‘Outside the leaves on the trees constricted slightly; they were the deep done green of the beginning of autumn.’ Ali Smith – The Whole Story and Other Stories

Seedlings:

We continued with our nature theme this week.

One engaging activity saw the Seedlings paint scrap cardboard green, pink and brown using a variety of tools from hands to sponges. Once the cardboard was dry, the children created fabulous tree artwork by decorating it with leaves and sticks gathered up in last week’s scavenger hunt. Nelly especially loved this and got really into the painting – her hands were her favourite tool.

The Seedlings loved our culinary challenge of making nests from melted chocolate and Shredded Wheat in cupcake cases. Once they’d solidified, we were able to enjoy them as a yummy treat.

The children also made potions using flowers, water and leaves this week too. The Seedlings expertly stirred the colourful water together to make an interesting array of shades. We were impressed to see the youngsters match the flowers to the water in a corresponding colour.

We certainly embraced the wet weather by taking advantage of the water that had been naturally pooling for us. Please may we remind parents to send in suitable clothing and shoes for the wet weather.

Stars Of the Week:

All our new Seedlings – For adjusting to our room’s routines so well.

Saplings:

We have enjoyed welcoming the new group of Saplings this week and have thoroughly enjoyed discovering all of their favourite things to do at nursery.

The magnetic tiles were very popular and Harvey demonstrated determination while building a tower with them. The small world figures allowed the children to share their animal knowledge, with Leo correctly identifying each creature he picked up.

Polly and River loved dressing up the dolls and Jackson, Axel and Max had so much fun cooking up a storm in the small world kitchen.

The insert puzzles were a hit too with a number of our Saplings. James, Finley and Madison all able to identify the pieces correctly.

The Saplings also had a go at leaf printing. To do this, the children spread paint over leaves found in the garden using a sponge roller. Cornelius was particularly fond of this activity, carefully painting the leaves before pressing them down onto the paper to create a pattern. This activity helped support the children’s fine motor skills while also working on colour recognition.

We’ve spent lots of time out in the garden this week too. The Saplings indulged in a spot of wet play with our Tuff Tray complete with jugs and other vessels that could be used for transporting and pouring water. The mud kitchen and trikes were also very popular.

Stars Of the Week:

All our Saplings – For settling into their new room so well.

Announcement.

Now the weather is starting to turn, may you please send in waterproofs and wellies.

Acorns:

Minibeasts have been a huge hit with the Acorns this week so we decided to take the opportunity to expand the children’s knowledge of them.

The children were so excited to tell practitioners each time they spotted an ant crawling along the floor or a worm wiggling in the mud.

Our bug Tuff Tray went down so well with everyone. The children boosted fine motor skills as they worked hard to free bugs from beneath a sticky masking tape web. They adored using a magnifying glass to closer inspect each creature. Millie was very expressive as she discovered each bug.

We then tasked the children with using their imaginations as they painted minibeast designs onto stones. Freddie opted for red and green to recreate his own Hungry Caterpillar, while Millie chose brown and black spots for a spider.

To finish off the week, we set up another Tuff Tray consisting of cocoa powder, oil and water topped off with creepy crawlies. The children revelled in the sensory experience and were fascinated with the wet and slimy texture on their hands.

Stars Of the Week:

Oscar, Georgia and Tilly – For mastering the changes of being in our room.

Oaks 2:

This week we welcomed the children from the Saplings class into our class.

We spent time exploring our new room and sang lots of songs which involve the children’s names, such as ‘Jump Up and Down.’ We engaged in lots of verses which would help encourage the children to settle into their new routine.

We enjoyed a number of science experiments with water this week, inspired by wet weather we’ve been having. We used the guttering and the children were encouraged to guess whether each object placed into it would float along into the Tuff Tray. Well done James for some superb guesswork.

As the weather continues to transition from summer to autumn, we will be exploring the rich colour changes that come with the new season. We will also be continuing to talk to the children about the difference between light and dark, as a number of our Oaks 2 children have been discussing the darker mornings we’ve been experiencing.

We will be using torches and den making, with the aim of creating our own class canvas that will change with the seasons. As it transforms, we will photograph it and create a short animation which we can watch at the end of each term.

Star Of the Week:

All our friends who have moved up into our class. They have really embraced the new room.

Oaks 1:

We were thrilled to show the children our beautiful classroom and cloakroom, where they will be supported to take good care of all their belongings in preparation for school. Each child has a cubby to keep their belongings safe.

In the coming weeks, we will be concentrating on a sound of the week – please help your child search for items with the relevant sound! We will also be reading the classic Penguin books and a few modern stories as we decide upon a book of the week too.

Soon there will be a white board at the gate to keep you all informed of our learning and news from our room.

In addition, the children will be embracing everything to do with autumn as the season changes. We are so excited to start our pre-school journey together. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to come and chat to our lovely team.

Star Of the Week:

Emilia – for showing us just exactly how things should be done.

Forest School

What a fabulous first session we had with all our new Oaks. The journey afforded us the perfect opportunity to sing aloud. Everyone got involved as we made up some super songs which included each child’s name.

The children were so excited as they wondered down the winding path towards basecamp, chatting all the way about what they could see. The children were very inquisitive, it was wonderful to hear from such enquiring minds and we all had a great time exploring our immediate environment, new to most. We learnt to be quiet near the sheep as they scare easily and had lots of fun climbing aboard Scott’s old tractor left out to pasture and a landmark to his land.

And then we happened upon a new little building with lots of suggestions about what it was when we unlocked the cabin, a new compostable toilet, what luxury! 

We’ll continue to explore, a little further each week as we absorb and discuss our fascinating surroundings.

Until next week……

Yours sincerely

The team at Broughton