‘Laughter is a sunbeam of the soul.’ The Magic Mountain – Thomas Mann
A little reminder that our Meet the Teams evening is this Monday, 19th May
7-8pm for Acorns, Seedlings Saplings and Lower Oaks who are not leaving this year. For Lower and Upper Oaks leaving for school, Catherine is organising a school ready evening, date to be advised.
We look forward to seeing you.
Seedlings:
It’s been another fun-filled week for the Seedlings where the children have continued to focus on colour and shape recognition. We’ve also looked at the season of spring.
The youngsters worked ever so hard to make bird feeders, using colourful pipe cleaners with Cheerios carefully threaded on. This was a great activity to help develop their fine motor skills. We were really impressed with the way the Seedlings acted with precision.
Another activity saw the Seedlings colour pictures of birds before adorning their art with feathers deciding where they should be placed with practitioners prompting them to share their colour knowledge.
Stars Of the Week:
All of the Seedlings – For demonstrating just how well their concentration, perseverance and vocabulary is progressing. We’d also like to say a special well done to Nellie, for being so helpful at tidy up time.
Saplings:
In Saplings this week, the children enjoyed getting creative as they indulged in sensory play.
Our homemade modelling clay was a real hit, and the Saplings loved pressing down dinosaur stamps into the dense medium and discovering the variations. As they got to work, we discussed the length, width and height of the dough. Devon commented that it felt cold in her hands and manipulated it with her fingers.
The Saplings also made sensory bags full of different items. The bag containing hair gel was popular and the children smiled at the squelchy sound it made as it was touched. Rupert found this particularly amusing and couldn’t contain his giggles.
While out in the garden, the children scooped up petals that had been scattered into water and carefully filled up different containers. This activity helped to improve fine motor skills as well as hand/eye coordination.
Star Of the Week:
Edward – For getting to grips with our room’s routine.
Acorns:
We welcomed Millie to our room and hope she will be very happy with us.
This week in Acorns, we’ve enjoyed an exploration into the five senses.
Starting with touch, we set out our sensory tiles which sparked a discussion about what the children could feel. We talked about whether each tile was hard, soft, bumpy or squishy.
We then moved on to what the children could hear as they played musical instruments and explored an array of noisy sensory bottles.
To end the week, we placed different objects in front of a mirror and asked the Acorns to look into it and share what they could see. Luca adored looking at himself, while Harvey grabbed a kitchen roll tube and looked through it like a telescope.
We also challenged our Acorns to identify their eyes, nose, mouth, ears and fingers. Arthur loved showing us his hair and his nose.
Star Of The Week:
Freddie, for his continued progress.
Upper Oaks:
We’ve had a busy week as we’ve continued keeping a very close eye on our incubated eggs.
We’re happy to report that the eggs are still safe and sound, and we’re full of hope and anticipation! If all goes well, we’re expecting to welcome at least four chickens and three ducks into the world very soon. Each day brings a little more change, and the children are becoming wonderful observers – spotting tiny movements and learning all about the life cycle of birds.
In addition to our egg adventures, we’ve also been exploring the buzzing world of bees in our garden. The children have discovered some fascinating facts about these tiny but mighty insects. Did you know that bees help flowers grow, make food, and even contribute to the air we breathe by pollinating plants?
Upper Oaks have been learning about how bees collect nectar, how they communicate through a “waggle dance,” and why protecting them is so important. We hope this helps with understanding the bees and not being too afraid of them.
To finish off the week, we used our outdoor cooking equipment to prepare a Mexican-inspired dish of spicy beef and nachos. It was a well-rounded and enjoyable meal. The children actively participated by cutting their own vegetables, which gave them a valuable opportunity to learn more about the benefits they provide for the body.
Star Of The Week:
Isla – For settling back into our routine after a lovely long holiday.
Lower Oaks:
We have been painting, colour mixing and looking at symmetry.
We are awaiting our delivery of caterpillars, who eat, make cocoons and then eventually turn into butterflies. What a superb visual cycle for the children to experience firsthand!
In the classroom, our Jack and the Beanstalk display is evolving and we are planning more elements. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has entered the classroom and is showing us all the healthy fruits and vegetables we can eat to hit our five-a-day target. The engagement and focus of the children has really improved.
Star Of the Week:
Jacob – For being especially helpful in the classroom when tidying, and for demonstrating brilliant listening skills. Jacob will be leaving us soon and he’ll be missed by all; we’d like to wish him all the best in his new setting.
Announcements:
Do you have any photos of your children’s sunflowers now that they’ve started to grow? We’d love see them! We’d like to remind you that there is a prize for the tallest flower.
Lower Oaks are still on the lookout for stationery, games or resources that you no longer use. We’d be delighted to take them off your hands.
Forest School
We took a stroll towards Christmas Tree Land, a firm favourite and plotted how the trees were developing noting new budding in a shade lighter than the old which prompted the children to remark that this made the trees taller and wider. We discovered two tiny trees and Sophia said that could be Jessica’s as she was also little. We took a moment to measure ourselves against them and decided that only a giant could fare against many. We wondered what their destiny would be – where and who might they be destined for this year?
Feeling a little tired, Xander, Colby, Holly
and Amalie decided to take a little rest (and then a ride) in the trolley whilst Sophia beat out a lovely ‘tune’ on the large log pile. Isla, rather interested in the many insects and bugs creeping out while Sophia played away happily, noted that the vibrations within the wooden logs were probably responsible for the mass evacuation!
Holly threw together a lavish ‘feast’ for the bug house and detailed just what she felt would be the perfect meal for the little creatures which had been disturbed.
Wonderful teamwork everyone.
Yours sincerely
The Broughton Team