Nursery

Remote Learning

Please see each week for suggested activities that you and your child can do whilst at home.

Spring 1

World Book Day 

4th March 2021

As part of our world book day celebrations we looked at our favourite bedtime story in the Nursery The Gruffalo.

We all came to school on Thursday in our pyjamas to set the scene for our bedtime story and did lots of Gruffalo themed activities such as making Gruffalo hats and even going on a Gruffalo Hunt in the garden!

Fine Motor Fridays

Dough Disco!

Dough disco involves moulding dough in time to music and performing different actions such as rolling it into a ball, flattening it, putting each individual finger into the dough, rolling it into a sausage and squeezing it. This activity helps to strengthen children's fine motor muscles to enable them to develop their pencil grip which in turn will help to develop their writing skills. But most of all it's fun! 

'Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle' and 'Get Squiggling'

'Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle' uses dance and large movements to help children develop the fine muscle control they need for writing.  They will learn a new gross motor movement to a piece of music. They will dance using this movement and use it to make marks on big paper. Each week we learn a new movement that will correlate with the Squiggle needed in that week's episode of 'Get Squiggling'.

Autumn 2

Christmas has arrived at the Nursery

The Nursery worked in groups to write our letters to Santa! We have worked very hard to learn three Christmas Carols which you will be able to see on a video link soon!

Have a look at the beautiful Christmas things we have been creating and working on in the run-up to the Christmas holidays!

See what we've been doing...

Yoga Time

As part of our Friday afternoon timetable, the Nursery have been practising yoga using "Cosmic Kids". This is a fun way of learning new asanas (poses) through storytelling and provides lots of benefits for both a child's physical development and their mental wellbeing.

Researchers believe that yoga asanas are good for children as it helps children to be calmer, more able to concentrate or focus, and promotes better breathing and relaxation to restore body. This in turn helps towards better preparation for school and beyond.
Yoga also builds confidence and self-esteem, because children learn from playing and experimenting. Through the yoga stories Nursery explore it also promotes creativity and imagination.

Alongside all this they really enjoy it too!

Rememberance Day

On 11.11.20 Nursery held a 2 minute's silence to honour the men, women and animals who have served and continue to serve to protect us.

We explored the topic briefly through the 2014 BBC film "Poppies". A beautiful and evocative animation that sees war as experienced by animals in a WWI battlefield. It is a short hand-drawn animation which is broadcast on the BBC's children's channels, CBBC and CBeebies, to mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day. 

The film sees World War I as experienced by a group of animals living in a battlefield. As their peaceful wildflower meadow is interrupted by the outbreak of war, a rabbit, bird and snail take shelter underneath a Brodie helmet. At the end of the conflict, a single poppy blooms in the battlefield and is soon joined by hundreds more. The battlefield returns to meadow, and the rabbit and family gather together in peace.

The development of the film was instigated by a letter from a viewer to the BBC scheduling department which generated an internal discussion about how to mark Remembrance week in an age-appropriate way, while introducing the concepts of the poppy and what it symbolises.

Autumn 1 

As part of our topic we have been making porridge for Baby Bear using different sized bowls and spoons, making a new bed for Goldilocks and creating our own images of bears using paints, crayons, pastels and collage materials.

This week (12/10) we have been looking at Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt and have created our own bear hunt using the small world, moved around like bears to Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 and recreated the story through yoga.

Finger Gym

What is Finger Gym?

A Finger Gym is an activity form designed to work out the smaller muscles and fine motor skills in the way that a Gym exercises the larger muscles and gross motor skills.

Incorporating elements of Communication & Language, Literacy and pencil control, Finger Gym activities can help with developing the smaller hand muscles, alongside vital skills like hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and supporting further topics through the potential writing, drawing and colouring involved.

Exploring Autumn

Over the term Nursery have been exploring the garden each week and looking for seasonal changes and the signs of Autumn. One afternoon we all went on a treasure hunt. With a partner we filled our treasure chest with lots of autumnal things. We found crunchy leaves, dandelions, seeds and ever rose hips!

As part of our exploration of Autumn, Nursery have also been creating their own pictures of pumpkins using pastels and chalk. Alongside this we have been moving to music imagining we are trees blowing in the breeze and leaves fluttering to the ground before creating wind to propel leaves into the air.

nursery@twinsailsinfant.co.uk 

Activities and Resources to Support Remote Learning

Make your own playdough at home! 

Playdough is a great resource for fine motor development. Manipulating playdough helps strengthen hand muscles and develop control over the fingers. 

4 minute playdough recipe 

• Add 2 cups of plain flour to a large bowl.
• Next add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
• Then add half a cup of salt.
• Next add 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar (this might be tricky to find, the recipe will work without it, just keep the playdough in the fridge to keep it fresh.) 
• Give all the ingredients a big mix! 
• This step must be done by the adult! Add 1-1.5 cups of boiling water. When cooler the child can continue mixing. 
• Add your chosen food colouring if available. 

What will you make with your playdough? 

Challenge...Can you make your face? Or your favourite food or animal? Or shape the dough to make the letters of your name?

Join in with some dough disco moves!! Click link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrBsNhwxzgc