A Winter Picnic!
Nursery have enjoyed reading the story of Whatever Next over the last few weeks. To make the story come to life for the children we enjoyed our own picnic in the nursery outdoor area.
We had jam sandwiches, fruit, a biscuit and either milk or water to drink.
We used this experience as a stimulus to encourage children to mark-make (draw and write) about what they had done.
Forest School
Week 4
Morning and All Day Nursery
Today we started the session with a new game called Forest Fire. The children had to pretend to be woodland animals. They all immediately thought about being safari animals, so we had to think hard about our British woodland animals like badger, fox, squirrel, and rabbit. In the game the animals must run across the woodland over to safe space without being caught by the fire. If they do get caught, they join the fire and make a long chain. This begins to teach the children that small fires can easily become big fires and how wildlife can be impacted by that.
This week we introduced a new tool, the peeler, which we use to whittle wood. In the week the children had read the story Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, so we showed the children how to make their own stick person. We used the skill of whitling to create the head which they could later draw a face onto. The children also learned how to hold and twist pipe cleaners effectively to attach the arms, which in turn strengthens their handwriting muscles. They used wool, leaves and other natural materials to make clothes and decorate their stick person.
We closed the session by reflecting on one thing that made them happy in Forest school. This is the start of talking about their feelings. Some said that making their Stick Person made the happy whilst others told us that it was the bubbles, running or their friends. Lots of children said that “everything” made them happy which made me very happy.
Chater Outdoor Adventures
All Day and Afternoon Nursery
Week 2
The afternoon and all day Nursery children enjoyed our second outdoor adventure this week with the Nursery teachers.
We searched for, and compared, the different shaped leaves we could find in our outdoor area. We looked at the colours (red, yellow, orange, green and brown) and used words to talk about how the leaves looked and felt such as oval, round, pointy, jagged and smooth.
We then used the leaves to print onto clay. We will wait for the clay to dry then make some nice decorations to bring home. During our outdoor learning time we also enjoyed using crayons to make leaf rubbings. This is something you could try at home.
We finished off our session with a nice cup of hot chocolate to warm up!
Forest School
Week 3
Morning and All Day Nursery
This week we were exploring light and dark. We made some dens for the children to hide in and provided them with finger torches to explore with.
We
discussed the different ways people use candles to celebrate special days; for
example, we have candles to celebrate our birthdays. The children all knew
about Divas for Diwali, Jewish people light them to celebrate Hanukah and
Christians use them for Christingle in church. Sometimes we have candles to
remember someone special. We provided little electric candles and invited the
children to make their own candle holder or Diva, for someone special, using
clay. We showed them how to make patterns on them using sticks and leaf prints.
The children also had a choice of making dens for our Forest Friends. We used the mallets to put sticks into the ground, practicing the skills of carrying and passing it to each other safely. They liked making a house for Hedgehog.
In Forest School there are lots of opportunities for physical development. The children have really enjoyed exploring behind the bushes and some are getting good at climbing on, under and around the low branches. To get into our log circle the children have to climb up and down a steep slope which has been hard for some. We have noticed a big improvement in their growing confidence and coordination.
Chater Outdoor Adventures
All Day and Afternoon Nursery
Week 1
The afternoon and all day Nursery children enjoyed an outdoor adventure this week with the Nursery teachers.
The children are learning how to get ready by putting on waterproof trousers, wellie boots and a warm coat. Some children brought hats and gloves to help keep them warm.
The children learnt where we have our basecamp and enjoyed the game of hide and seek. When the adult shouts "1, 2, 3, Where are you?" they reply "1, 2, 3 Here I am!" They really enjoyed finding some good hiding spots in the trees!
The children learnt the rules "No pick, no lick" and "Be careful how you carry a stick" to help keep themselves safe.
We also enjoyed hot chocolate and singing back in basecamp at the end of the session.
