Nursery news 2022-2023
21/7/23
So it is a sad farewell to our older children as they move on to their new class and for some a new school. They are a fab bunch, keen and bright and we will miss them. Our younger children are ready to step up and help to settle new children in September.
It has been a lovely week in Nursery. We enjoyed the disco and all joined in the fun. Then we played party games, had goodies and an ice lolly on the only sunny day of the week. I hope you enjoyed our very short performance on Thursday. It was lovely to chat in an informal way and great to see the children perform confidently in front of an audience.
Thank you so very much for your kind words, good wishes and very generous gifts. It has being a successful, busy, exciting and rewarding year. We will begin again in a few weeks!!!
Have a great summer,
Best wishes from Mrs Sudall and all the Nursery team.
14/7/23
What a very different and busy week. We've had September starters and their parents visiting Nursery, our children visiting their Reception class and sports day! The children have coped extremely well with the change in routine and all the excitement and I was very proud of the way everyone joined in with our races. We talked about exercise to keep us healthy and fit, how much fun it is whether you're a winner or not and the children seemed to have taken that on board.
We had an update on the chicks from Miss Greenwood who said they are healthy and friendly and now very big!
We released our butterflies on Thursday as they were ready to fly and talked about the older children being ready to spread their wings and move on.
Next week is our last week. Always a very emotional time-hankies at the ready as well as our disco outfits for Monday. We have our party on Thursday, parents welcome from 2.30.
6/7/23
We have had lots of conversations this week about reception class, new teachers, new toys and uniform. The children were all able to tell us about their visits to their new class and all seemed excited. We are really encouraging independence with personal tasks and the children enjoy surprising us with what they can do. Two weeks left and they will fly. It's an exciting, busy and emotional time for all.
Next week we welcome Nursery new starters for a stay and play and Red and Green Apples visit their class. Sports Day Monday- sensible shoes please.
30/6/23
The time is whizzing by now, with visits to new schools, holidays and lots of chats about next year. The children have enjoyed finding out about ladybirds but snails are still our main focus outside!
A highlight this week was the visit from one of our parents with a selection of musical instruments. We all really enjoyed the session and it was a wonderful opportunity to listen up close to a violin and clarinet. The children behaved impeccably as they learnt about the instruments.
Next week; caterpillars and butterflies.
23/6/23
The heavy rain gave us the chance to find snails in our garden but we didn't manage to find any spiders. We have learned spider facts and hopefully presented spiders in a positive light. A lot of the children said they are scared of spiders so we talked about how spiders keep our houses clear of flies and how much bigger we are than spiders. We made our own spiders using our fine motor skills and counted eight legs and eyes and learned that if a spider loses a leg they can often grow another.
The garden is growing well and we picked strawberries to feed to our bugs. We have visited the field for football and parachute games.
The older children have popped next door to visit their new classrooms and we have practised following instructions and writing names on whiteboards. I can't believe that there are only four weeks left!!!!
Next week; ladybirds.
16/6/23
We have had a fantastic week with lots of fun activities in the lovely sunshine.
We started the week with a visit from Turbo the tortoise. We found out how to look after him and everyone was fascinated with the way he moves (and the poo of course!)
We spent a long time talking about how to keep cool when it is hot outside and even had a little paddle in our water tray. The children are super sensible and keep their hats on when playing out, then seek out shade or go inside for a drink when feeling warm. We set up a role play ice cream shop outside with some very weird and wonderful flavours.
We have found out some bee facts, made bees from dough, learned a bee rhyme and moved like a minibeast. We made a fairy garden in our tuff tray.
We had fun with parachute games on the field and our first practise for sports day.
We are really sad to say goodbye to our student teacher Miss McCallum who has been with us on teaching practice. She has worked really hard and fitted right in as the children made her very welcome. We wish her good luck with her studies.
Next week; spiders
9/6/23
We have started the half term by looking closely at snails and worms and learning some facts. We have ordered worms by size in Maths and made our own spiral patterns. We used spaghetti for sensory play and to leave paint trails on paper. The children worked with Miss McCallum to investigate different places that mini beasts live. We went on a snail hunt outside and built a habitat that they would enjoy while we watched them. One of our friends brought in some Giant African land snails and we learned how to look after them.
