Welcome back to the Summer Term in Nursery! We hope everyone had a very restful break and was able to enjoy seeing some more family and friends once again. The children have all come back to school with lots of enthusiasm & smiles. It is really lovely to see them all so confident & settled and we are looking forward to a term full of sunshine (hopefully!) and lots of exciting learning through play.
This term, our learning through play will be inspired by the topic ‘Ticket to Ride’. We will also be continuing to focus on developing our Phase 1 phonics skills and getting ready for the transition to Reception. You can find out more in the termly overview here: ticket_to_ride
Of course, we will continue to keep a close eye on the children’s particular interests and encourage them to follow these in their play too. This week, we noticed lots of picnics, cooking and tea making!
And many of the children continue to be fascinated by volcanoes and lava! Here are some of them working together to create their very own lava field:
Our focus story this week was ‘Bradley and the Magic Carpet’ by Julian Hilton and Jacqueline East. You can listen to the story again in the video below and even meet the author at the end!
At the very end of last term, when I was looking for something in the magic room, I came across a large bag that I had never seen before, hidden away at the back of one of the cupboards. I pulled it out and it was covered in dust – it must have been there, undiscovered, for a very long time! Inside, was a rolled up carpet. This week, I showed the children and we unrolled it very carefully and very slowly. You won’t believe it but it was actually an old, bold carpet with tassels on each end and a picture of “Baby Jesus land” on the front! As you can probably imagine, there really was only one conclusion we could draw: we decided it must be a magic carpet, just like the one in the story!
Next week, we will be finding out if it really is a magic carpet, so don’t forget to bring your imagination with you to Nursery on Monday!
Finally, many of our invitations to play this week encouraged the children to explore the names and properties of 2D shapes. Knowing the names of the 2D shapes (for example, circle, triangle, square and rectangle) and being able to talk about what they look like (for example, how many sides they have) will really impress your Reception teachers!
We used lots of different 2D shapes to make pictures of our own houses and we talked about the numbers on our front doors. Can you remember the shapes you used to make your house and can you remember the number on your front door?
Finally, here’s a tricky challenge for you to try at home. You will need your good looking eyes for this one! Have a look at the photo below. Can you spot the shape that is the odd one out in each column? And can you explain the difference between a square and a rectangle? Good luck and see you on Monday!
