pumpkins! & HAPPY HALF TERM

What is a pumpkin like ? That’s what we have been exploring this week. Right from where it comes from- to how heavy? - to what’s inside?- to decorating and making soup !   The children enjoyed drawing their own pumpkin face designs, trying to lift the pumpkin, and getting all the pips out. Becky then toasted them and we all enjoyed a tasty snack.  The pumpkin pie is good too!

Great imaginations were observed in action when watching the children using wooden blocks inside and making 'animal enclosures'. Talking to each other; deciding which animals would go inside the enclosure.
Together we made excellent spider web creations - using glue and glitter - one foggy morning there were hundreds of real spiders webs to be seen on the decking.

ENJOY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE - 

BACK ON MONDAY 4TH November 

learning in the wind and rain !

The children got really stuck in making the autumn tree with their handprints- first we discussed what colours the leaves should be and then they helped lay the paper out to cut, paint and print and to paint the tree trunk. It is now on the wall for you to see! 

We had a lovely Autumn walk down the village with the 2-3yrs old group.  We searched for conkers, collected leaves and visited the hounds at the kennels. The children really enjoyed their walk down the village and really engaged in everything they did and saw and asked questions too.  They also listened to all instructions and walked really well also

As it was to windy for forest school yesterday, we were able to do yoga which was enjoyed, for some of the children this was a new experience. 

There was lots of mark-making indoors and outdoors this week. Children were observed taking register and calling out their friends names "are you here they said! letters were written and put in envelopes their mark-making used as a meaning of recording and communicating. Chunky chalks were used in the outdoor area-  children drawing lines and circles using gross motor movements creating spiders , webs and fish!

On Saturday, the staff team attended Early Years training, where they had the chance to listen to two inspiring talks/presentations from John Simpson who was diagnosed with Autism as a teenager and Shonette Bason-Wood, an Early Years practitioner who is the creator of "Dough Disco". We had a very full but enjoyable day and took part in various different workshops and are eager to put some new ideas into practice.

autumn treasure !

An excellent time was had on the conker and leaf collecting walk - the children listened well to safety instructions before hand and had a wonderful time finding huge shiny conkers. They then made a lovely autumn display in Playschool.

Using magnifying glasses the children investigated and explored the collection of autumn 'treasure; leaves, pine cones, conkers. They were showing curiosity and interest in the features of objects and describing and talking about what they observed. 

A story was read about a spider and continuing with their enthusiasm re-telling events in the story the staff and children made a giant spider sculpture using conkers 'placing and arranging' them on the floor to create a big friendly spider picture. When complete the children stood by their spider leg that they had created and all joined in with the nursery rhyme 'Incey Wincey Spider.'

they rolled paint on selected leaves and then placed them on paper - covering and pressing to make leaf prints.

Great counting from the children playing the game of hide and seek.  Lots of enjoyment in the sand using the dumper trucks and front end loaders.

Some of the staff Team attended an Early Years Conference in Worcester on Saturday. They had a very enjoyable day - learning and playing! 

CHARACTERSITICS OF EFFECT LEARNING Playing and exploring – engagement

 these characterisitcs have been seen in abundance this week - Finding out and exploring in nature under the conker trees, in the school field, forest school and playschool outside and in 

Playing with what they know - using the autumn trreeasure they found to do this Being willing to ‘have a go’- following staff lead and now more spontaneous