We have some very willing gardeners and our vegetable plot is doing very well.
Next week; bees.
26/5/23
The children have been testing themselves with physical challenges this week. We have done high and long jumps and compared who jumped furthest and highest. The children then devised their own challenges and there have been lots of running races. The older children are becoming more confident with their writing and drawing as their fine motor skills develop and we used gross motor skills in moving large apparatus and tyres.
Inside we had a fruit and vegetable stall. The children took turns to work the till and their has been lots of talking about which items we like to eat and which are healthy.
We have watered our growing collection of plants each day and spotted that some seeds have germinated. We have had updates from Miss Greenwood who adopted 3 of our chicks and she will continue to send photos as they grow.
Next week; half term!
Have a lovely sunny break.
19/5/23
What a lovely, very busy week in Nursery. We have spent a lot of time observing and listening to our chicks and really enjoyed stroking and cuddling them. They have had stories read to them, impressions done of them and have even been serenaded. We didn't manage to name them individually as they move so fast but the children came up with some lovely names such as Sparkle, Blossom and Chiccoletto. We are amazed at how quickly they have grown and will be sad when they leave us. It has also been lovely to have visits from other classes in school; some of the children reminisced about seeing chicks hatch when they were in Nursery.
The lovely dry weather has allowed us to tidy up our garden, repot the plants that the children brought in and sow some seeds. We have really enjoyed it and the children are super excited about seeing what grows. Thank you so much for all the donations of compost, seeds, pots, planters and seedlings. You are very kind and really supportive of us. Thanks!
Next week; more gardening and some outdoor challenges.
12/5/23
We have spent most of this week observing, counting and cheering for our chicks. The children are captivated by the whole process and have been so sensible, following all the rules that we have in place to look after the chicks. We have ordered pictures of the hen lifecycle, made our own chick appearing from an egg at the craft table and talked about other creatures that hatch from eggs.
We are working on writing our names and enjoyed Royal tea parties.
We have 8 chicks and counting!!
Next week; Chicks!
5/5/23
Our focus has been the Coronation this week and the children have enjoyed finding out a little about the King. We have drawn portraits, looking closely at the features, made crowns, flags and silhouette collages and even taken on the role of the King and Queen in the role play area. In maths we created repeating patterns to decorate our crowns.
Today we decorated buns and biscuits in red, white and blue and then celebrated with an indoor picnic and a sing along with Reception class. A super end to a busy week.
Enjoy the festivities and have a good weekend.
Next week; a very special delivery!!!
28/4/23
We have had lovely week with the children thinking about some very big and current topics. We talked about why it is important to recycle our rubbish. The children decided that as well as looking after our world, the rubbish can be turned into something else. The children showed good understanding and are now busy recycling after snack time and lunchtime. We also finished our maps of Yeadon and displayed them on the wall.
We had a visit from the story bus and a chance to browse their shelves.
Outside the children used large muscle groups to manoeuvre and position the tyres and crates. We used salt on a tray to use fine motor skills . Miss Sands had some willing helpers to give our writing trolley a spring clean.
Next week; The coronation.
Fingers crossed for good weather for the Bank Holiday!
21/4/23
It was lovely to see the children on Monday refreshed and raring to go, although getting back into the routine has been harder for some than others. The sunshine really helped and we enjoyed outside play and we even had a very early barbecue.
We went on a walk around school grounds to notice and talk about things we like and things that spoil our school. The children all agreed that litter wasn't nice but mostly they noticed good things such as the trees and grass.
We talked about Yeadon and places we know, like the Tarn, then looked at maps to talk about Leeds, England and Earth . We made our own brilliant maps of our journey to school-Aldi and Morrisons featured heavily!
I am pleased that everyone got their first choice of school place. The children were very excited and chatted about reception and big school. Some thought they were going this week and some have decided that they are actually staying with us in Nursery!
Next week; looking after our world, recycling.
31/3/23
This week we found out how some families celebrate Easter. We have had an indoor egg hunt, tried hot cross buns and listened to a shortened version of the Easter story. This prompted lots of interesting questions and discussions. The children made the link to the Christmas story. You may have some interesting conversations over the next week or so!! We are looking forward to the egg scramble and I have explained very carefully what happens and that they might not get the egg they brought! Wish us luck!
