Nursery

This week we have been very hard at work! With our busy minds and busy bodies  we kept as warm as possible…

In maths we had a very interesting time learning about 2D shapes.  Not only were the children learning to recognise basic 2D shapes, they also learned to talk about the attributes of the different shapes.  The children enjoyed a variety of activities where they had to find the hidden shapes and describe them to their friends.  They even had the opportunity to play a few rounds of  shape bingo in class where they had to listen to the clues about each shape to see if they have it on their bingo board. The children absolutely loved exploring the activities.

As part of our Autumn topic, the children had the chance to go on a fresh morning walk to look for changes in the weather patterns.  The children were excited to find frost on the leaves and grass in the field and the water that had frozen in the mud kitchen’s pots and pans in our playground.  We decided to observe what happened to the bowl full of ice when we placed it in class, comparing it to the ice cubes in the playground. We had a great discussion about why the ice in class melted more quickly than the ice on the playground.

The wonderful Friends of Merry Hill also arranged for the children to help with the decoration of the school Christmas tree in the hall.  Watching their eyes light up, admiring their handy work was definitely a special moment!

How you can help at home:

As we have been going on various shape hunts, see if your child is able to identify shapes hidden in your house.  This could be the shape of the bathroom mirror, photo frames, plates or candles.  How many different shapes can they find?

Have a lovely weekend and remember to wrap up very warm… it is going to be freezing!
xx The Nursery team

We had a great week where we took part in a variety of exciting learning opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom.

On Monday we had the huge pleasure of welcoming Mrs Shah into the Nursery where she shared how their family celebrated Diwali.  Mrs Shah told the children the story of Rama and Sita and why Diwali is celebrated.  The children were very keen to share their own understanding of Diwali and they enjoyed showing off their diva lamps and rangoli patterns they made in class.

In maths we have been measuring ourselves and comparing our heights in class, talking about who is taller or shorter than their friends.  The children are trying their best to be able to say “I am taller than my friend A but shorter than my friend B.  He is the tallest in class  and she is the shortest.”

We had another very busy week in Nursery learning about what makes us special.  In Jigsaw we discussed how our differences are the things that make us special and that we also have lots of things in common.

The children also loved looking  at their baby photos and thinking about all the things that have changed for them over time.  They were able to talk about the things they had to learn how to do as babies and what they are really good at now.  They were also thinking about the things they have learned to do since starting Nursery and what they would like to be when they grow up!

The children all looked amazing for their “Careers Day” and they had a great time showing and telling their friends what they want to be and why they would like to do those jobs.  We were all really impressed and look forward to seeing the children embark on their journey to a very bright future!

Today we also marked Remembrance Day in class, and the children watched a short story to explain why we remember the day with respect.  They were very sensible during our minute of silence, thinking about all our parents and/or relatives that are in the Armed Forces who keep us safe.

Here is a link to the video if you would like to watch it with your child again at home.  https://youtu.be/jeR5JWaIcpo?si=JYY5Q0nUiIGA2Bl1

How can you help at home:

As always we are practicing counting and recognising numbers at home, please spend a few minutes everyday listening to your child count a group of objects or small toys up to 10.  This could be at dinner time while they help you set the table with the knives and forks, counting the steps from the front door to the living room or any other opportunity you get.

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

xx The Nursery Team

We have all been very pleased to see the children coming into school so readily after a fantastic half term break.  The children have enjoyed being back and settled into their usual routines seamlessly!

In our Jigsaw lesson (PSHE) we were discussing what makes us special.  The children loved sharing their ideas in the group and they patiently waited their turn to talk about the things they like the most.  The children were able to identify some features that they had in common with their friends and some things that are different.  It is heartwarming to hear them talk about playing together and sharing their favourite toys but also being able to respectfully disagree on what their favourite fruits are!

As part of our learning journey this term, we are looking at the children’s past, present and future.  The children had a fantastic time learning about different occupations and thinking about their future careers.  They even got the opportunity to try out a few different jobs as you can see below. There was fantastic dialogue between the children while acting out the different scenarios.

How you can help at home: 

Allow your child to get dressed by themselves – practice makes perfect!  Do reassure them, but let them try to do things for themselves before stepping in to help.

