Nursery

We have decided to continue with Stay and Play/ Learning Together on the first Wednesday of every month.

 

The dates are as follows:

 

2nd Oct  MacMillan coffee morning

6th November

4th December  Christmas theme

5th February

4th March 

6th May

3rd June

1st July

What a lovely send off for our Nursery children who are leaving us to start school! We had a wonderful party in the forest with party cream tea and we showed our families all our forest school activities and songs. We then presented each child with a parting gift from their key person. We are very happy that so many of our children are carrying on at Woodfield and we wish all of our children well as they start in their new schools. What an important and special time for them all.

The nursery team would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families for their incredible support during their time with us and for joining us for the special party. It has been a pleasure to watch your children grow. Stay in touch...

We are looking forward to the summer term with so much to do in nursery and lots of seasonal change happening for the children to become curious about.

We have  thinking about chickens and have started the story of Rosie's Walk. We are really excited by all the situations that poor fox gets into! There are story sheets for you to take home in the lobby. Please help yourself and take one home to share with your child. Our book library loan is set up in the lobby too. Please feel free to take a book home, share with your child and return it to the box. We really hope you enjoy this with your children.

We will still go to the school hall for dance and have stories in the school library on Wednesdays.

Plus, we will continue to go up to Forest on Thursdays so remember your wellies and hopefully, sun cream and sun hats as the weather starts to change!

Learning Together sessions are the first Wednesday of every month. We look forward to you coming along and sharing learning with your children. However, we have a welcoming slow start to every session which enables you to settle your child and get an idea of what they are interested in at nursery.

We are looking forward to lots of fun and learning with your children over the next few weeks. Don't forget to check the website and the Dojo page for the latest updates.

By this time of year, our oldest child are becoming highly skilled at colour mixing and producing the colours they need. They are increasingly in control of their fine motor movements and choose the thickness of their brush for maximum effect. With a reference of a vase of beautifully pastel shaded flowers as inspiration, the children have created some beautiful pieces.

Well, we just can't get enough of gardening. So much interest. The children are totally engaged in weeding, planting, watering and caring for our vegetables and flowers. This week, we will be planting our sunflower and herb seeds.

Even our very youngest children love to make marks. Anywhere they go, they, there are opportunities and time to get really busy. Totally concentrated. Good balance and the second stage of pencil grip. We love noticing the children deeply involved in their learning like this.

Our children have brought their findings at forest school and the beauty of the blossoming tree into the nursery and have been exploring some transitional art using blossom and camellias from the gardens. They have made some beautiful creations.

Don't forget that our book borrowing has started in the nursery.Sharing a book together is so important for young children's development.
Borrow one, bring it back and swap for a new one. Enjoy!

 

The children are thinking about spring time in the nursery. We are getting ready to celebrate Mother's Day and all the people who care for us. We will be having a cream tea for our final Stay and Play this term. We hope you can come.

Our story is about Rosie the Hen who goes on a walk around the farm, but will that fox catch her? Story sheets are in the lobby for you to take home.

Spring has sprung this week in the nursery. The children have really enjoyed their outside play. Even though they can go out whatever the weather, they have loved the sunshine this week.

Even with this cold weather, we have wrapped up warm and put on our waterproofs because we just can't get enough of this sensory, whole body water play!

The children have been fascinated exploring these open ended resources. Lots of counting, ordering and grouping. Lots of mathematical talk  and cooperative play happening in the Seedlings this week. The children spent a long time and their concentration was amazing!

Following the children's interest in baking and the ongoing popularity of the playdough table, we have been considering the story of the Gingerbread Man.

This links with last term's learning about the Billy Goats and finding ways to cross the river.

Some learning provocations have been set up for the children to discover next week. This is alongside our usual natural, open ended provision.

Why not take one of our story sheets home and learn about that cheeky Gingerbread Man.

'Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!'

Children are taking any chance to read a book in the nursery this week. Getting cosy and sharing the experience together.

 

After a charitable delivery of woodchip and logs from Burrator Heritage site, we have developed a natural outside story nook.

With references to the forest school fire pit, we have made a place to share and retell stories in small groups. We just can't get enough of these early reading skills and sharing stories together.

At nursery, we like to allow children to children to engage in calculated risky play that challenges their bodies and builds their resilience. The role of the adult is crucial in allowing children to access this type of play safely and still enable children to take part.

 

We are learning how to play safely in the forest. We are managing our risks and challenging ourselves in our learning.

The children have been very busy exploring how to make a bridge to get across the grass. We have linked their fascination with the story of the Billy Goats Gruff. There are story sheets in the lobby for you to take home. Trip trap, trip trap, over the rickety bridge!

Our study of the local cat that comes into our garden is really gathering pace. Children want to see it, capture a photo on the ipad and draw it. We used large paper and markers but have developed our drawings onto canvases. We have used water colours to colour fill and have framed some of our favourites. Why not pop into the nursery to look at our work? You never know, you might see the cat!
We are talking about the story of Rosie's Walk. We are sequencing the events, re-telling and predicting what might happen next to Rosie.  We are beginning to make our own story maps that we can talk about at group time. All the time we are keeping our eye out for that pesky fox!
Very often we share our practice with other teachers and early years professionals across the city. We have been talking about the Oracy project and how we support early language in the nursery. As you know, we work hard to create an environment that supports your child’s language development. Here are som Epcot’s of what we are setting up at the moment.
The children have been exploring measurement and the concept of length. They are building up, creating high towers and stacking boxes. We have decided to link their ideas to the traditional story of Jack and the beanstalk . There are story cards and rhyme ideas in the lobby for you to retell at home. I wonder what Jack will find?
We are thinking about how we make all the children and their families feel welcome in our setting. Not just inside but as they arrive too. We are hoping this supports family life and reaches into our community through the work we do.
All ready for our stay and play session with  families. Our focus is not just reading, but story and rhymes too. Lots to share with the children today.

The nursery children have lots of opportunity for mark making. Their developmental stages are assessed and the children have lots of practice to develop their pencil grip.

Curriculum Newsletters
Woodfield Nursery is going bare foot - Please read the attached document below.