers and sticks. Ottie was particularly engrossed in the activity, calling over a practitioner to show them the path she’d made. She was thrilled to spot an ant crawling along it!

We also scavenged for mini beasts, armed with a tray for collecting our findings and magnifying glasses for taking a closer look at the bugs. Joshua was fascinated by ants running over his hand, while a woodlouse on a log amused Felix. The Saplings were exited to come across a centipede, with Sophia cleverly comparing it to a caterpillar.

The Saplings took part in a group game which involved them moving like various mini beasts too. When instructions such as ‘wiggle like a worm’ and ‘crawl like a spider’ were called out, they demonstrated a good understanding of what was being asked of them. They also listened to and anticipated commands such as ‘go’ and ‘stop’, all the while negotiating their own space and pathways to avoid bumping into their friends.

We continued the theme indoors with a sensory play activity that saw the children use gross motor movements to manipulate and swirl spaghetti that had been dyed black to resemble worms. They were encouraged to dig deep in the pasta to look for hidden bugs. Once found, they were tasked with matching them to a respective picture. As well as strengthening understanding of sorting and classification, this task presented an opportunity to learn the names of other bugs.

Finally, this week saw the Saplings try their hand at baking ‘mud cakes’. They used their pincer grip to crumble muffins and biscuits, before stirring through chocolate frosting until stiff enough to form the cakes. They proudly topped their creations with a wiggly worm.

Star of The Week:
James – For becoming more confident around adults and for interacting increasingly with his peers.

Seedlings:
We’ve continued our under the sea theme with the Seedlings this week.

Due to the weather being so pleasant, the children have regularly splashed about in the water tray. To work on our hand/eye coordination, we had fun filling and emptying containers. Adding sea creatures and shaving foam held the children’s interest as they explored the altered texture.

The children also got involved in a range of Tuff Tray activities, including one for colour matching and another decorated with sea animals, shells and sand. While exploring with the latter, the Seedlings loved getting to grips with scoops and our sand wheel, clearly fascinated at the speed at which it turned depending on the amount of sand added.

Our balance beams have provided a great source of entertainment this week, with the children perfecting walking up and down the step without support. Ball games have been another firm favourite, with the class showing off their goal-scoring skills, mastering catch and working together to play bat and ball.

While indoors, Roman loved piecing together our transport puzzle and impressed everyone with the speed he worked at to create the picture. Flynn and Maila both enjoyed flicking through our under the sea books, pointing at and naming the animals as they went.

We’ve also been busy creating fish, boats, starfish and crabs using a range of materials such as paint, bubble wrap, card and lolly sticks. While doing this, we worked on extending the Seedlings’ vocabulary surrounding our underwater theme.

The next topic we are going to focus on is space. Whilst we’ve already organised a number of activities we know the children will love, we’d be more than happy for parents to share ideas they feel might enhance learning too. We are also collecting empty toilet rolls and would be extremely grateful if you could save any for us.

Star of The Week:
Freddie – For settling in well and making new friends within the room.

Acorns:

We’ve been busy exploring our sensory basket; the crackle of pot pourri, the prickle of bristles, the soft sheen of sheer scarves and the delicate flow of ribbons. The children have enjoyed outdoor play, perfecting their masterpieces in chalk and using gross motor movements to wield paintbrushes, accurately ‘decorating’ the fence panels; Mia displayed great dexterity and concentration and was clearly proud of her efforts.

Ralph, Raul and Adrian particularly enjoyed riding their vehicles and showed how well they can get themselves on and off independently with little or no assistance. Ophelia impressed us all as she moved from high to low chair, joining her fellow Acorns at the table and feeding herself with spectacular precision.

The children also enjoyed participating in a marching band, channelling their creativity with the use of wooden blocks and saucepans.

Messages – we would be delighted to receive any of the following objects to enhance exploration: metal and shiny items, wooden items, magnets, silk(y) scarves.

We would also appreciate more photographs of family members to add to our family books. These  help to give the children a real sense of belonging/connection and aid their settling.

Star of The Week:
Ralph – for beginning to play independently and showing pride in his efforts.

Yours sincerely

The Broughton Team.