Week Ending 19th of December

What a wonderfully festive final week of term we’ve had! The children have enjoyed a range of magical activities together. ✨

Our role play area has been full of imagination and continuous play, especially at the Elf Wrapping Station, where the children wrapped presents just like Santa’s helpers. 🎁 This has been fantastic for developing creativity, communication and fine motor skills.

The Reindeer Soup has been a firm favourite again! 🦌🍲 The children explored Brussels sprouts, parsnips and carrots mixed with oats, enjoying lots of scooping, filling, emptying and transporting. This sensory activity supported both physical development and early maths language.

To further strengthen fine motor skills, the children carefully placed golf tees into Christmas trees, showing great concentration and control. 🎄👏

In Maths, the children worked with Numicon pieces 1–5, matching them to pictures in the tray that looked like little elves. This helped build number recognition and one-to-one correspondence in a fun, festive way. 🔢🧝‍♂️

We also visited Reindeer School, where the children trained to be reindeer for Father Christmas! Through climbing, balancing and jumping, they worked hard to develop their physical skills and confidence. 🏃‍♀️🦌

   

 

Week Ending 12th December

 

What a magical, festive week we’ve had in Gems Nursery as we explored our book of the week, Dear Santa! 🎅📚 

In our Finger Gym, we strengthened our fine-motor muscles by stretching elastic bands over pegs to create lots of different present shapes. The children have become brilliant at recognising and naming shapes with 4 sides, 5 sides, and even 6 sides! 🎁🔺🔷

Over in our Home Corner, things have transformed into a bustling Elves’ Wrapping Station! 🎁✨ The children have loved having a go at wrapping presents using wrapping paper and sellotape, practicing their cutting, sticking and folding skills. We also spent time comparing different sizes, chatting about which presents were the biggest and which were the smallest — fantastic early maths language and reasoning.

In Maths, we’ve had even more festive fun.
📞 The children used telephones to “call” Father Christmas, Mrs Christmas, Rudolph, and the Elves by pressing the correct numbers on the keypad. Lots of concentration — and lots of giggles!

🎁 We also counted out “presents” from Santa’s sack using beanbags. The children impressed us by being able to subitise up to 5, instantly recognising how many items there were without counting. Super number skills!

Our Big Gems enjoyed exploring toys from the past, talking about how they look, what they’re made from, and whether we still have similar toys today. This sparked some lovely conversations and curiosity about how things change over time. 🧸📻

We have also been working so hard learning our Christmas songs, and we can’t wait to perform them for you next week. The children are full of festive cheer and confidence! 🎶✨

On our discovery table, the children explored the Christmas nativity set, learning about the story of Christmas and the special people and animals who were there. 🌟🐑

Over in our tuff tray, we mixed up some very important Reindeer Soup! 🦌🍲 The reindeer need feeding ready for their big jobs on Christmas Eve, so the children explored carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and oats, using bowls and scoops to mix, pour and transport — fantastic sensory play and great motor control.

      
 

 

Week Ending 5th December

The children have been absolutely captivated by the Gingerbread Man’s exciting adventures — from running away from lots of different characters to meeting the clever fox, who pretends to help… but doesn’t help at all! The children have loved retelling the story using actions and phrases, joining in with lots of enthusiasm.

During carpet times, our Big Gems have been building their emotional literacy skills. Using a happy and sad Gingerbread Man, the children shared things that make them feel different emotions. “I’m happy when my mummy plays with me,” one child shared 😊💬

Our music and movement sessions got our hearts pumping this week! The teachers used jingle bells to create a fun rhythm game: when the bells shook loudly, the children had to run as fast as they could on the spot; when the bells were quiet, they tip-toed carefully, pretending to creep past animals. Fantastic listening and coordination! 🎶🏃‍♂️👣

We also enjoyed a fascinating science experiment. The children observed mini gingerbread men placed in milk, oil, and water, checking each day to see how they changed. They made brilliant predictions — “I think it will melt!” one child announced — and were curious and excited to see the results over the week. 🧪💧

Our Little Gems explored the story using small-world figures and learned more about farm animals, linking beautifully to the setting in the story. 🐄🐷

One of our tastiest activities was decorating our own gingerbread man biscuits! The children carefully added two buttons and enjoyed a delicious themed snack. Using the playdough, they practised their fine motor skills by rolling and shaping tiny buttons to place on their playdough gingerbread men — fantastic finger strength and creativity. 🍪✨

   

Week Ending 28th November

What a fabulous week we’ve had in Nursery exploring the story The Little Red Hen! 📚🐔

The children have absolutely loved this classic tale — joining in with the repetitive phrases and learning all about the importance of helping others. 