There were more appointments at the vets this week but the children were the poorly pets this time! Our 'Squiggle while you wiggle' sessions have started well. We will do these regularly over next term to develop pencil control.
Have a super Easter break, fingers crossed for good weather and hopefully good news on your child's school place.
Happy Easter from all the Nursery team
24/3/23
The vet's surgery was open for appointments this week and proved to be very popular. The children shared the resources and pets well, as they showed their caring side to look after poorly animals. We talked about what pets need and which animals would make a good pet. We have loved looking at the pictures you sent and listening as the children talked about their own pets.
We are monitoring our cress heads and they are growing well now. If they survive they will be sent home next week.
Next week: Easter and more pets.
17/3/23
We had lots of cutting, sticking, designing and making this week. The children are able to select their own resources and and are always full of ideas for what they want to make. We hope you like your special Mother's Day card. The children worked with great care and staff really enjoyed hearing all the lovely things that the children said their mummies did for them.
The children have been busy organising their own games that the staff usually play such as 'candlestick game'. They gave the dinosaurs a dental health check and counted out the right number of flowers to go in pots and vases matching to the numerals.
Next week: pets and vets
10/3/23
We started the week talking excitedly about the chance of snow and ended the week making a nursery snow baby! (There wasn't enough snow for a snowman). The children really enjoyed collecting, digging, throwing, scooping, stamping, smoothing, tasting and building with the snow. They were very patient as staff helped all the children into their warm outdoor clothes and their excitement and enthusiasm outweighed any feelings of cold.
Inside we planted cress seeds for cress heads and talked about what they needed and where they would grow best. We looked closely at different types of seed and tried to guess what they would grow into.
We are doing lots of activities on rhyme; matching words, finding the odd one out and trying to continue a rhyming string.
Next week: spring and Mother's Day.
3/3/23
We have really enjoyed all the activities for World Book day. I hope you were impressed with the children's t-shirts, they worked really hard and very proudly showed them off in the parade. This week, I have picked photos that show reading in various form in Nursery. All the children love story time and enjoy talking about books and their favourite stories. Once the children understood that that the 'story bus ' wasn't going to take us on a journey, they enjoyed singing and listening to a story with Sally and Colin. (Photos on Tapestry)
Next week; Spring, seeds and planting. (Although the weather forecast suggests we might be talking about snow!!)
24/2/23
We have really enjoyed the glimpses of warm sunshine this week. The children found shoots, bulbs and buds in our garden and we talked about other signs that spring is on its way. The strong wind last weekend had deposited litter and leaves into the garden so the children got busy helping to litter pick and generally spruce up our playing area. Great teamwork!
We have talked about farms this week, matching animals and their young, practising cutting skills, counting and sorting animals and singing lots of songs and rhymes.
On Tuesday, we had fun trying to flip playdough pancakes and making funny face pancakes.
We will continue to encourage the children to be as independent as possible when changing wet clothes, putting coats on, looking after their own things and whilst at the toilet. They are doing a fantastic job and are probably more capable than they show at home. Please help us by putting their name in all belongings and giving them lots of time whenever possible to practise these skills. Thank you!!
Next week: frogs and World Book Day
10/2/2023
The children have engaged in a lot of group activities this week, which reflects their growing friendships and sense of being part of a team.
There have been journeys by boat and bus, building projects inside and out, chalking on the playground and a group dance performance. Most of these have been organised by the children but they have remembered to invite us sometimes.
It is Online Safety Week, please use this link https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers for more information.
It was lovely to see so many of you at Parents' Evening and great to hear that the children are happy and eager to come to Nursery, even asking to come at weekends!
As the week has gone by more and more children have started with coughs and colds, a sure sign that it must be half term. We close for one week, see you on Monday 20th February.
3/2/2023
We followed the children's interest in the 'Winnie the witch' stories, by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul, as a starting point this week.
We compared the length of wands and plaits, counted out the ingredients for potions, used our fine motor skills in making a wand and spent a lot of time dressed as witches, wizards and cats. We used the dressing up as a way of encouraging independence. It is tricky to get in and out of a long dress but the children have persevered and are becoming experts. We used chalk to draw our own pictures of Winnie. Some of these are displayed in the corridor and you will hopefully see them at Parents' Evening. As well as retelling and acting out the 'Winnie' stories, the children have made up their own; many of which involve staff becoming frogs!!
