Broughton Cottage Day Nursery 26th June 2025

The Seedlings have fully embraced the sunshine during their busy week at Broughton Cottage.

Our week began with a Tuff Tray filled with water that was aimed at improving
the children’s knowledge of shapes and colours. The Seedlings had so much fun
squeezing colouring out of the different-shaped sponges. Of course, the youngsters couldn’t resist splashing in the water too.

Next, the children worked hard to free some vehicles that had been frozen into
ice. The Seedlings were ever so fascinated by this activity and remained very engaged throughout.

Later in the week, the children made some refreshing ice lollies. They squashed
strawberries, raspberries and bananas with a potato masher before adding apple
juice. The Seedlings showed off their pouring skills as they decanted the mixture into moulds.

Once frozen, the ice lollies made a wonderful treat at tea time. We spoke about how they felt cold on our tongues.

Acorns:

This week in Acorns, we continued embracing summer and going on holiday.
The children loved telling their peers and practitioners about past trips and
which modes of transport they used to get there. We’d like to thank Luca for bringing in a fantastic photo taken when he rode a tram.

On an easel that had been cleverly constructed from a clothing rail and cling
film in our courtyard, the children created an exceptional piece of art. The
Acorns excitedly dipped their painting tools in an array of bright colours and let
their imaginations run wild. Annabel smiled as she admired her work.
Next, the Acorns made flower soup in a Tuff Tray by stirring flower petals and
mint into pink water. The children revelled in the experience as they used all
five senses to explore. Ernie pulled a funny face as he smelt the mint.
To end the week – taking full advantage of the lovely weather – we set up camp
in the courtyard and spent a fantastic day free-flowing through the building.
The children were amazing with all their water drinking too and they all really
enjoyed having the chance to eat meals at the table in the garden.

Upper Oaks:

What a fun and eventful week it’s been — and certainly a warm one!
With the temperatures soaring, we made sure to keep cool and calm by enjoying lots of water play.

The children had an absolute blast, and on some days we were head to toe in water — laughter, splashes, and smiles all around! We also had some wonderful news to celebrate: Xander became a big brother!
He was so proud and excited to share this news with all his friends — congratulations to Xander and his family!

Another highlight of our week was the arrival of a very special visitor: a
peacock! The children were fascinated, and after much discussion (and a few
giggles), we decided the best way to choose his name was to draw from a hat.
The winning name? Mr. Magoo — a truly unique name for a very special bird!
Petting him has been especially sweet this week, with lots of playtime and
cuddles all around. One moment that stood out was Alex’s gentle and caring
nature towards the animals — perhaps a future vet in the making?

Forest School:

Methinks a magical and mythical day was on the cards with the children creating
wands and swords with only the materials they foraged, an addition of twine and
a flurry of ribbon secured the goods! And, rafts, plenty of rafts to race and set sail in the stream.

We took a stroll along the beautiful paths which lay bare before us and found
our favourite spot in the stream where we set the scene, four competitive
teams of 3, and after the customary Ready, Steady Go they were off, off on
their travels to who knows where. Eli’s team won, but well done everyone for such camaraderie and good grace.

Lower Oaks:

Well, the summer has definitely arrived! We have been teaching the children about the importance of wearing hats, suncream and staying hydrated.

The Lower Oaks have had a jam-packed week which began with painting
activities. The children worked hard to paint beautiful pictures of busy bees for our display.

As they got to work, we chatted about the vital role bees play in our
environment. Next week, we’ll be extending this by making ice lollies using local honey. The children have really engaged in construction this week, with Lego and magnetic Duplo proving to be very popular.

Our homegrown peas and carrots are nearly ready for harvest too. We can’t wait to cook something delicious with them next week. The children all adored looking at different insects with magnifying glasses this week while outside.

Until next week….
Yours sincerely
All at Broughton