Nursery Learning 8.9.25

 Welcome back to Nursery! We hope you have all had a lovely Summer. The children returning children have settled in really well and have jumped straight back into play with big smiles, exploring old favourites and discovering new things together.

Next week, our new starters will begin attending shorter sessions to help them settle in gently and build their confidence in this new environment. We know it can take time to adjust, and we’ll be there every step of the way to support them as they learn the rhythm of nursery life.

A gentle reminder to our lovely parents and carers; thank you for your patience at the door. These early days with new children to our setting are so important for helping children feel safe and secure, and transitions can sometimes take a little longer while we support everyone in. Your understanding really helps us make the process as calm and positive as possible for the children.

As part of our settling-in focus, we’re working on embedding key routines with all of the children. These include learning to put on our coats and wellies independently, listening carefully during story time, and remembering to try using the toilet. These early routines help build confidence and independence and will be a big focus in the coming weeks.

We're also spending time learning each other’s names and encouraging kindness and friendship as new relationships begin to form. It’s lovely to see the children starting to connect and share their play with others, we can’t wait to see these friendships blossom.

We’re so looking forward to all the learning and fun ahead, here’s to a fantastic term!

,

Nursery Learning W/B 6/01/25

 Nursery Learning W/B 6/01/25

Important Information 

Nappies and wipes - If your child is in nappies and requires changing in Nursery please bring nappies and also a pack of wipes. You can bring in a pack and leave this here if you would prefer to do this. 

Coats, wellies, gloves and hats - As we are outside often we would advise the children to wrap up warm. Please do help us by labeling anything the children bring in as then we can help return any missing items to the correct owner! Please also encourage the children to independently try and put on their coats and hats etc at home, staff will always help if needed but we always encourage independence. 

Havering Children's Centre- The Havering Children's Centre are currently trying to ensure that all families with children under 5 years of age are registered with their local children's centre. We encourage you to register your child as this will help with their development and wellbeing.

Our Learning  

This week we have been reading 'The Train Ride'. The children have enjoyed talking about the different sights and animals the train went past on its journey. We also spoke about the things we can see around us. 

Creative learning

This week the children made their own trains by printing using the wooden blocks and paint. They made trains of differnt sizes and colours based on real life pictures of trains. 

Water play

The children have enjoyed playing with the warm water this week. They imitated milking a cow. This hands on activity helped develop their use of imagination and fine motor skills. 

Outdoor learning 

The children wrapped up warm as they played in the outdoor area. They made their own version of a train based on our story 'The Train Ride'. Thye spoke about what they could see on the way and took it in turns to be the trian driver. 

Construction

The children made great use of their creative skills in the construction area as they built different models, buildings and towers.  

Reception Learning - W.C 6.1.25

 

Year Reception: What We Are Learning 

Reception have been working really hard this week. Our focus book was The three little pigs. 

Here is what we have been up to: The children have been learning about the characters in the book, acted out the story and made houses out of different materials reflecting straw, brick and sticks. We huffed and puffed to see if our houses blew down!

The children have also been working hard in Read, Write, Inc this week. The children have all been assessed and are now working in groups based on this. In literacy we have been writing about the three little pigs. They used their sound knowledge to write words such as pig, huff, puff, ran, big and pink.  Please continue to read 5 times a week with your children and work on set 1 sounds as well as word time words (1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc).

In Maths this week the children have been focusing on numbers 0-5 and finding 1 more and 1 less. Children have used a range of resources to make different numbers. 

Well done Reception for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Nursery Learning w/b 04.11.24

                             Nursery Learning w/b 04.11.24  

 Important Information 

1. Evidence Me  Please do add your own videos and photos from home as parents can also share achievements. Please speak to a member of staff if you cannot access this app. 
2. Spare Clothes - Please leave a bag of spare clothes in Nursery, ideally this will be a labelled plastic bag. This bag should stay in school. 
3. Nappies and wipes - If your child is in nappies and requires changing in Nursery please bring nappies and also a pack of wipes.  You can bring in a pack and leave this here if you would prefer to do this. 
4. Lunches -For the children who stay for lunch, we would like to inform parents Broadford primary is a Heathy Eating school. Please do not provide nut based products such as peanut butter or Nutella as some of our children have nut allergies.
5. Coats - Autumn is now in full swing. We still have lots of opportunities for the children to access our curriculum outside so please ensure they are always appropriately dressed for the weather. Remember to label coats, hats, scarves and gloves too!

Dates 

Tuesday 12th November- Wonderdome Visit 

This is an external company with a space dome who will explore light and dark with the children. The children will attend in small groups throughout the morning.

Unfortunately we are unable to book the dome for the whole day. Afternoon children are welcome to swap their session on Tuesday 12th for a morning session so they can join in.

The morning session runs from 8:30- 11:15. 

Tuesday 12th November- National Odd sock day

Children can come to school wearing odd socks as part of Anti- Bullying Week. 

Friday 15th November- Children in Need (Non- Uniform day) 

Children can come to school dressed in spotty clothing. We kindly ask for a voluntary £1 contribution to be made to raise money for Children in Need. Thank you. 

