Happy Friday!

What a wet week we have had but it hasn’t stopped you from enjoying some outdoor fun – rain just creates wet sand, wet mud and puddles!

We have continued our “Lifecycle” topic as we have been singing/sharing our Nursery Rhyme “Rock-a-Bye Baby” and looking at real life baby objects of a Babygro, toys and books.   You never tire of those baby books do you?  In Phonics, the Pink Panthers have joined us in Nursery as you competed against them to keep the correct objects on the correct vehicle.  Can you find some things at home this weekend that could travel on our bus, car, train and sleigh?  Having your own ideas for objects that begin with the same sound is such a tricky skill but we find every year, there are always some children that can do it.  In Maths we have had fun exploring the cabin and ourselves as we have been “doubling”.  How quick would we get our lunch with double Mrs Franklin?  How noisy would the room be with double music machines playing?  Some of you started doubling numbers on the washing line which led us all into doubling numicon on our new numicon frames – recalling doubles to 5 and understanding what this means is the next stage on your Maths journey as you move into Reception later this year.  We have also been developing our Fine Motor skills as we have been visiting the daily dough disco session, this week to Kylie.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7nvnSJRQWo  We have talked about where she is from and even created a dough disco move just for her – “around the world”. 

After lunch, we have managed to get out on to the Trim Trail as the rain held off as we develop our Gross Motor skills.  We have also continued our lifecycle topic in the Quiet Area as we have been giggling at your baby photos on display as well as the baby photos of the grownups in Nursery.  Can you remember who has the messiest face?  Who is naked and ready for a bath?  Who has the longest spikiest hair?  These photos, alongside the work you did with them at home last weekend, has meant they have come up with some excellent suggestions of the things they can do now compared to when they were younger – feed myself, hold a pencil correctly and do up my own zip.  Now you have mastered those zips and have this positive attitude to getting yourself ready for Forest School, we have begun the final stage of being “school ready” as this week, the grownups have been getting themselves ready and going down in to Forest School whilst you were doing it all yourself – our FAVOURITE term by far!  Once you made it down, you were introduced to the five new live friends in a pot – the caterpillars.  As well as keeping a VERY close eye on the tadpoles growing legs, we are about to enjoy a fascinating lifecycle over the coming weeks!  You have been looking at photographs of different butterfly wings and talking about the patterns.  I wonder what colour our new friends’ wings are going to be?  Mrs Allen has been sharing her favourite poem about a caterpillar from when she was a little girl (some time ago!) called Arabella Miller.  During the Outdoor Play session you have also been role playing the story of the Hungry Caterpillar with some story spoons as you have been feeding and feeding him hoping for change.

A message for parents – to help support our doubling work, could you find a small mirror and allow them some time to explore the home/garden to double people and objects in your home?  Talk to them about what this would mean.  Watch our Freddie, doubling Freya was the one thing we were worried about!! 

Have a lovely weekend everyone, fingers crossed for a break from the rain!