Nursery

This week in Nursery has been full of curiosity, excitement, and a great deal of wonder as we celebrated Science Week. The children spent time thinking about what it means to be a scientist. We talked about how scientists ask questions, explore ideas, and carefully observe what happens. It turns out that Nursery children make wonderful scientists, especially when there are experiments to try and new things to discover.

Our classroom quickly became a busy little laboratory as we explored a wide range of experiments together. Some gave us immediate results, which led to many delighted reactions, while others encouraged us to watch carefully and notice small changes over time. The children were completely absorbed in the process of discovering what might happen next.

We investigated static electricity and were fascinated to see how it could move objects in surprising ways. Our walking rainbow experiment kept us watching closely as the colours slowly travelled and mixed together. The milk fireworks created beautiful swirling patterns that were quite magical to observe.

The children also enjoyed exploring planting and growing, learning about what plants need in order to thrive. During our floating and sinking investigation they carefully tested a variety of objects and shared their predictions with great enthusiasm. The skittles rainbow created a bright burst of colour that slowly spread across the plate, which was met with great delight. Magnets proved very popular as the children discovered which objects they could attract. One experiment that caused particular amazement involved pushing pencils through water filled sandwich bags and seeing that not a single drop of water leaked out. There were many impressed faces and some very thoughtful scientific conversations.

Alongside our experiments, we continued to observe the weather each day. The children enjoy looking closely at the sky and carefully marking the weather on our chart. During our time in the forest we also noticed many signs that spring is beginning to appear. The children were very excited to spot fresh growth and the bright green shoots appearing on the trees. It has been lovely to see them noticing these changes in the world around them.

In phonics the children have continued to learn new sounds and they are becoming increasingly confident in recognising them. They are also practising blending sounds together to hear words, which is an important step in their reading journey. The children are very proud when they can read decodable words and their enthusiasm is wonderful to see. It has been especially lovely to watch them using their phonic knowledge in their play when they write cards, notes, and lists for one another.

This week the children worked very hard to spot the letter d in their environment. Once we began looking carefully, we discovered it in many different places around the classroom. We also had great fun creating alliteration with Dante Duck, which led to some wonderfully imaginative ideas and plenty of smiles.

With another special day coming up on Sunday, the children have been thinking about the special person in their lives who does so much for them each day. They have worked incredibly hard to make a very special surprise for every mummy. A great deal of care, thought, and effort went into these creations and the children were very proud of their work. We hope the surprises bring many happy smiles at home.

Activities you might enjoy at home:

Fill a bowl with water and collect a few objects from around the house. Ask your child to predict whether each object will float or sink before testing it together.

Take a short walk together and see what signs of spring you can find. Look for buds on trees, tiny new shoots in the ground, and listen carefully for birds singing.

Choose a letter sound such as d and see how many things your child can find around the house that begin with that sound. You could also have fun making your own silly alliteration, just like Dante Duck.

We would like to wish all of our wonderful mothers a very happy Mother’s Day. We hope you are able to enjoy a lovely day and perhaps even a little peace and quiet. You certainly deserve to be celebrated.🌷

Lots of love, the Nursery Team x

Following on from last week’s learning and our growing love of stories, we had a very exciting time celebrating World Book Day at nursery!

The children arrived full of smiles and excitement, dressed as some wonderful story characters. It was such a joy to see everyone proudly showing off their costumes and talking about who they had come as. We spotted some fantastic characters during the day including Ms Trunchbull, Rinaldo, Stick Man and Fantastic Mr Fox, just to name a few!

The children loved sharing their costumes with their friends and staff, and it sparked lots of lovely conversations about their favourite stories and characters. We spent time reading together, looking through books and enjoying some of the stories that inspire our imaginations.

There was also plenty of playful acting throughout the day. Some children stomped around like the mighty Ms Trunchbull, others went on adventures like Stick Man, and a few were very sneaky just like Fantastic Mr Fox! It was wonderful to see the children bringing stories to life through their play.

World Book Day was a lovely opportunity to celebrate how much fun books can be. Thank you so much for all the amazing costumes and for helping the children take part. It truly made the day extra special!