Thank you

Thank you to all of the parents that attended our first stay and play session. We continue to encourage you to read and talk to your children at home. To help support your child further, please make sure your child brings their reading folder to school on their designated day. A list has been put on display on the nursery door. 

Creative Learning

This week, the children carried out some activities to celebrate Diwlai and Bonfire Night. They enjoyed creating their very own fireworks displays using paint.  The children experimented with different methods, from flicking paint off brushes to using spiraled card to dab bursts of color. It was a fantastic way for them to explore their creativity and learn about colours. 

Outdoor Learning   

The children had a fantastic time exploring and playing with tunnels this week. They crawled, raced, and invented new games. The tunnels became secret hideaways, winding pathways, and even part of an exciting obstacle course. 

 

Year Reception: What We Are Learning w/b 30th September

 

Year Reception: What We Are Learning 

Reception have been working really hard this week. Our focus book was Sharing A Shell.

Here is what we have been up to:

The children have also been working hard in Read, Write, Inc this week. The children have been learning the sounds e, l, h, r, and j.  Please continue to read with your children and work on these sounds with them. 

In Maths this week the children have been working hard to sort objects by colour, shape or size. They also found different ways to sort themselves such as into girls and boys, by height, or hair colour. In addition to this, they compared amounts using the language more or less. The children also made their own sorting rules. Well done Reception for your excellent Maths work this week!

Well done Reception for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work!

Nursery Summer Newsletter

 Term: Summer 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,


The aim of this newsletter is to give you an overview of the learning that will take place over the Summer term in Nursery.


The nursery blog on the school website and Facebook page are a great way to keep up to date with what is happening in the nursery, along with any upcoming events. It is very important for all parents to check the blog regularly to know what is happening for your child.


This term our focus books will include: All through the night, Don’t throw that away, Supertato, Elliot Midnight Hero, Commotion in the Ocean, Somebody swallowed Stanley, Hooray for fish, The rough tough girl pirates and The bright fish.

Below is an overview of the learning focuses for this term which we will focus on during adult led activities and through supporting the children’s play.


Communication and Language

We will be encouraging the children to speak in full sentences to express themselves. Each term there will be focus texts which will allow the children to become familiar with the story and retell the story using their own words. This will also support them to increase their vocabulary and learn the meaning of new words.


Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This term the new starters will be settling into their new environment, ensuring they are aware of expectations and learning the routines within the setting. They will also be working on sharing resources and taking turns.


Those children who are more familiar with the setting will continue to develop positive relationships with their peers and to develop special friendships with other children. The children will also explore the zones of regulation, a whole school approach, through stories and during play.


Physical Development

This term there will be a continued focus on gross motor and coordination activities to strengthen the children’s shoulders and core muscles for whole body movements; this is a prerequisite to writing. They will engage in gross motor activities such as: hula hoops, climbing frame, basketball hoops, balancing on the logs and vertical painting. In addition to this the children will begin to collaborate with one another to move larger objects and engage in outdoor games such as skittles.


Children will continue to engage with finger gym activities as well as Dough Disco to support the development of their fine motor skills.


Maths

The children will work on number recognition and representing numbers in different ways, revising numbers 0 - 5. There will be a mixture of ordinal (numbers in order), cardinal (a number of objects to count or name by sight), nominal (using numbers as a name i.e. bus number).

Children will also revisit language to describe 2D and 3D shapes in the environment. They will make comparisons between the sizes of different objects and explore capacity. The children will also be encouraged to order events, developing an understanding of day and night and focussing on positional language’



Literacy

Stories are a key part of our curriculum and high quality texts will be used throughout the day to foster the children’s love of reading. Our text that we are focusing on this term are:

All through the night, Supertato, Eliot Midnight Hero, Commotion in the Ocean, Somebody swallowed Stanley, Hooray for fish, The bright fish.


Mark making opportunities will be available throughout the provision.


Messy Play

Messy play, or sensory play, is the term for any activities allowing children to work with their hands to create a controlled mess. Often involving traditionally messy ingredients such as paint, sand, slime, water, clay or mud, it is geared toward exploring feelings and imagination. Your child will have opportunities to participate in messy play on a daily basis; you will see some of these activities on the blog (and occasionally on their clothes!).


Independence

In nursery, independence will be promoted for your child and encouraged through the daily routines. These include: walking in independently; using their coat peg; self-registering; toileting; changing into wellies for the outside area; pouring water into their cups; and cleaning their cups. Please support your child by practising putting on and taking off their socks and shoes at home, as well as their coats.


Key Dates

Check the blog on a weekly basis to keep up to date with key dates this year. We do not send letters home. We will send you an email regarding any upcoming Focus Child parent meetings.


Important information:



Please ensure your child has a named set of spare clothes in nursery at all times.


All uniform, bottles and packed lunch boxes should be labelled with your child’s name.


Please can toys from home stay at home. We have lots in school and it saves toys being lost or broken.


Your child does not need to bring snacks to school. Fruit and water are available throughout the day for the children to access. The children only need to bring food to school if they are having a packed lunch.



