Amazing Spring 2024 -newsletter 42

Spring 2024

We have returned refreshed for the spring 2024 term after a restful Christmas break and the children have been eager to share their festive adventures. Our focus for the first few weeks has been the Arctic. The children have delved into the fascinating world of Arctic animals, learning to identify various species during our welcome sessions.

We immersed ourselves in informative books and even enjoyed a short video titled “A Walk in the Arctic.” When the weather permitted, we conducted a fun experiment: placing plastic animals in pots of water overnight to observe how the water froze. The following day, the children eagerly explored ways to rescue the animals from the ice. In our knowledge and understanding area, we created a miniature Arctic habitat complete with snow and ice for the children to explore.

 

During our cooking activity, we whipped up some delicious hummus, which the children enjoyed during snack time. Miss Paula even brought in her food processor to demonstrate how chickpeas are mashed to make hummus.

Our next theme centred around Garden Birds, coinciding with the National Big Garden Bird Watch. The children became adept at identifying different bird species that visited our nursery garden, from robins, blue tits and blackbirds to even spotting a pheasant in the car park. During circle time, they enthusiastically shared pictures of their favourite birds with their friends. In the knowledge and understanding area, we set up a bird watching station equipped with real binoculars for the children to observe the garden birds. Crafting colourful birds and binoculars added to the excitement.

 

After half term, we embarked on learning about Chinese New Year. The children discovered simple facts about Chinese culture and relished the chance to enjoy noodles using chopsticks during snack time. Lantern-making and crafting colourful dragons immersed them in the festive spirit. We watched a video about Chinese New Year celebrations and danced to a lively dragon song with swirling coloured scarves.

We then introduced the concept of opposites, engaging the children with pictures and games to reinforce understanding. Stretching exercises focused on opposites such as up and down, in and out, fast and slow, tall and small, weak and strong.

We also had the opportunity to go for a meadow walk at Fawley Farm during sunny spells! We saw a horse and enjoyed walking in the already tall growing grass. We are all weather though and the children for sure enjoyed playing outside in “muddy” puddles.

As Mother’s Day approached, we celebrated the importance of families and the special role of mothers. The children shared heartwarming stories about their mums during circle time and learned a special song to sing at home. Crafting special cards and flowers added a personal touch, while experimenting with melting chocolate to create heart-shaped treats added a sprinkle of fun.

For spring 2024 World Book Day, we indulged in our favourite stories and delighted in seeing some children dressed as their beloved book characters. Designing their own books in the craft area sparked creativity. Reading “Goldilocks and The Three Bears” led to making porridge during snack time, introducing the concept of small, medium, and large for further exploration.

As spring 2024 arrived, we embraced the season with daffodil-themed activities. Exploring daffodil pictures in the craft area and watching a video about spring during Welcome Time infused us with the spirit of the season. We even got our fingers dirty and did some planting. The children concluded the theme by baking chocolate cakes and decorating bunny cards.

 

Wishing you all a restful Spring 2024 break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to nursery on Monday, April 15th.

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