We can’t wait to keep exploring more stories together and see where our imaginations take us next.

Have a lovely weekend!

Lots of love,

The NurseryTeam xxx

It was so lovely to see all the children again after half term. They came back full of smiles and excitement, bursting to share their holiday news with their friends. The classroom was buzzing with happy chatter as everyone caught up. We have started this term just as we finished the last one – happy, settled and ready to learn.

We began the week by celebrating Chinese New Year and the children absolutely threw themselves into it. We talked about some of the traditions and customs and how families celebrate. The children worked together to make a fantastic red dragon, which caused great excitement in the classroom. In our class café they practised using chopsticks, showing real determination and lots of giggles along the way. We also had a go at writing numbers using Chinese symbols and enjoyed dancing together to traditional music. It was such a fun way to learn about a different culture.

Our new topic has grown so naturally from last term. After learning about animals, we are now thinking about journeys and how we will travel to the bamboo forest to visit giant pandas 🐼 .

The children have loved exploring different types of transport and talking about where they might take us. The paper aeroplanes have been a big hit in the garden, with lots of experimenting to see whose could fly the furthest.

With a little bit of sunshine appearing, we made the most of our time outdoors. Using the large crates and wooden planks, the children worked together to build their own bus. They showed brilliant teamwork and imagination as they invited their friends on board for a magical ride. It was wonderful to see their ideas come to life.

We also enjoyed a walk through the field and into the forest to look for signs of spring. The children were so excited to spot blossom on the trees and were delighted to find beautiful snowdrops scattered across the forest floor. There was a real sense of wonder as we noticed the changes around us.

To top off what the children described as “the best week ever”, we had our sponsored slide. There was so much laughter and cheering as everyone took their turn. It really did turn an ordinary Friday into a proper Friyay.

How you can help at home:

Have a go at using chopsticks at home or try writing some numbers using Chinese symbols.

Talk about different types of transport you see when you are out and about. You could even make a model vehicle from boxes or recycled materials.

Look out for signs of spring on a family walk and chat about what you notice changing in nature.

We are so proud of how well the children have settled back in and we cannot wait for more adventures together this term.

Love,

The Nursery Team x

We have had such a happy and engaging week in nursery as we continued our topic all about animals. The children have been full of curiosity and enthusiasm, and it has been a real joy to watch their learning develop.

We shared many lovely animal stories this week and especially enjoyed Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Can You Hear? and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Can You See? by Eric Carle. These stories sparked lots of excitement and discussion. We talked together about the different settings in each story and learned that the place an animal lives is called its habitat. The children were very keen to compare habitats and enjoyed matching animals to warm places, watery environments and very cold, icy areas. There were many thoughtful conversations as the children explained their ideas and listened carefully to their friends.

Inspired by these stories, the children enthusiastically decided that they could become authors themselves. They created their own books based on the pattern of the stories, carefully choosing which animals they wanted to include and thinking about what their animals could hear and see. Some very adventurous authors even designed their own front covers and proudly wrote their names on the front, just like authors do. The children showed fantastic creativity as well as confidence when they shared their stories with others.

In phonics this week, we focused on recognising and writing the letter p. We practised the letter formation using the rhyme down his body, around his face. The children worked brilliantly together to think of words that begin with the p sound and were extremely proud when we reached a list of twenty words. Their teamwork and enthusiasm were wonderful to see.

Our learning about animals and habitats led us to explore the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy. We learned how he uses natural materials such as stones, ice, leaves and twigs to create beautiful sculptures that only last for a moment in time.  We talked about how much patience and care is needed to balance the materials. Inspired by his work, the children created their own nature sculptures in class, taking their time and showing great concentration. The finished pieces were creative, thoughtful and truly impressive.

It has been a busy and joyful week filled with storytelling, imagination and creativity. We are very proud of the children and the wonderful learning they continue to share with us each day.

How you can help at home:

Read lots of animal stories together and talk about the habitats the animals live in, is it a big habitat like the jungle or is it a small one like a tree stump?

