This term the Caterpillars have immersed themselves in the imaginative world of Fairy Tales, starting with Jack and the Beanstalk. We became very good at remembering ‘Fee Fi Fo Fum’ and using our story stones and props to re-tell the story. We planted some ‘magic’ beans and discussed what they need to help them grow. Luckily they all sprouted healthy shoots, at which point we handed them over to mummies and daddies to nurture.

To celebrate Chinese New Year we used our developing scissor skills to snip lanterns and enjoyed some delicious Chinese food.

We continued the term by exploring The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man and Goldilocks, all of which led to lots of opportunities for counting, looking at size and imaginative role play  when re-telling the stories, promoting social interactions and new vocabulary along the way.

We worked together cooperatively to build the Three Little Pigs’ Houses from sticks, straw and painted bricks, followed by some construction in the woods where we built houses for the pigs; the children re-enacted the story so beautifully – it was a lovely experience.

This term, our topic in Butterflies has been Fairy Tales. The children have enjoyed having lots of hands on experiences, exploring our chosen stories with all of their senses. Their knowledge of this key form of literature has developed widely, the topic providing the opportunity to develop their skills in all areas of learning. 

During the first week, they rose to the challenge of making their own gingerbread play dough. There was lots of enthusiasm to explore the ingredients, and fascination in seeing how they changed forms as we worked our way through the instructions.  

Seeing how keen the children were to work with ingredients in this way, we have set Fridays as our official ‘Bake Off’ day. This term the children have successfully made gingerbread, flapjack, cheese and bean melts and pea pastry pinwheels. Mrs Spencer and Mrs Gayle in the school kitchen have been very impressed with how the children’s bakes have turned out. Baking provides a wealth of learning opportunities and the children have settled into our new routine well. We would love to hear all about any baking the children have been involved in at home. 

Another firm favourite activity this term has been our collaborative art projects. The children have fully embraced the creative process and are working on sharing their ideas with one another for how to achieve a joint outcome. They have made a giant gingerbread man, a sweetie house and a castle, all of which have been proudly displayed in our classroom. 

In Forest School, the children have worked really hard at a range of tasks, from building a bridge (keeping a look out for the troll), creating a giant dragon to celebrate Luna New Year, and making a new home for Eeyore. They have shown their growing resilience by embracing the season, and bringing their enthusiasm for nature even on the coldest and rainiest of days. 

We all enjoyed welcoming our special adults into Nursery for the stay and play session this term and we look forward to sharing more of what we get up to with families at the next one.