Autumn 1 week 7

This week, we explored the story Handa’s Surprise as part of our learning for Black History Month. We learned about the culture of the main character, discussing similarities and differences between Handa’s life and our own. The children confidently named all seven delicious fruits in Handa’s basket and thoroughly enjoyed using their senses to feel, smell and taste the different fruits.

In our creative area, the children created observational paintings of the fruit basket, carefully looking at the colours and shapes of the different fruits. In the writing area, they enthusiastically drew pictures of their favourite fruits.

In phonics, we continued our focus on instrumental sounds. The children enjoyed playing sound bingo and confidently recognised the sounds of a variety of instruments, including the tambourine, triangle, bells, agogo and maracas.

In maths, we linked our counting activities to our story of the week. The children played a fun game in which they counted the correct number of fruits into Handa’s basket, helping to develop their understanding of numbers and quantities.

Our gymnastics sessions with Mrs Winward continued this week, with the children practising their balancing skills on beams and following multi-step instructions. In French, the children listened to a story and joined in with songs and actions, growing in confidence as they learned.

Next week is our final week before the half-term break! We will be exploring the story My World, Your World and comparing different types of homes. We look forward to another exciting week of learning and discovery!

Autumn 1 week 6

This week, we have been learning about Floella Benjamin as part of our Black History Month celebrations. We read her book Coming to England, which tells the story of her journey from Trinidad to England with her family.

We explored Caribbean culture by listening to calypso and reggae music. The children made their own maracas and enjoyed dancing to music using instruments and ribbons.

In cooking, we made delicious baked bananas and learned about how bananas grow in warm countries like Trinidad.

In phonics, we explored different sounds and played a fun “stop and go” game. In maths, we practised counting and sorting.

On Thursday, the children enjoyed their gymnastics lesson, developing their balance, coordination and physical skills.

On Friday, we celebrated Children’s Mental Health Day by wearing yellow to raise awareness of the importance of looking after our mental health and wellbeing. Madame Wardle also continued our French learning in the morning.

Next week, we will continue celebrating Black History Month and explore the story Handa’s Surprise.

Autumn 1 week 5

This week, our learning has focused on the theme of Autumn. We enjoyed reading Leaf Man and explored the different colours, shapes and textures of leaves. The children talked about how leaves change and fall from the trees during the Autumn season.

The children had lots of fun creating Autumn artwork using conkers and paint. They rolled the conkers through paint to create colourful patterns and marks, developing their creativity, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

During our music and movement session, the children joined in with a fun leaf-counting game and sang number songs. This supported their counting, listening and attention skills while encouraging them to move and participate together.

In Maths, we continued to develop our counting skills by counting pinecones and conkers and matching quantities to the correct numerals. The children enjoyed exploring these natural Autumn objects while developing their understanding of numbers and amounts.

During Phonics, we played a fun sound bingo game. The children listened carefully to different sounds and practised recognising and identifying them, supporting their listening and early phonics skills.

On Thursday, we continued with our gymnastics lessons. The children worked on their balance, coordination, spatial awareness and movement skills, building confidence as they explored different ways of moving.

We were also very excited to welcome poet Paul Jenkins, who shared poetry with the children in a fun, exciting and interactive way. The children had opportunities to listen, join in, repeat words and enjoy the rhythm and sounds of language.

On Friday, we continued our French learning. This week, we learnt the story and song Frère Jacques and copied the actions. The children enjoyed joining in with the familiar repetition and actions.

Next week, we will be exploring a story by Floella Benjamin as part of our learning for Black History Month. We will use the story to explore themes of identity, diversity, belonging and celebrating what makes each of us unique.

Autumn 1 week 4

We’ve had another busy and exciting week in pre-school!

The children enjoyed listening to The Colour Monster and other stories about feelings. We talked about different emotions and how we might feel. The children then made their own feelings jars, choosing colours and materials to show different feelings. This helped develop their Personal, Social and Emotional Development as they talked about and recognised emotions.