Practice writing the letter p with a range of tools like a paintbrush, their fingers, or playdough while saying the rhyme to support correct formation.

Go on a short walk to collect natural materials and creating a simple piece of nature inspired art together.

We hope you have a lovely, relaxing weekend – with at least a little glimpse of sunshine!

Lots of love,

The Nursery Team xxx

As we continue our exciting learning journey in Nursery, the children have once again amazed us with their enthusiasm, creativity and growing confidence. This week has built beautifully on recent learning, with lots of opportunities for the children to explore new ideas, share their thoughts and take pride in what they can do. It has been a pleasure to see them so engaged across all areas of the provision.

In our role play area, the children worked very hard to transform our dinosaur cave into an animal jungle. Together, they thought carefully about the animals we might find living there and shared some fantastic ideas. The children were full of enthusiasm as they made paper chain snakes and vibrant multi coloured parrots to decorate the space. Their creations have helped bring the jungle to life, and the children are thoroughly enjoying exploring the area through imaginative play.

Our animal theme continued in Literacy, where we shared a wide range of stories about animals and their adventures. The children listened attentively and enjoyed talking about how the characters might have felt at different points in the stories. They also thought about how they would like the stories to end, which encouraged thoughtful discussion and creative thinking.

To give the children more time to revisit and explore the stories, we introduced story baskets for each one. These baskets included toys and props linked to the characters and events. The children have loved retelling the stories during their play, and some even created their own alternative endings. This clearly shows how well they have been listening and how confident they are becoming when sharing their ideas.

We also had a very special visit from the Year 2 children this week, who came to Nursery to share the stories they have been writing in class. The Nursery children listened attentively and showed what a wonderful audience they can be. It was lovely to see the older and younger children learning together, and the visit helped to inspire even more excitement about stories and storytelling.

In maths, we have been playing lots of games using dice. The children are now becoming confident at recognising dice patterns and are beginning to subitise numbers to three. This means they can say how many objects they can see without counting them one by one, which is an important early maths skill.

The children have also worked very hard during phonics sessions. This week, they learned to recognise the letter “t” and practised how to write it using our letter formation rhyme: Down her body and cross her shoulders. The children showed great focus and effort as they practised both recognising and forming the letter.  Here is a short video showing the pure sounds we use to support phonics learning.  https://youtu.be/nBFnAcXHOUQ

How you can help at home:

Create a small jungle scene using toys, drawings or household items. Talk with your child about the animals that might live there, what they eat and where they sleep. This supports language development, imagination and understanding of the world.

Share a familiar story together and ask your child to retell it using toys or objects as props. Encourage them to change the ending or add a new character. This helps develop listening skills, memory and confidence in speaking.

Roll a dice and ask your child how many spots they can see without counting. Then count together to check. This supports number recognition and early subitising skills in a fun and relaxed way.

We have loved seeing the children’s excitement and curiosity grow as the week has unfolded, and it has been wonderful to watch them take ownership of their learning through play, discussion and creativity.

Have a lovely weekend,

The Nursery team xxx

Another week has absolutely whizzed by in Nursery, and as always, lots of fun was had by all! The children have been busy, curious and full of excitement as they played, explored and learned together.  It has been a joy to see their enthusiasm each day.

In Literacy, we continued to explore the features of both fiction and non-fiction books. The children are becoming very confident at spotting the differences and love talking about what they can see on the covers and inside the books. We also carried on with our phonics learning, focusing on the sound “a” and practising how to write it. The children approached this with such positivity and were very proud of their efforts.

The children have worked incredibly hard on developing their fine motor skills this week. Through a variety of fun, hands-on games and activities, they have been building the important muscle strength in their hands and fingers that supports early writing. Threading, squeezing, pinching, mark making and playing with small objects were all firm favourites!

This week we leaned more into mathematical learning, and what better way to do that than with dinosaurs! We sang counting songs, practised counting forwards and backwards, and learned how to form our numbers 1–5. During child-initiated learning, the children enjoyed interactive games that helped them match numerals to the correct number of objects. They loved taking part and were very keen to show off their fantastic number knowledge.

Our role-play cave continued to be a much-loved area. We have been busy caring for our baby triceratops and diplodocus dinosaurs, who according to the children have now grown up enough to start eating real food! This led to a lovely activity where we made herbivore salads together. Some of the children were even brave enough to taste the kale and lettuce leaves we used.

Throughout the week, the children also enjoyed creative activities, construction play, small world play and plenty of outdoor learning, helping to build confidence, independence and teamwork. It has been wonderful to see their imaginations come to life across all areas of the classroom.

How to help at home:

Share a story together, look at both fiction and non-fiction books and talk about how they are different.

Practise counting forwards and backwards using toys, snacks or everyday objects.

Strengthen little hands by playing with playdough, threading beads or using pegs to pick up small items.

Next week we will be moving on to a brand-new topic (I won’t spoil the surprise just yet!), and we’re sure the children are going to love it just as much. Thank you, as always, for your continued support, we can’t wait to see what the next week brings! 😊

The Nursery Team xxx

Welcome back after the holidays, and happy new 2026!

It has been such a joy to see all the children return so settled, happy, and ready to learn. Our new starters have settled in wonderfully too , they have already formed lovely friendships and are confidently joining in with our classroom routines, making them a valued part of the team.

This week began with a very exciting adventure in our classroom! We worked together to build a cosy cave to keep the wild animals from our forest warm during winter. The children then went on a winter walk, collecting sticks and feathers to help the animals build their own den in the cave. To our surprise, when we returned to the classroom on Tuesday morning, we discovered a nest inside the cave with two huge eggs inside!

The children thought carefully about which animal might have laid the eggs. Their imaginative ideas included a unicorn, a dinosaur, a robin, and even a bat. We then discussed how best to look after the eggs, and the children thoughtfully decided that the most important thing was not to touch them and to stay very quiet so the babies inside would not be scared. Such kind and caring ideas were shared.

This curiosity led us to research animals that lay eggs. We discovered that animals with fur or hair usually grow their babies in their bellies (with the fascinating exceptions of the platypus and echidna!), while insects and animals with feathers, scales, hard outer shells, or slimy skin lay eggs. The children were completely captivated by this learning.

They were also fascinated by the skeleton parts they discovered in the classroom and loved working together to build a triceratops by fitting the bones together. 🦖

In maths, we continued exploring numbers 1–5, practising accurate counting, writing numerals, and matching numerals to the correct number of objects. The children showed great enthusiasm and growing confidence.

Our imaginative play has been a highlight this week. The children enjoyed role-playing in the cave and exploring different textures in the swamp tuff tray, creating their own stories and narratives through play.

How you can help at home:

Talk about animals that lay eggs and those that don’t. You could look at books, watch short animal clips, or even draw pictures of animals and sort them into “lays eggs” and “doesn’t lay eggs.

Practise counting objects around the house: toys, steps, spoons, or pieces of fruit,  focusing on numbers 1–5. Encourage your child to match the number to the correct amount

Build a cosy den using blankets, cushions, or boxes. Encourage your child to imagine who lives inside and make up a story together, helping to develop creativity, language and confidence.

Thank you for your continued support, we are looking forward to another exciting week of learning and discovery together!

Have a lovely weekend,

The Nursery Team xx

What a wonderful end to a fantastic term in Nursery! It’s hard to believe how much the children have grown and achieved in such a short time.

From the very beginning, the children settled in beautifully. They quickly became confident in the classroom environment, learned our daily routines, and showed us just how well they can listen and take part in their learning. It has been a joy to watch them grow in independence and enthusiasm each day.

We’ve had so much fun learning together. The children have enjoyed counting numbers, exploring patterns, and beginning to sound out words. We’ve laughed along with rhyming words and shared lots of lovely moments looking at both fiction and non-fiction books. Our play-based learning has been full of imagination too.  The home corner has been very busy, especially when the children transformed into caring vets looking after their animals!

To finish the term in the most magical way, we were incredibly proud of the children during our EYFS production. Our beautiful snowflakes shone on stage and showed so much confidence — what stars they all were! And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, we even had a special visit from Santa today, which brought lots of smiles and festive cheer.

We are so proud of everything the children have achieved this term and how hard they have worked. A huge thank you to all our parents and carers for your continued support,  it truly makes such a difference. Well done to all our Nursery children for an amazing term. We hope you all have a lovely, restful break and we can’t wait to see you again soon! 🎄✨

Lots of love,

The Nursery Team xxx

What a magical (and very busy) week we’ve had in Nursery!

After all the excitement of the Christmas fair last weekend, we came straight back in and kept the festive fun going. The children have been absolute superstars as we get ready for our Early Years Christmas production. They’ve been practising their song with the Makaton signs  and honestly, watching them all trying so hard has been such a heart-melting moment.

We’ve also been perfecting our snowflake dancing! There’s been lots of twirling, floating and giggling as they learned their moves. The children helped make their own costumes and snowflake wands too, and they couldn’t wait to try everything out during rehearsals with Reception. It’s been so lovely seeing their confidence grow each day as they remembered every little detail for the performance.

In between rehearsals, we squeezed in some messy, sensory fun. The children LOVED making their own melted snowmen in our turf tray. Using tri-grip pincers to pick up stones and carrots, they were busy strengthening those important fine motor skills without even realising… they were far too busy enjoying the squishy, snowy chaos!

Maths this week has been all about 2D shapes, and the children have blown us away with how much they’ve remembered. We didn’t just stick to circles and squares — no, no, we’ve been exploring diamonds, semi-circles, ovals, hexagons and even kites! It’s been wonderful hearing them start to describe what makes each shape special.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a December week in Nursery without a little creativity. The children finished their beautiful Christmas tree decorations from the FOMH Creation Station, and they also made a very special surprise for their parents… but lips are sealed for now!

How you can help at home:

Have a little wander around the house together and see how many of our special shapes your child can spot, maybe a diamond on the wrapping paper or a semi-circle on a cushion?

Pop on some gentle winter music and let your child show you their snowflake moves. They might even teach you a step or two!

Set out a small tray with cotton pads, buttons, sticks or any safe loose parts you have. Let your child build their own melty snowman and practise placing the pieces carefully.

Have a cosy, Christmassy weekend, we can’t wait to see what next week brings! 🎄✨

Lots of love,

The Nursery Team xx

The start of December has brought a wonderful buzz into our nursery as we dive into all things Christmas! The classroom is beginning to look beautifully festive, thanks to the children’s hard work making colourful paper chains. As we linked each strip together, we found ourselves chatting about the curved edges of the paper circles. This led us perfectly into exploring different 2D shapes. The children loved investigating each shape’s properties, proudly identifying vertices and counting the number of sides like true little mathematicians.

We’ve also been paying close attention to the weather as the seasons continue to change around us. Each day, the children help update our weather chart, noticing the colder mornings, the early sunsets, and those exciting signs that winter has well and truly arrived. They’ve become fantastic little weather-watchers!

Alongside all this, we’ve been learning about how to keep our bodies healthy. Brushing our teeth has been a big topic this week and there were lots of enthusiastic demonstrations! The children were so engaged, and many are now eagerly awaiting that exciting milestone… their very first wobbly tooth!

In PE, we’ve been practising a special dance for our upcoming Christmas production. The children are doing brilliantly, and their confidence is growing with every practice. We’re keeping everything under wraps for now though—no spoilers until the big show! And speaking of secrets, we have lots of other exciting projects in the works that we can’t reveal just yet… but all will be revealed soon!

To support your child’s learning at home, here are a few simple targets you can enjoy together:

 Go on a shape treasure hunt around your home or outdoors—how many circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles can you spot?

Practise brushing teeth together and talk about why it’s important. Encourage your child to describe the steps in their own words.

Look outside each morning and chat about the day’s weather: cloudy, sunny, rainy, frosty and maybe even predict what might happen next!

It’s been a joyful start to December, and we can’t wait to share more festive fun with you soon.

Have a lovely relaxing weekend,

xxx The Nursery Team