Wow, how did the time go by so quickly?  Who would believe that the children have already completed their first half term in Nursery?  It seems like only a very short time ago that they were dropped off at school for the first time, ready to start their new adventure and now they look like seasoned professionals walking into the class with such confidence!

This week saw another busy learning time for everyone and the children had a fabulous time exploring and experimenting in the classroom.  They had a great time mixing, scooping and swirling the slime bath in the garden.  This activity brought about lots of opportunities to develop their communication skills and it was good to see the children enjoy such a tactile and messy activity!  There was a lot of predictions and speculation about how things work and why the ping pong balls did not want to slide down the ramp.

In maths we have continued with our number recognition and formation.  This week we have looked at number 6.  Everyone worked very hard to form their numbers and enjoyed completing interactive activities where they had to find the number that comes before and after 6, identify 6 from a group of other numbers and also count out the correct amount accurately.

We have also been hard at work changing for PE by ourselves!  It might have taken us a bit longer to get our buttons done and making sure our shirts were the correct way around- but we did it!  The children had a wonderful PE session.  They were able to talk about how their bodies felt after their exercises and one of the children excitedly said: “My heart is bumping fast!”  They played a boisterous listening game and ended the session with a few rounds of a group game.  Please be patient with the children if they come home with their clothes in a bit of a muddle, they are trying their best to be independent.

How you can help at home:

Play “I spy a number”  with your child where they have to listen to the clues you give them to help them identify the number.  E.g. It is the number after 5,  it is this many fingers… it is the number before 7.

Here is a website that we find very useful to practice our number recognition:  https://www.topmarks.co.uk/r.aspx?sid=5708

We hope you have a restful weekend and enjoy your half term holiday!

xxx The Nursery team

This week has been filled with more awe and adventure as we went actively looking for monsters!

Following on from our our work last week where we learned how to retell the story of “We’re going on a bear hunt” we then looked at traditional tales with alternative endings.   We decided to write our own version of the story and the children had fabulous ideas of what we can go looking for and what obstacles we would come across.

After tip toeing through the corridor so as not to disturb Reception’s learning, we had to stomp through the echoing dining hall and through the courtyard, plop plopping just like the frogs in the pond before we finally arrived at the empty dark library… there we saw 1 big eye, 2 green horns and lots of sharp teeth…We finally found our monster! We quickly had to retrace our steps to get to the safety of the classroom and we decided to NEVER go on a monster hunt again.

In maths we have learned all about number 5.  We are able to identify it in the class and we practiced how to count accurately to 5, making sure we touch a counter for every number name we say.  Then we tried our best to write the number 5 by ourselves.

How you can help at home:

Help your child to write their numbers in a variety of ways. It could be with a stick in sand, placing conifers in the shape of the numbers, painting them on large sheets of old newspaper or any other way you prefer.

We hope you all have a fantastic, restful weekend.

Best wishes,

The Nursery team xx

This week we had a great time learning about the Michael Rosen book, “We’re going on a bear hunt”.

We learned to retell the story while  using actions to prompt us.  It was great fun for the children to come up with the actions by themselves.  Then we did a shared story map where we drew pictures to retell the story before we acted the whole story out in our playground where we made our own long grass,  cold river,  squelchy mud and a forest! Inside the classroom we used the small world people and materials to retell the story.  The children had to find different ways to replicate the sounds in each scene of the story and they had some fabulous ideas! There were lots of bear activities too and the children drew the most beautiful bears that will be displayed in class.

Our jigsaw learning (PSHE)  also linked to our story this week.  At the end of the story we see the bear walking alone on the beach, looking upset. As a class we had a discussion about what we could do when our friends are  feeling upset or sad.  The children had some amazing ideas to ensure everyone is included in our games.

In our maths learning we have been working hard to recognise numbers and to represent them in different ways.  This week we have learned all about number 4 and how to write it.  When your child is at home, please encourage them to record their learning and counting in different ways in order to share all their hard work with the rest of the class.

Here is a song we sing in class to help us with number formation: https://youtu.be/pzmB0GoEKkA

How you can help at home:

Do a number scavenger hunt at home.  If you show them a number,  can they find that many items in their room e.g: Can you find 2 teddies?  Can you find 4 cars? Can they find any numbers around the house?

