2-3: The Discovery Hub

This week we have been thinking about farm animals throughout explorations, stories and songs.

We introduced the week with exploring with the farm animals labelling each one and creating the matching sounds. The children asked questions such as “what that?” for the animal or bird they did not know. During play the children have noticed “2 chickens” and “3 sheep” while playing, such lovely connections into mathematics.

We have explored creating enclosures for the animals using blocks, bricks and fences. The children observed the adults modelling to placing and arranging the resources to create the enclosure and they then had a go making their own. During small world play with the engaged in imaginative play as they pretended to make the animals eat and drink water. We offered materials of different colours and some of the children explored using this as “water” or “the cow food”. As we began to introduce imaginative ideas, some of the children added bridges into the play and used language such as “cow going over” and “it is under the bridge”.

Following the farm animal explorations, we created a farm with various textures to investigate. The children enjoyed exploring the farm tray and explored stamping the animals through the cereal and crushing it in their hands. We added brown gloop as mud and the children explored dipping the animals in to make them “dirty”. The children commented “clean them” and explained “water”. The children then explored cleaning the animals using water and cloths before adding them back into the tray. The children sustained great focus in this exploration and returned throughout the day.

In the studio area, the children explored using the animals to make footprints with the paint. The children followed their interest of cleaning the animals from the previous day and explored placing the “dirty” animals in the water tray to clean them.

Staffing Updates

Emma has been on training this week reflecting on Symbolic, Visual and Pragmatic Skills as we develop our literacy skills.

Parents as Partners

Our book this week has been Noisy Farm. Our Song of the week has been Old McDonald. The children have enjoyed selecting the finger puppets during the song to select an animal and create the noise.

Next week we will be continuing our interest with farm animals and engaging in storytelling as we look at the Three Little Pigs.

Have a lovely weekend!

The Nursery Team