Reception-Maths-Counting
Reception have had fun this week playing an engaging maths game where they practised identifying numbers and counting colorful fish to find the correct match. The children counted each fish one by one, showing brilliant focus as they matched the quantities to the corresponding written numbers. They also worked well learning how to take turns to use the spinner and choose a number.
Nursery And Pre-School - Maths - Categorising Objects
Our nursery and preschool children have been diving into early mathematical concepts this week with a vibrant, hands-on activity at the light table! The illuminated setting provided a captivating backdrop for multi-layered learning as the children explored colour, size, and counting. The children began by categorising glowing coloured blocks and translucent splats by colour, matching and grouping similar shades. From there, they put their counting skills to work by building colorful rainbow towers, carefully counting each block as they built higher. As the towers grew, the children explored height and spatial vocabulary, working together to identify which structures were the shortest and which were the tallest. To solidify their understanding, we supported the children in using this new mathematical language in short, complete sentences—such as "This red tower is the tallest!"—helping them connect physical play directly to clear mathematical thinking.
Reception-Literacy-Name Writing
Our Reception children have been busy making their mark as they practise writing their names this week. We have been forming letters in the sand and carefully writing them into our Literacy books. We are very proud of how hard they have been trying.
Nursery And Pre-School - Literacy - Wiggle Me Into Squiggle
Our Nursery and Pre-school children have made a fantastic start to our new 'Wiggle Me into Squiggle' intervention this week! This programme focuses on developing large, gross motor movements, which form the essential physical foundation needed for fine motor control and early writing. This week, our focus was all about mastering 'UP' movements. The children began in a group setting using ribbons in each hand, lifting their arms high and watching the fabric flow through the air as they tracked their physical movements. To refine these big movements into early mark-making, the children then moved over to the easels holding two paintbrushes at once. Working with both hands simultaneously helped strengthen their bilateral coordination while turning those large arm sweeps into controlled, painted strokes on paper. It has been brilliant to see their confidence grow as they connect active movement directly to writing skills!
Nursery And Pre-School - PSHE - Outdoor Exploration
What a fantastic first week back! We have loved welcoming our nursery and preschool children back into the setting as they jump into exploring our new environment. The outdoor area has been a huge hit, with the children eager to try out the new resources and enjoy learning in the fresh air. It has been wonderful to watch them dive into independent play with so much curiosity, making new friends and settling into their routines with big smiles.
Reception- Continuous Provision- Settling In
In Reception this week we have had a wonderful time settling in. The children have explored the classroom and outdoors. We have been making new friends, learning new routines and rules and how we go about our daily tasks. The children enjoyed music time learning new songs and have been introduced to new stories.
Nursery/Pre-School-P.S.H.E-Welcome Back
Nursery /Preschool would like to welcome back our children and welcome all our new starters that will be starting with Darwen St James Nursery over the next couple of weeks. We are super excited to meet you all and start our learning journey in Nursery/Preschool.
Reception- Music- Expressing Ourselves
In Reception this week the children have been putting their learning of music into practice. Using the different instruments to make a beat and then develop it into a song that they know. We then took it to the next level and used the role play outfits to put on a music show. Singing our favourite songs and making up lots of different actions. We had so much fun!
Reception- EAD- Exploring Billy's Bucket
The children have had a thoroughly magical week exploring our focus story, Billy's Bucket! It has been wonderful to see them using their imaginations to look beyond the ordinary and wonder what spectacular things might be hidden inside their very own buckets. From marvellous sea creatures to giant mythical beasts, their ideas have been absolutely amazing. The children then worked with fantastic enthusiasm to bring these creations to life, using a wonderful mix of crafting materials, loose parts, and storytelling. It has been a joy to watch their imaginative worlds come alive in the classroom, and they have done a brilliant job sharing their ideas with one another!
Nursery/Pre-School-R.E-Noah's Ark
In our R.E. lessons, we have been learning all about Noah's Ark. The children loved listening to Noah's story and understanding why he had to build an ark for himself, his family, and all the animals. They learned that God asked him to save the good so that the bad could be washed away. The children then got creative and made their very own Noah's arks, drawing the animals onto them. To finish off, the children drew lovely rainbows to put across their arks to represent God's promise never to flood the earth again.
Pre-School-P.S.H.E-Transition Day
Last week, all our preschoolers enjoyed their transition taster day in their new Reception classroom with their new teacher, Mrs Jennison. Although this was a little scary for some, they were all super brave and gave it their all. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are now very much looking forward to this next step in their school life.
Nursery And Pre-School - Science - Exploring Textures
This week, our Nursery and Pre-School children became young scientists as they explored how the texture of a familiar object can change when it is manipulated in different ways. Using bread as their subject, the children participated in a sensory experiment to observe three distinct states of texture. The investigation began with plates of fresh bread being passed around the circle. This first state sparked excellent descriptive vocabulary, with the children identifying the texture as "soft" and "spongy." Next, the children were introduced to bread that looked identical to the first sample but had been frozen. They immediately noticed a significant change in its physical properties, observing that it was now "hard" and "rough." The children delighted in discovering that they could tap the frozen bread firmly against their plates—an action that was impossible with the soft, fresh bread. Finally, the class explored what would happen when water was added to the bread. The children watched in fascination as the poured water instantly disappeared. This led to an engaging group discussion about where the water had gone, with several children accurately concluding that the bread had "soaked it up." When this final state was passed around the circle, the children used their senses to describe the completely transformed texture, labeling it as "squidgy," "slimy," and "wet." This hands-on experiment provided a fantastic introduction to material properties, absorption, and scientific observation.
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