Our home corner turned into a bustling bakery this week! We had some very keen bakers wearing aprons and hats, ready to get baking just like in our story. The children showed wonderful imagination and teamwork as they mixed, rolled, and pretended to bake lots of delicious treats.👩‍🍳 

One of our biggest highlights was tasting lots of different types of bread! The children explored bagels, French stick, sourdough, burger buns, and hot dog rolls, using their senses to compare textures and flavours.

We also had great fun making our own bread. Kneading the dough helped develop shoulder strength and coordination, and the children were fascinated to see how the dough changed after proving. The best part, of course, was enjoying a warm bread roll for snack — delicious! 😋🥖

In the water tray, the children explored sinking and floating. Working together, they discovered that ping pong balls float in the jugs of water, while gems and stones sink to the bottom. "They are heavier," one child commented — a brilliant early science observation! 💧⚖️🧪 

Our Little Red Hen–themed obstacle course was a huge hit! Each child carried a beanbag “bag of flour” through the course to deliver it to the baker. They worked hard on balancing, core strength, and co-ordination as they navigated the course — fantastic determination all round! 💪🌟

During carpet time, we talked about the different people who help us in our daily lives. The children drew around their hands and discussed who helps them — a lovely opportunity for reflection, communication, and developing language skills. 👏💬

In maths this week, the children practised number recognition by placing the correct amount of wheat into plant pots. They were also challenged to order farm animals by size, helping develop their understanding of comparison and early measurement skills. 🔢🐄

   

 

Week Ending 21st November

his week in Gems Nursery we have been exploring the classic story Goldilocks and The Three Bears! 📖🐻

The children have truly immersed themselves in the tale. They particularly enjoyed tasting porridge during snack time—and just like in the story, it wasn’t too hot or too cold… it was “just right!” 😄🥣

We also introduced a touch-and-feel version of the story to our little gems, which the children absolutely loved. They explored the sensory elements of the book, feeling different textures as they listened, and this supported their understanding of the characters and events. Alongside this, the children enjoyed comparing objects that were small, medium, and big, just like the bears’ bowls, chairs, and beds.

In the home corner, the children have been re-enacting the story, using bowls, saucepans, and trying out different-sized chairs as they took on the roles of the three bears and Goldilocks. Their imaginative play has been wonderful to watch!

To support their fine motor development, the children used playdough to create bears of different sizes, repeating key phrases from the story as they worked. They also had lots of fun making their very own bear masks, helping bring the characters to life.

In maths, we explored size comparisons using various bowls and spoons, which led to the children creating ABAB patterns with counting bears at the maths station. Their understanding of patterns and size differences is really growing!

We have also been talking about the changing weather, discussing how to keep warm and noticing the seasonal changes in our outdoor environment. The children enjoyed sharing their ideas and spotting signs of the colder weather.

    

Week Ending 14th of November

🎵 This week, we focused on five special rhymes — Humpty Dumpty, When I Was One, I Hear Thunder, Two Little Dickie Birds, and Sing a Song of Sixpence! The children have absolutely loved learning the songs, joining in with the actions, and using musical instruments and props to bring each rhyme to life! 🥁🎤

🧱 In our Finger Gym, the children worked hard to build a wall for Humpty Dumpty to sit on. This activity helped strengthen their fine motor skills and problem-solving as they carefully stacked and balanced the bricks. 👏

🕸️ We’ve been super creative this week too — the children made their very own glitter spider webs. Over in the water tray, the children used guttering and water to help move spiders down their “webs.” They experimented with angles and flow, showing curiosity and excitement as they watched what happened✨🕷️

👶 In the home corner, baby play has been very popular! The children have been feeding, changing, and taking such wonderful care of the babies — showing lots of empathy, care, and role-play imagination. 💕🍼

🐸🦆 Our Tuff Tray featured Five Speckled Frogs and Five Little Ducks. It’s been lovely to hear the children singing, counting down from five, and recognising quantities — developing their early maths skills through play and song. 🎶🔢

🌺 We also took time this week to talk about Remembrance Day, thinking about the brave soldiers and other members of the armed forces who have kept us safe. The children learned how we remember them by wearing a poppy, and we had some lovely discussions about kindness and bravery. ❤️🌺

    

Week Ending 7th November 

🔥 This week, the children have been full of excitement exploring fireworks and Bonfire Night! We talked about the different colours, sounds, and shapes we see in the night sky and created our own firework pictures using chalk and paint. The children loved making big, bright bursts on the paper! 🎆✨