We look forward to working with you over the upcoming term and thank you for your support. If you would like to contact a member of the nursery team via email, the address is: nursery@broadford.havering.sch.uk



Kind regards,

The Nursery Team

Nursery Learning- Week 2

Nursery Learning

Week 2- 13.01.23

Congratulations 

Congratulations to Mrs Rice and her husband on the birth of their beautiful daughter, Florence. Florence was born on 1st January. What a way to start the New Year! We wish them all the best at this special time.

New staff

As Mrs Rice enjoys her new baby bubble, we have some new faces in the nursery:

Mrs Stanley is the Assistant Head teacher, head of Early Years and Key Stage One. She will be working in Nursery on Mondays.

Miss Tynan has been with the school for 10 years and has just returned from maternity leave. She has led Nursery, Reception and Year 2. She will be working in the Nursery on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Miss Chappel has been with the school for 8 years and has also just returned from maternity leave. She has led Reception and Year One. She will be working in the Nursery on Thursdays and Fridays.

Indoor learning 

The children have been very creative this week using the marble run! They have worked on this most days, changing the course they have built and using differed size marbles to see if they could make them go faster! 

Messy play!! 

Outdoor learning 

The rain never stops the children from exploring and learning outside! This week the children have been working on creating obstacle courses. The children first began trying to make their way around the tree area, using the stumps but they found that they were too far apart. 

Mason then suggested they make their own. They used the crates and the stepping stones, first arranging them in a line, but then with some prompting, they made it into a circle so they cold continue to go round and round.

Reminders

Prompt pick up time - The children now have their lunch in the hall. Can we ask that if you are picking your child up after the morning session, that you collect them between 11:15-11:30am. After this time, they may be taken to he school office for collection.  

Wellie boots- Please ensure your child has a pair of wellie boots in school. We spend a lot of time outside, whatever the weather.

A change of clothes- Please ensure your child has a spare change of clothes (including socks and underwear) in their bag. If you have any pants/knickers or socks at home that belong to the nursery, please can you return them as we are running low. 

   

Learning Through Play in Reception

 

Learning Through Play in Reception

Take a look at some of our outdoor loose parts creations! Loose parts play develops skills across the whole curriculum. It is child-led, and helps children strengthen their independence and sense of self. It helps children observe, enquire, investigate, construct, deconstruct and engage with both others and the world around them. 

Lifting, pulling, dragging and balancing are just some of the skills that the children in Reception have been utilising in this area. These skills are all helping to build their gross motor skills. Supporting them to develop strong arms and a strong core which will in turn support their pencil grip for mark making and writing.

'I've made a see-saw, let's try it' - Tommy

'Tommy, can I go on the other side?' - Zachary 

'It works!' - Matia

Learning Through Play In Reception

 Learning Through Play In Reception

Have a look at all the things children in reception have been learning through their play this week! The Reception children have enjoyed exploring all of the resources both inside and outside their classrooms.

Marvellous, Messy Mud Kitchen

This week we have had an exciting upgrade to our outdoor area - a marvelous, messy mud kitchen! The children helped to move the mud into the containers and have enjoyed making squishy chocolate cakes, hot apple pies and creamy milkshakes! It has been lovely to see the children developing their gross motor skills digging, pouring, squashing and mixing as well their vocabulary when describing their creations.

Brilliant Block Play

1. Imagination – Through block play children are free to follow their own ideas as they embark on a voyage of discovery or share in the development of their friends’ creations.

2. Self-expression – Children are able to express themselves through their play, creations and discoveries, a form of communication that’s particularly valuable for bilingual or non-verbal children.

3. Problem-solving – Blocks offer a great platform to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills. This can be deliberate, with children consciously working to develop a solution, or as a natural consequence of play, as they learn first-hand what does and what doesn’t work.

4. Mathematics – Due to the many shapes, sizes and colours on offer, blocks offer ample opportunity for children to practise important maths skills, covering measurement, number, symmetry, balance and estimation. By comparing shapes and sizes, creating patterns or providing measuring and weighing tools, we can can extend play and exploration.

5. Physical Development – Block play promotes the development of spatial awareness and develops hand-eye coordination as children reach for, lift, move and build with blocks, strengthening their fingers, hands and arms.

6. Creativity – Blocks are loose parts, meaning children are free to combine and recombine them in countless ways. Practitioners can add alternative resources such as dough, small world characters or paint and pencils to further extend opportunities for creativity.

7. Science – Through the exploration of cause and effect and experimentation, children are able to develop their problem-solving skills, test hypotheses and practise scientific reasoning. Blocks help them to become familiar with balance, weight, spatial awareness and gravity.

8. Self-esteem – Children can take risks in their block play, helping them to discover that they have independent ideas. Children experience a sense of achievement as they ‘have a go’, creating and developing something new and unique.

9. PSED – Block play allows children to co-construct and negotiate. They take turns, share materials and cooperate with others, forging new friendships. It also encourages self-reliance, increases attention span and develops their sense of self.

10. Communication & literacy – As children encounter new experiences through block play, there are countless opportunities for discussion and the development of new vocabulary. Social interaction with adults and peers unlocks further benefits, while using blocks can support story creation and collaborative storytelling.

Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children