Outside, the children noticed how the strong winds moved hats, leaves and equipment around. Luckily we had the builders in for running repairs. We had some nest building for a very unusual visitor.
Next week: more winter and Parents' Evenings.
27/1/23
A shorter but busy week with lots of opportunity for exercise and outdoor play.
We made the most of a sunny afternoon to visit the climbing frame in Reception garden. The children were very excited and couldn't wait to tell you that we had been on a 'trip to the playpark!'
We have used bikes, bats and balls, skipping ropes and balancing equipment in our garden. Inside we have talked about unicorns, fairies and other magical creatures. We have also learnt the rhyme 'There was a little snowman'. Please ask your child to teach you the words and actions.
Finally, a reminder about our plans for World Book Day which is coming up in March. We recently sent a letter to all parents detailing our plans to hold a decorate a t shirt theme for the first time. We kindly ask that all financial contributions are made by next Thursday (Thursday 2nd February) to allow us an appropriate length of time to order t shirts and the resources required to decorate them (and of course to give the children chance to decorate them before WBD!). We have received some queries this week regarding sizing for t shirts - please note all children will receive an oversized t shirt as this will give them much more space for their book cover design and ensure every child in school has a suitable t shirt to wear.
20/1/23
We have been waiting for a cold snap to talk about winter and this week have made the most of the frost, ice and snow.
We made wintry pictures with glitter, glue and cool colours. We used salt in a tray to mark make and enjoyed a winter themed small world. Outside we searched for ice in shady places and then really enjoyed stamping and smashing it. We used scrapers to move frost from our toys. The children were fascinated to see one of our towels that had frozen solid outside. This lead to lots of interesting ideas about how and why the towel had changed overnight.
We have enjoyed finding out how some families will celebrate Chinese New Year on Sunday. We heard the story of the 'Great Race' and found out that this year is the year of the rabbit.
Please note that Monday 23rd is a whole school training day and Nursery is closed.
Next week; more winter.
13/1/23
Nursery has been filled with kings, queens, knights and princesses this week. The children are really enjoying the castle focus and the imaginative play reflects their interest and enthusiasm. We have made castles from 2D and 3D shapes. We are learning to recognise initial sounds so we made our own shield showing the first letter of our name.
Outside the children were brave enough to have a 'barbecue' and when it was too wet and windy we went to the hall for some exercise.
Next week: winter and magical creatures.
6/1/23
Happy New Year!
The children came back refreshed and raring to go and we have had a lovely first week back. Our focus has been castles and there has been lots of super language at carpet time and in imaginative play. The children are developing an understanding of things that happened in the past and how that is different to the present.
We read stories about princesses, dragons and knights, used fine motor skills to print blocks on a castle and used different types of blocks to build our own castles.
We have some new starters who have settled really well, helped by their lovely friendly peers. Nursery is now full every session and our very sensible children help each other in lots of ways. Looking for things, getting an adult when someone needs help, inviting people to play and returning things to their owner. It is lovely to see and makes us very proud of the children.
We are sad to say goodbye to Miss Wilkinson today who is leaving us to return to her previous nursery. We will miss her but will see her around school when collecting her own children.
Next week: more castles and dragons!!
Week 14 16/12/22
Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year to you all!
Our party went very well on Tuesday and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and have fun. Everyone joined in with dancing and the party games and accepted defeat with good grace. Our very special visitor even complimented the children on their lovely manners!
Thank you so much for your kind gifts and good wishes. We will see you in January and hopefully the children will have got rid of their coughs and colds.
Best wishes from Mrs Sudall and the Nursery team.
Week 13 9/12/22
The children have made us feel so proud this week and definitely put us in the Christmas mood.
I hope you enjoyed our Nativity as much as we did. The children learned the story of the first Christmas and could then understand why certain characters were in our Christmas show. They were so sensible and brave in front of two other classes of children and over 100 adults in the audience. Add to that being asked to go barefoot and wear an unusual costume, all while remembering to sing and dance and not talk. AMAZING!!
Our visit to Blossom Court was also lovely. The few children we had were excited to be going on 'a trip' and represented school and you fantastically. The residents really enjoyed seeing the children and hearing them sing. They complimented us on the children's behaviour.