💫 We also explored mark making in glitter, using different paintbrushes to create swirls and lines — this helped to strengthen our hand grasp and fine motor control. ✋💪

🧵 Our fine motor skills were challenged even further as we threaded pipe cleaners through colanders. The children showed great concentration and perseverance as they carefully pushed and pulled the pipe cleaners through the holes. 👏

🔺 In maths, we created our very own rocket pictures using 2D shapes! The children identified squares, triangles, and rectangles, talking about their properties and how they could be used to build a rocket that was ready for take-off! 🚀📐

🍂 Over the week, we also explored the autumn treasures the children collected over half-term. Together, we sorted leaves by colour and grouped other items such as conkers, acorns, and sticks. We even learned a new word — “decompose” — as we observed how leaves change over time. 🍁🔍

📖 Our younger children enjoyed listening to the story “It Was a Dark, Cold Night”, learning about where different animals live as the weather gets colder. They loved talking about hedgehogs, mice, and owls finding safe, warm places to sleep. 🦔❄️

🎶 To finish our week, we got moving with sensory scarves, making big, sweeping arm movements to the music — helping to develop our bilateral coordination and rhythm. Such joyful dancing and smiling faces! 💃🕺
 

      

Week Ending 24th October

📖 The children have loved discovering the different animals and objects made from leaves in the "Leaf Man" story this week. They were fascinated by how simple leaves could be turned into so many exciting shapes and characters!

🌳 We took our learning outdoors onto the school field to observe the seasonal changes in autumn. The children enjoyed collecting a variety of leaves — comparing their colours, shapes, and sizes, and noticing how they’re changing as the weather gets cooler. 🍂

🌰 Inside, we explored our autumn tactile tray, filled with lots of seasonal treasures! The children used different-sized plant pots to scoop, pour, and transport items, supporting their schema learning of transporting and enveloping. 🪵🍁

🎃 We also had lots of fun exploring the inside of a pumpkin! The children helped scoop out the seeds and flesh, describing how it felt — sticky, slippery, and squashy! There was plenty of sensory excitement and curiosity as they investigated what was hidden inside. 🎃✨

🧙‍♀️ Our magical potion water tray has been a big hit this week! The children had great fun adding bats, rats, spiders, bones, and skeletons to the witches’ cauldron and giving it a big stir — lots of spooky fun and imagination! 🕷️🎃

👻 We’ve also been singing our new favourite song, “Five Little Ghosts”, with some very bubbly shaving foam fun:
“Five little ghosts all round and fat,
One slipped on a pumpkin and went SPLAT!”
There was so much giggling and excitement! 💨🎶

🍂 Our younger children have been learning a new song too — “Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down” — moving their bodies from tall to small as they danced along to the tune. Such lovely coordination and listening skills! 🎵🍃

     

Week Ending 17th October

This week, we have continued our exciting adventures with Supertato! The children have loved helping Supertato and his friends keep the supermarket safe from the mischievous Evil Pea! 🦸‍♀️🥦

💪 We started the week by attending Superhero Training! The children were challenged to show how strong, brave, fast, and safe they could be as they completed a range of fun obstacle courses in the small hall! ⚡🦸‍♂️

✂️ We’ve also been strengthening our wrists and shoulders by cutting up a variety of vegetables. The children talked about the colours, textures, and smells of each one as they chopped, snipped, and sliced!
Our fine motor skills have been hard at work too — the children loved hammering golf tees into large pumpkins, showing great concentration and control. 🎃🔨

❄️ This week, Evil Pea struck again by freezing some vegetables in blocks of ice! The children became little scientists as they explored how to set them free using warm water, tools, and their hands in the water tray. There was so much excitement and curiosity as the ice melted and the veggies were rescued! 💧🥕

🍂 We also went on a lovely autumn walk to explore the changes in our environment. The children noticed the colourful leaves, cooler weather, and crunchy sounds under their feet. They especially loved collecting leaves and throwing them up into the air — lots of laughter and joy! 🌳🍁
 

      

Week Ending 10th October

🥔 Our focus story this week has been Supertato: Veggies Assemble! The children have loved joining Supertato and his veggie friends on their adventures while learning all about healthy foods and where our vegetables come from. 🦸‍♂️🥦

🧺 During our “What’s in the Box?” carpet time, we explored a variety of fruit and vegetables — broccoli, sweetcorn, carrot, parsnip, aubergine, pepper, tomato, and potato. The children were fascinated to see what was inside when we cut them in half, discovering seeds and talking about how we could plant them in soil to grow new vegetables! 🌱

❄️ In our sensory play, we explored frozen peas using scoops, bowls, and hammers! The children investigated how the peas changed as they melted and loved experimenting with textures and temperatures.

