Nursery - Maths - Quantity
This week's Maths lesson was inspired by the children's spontaneous interest in farm animals, leading to an engaging, tactile farm set-up in our malleable tray. Immersed in play, the children were naturally drawn to the animals and successfully made connections between the animals and the sounds they made, mooing for a cow, oinking for a pig. While enjoying this imaginative play, they were also building crucial number language and quantity skills. We saw great examples of early counting, with some children counting the animals in each pasture. They worked hard to follow requests that required them to retrieve a specific quantity, such as the instruction, "Can I have two pigs?" This hands-on activity provided a fantastic, concrete way for the children to link abstract numbers to real-world objects.
Nursery - P.E - Stepping Stones
In this week's PE lesson, the children focused intently on the core skill of balancing, inspired by the part of our class story where characters must cross the bottom of a waterfall by balancing on rocks. To recreate this challenge, Nursery class were provided with a variety of stepping stones of different shapes, sizes, and textures. The main objective was for the children to maneuver across the stones without falling into the imaginary "water." This required them to use gross motor movements to step carefully up and down and constantly adjust their balance. They did a brilliant job adapting their steps to the different heights and surfaces, demonstrating growing awareness of body control and spatial awareness. This challenging activity successfully developed their stability and coordination on various terrains.
Nursery - Geography - Leaf Hunt
Inspired by our story this week, the nursery class embarked on a fascinating leaf hunt outdoors. The children immediately observed that the ground was covered in a thick layer of leaves, which sparked a natural geographical discussion: "Why are the leaves on the ground?" and "Where did they come from?" This curiosity led to a key observation about seasonal change. The children looked up and noticed that the trees, which had been full of leaves, were now largely bare. This visible change from leaves on the tree to leaves on the ground provided a concrete lesson in the cycle of nature and the concept of where materials originate. We then searched enthusiastically for leaves of different colours, shapes, and sizes, carefully collecting them to use as natural resources for our other work taking place in class. This hands-on exploration linked observation of the local environment directly to classroom learning.
Pre-School- PD-Glow In The Dark Dodgeball
Last half term the children had the opportunity to take part in Glow in the dark Dodgeball. The children had the best time learning new skills to help them play dodgeball, whilst glowing up in the dark.
Online Safety - Fortnite
Fortnite continues to reign supreme in the gaming world, drawing in millions of players with its bold graphics, fast-paced action and constant stream of new content. This guide looks at the latest developments in the game – such as themed updates, crossover characters and limited-edition cosmetics – and what they mean for young players and the adults who support them. It also unpacks some of the key online safety risks associated with Fortnite. With in-game purchases, cross-platform communication and regular seasonal updates creating an ‘always on’ experience, it’s vital that trusted adults understand how to help children and young people enjoy the game without being exposed to unnecessary risks.
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Nursery - Computing - Pumpkin Creations
Our computing focus this week centered on building digital literacy skills using the draw function on Purple Mash. The main task involved the children creating their own pumpkin art. To support their work, the children were provided with a digital pumpkin outline and had three tangible pumpkins available as real-life references for colour and detail. The children carefully observed the colours of the real pumpkins and selected from the available digital pens. Some children then chose to tap the screen to create controlled dots on their pumpkins, while others used longer, sweeping movements to create lines or circles. This activity successfully encouraged careful observation and allowed the children to practice fundamental digital skills, like using a cursor or finger for purposeful mark-making on a screen.
Nursery - R.E - Diwali Celebrations
Today, the children were introduced to a new cultural and religious celebration: Diwali, the Festival of Lights. We began by exploring the concept of celebrating good over bad and the spreading of light in the world. To enhance their understanding of this vibrant celebration, we looked at several inspirational images. The children then engaged in two wonderful, hands-on activities: in the water tray, they explored colour and pattern, mirroring the beautiful Rangoli designs by carefully using pipettes and watered-down paint to create circles of colour. Simultaneously, they accessed the craft area to make festive Diwali lights, using a variation of glittery shapes in many bright colours to decorate their creations. This provided a rich, sensory, and visual introduction to a new religious and cultural tradition.
Nursery - Art - Literacy - Finger Painting
During our Art and Literacy lesson, the children explored autumnal coloured paints and learned a new technique using their fingers as their painting tool. The task focused on refined movements to develop fine motor control. The children were taught how to carefully dab one finger into the paint and then press it onto their paper, successfully creating a controlled dot or fingerprint. They worked with autumnal images that had designated white spaces, requiring them to select a colour and deliberately fill in the void using this specific finger-painting technique. While it was initially tempting for some to use their whole hand and "go wild" with the paint, the children did a brilliant job practicing this new, refined skill, demonstrating excellent self-regulation and control to create beautiful, textured autumnal pictures.
Nursery - Geography - Properties Of Natural Materials
Nursery class have been exploring the properties of foraged natural materials—pinecones and conkers. The activity began with practicing anticipation skills using a clear "Ready, Steady, Go!" cue to release the objects down the pipes. The children quickly discovered a key difference, the conkers rolled down the entire length of the pipe, but the pinecones stopped short and got 'stuck'. This led to a discussion about the physical characteristics of the materials. The children were prompted to feel each item, noting that the conker was smooth, while the pinecone was spikey, which stopped it from rolling. The experimentation then moved to exploring cause and effect by adjusting the slope of the drainpipes. The children used blocks to make the pipes higher or lower, observing how the incline affected the speed of the rolling objects. Then they raced the two materials, further working on their understanding of how a material's shape and texture influence its movement. This was a rich, hands-on lesson about the physical world around them.
Online Safety - Memes
They’re everywhere online, but do you really know what memes are saying? ???? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explores the role of memes in youth culture - and why they’re not always as harmless as they seem. From hidden messages to misinformation, we break it down ???????? Plus, we share four simple ways parents and educators can guide young people to engage more safely with memes - encouraging empathy, critical thinking and healthier digital habits ????????
Nursery - Computing - Decorating Birthday Cakes
This computing lesson introduced basic digital literacy skills by having the children decorate a birthday cake on Purple Mash. The children successfully used simple controls for digital mark-making, developing foundational coordination on-screen. This activity was also used to encourage communication, as we discussed their chosen toppings and their likes and dislikes. A number of children demonstrated early navigational skills by learning to scroll through the menus and select different decorative elements for their cakes. They did a brilliant job of translating their ideas into digital designs, reinforcing their understanding of basic input.
Nursery - Art - Pinecone Painting
The children explored a new and exciting technique involving pinecones and paint to create abstract autumnal artwork. They began by adding blobs of autumnal colours—brown, red, and yellow—into a flat tray. Next, they placed several pinecones into the paint. Using their gross motor skills, the children were encouraged to wiggle, tip, and shake the trays, which made the pinecones roll through the paint. As the pinecones moved, they left interesting trails and marks on the paper, creating unique patterns. A fantastic extension to this activity was the discovery of a new colour! Some children noticed the red and yellow paints mixing together to create orange.
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