1 week to go, lots of coughs and colds, Christmas activities and our party on Tuesday.
Week 12 2/12/22
A very busy but exciting week in Nursery.
We had a visit from police officers who talked to the children about how they help people and keep us safe. We looked at their equipment, sat in the driver's seat of the police car and tried out the siren and lights. This led to lots of role play and talking. We were so impressed with how beautifully the children listened to our visitors and a little scared by how enthusiastically they arrested the grown ups!
We used the start of December for mark making in the craft area and have been into the hall for rehearsals for our Nativity. The children are enjoying seeing our friends from Reception and are doing well with learning the songs.
We also had a visit from our January new starters. The children welcomed them and were very polite to the adults.
Next week: Nativity performance and Christmas crafts.
Week 11 25/11/22
We found out what firefighters do this week and have been fighting fires and rescuing people inside and out.
The children made their own engine from 2D shapes and used spray bottles in the water tray to put out 'flames'. Outside the role play has been based on emergencies and sirens!
We listened to the story of the first Nativity and looked at photos from last year's performance. We have been practising the songs for our performance and the children are singing and dancing with gusto so fingers crossed we will be ready for the 7th! Our routine is disrupted at this time of year, with lots of different things happening but the children are taking the changes in their stride and seem excited by the idea of taking part in the Nativity.
Next week: a visit from Police officers, a visit from our new starters and lots of rehearsing for our Nativity.
Week 10 18/11/22
We have seen some prospective doctors and nurses at work this week.
The children bandaged, injected, checked and diagnosed the toys and each other in a very caring and efficient way. They talked about their own experiences of doctors and hospitals and confidently said that doctors and nurses make you better. We talked about emergencies and how to get help and fortunately not many of the children had experienced an ambulance. In the craft area we practised our cutting skills to make our own doctor kit.
In phonics we focussed on 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' and in maths we have put bowls, spoons and bears in size order.
We looked at different types of light and talked about what makes them work. We went on listening walks around school and used the hall for some exercise on the wet days.
We have started talking about the Nativity and what will happen and practising the songs.
Next week: people who work at night.
Week 9 11/11/22
We have had an exciting week talking about fireworks, bonfires and the dark and how they make us feel.
The children were busy making pictures and mark making with paint, collage, sparkles, salt and shapes which led to lots of discussion about the noise of fireworks. We counted rockets - taking one away each time as they blasted off. We took turns to use a torch in our 'dark area' and played with puppets of animals that only come out at night. We focused on the 'Gingerbread Man' story in phonics and listened to lots of stories about night time. Outside children were coping with road works, an eager crossing warden and faulty traffic lights.
We talked about Remembrance Day and what poppies stand for and the children shared their experiences of soldiers and seeing poppies.
Next week: people who help us and a special visitor.
Please note next Friday is a whole school training day and Nursery will be closed.
Week 8 4/11/22
It was lovely to see the children come back after half term so full of beans and very excited to see their friends.
Many children were also excited about Halloween and we followed their interests with our own witch's cave. There was lots of super talking, pretend play and very evil cackles!! We painted pumpkin faces, designed sparkly witch's hats and used our senses to explore pumpkins. The children were surprised to hear that you can eat pumpkins as well as use them for display. We counted spiders, bats, frogs and natural objects to put into a potion and found spiders and pumpkin seeds in the water tray. We practised our cutting skills on pictures of animals that come out at night and sorted items for using day or night.
We also began our daily 'Dough Disco' sessions. We do hand and arm exercises to a disco beat!! This helps pencil control and fine motor skills. The children(and staff) really enjoy it!
Next week: Bonfire night, Remembrance Day and night and day.
Week 7 21/10/22
We have had a very busy but enjoyable week with sunshine, showers and a deluge!
We talked about the changes to the world around us that we see during Autumn and explored colour and natural resources through artwork. We made leaf people, rolled conkers in paint and mixed colours to finger paint leaves. In Maths we helped some squirrels to count their conkers, using our fingers to show how many we counted. Outside there was some deep mining taking place and I had lots of willing gardeners to help collect the fallen leaves.