🍎 Snack time has been a great opportunity to develop independence — the children have been cutting their own fruit and washing up their plates, bowls, cups, and spoons afterwards. They’ve been so proud of their efforts! 💧✨

🛒 In our shop role play, we’ve had fun using real vegetables and talking about weighing, heavy, light, and equal. Lots of lovely mathematical language was used during play! ⚖️

       

 

 

Week Ending 3rd October

📚 Our focus story has been The Colour Monster. We have been learning all about recognising different feelings and how we can manage them. The children really engaged with the story and enjoyed talking about which colours matched their own emotions. 🌈

🎨 Outside, the children loved chalking with lots of different colours, helping to develop their gross motor skills and bilateral movements. In playdough, they created faces using autumn treasures – a brilliant way to build finger strength while also talking about features of their face . 🍂

✨ A real highlight was decorating our own jars and sensory bottles. The children chose their colours carefully and touched upon why they had picked them – it was lovely to hear their language develop with new words and longer sentences.

🎈 On the carpet, our balloon activity was a big favourite! The children practiced blowing as a calming strategy to use when feeling frustrated, and it brought lots of giggles too.

🌈 We ended the week with a rainbow Skittles experiment, linking back to the Colour Monster when he feels all “mixed up.” The children were fascinated as the colours spread out and made their very own rainbow!

    
 

 

Week Ending 26th September

 

📚 Our focus book has been Kipper’s Toybox for our Big Gems, and we’ve also enjoyed Spot Loves Nursery as part of our All About Me topic. The children really connected with these stories, sharing their own experiences and joining in with lots of excitement during carpet time. The balloon from Mrs Bray’s Box was a particular favourite! 🎈

🧸 The children have been busy making their very own sock puppets – just like the characters in Kipper’s Toybox! They proudly used them in a puppet show, showing great imagination and creativity. We also developed our scissor skills by carefully cutting out the story characters and sticking them onto a box to retell the tale. ✂️

🚗 Vehicles have been hugely popular this week! From police cars and fire engines to tractors, diggers, and other construction vehicles, the children had a brilliant time exploring. They were creative in the sand, scooping and transporting it across the tray, and worked together to build small towers using bricks. 🧱

🍂 Our autumn tray was a hit too, with the children encouraged to use natural objects to make faces. They showed such imagination and loved exploring the textures and colours of autumn.
 

    

                                                             

Week Ending 19th September

📚 Our focus books have been Kipper’s Toybox for our Big Gems and Find Spot at Nursery as part of our All About Me topic. The children really enjoyed these stories and made lovely links to their own toys and experiences.

🧸 We began making our very own sock puppets – just like The Sock in the story! The children showed great creativity and had fun bringing their ideas to life. During carpet time, we also had some thoughtful discussions about our favourite toys, with everyone listening carefully and taking turns to share.

👂 In phonics, we continued with our listening walk around school. The children are becoming super listeners, noticing lots of different sounds in their environment.

🚗 Vehicles have been a big favourite this week! Many children enjoyed playing with a range of wheeled toys and had lots of fun on the bikes – navigating space, experimenting with speed, and practicing changing direction. We also saw some brilliant turn-taking and cooperation.

     

Week Ending 12th September

🌟 Nursery Weekly Update 12.9.2025🌟

✨ We were very excited to welcome some new friends into our class. The children have enjoyed getting to know them, and we are so proud of how kind and helpful our current children have been in making everyone feel welcome – especially when some of our new friends felt a little sad. 💛

🚴‍♀️ Outdoors, we have been busy developing our physical skills using the bikes and obstacle course. The children showed great determination and had so much fun moving in different ways!

📚 Our focus book this week has been "You Choose". We talked about the things we like, sharing our own ideas and developing our language skills.

🌾 In our sensory tray, we explored rice using scoops and bowls to fill and empty containers. The children listened carefully to the sound of the rice falling and enjoyed feeling it on their hands – a wonderful sensory experience!

😊 We also discovered hidden emotion pictures and stones, which led to some lovely conversations about different feelings and how we might express them.

👂 In phonics, we went on a listening walk around the big field. The children did a fantastic job using their ears to notice different sounds in the environment. We’ll continue this next week.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Finally, we spent time talking about families and how they can all look different, helping us to understand and celebrate diversity.