‘The sun slipped through the cloud in bursts, reminding the landscape that it was still there, prodding snow piles to relax into puddles and stirring sleeping seeds under the ground.’ Erika Robuck, Call Me Zelda

Upper Oaks:

Th celebrate Burns night we decided it would be a good opportunity for the children to learn about Scotland and what better way to embrace Scottish fare than by eating haggis — however, not real haggis

(I don’t think we are that brave!) Annette cooked us a meat free Monday style haggis pie, it was interesting to say the least however it definitely sparked an interest in us to find out more; naturally the myth of the Loch Ness Monster was a huge hit, we shared ideas of what we believed he looked like with some even creating their own from recycling materials. Peggy’s version had sparkles and electric bands to ‘help Nessy across the lake.’ Joshua was keen to share the news that he has visited where the mystical creature lives. To round it all off we completed our culinary week making shortbread biscuits, reminding us that Scottish food is really quite yummy. Our recycling learning has expanded making bird feeders using the story of ‘ the plastic bottle ‘ who went through a whole journey to be reused as different items show what recycling is good for , resulting in a bird feeder , Amelie k carefully used the pictures in the booked  and made the bird feeders the same as she saw them. Chinese new year popped up in the week and of course on our plates , with a yummy noodle dish, a quick attempt with chop sticks and we were back using the fork. using the globe we found how far China is and fun  facts about China, did you know that ,  national animal is panda?  … we love pandas, so cute and cuddly. Star of the week : Holly for her understanding of the class rules.

Saplings:

This week in Saplings, learning centred around the different animals found on farms.

The children impressed practitioners with their ability to decipher animals from silhouettes on flash cards. This activity also enhanced the Saplings’ turn-taking skills as well as expanding their vocabularies. Willow showed enthusiasm and was able to name many of the species.

To celebrate Chinese New Year, and specifically the Year of the Snake, the Saplings got crafty making slithery snakes. The children selected sheets of colourful card before getting creative with paint. Once dry, the snakes were cut and hung in our window for parents to see.

The Saplings enjoyed eating their lunch in the garden as we made the most of the glorious winter sunshine. While outside, the youngsters had so much fun playing in the sandpit and mud kitchen. Ashlynn and George created some delicious-looking mud cakes for their friends. By scooping and pouring the mud into the cake tins, they were able to boost their fine motor skills and expand their vocabulary as the practitioners helped extend their descriptive language.

Star Of the Week:

Willow – For her brilliant progress with potty training.

Acorns:

With last week’s animal theme based on the children’s interests such a hit, we decided to further expand the children’s knowledge of different creatures.

At the start of the week, we encouraged the Acorns to work on their fine motor skills while attempting to free farm animals that had been taped down to the floor.

The little ones then got stuck into our muddy farm animal Tuff Tray made with water and cocoa powder. Once the animals were sufficiently dirty, the children mixed soap and water together before scrubbing them clean again.

To end the week, a practitioner taped pictures of farm animals to bowling pins. We challenged the children to name the animals that had been knocked down. Leo treated his peers to some excellent pig noises throughout the game.

Star Of the Week:

Axel – For being so enthusiastic during What’s in The Box? His accompanying actions were excellent.

Lower Oaks:

We kicked off the week with a focus on food. On Monday the children chopped their way through some green peppers, red tomatoes and a purple onion to help chef Annette prepare lunch.

On Tuesday they explored oranges using all their senses, they felt the orange, smelt the orange, listened to the sound as we peeled the orange. The children noticed the different textures, Otis said the orange is rough.

On Wednesday the children made fairy cakes with a focus on the colour green and on Thursday Gigi’s mum offered a recipe for Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish that includes mash, onion and cabbage which the children were tasked to prepare. The children thoroughly enjoyed eating it too.

Star Of the Week:

Otis –  for settling into the room so well.

Forest School:

We welcomed Alice and the group and as we voted on whether and/or where we set our expedition, the use of our compass set our passage, and we headed ‘north’ away from basecamp. Before we left, we set our fire so it would be ready for our return with Jacob, Xander and Helgi cleverly reminding us that they had made a stick store ingeniously within the depths of the bough of a tree the previous week and popped along to collect the now dry sticks to criss cross (apple sauce) in the fire pit. The tree trunk chosen (with added ‘holey bits’) also served, according to Ada as a barrier or entry system to Forest School. Our chosen route led us to a mesmerising stream and three very large mud mounds which the children carefully navigated, likening them to camel humps.

Seedlings:

We welcomed Arthur and Madison into our room and helped them settle in. We hope they have lots of fun with us.

This week in Seedlings we have been continuing with the children’s interests with lots of mark making and particularly making marks in sand. We gave the children paint brushes and let them creatively move around the medium in swirly fashion making lots of wiggly lines and track marks.

They also enjoyed Play Doh kneading the dough with true might then rolling, twisting and pulling to make their own creations using rolling pins and cookie cutters to enhance the experience.

Exploring sensory bags proved a huge hit as the practitioners supported the children’s intrigue by adding a number of different items to challenge them.

Star of the week- Cornelius for his developing communication.

Until next week.

Yours sincerely

The Broughton Team