In the writing area, the children coloured their favourite Colour Monster and talked about the feeling it represented. They also practised writing their names, supporting their Literacy and Communication and Language skills.

In maths, we enjoyed lots of number songs. The children used their fingers to count and joined in with familiar songs, helping to develop their early Mathematical skills.

Our R.E. focus was about how special and unique we all are and the importance of our names. The children made handprints and practised writing their names.

Outside, the children had lots of fun in the mud kitchen, mixing flour and water to make mud pies and cakes. In the water area, they explored pouring and measuring using different containers. These activities encouraged Understanding the World, as the children explored materials and how things change.

The children also continued their gymnastics lessons, practising walking, jumping, balancing and developing their gross motor skills.

On Friday, the children enjoyed their French lesson with Madame Wardle. They learnt the song Comment tu t’appelles? and played a fun game to help them remember each other’s names.

We also enjoyed a special coffee and cake morning to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. The children loved choosing a cake and enjoying it with their friends, while learning about kindness and caring for others.

Next week, we’ll be learning all about Autumn, exploring Leaf Man and enjoying lots of fun seasonal activities!

Autumn 1 week 3

It has been another busy and exciting week in Pre-School!

We continued learning about our story, The Colour Monster. The children enjoyed talking about the story and naming the different feelings.

In our Writing and Creative Area, the children drew and painted pictures of their families. They enjoyed looking at family photos and talking about the special people in their lives.

In Phonics, we focused on listening. The children enjoyed listening to animal and environmental sounds and guessing what they could hear.

In Maths, we sang number songs and joined in with finger rhymes to practise counting and recognising numbers.

In R.E., we talked about how everyone is special and unique and celebrated the ways we are all different.

In Gymnastics with Mrs Winward, the children practised their movement skills, including the tuck, straddle and pike positions. Well done, everyone!

In French, the children practised saying “Bonjour” and “Je m’appelle…”. They also learned to say “oui” and “non”.

Next week, we will continue learning about The Colour Monster and exploring different feelings and emotions.

Autumn 1 week 2

What a fantastic first full week we have had in Pre-School! The children have settled in really well and are starting to follow our routines and rules with more confidence. It has been lovely to see new friendships starting to grow.

This week, we have been learning about our core text, The Colour Monster. The children enjoyed listening to the story and learning about the different colours and feelings. We talked about times when we have felt happy, sad, angry and other emotions. The children enjoyed sharing their own experiences.

On Wednesday, we had a special visit from Life Education. Steven brought Harold the Giraffe to see us! The children learned about keeping healthy and clean, including brushing their teeth, washing their hands and eating fruit and vegetables. They had lots of fun joining in with the songs and actions.

In phonics, we listened to different environmental sounds and played a listening game. The children are becoming more aware of the sounds around them.  In maths, we enjoyed singing number songs and joining in with number finger rhymes.

We also had our very first gymnastics lesson with Mrs Winward! The children practised running on the spot, jumping, sitting in straddle and pike positions, and balancing beanbags. They showed some fantastic listening and movement skills. Well done, Pre-School!

We finished the week with French with Madame Wardle. The children practised saying “Bonjour Madame”, saying each other’s names and joining in with a French hello song and actions.

Next week, we will continue exploring The Colour Monster and learning more about our feelings.

Autumn 1 week 1

A very warm welcome back to all our returning children and families and a special welcome to all of our new starters!

What a wonderful first week we have had! The children have settled into pre-school brilliantly and it has been lovely to see so many happy faces exploring our provision, getting to know their surroundings and becoming familiar with their new environment.

This week has been all about settling in, building relationships and learning our routines and boundaries. The children have enjoyed exploring the different areas of provision, discovering new activities and resources and beginning to make new friendships. We are so proud of how confidently they have approached their first week and how well they have adapted to our daily routines.

Next week, we will begin exploring our new core text for this term 'The Colour Monster'.