As always have a fabulous weekend; I look forward to seeing you at parent consultations on Monday. If you have not booked a slot yet, please do so through your Scopay account.

Best wishes,

The Nursery Team

This week has definitely been our best one yet!  The children are now very familiar with the classroom routines and are thoroughly enjoying exploring the different areas both inside and outside.  They have had time to build up new relationships with us and their peers and have formed some fabulous friendships.

During maths we have been learning how to recognise numbers and count reliably up to 10.  Our next challenge is to ensure that we count objects accurately and to remember the last number we say represents the amount we are counting.

We have tried very hard to represent numbers to 10 in different ways and had fun trying to find numbers in our environment.

For National Inclusion Week, we have learned how to sing and sign a song in class.  We talked about how important it is to make sure all our friends feel valued and included and how we can “listen with our eyes”.  We practiced how to sing ” I can sing a rainbow” and how to sign the different colours in the song.  Can you recognise the signs in the photos?

Here is a link to the song if you would like to sing it with your child at home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBH76DS4fZg

How you can help at home:

Play a number game with your child. Can they spot numbers on their travels like the registration numbers on cars, house numbers on doors, numbers on the TV remote control? Can they do 5 jumps, stomp their feet 2 times, find 3 Lego bricks?

Have a fantastic weekend.

The Nursery team xx

As the weather has taken a turn for the worse, we have embraced the seasonal changes and wholeheartedly thrown ourselves into our learning this week!

Fridays are always a very busy day with our visits to the forest and the library and this week has been no exception. We had a walk in the forest, collecting sticks, leaves and stones for us to use in our mud kitchen recipes.  The children enjoyed exploring the forest and looking at the changes in nature; they even got to pick blackberries that they squished and made paint with.  They were delighted to see that the different shades of berries made different shades of paint!

We then had our visit to the library where we listened to an Autumn story and the children got to choose their very own library book to take home.  Please bear in mind that the library books need to be returned (in their book bags) every Friday in order for them to change it for a different one.  The children really enjoyed looking at the selection of books and I am sure they will love reading their books with you at bedtime… if they can wait that long!

This week we read the story of “Stick and Stone” It is a lovely story about forming friendships and helping each other.  It was wonderful to see the children really taking this message onboard  and being very kind to everyone in class.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi8p-7ukruBAxWzWEEAHU5lAo0QwqsBegQIDxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXTYfji4YiS0&usg=AOvVaw0ZMJnC9MdhjUqRd8L-M5eb&opi=89978449

How you can help at home:

If you are out and about this weekend, please look out for pinecones, conkers, sticks and acorns that we can use in our mud kitchen.

We hope you all have a restful weekend and enjoy cosying up inside while the weather is turning cooler.

The Nursery team xx

How is it the end of the week yet again? I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!

The children had another great week in Nursery and has settled incredibly well.  As a team we are astonished at how well everyone is doing, taking part in the routines and enjoying being part of the class.  In these early days it is normal for the children to have a few tears in the mornings, but be assured that they are happily playing and enjoying the activities set out for them long before you have left the school gates!

Children have been forming new friendships in class and we have seen some great teamwork and sharing taking place.  We will continue to ensure children are building on their social and emotional development.

This week in Maths we have learned about repeating patterns and making up our own patterns using body percussion, movements, colours and shapes!

During our snack time we have read the story “Please Mr Panda” and we discussed how to use our best manners when asking for or declining fruit, just like the story!

Watch it here with your children –  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OMZUTn7WojU

How you can help at home:

Let your child use objects you have to hand at home to create repeating patterns. Don’t forget to take photos and upload them to Tapestry!

What an amazing and sunny start to the year!

It has been lovely to meet the new starters throughout the week. Today we had the whole class in for the first time and I must say we are incredibly impressed with how well everyone has settled into their new surroundings.

We already started with our daily routines that will continue for the rest of the year. The predictability of our routines make children feel safe and secure and it is evident when we see their smiley faces. They have already enjoyed a variety of activities this week where they are practicing key skills e.g building friendships, asking for help, using the resources in class and learning how to share with their friends! (more…)