We were really excited when the dinosaurs came to Nursery after Christmas, especially when a baby dinosaur hatched out in the Nursery. We believe it was left by the dinosaur that came to visit us. It was captured on CCTV! We made an enormous T.Rex from boxes and decorated it and also looked at a dinosaur footprint. It was much bigger than our foot. We then measured our own shoe with cubes to see how big they were. 

From children's interest we then begun looking at movement. We started with the story of the 'Naughty Bus'. This really captured their imagination and outside we took the bus to many sights in London, including Buckingham Palace to have tea with the Queen. How exciting!

It was great fun experimenting with materials to make boats that would float in the water. We pushed and flattened modelling clay and foil to test out our ideas. This went with the book 'Mr Gumpy's Outing' by John Burningham.

We have also thought about keeping fit through a book 'Ready, Steady, Mo', written by Mo Farah  and us moving in different ways, using yoga, an outside obstacle course and 'five a day'. We also looked at 'Eat your greens, Goldilocks' to help us to think about eating healthy food.

We are really excited to come to Nursery and learn.

This half term we have been thinking about different celebrations.  Initially we learnt about the festival of Diwali. We were fascinated by the colourful clothes and sparkly jewellery. As part of this festival we also thought about firework night and Thomas told us the story of Guy Fawkes and how he planned to blow up Parliament. Alongside this, we made fabulous shadow pictures using materials we found around the garden and we also loved chasing our own and other peoples shadows. 

Next we thought about the significance of the poppy flower and how it is used to remember the people that gave their lives for us. We watched a great video on Cbeebies of the animals and their experience during that time.  Outside we made an 'art attack' style poppy on the garden floor, whereby we had to find anything around the Nursery that was red, black or green to place on the poppy shape. We had great fun finding the colours. 

Finally we thought about Nursery rhyme week and learnt new rhymes including 'Humpty Dumpty'. We were amazed to see an egg that was placed in water crack open and a chicken hatch out.  Over the weeks it has grown and grown. 'It is enormous!' exclaimed one child. 

We are currently busy rehearsing for our Nativity, which is helping us to listen, learn new songs and gain confidence in new situations. 

We have had a very busy half term in Nursery. Through looking at books like 'The Rainbow Fish', 'Little Rabbit Foo Foo' and 'So Much'. We have been thinking about friendships, our family and making good choices.

Our Early Years Curriculum has three prime areas where we have been learning.

Personal, Social and Emotional (PSED)

We are beginning to join others in their play, form special friendships and especially trying to be brave by separating from our carer, this can be especially difficult for us! We are beginning to learn the rules and cooperating with some boundaries. Sometimes our actions hurt others and this is a hard lesson to learn. It is really important for us to remember that 'Sharing is Caring'.

Physical Development (PD)

We are loving taking risks outside, like climbing up the huge ladder and sliding down, also running around in the garden, kicking, throwing and hitting the balls. We are beginning to hold the pencil with a good grip to make lines and circles and sometimes telling the teachers what our marks represent. We are learning that we can become independent in self-care, pouring drinks and putting on our shoes and coats. 

Communication and Language (CL)

This area involves us listening to others, which can be difficult when the Nursery is such a stimulating place. We have so much to say but we have to remember to sit on the carpet and wait our turn! We listen with 'magnet eyes' to the teacher, try to hold a conversation and understand questioning with, who, what and where. 

We are only 3 and 4 years old and sometimes need support to make the right choices, but we are all settling into the Nursery routine, starting to make friends and most of the time we are happy and becoming independent showing a 'can do ' attitude.