The children did very well on Tuesday when we went to have our photos taken in the hall. They impressed us with how well they listened to instructions and how patiently they waited for their turn. The photographer commented on what a lovely, well behaved bunch they all are!
We have reached the end of our first half term, and despite the viruses and bugs the children have bonded well, made good friends and had lots of fun. They deserve a rest and we look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 31st October.
Week 6 14/10/22
We had lots of fun talking about each of our 5 senses this week.
We talked about smells we like and those we don't. We tried to guess what was in our smelly pots without looking and did very well at guessing; lemon, banana and mint. We thought about how hard it is to move around when you can't see and what different types of glasses do for our eyes. We played a game using just our ears; one of our friends was hidden under a cover and we guessed who it was from their voice. Finally, we guessed the objects in a feely bag using only our sense of touch. The children all joined in well and enjoyed playing the games. They are starting to routinely accept that in a large group not everyone will get a turn every time. A valuable life lesson!
Outside the children did a bit of camping and made campfires and we gave all the dinosaurs a dental check up and cean.
It was lovely to see so many of you at Parents Evening, if you did not manage to book an appointment and would like a chat, please see me to arrange a time.
Next week: Autumn, Individual and sibling photos on Tuesday morning and break up for half term on Friday.
Week 5 7/10/22
We have had the builders in Nursery this week! There have been lots of group building projects, which showed that the children are working together well and able to share ideas and resources. Good teamwork has also been in evidence when tidying away afterwards.
In our baby clinic the children have shown lots of imaginative play based on their own experiences of going to the doctors or helping to look after baby siblings and cousins. We had some very kind mums and dads as well as some efficient medical staff. We have talked about the things babies can't do that the children can. We have also talked about ways to look after ourselves and stay healthy such as getting plenty of sleep(!!!) eating healthy foods, keeping clean and exercising. The children all assured me that they stay in their own beds to sleep and enjoy having their hair washed!!!!!!!
Outside we explored bubble wrap with bikes, dodged the showers and played lots of superheroes.
Thanks for helping us by washing your child's hands on their way in. If you still need to book a parents evening appointment please see me at pick up or drop off time. See the notices about our Reception open days if your child is due to start school next September.
Next week: our senses.
Week 4 30/9/22
There has been some super imaginative play this week with the children playing well in quite large groups. I love it when an idea takes off and all the group get involved. This week the children moved large equipment to make a garage and worked as a team to hide things in the tunnel. They went on ship and boat journeys and have played a lot of chasing games.
Inside we made faces from play dough and loose parts such as buttons. We hid eyes and noses in sand and sawdust. We drew round one of our friends then labelled and counted the different parts of the body. We followed the lines to draw hair on pictures and made our own crazy hair character.
We have continued to share photos of our families and talk about who is who. The children enjoy talking to each other when looking at the photo display, finding people and spotting their friends.
We are enjoying our phonics games, which this week have included moving to instruments and sorting objects by their initial sound.
We talked about some signs that the season is about to change and used our senses to explore natural treasure.
Next week: looking after ourselves and keeping healthy.
Week 3 23/9/22
We had lots of fun this week looking in the mirror and examining our faces. We looked closely at eye and hair colour, and the shape of our face. We talked about how faces can tell us how someone is feeling and tried to match our own expression, often with funny results! We have looked at and talked about the gorgeous pictures you sent in and then drawn the people that live in in our house. We painted our self portraits which look lovely on display.
Next week: our bodies.
Week 2 16/9/22
We enjoyed the late sunshine this week, playing lots of games outside, although there is definitely a nip in the air.
Friendships are developing and I am very impressed with how kind the children are to each other. We frequently hear children asking; 'do you want to play?' and no one has been left looking for a friend.
The atmosphere so far is calm and busy-long may it continue!
Next week: We are closed Monday for the Queen's funeral. We will be talking about our self and our families.
Week 1 9/9/22
Welcome back to our returning children and families and welcome to Nursery, to our new children and their families.
We have had a really lovely first week getting to know each other and making friends. The children have all settled well and made adjustments to their routine- noticing new toys, having parents in the classroom for the first time in a while, meeting new staff and friends and in some cases being away from home for the first time ever! A big but successful week.
Please remember to label all your child's belongings and download the free 'school jotter app' to receive general messages from school.
Next week: listening games and getting to know each other.
