Nursery
This week the children in Nursery have been exploring a small world tuff tray to expand upon their cultural capital. They were able to use diggers to “dig” the dirt just like builders do, as well as using tools such as spades and rakes. Children could make marks in the different textures tray and be proud of their accomplishments. Some children even named the animals and recreated the noises of the animals!
Also this week a small group of children from Nursery went on a mixed trip with Kindergarten and Pre-School children to explore Sea Mills park. We are very fortunate that the park is located close by and has an array of apparatus for the babies to explore. This supported their Physical, Personal, Social and Emotional development as they were able to spend time with older children, as well as take safe risks. The swings were definitely a favourite!
Finally the children were able to spend some quiet time in the library sharing books with one another and showing particular interest in illustrations. They were able to explore IT in the library by creating marks on the interactive screen, this supports understanding the world through exploring technology. Some children even showed an interest in our story sacks and using soft toys alongside familiar books from our story shelf!
Kindergarten
Down in the dining room the Kindergarten children made strawberry and banana smoothies, how yummy! This was a great way to promote healthy eating and oral health. The children were able to use knives to cut up the fruit and add to a bowl, this has supported children’s cultural capital as it build upon life skills. The practitioners then blended the fruit and the children were able to taste their creations for snack time.
Outside in the top garden the children have been practicing their balancing and maneuvering skills. As it had previously been wet the children even helped to dry the apparatus before using the climbing equipment. The children understood that they had to go slowly along the balance beams and were able to take safe risks. They asked for help when needed but showed great confidence and were willing to have a go. The slide at the end is a great way for them to understand that perseverance pays off!
Lastly, the children were able to become fishermen/women during a game of “fishing”. This small game included a fishing rod with magnets and the children were able to take turns to see if they could “catch” the fish in the water. It also came alongside a story book that the children could point out the similarities with the fish in their game. What a great way for children to develop their social skills as well as mathematical skills as they tried to see who could catch the most fish.
Pre-School
Within Pre-School our core book for this term is Shark in the Park! Therefore we have been exploring different ways in which we can tell the story, one way has been through using story spoons. The children were tasked with remembering which character appears in which part of the story, so being able to sequence events using the spoons. This has supported children’s rhythm and rhyme as well giving them a responsibility to relay a part of the story.
Pre-School have been getting into the spirit of spring, the children have had a big interest in flowers after our March role play which was a garden centre. To continue this theme in the art studio they have created flowers using unconventional mark-making tools such as cotton buds and cotton wool. They were able to test their own ideas and build upon their own interpretation of what flowers look like to them. Children were able to reflect on their creations and be able to notice the similarities and differences among their peers flowers.
For the last activity for this week Pre-School explored different everyday sounds during their time together. They were able to do this through sounds from the “tune into..environmental sounds pack” that also had visual aids as part of the packs. They were asked to use their listening ears to listen intently to the sounds played and then guess what the sound was by selecting the corresponding card. This was then elevated by children taking turns to paly musical instruments behind a large blanket and their peers had to guess. The children benefitted from the turn-taking opportunity and being able to have a go!
