Nursery Blog - 22.11.2024

21st November 2024

A Week of Woodland Adventures in Nursery Class

This week in Nursery Class, our little learners have been having an exciting time exploring the wonderful world of owls and woodland creatures through or whole class reading text ‘Owl Babies’. With a mix of hands-on activities, storytelling, and even a bit of music, the children have been engaged in a variety of fun and educational experiences that brought the magic of the forest to life.

Owl Creations: A Crafty Start to the Week

We kicked things off with a creative activity where the children made their very own owls using a variety of snacks. They had so much fun turning rice crackers, apples, chocolate buttons, and raisins into adorable owl faces. The children proudly displayed their owl creations.

Not stopping there, they also made playdough owls, giving them a chance to get messy and explore different shapes and sizes. The special touch was the feathers they used, all carefully collected from Miss Ellerton’s garden where her chickens have been moulting! The children loved adding these natural materials to their playdough owls, making each one unique.

Learning with Numbers: Subitising Skills in Action

As part of our learning this week, we introduced the number two in a fun and interactive way. Using their subitising skills, the children selected the correct stepping stones and made sure they followed the correct pathway home. Subitising, which is the ability to instantly recognise the number of items in a small group without counting, helped the children sharpen their number skills in a hands-on and engaging way.

The Owl Babies Story: A Lesson in Caring

One of the highlights of the week was retelling the beloved story of Owl Babies. The children were captivated by the tale of the three baby owls who are left alone in the forest while their mother searches for food. As we read the story together, the children acted out the emotions of the owls, discussing how they felt and what they would do in similar situations. The story sparked empathy, and the children shared their own ideas about caring for animals and looking out for one another.

Exploring Animal Movements: A Woodland Adventure with Bodies

The week also gave the children a chance to think about how different woodland creatures move. They learned how owls swoop and hoot, squirrels scamper, and rabbits hop. Then, they put their learning into action by mimicking these movements with their own bodies. It was amazing to see the children’s imaginations take flight as they swooped and hopped around the outdoor area developing their gross motor skills.

Water Tray Fun: Five Little Ducks

What would a week of woodland exploration be without a little water play? In the water tray, the children explored the song Five Little Ducks, watching toy ducks float and dive as they sang along. This activity helped reinforce early numeracy skills, as the children counted the ducks, observed how many were left after each "duck" went away, and had lots of fun splashing in the water.

Wrapping Up a Wonderful Week

From creative crafts to counting, storytelling, and physical play, it’s been a week full of fun, learning, and discovery in Nursery Class. The children have gained so much from exploring the world of owls and other woodland creatures, all while developing key skills that will stay with them as they continue their learning journey. We can’t wait to see what adventures next week will bring!