Week Commencing 28th September 2026

The Investigation Hub at Sidney Grove

What a wonderful and busy week we have had! The children are becoming increasingly confident in their surroundings and are showing us just how many ideas they have to share. It has been lovely to see their imaginations developing as they become more involved in their play, make choices and begin to take ownership of their learning.

Active Learning

This week, we have continued developing our Plan, Do, Review approach. The children have been encouraged to think about where they would like to play, what they would like to do and what resources they might need.

Our special planning bag, filled with familiar objects, has been a great way to help the children recognise different areas of our provision and communicate their choices using words, actions and gestures.

It has been wonderful to see the children becoming more independent when sharing their ideas. Some children are now able to tell us not only where they would like to play, but also what they would like to do and which resources they might need.

These little moments are helping the children to become more confident and independent, while giving them the opportunity to have a real say in their own play and learning.

Maths

Our maths learning this week has focused on the number 3.

We have been practising recognising three objects without needing to count them – a skill known as subitising. We have also been practising counting three objects carefully, making sure we count each object once.

The children have also enjoyed exploring shapes on the light box and using them to create their own pictures. One child made a house using a triangle for the roof and a rectangle for the door. When they noticed that their first rectangle was too big, they independently chose a smaller one instead.

What a fantastic example of problem-solving and critical thinking!

We have loved encouraging the children to talk about their ideas and to have another go when something doesn’t work quite as they expected. These everyday experiences are helping the children to develop their mathematical language and confidence.

Our Key Story – Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Our focus story this week has been Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which has inspired lots of opportunities for talking, imagining and problem-solving.

The children have particularly enjoyed retelling the story using puppets, toys and story props. They have been able to remember parts of the story and join in with familiar repeated phrases. It has been lovely to see their confidence growing as they use language from a story they know well.

We have also had lots of fun making our own porridge!

The children carefully added the porridge oats and milk before mixing everything together. We talked about the changes we could see as we mixed and introduced lots of new words along the way.

To continue our focus on the number three, we explored three different flavours – jam, marmalade and honey. The children enjoyed tasting each one and sharing their opinions about which flavours they liked best.

Communication and Language

There have been lots of opportunities for the children to develop their communication and language skills this week.

During Plan, Do, Review, children have been encouraged to communicate their choices in whatever way is most meaningful to them. We have valued their words, gestures, actions and responses, making sure that every child has opportunities to share their ideas and have their voice heard.

Our work with Goldilocks and the Three Bears has also given us lots of opportunities to develop vocabulary, listen carefully and join in with familiar phrases. The puppets and props have been particularly popular and have encouraged the children to retell parts of the story in their own way.

During our cooking activity, we introduced and reinforced words such as oats, milk, mix, flavour, jam, marmalade and honey. We encouraged the children to talk about what they could see, smell and taste, as well as sharing their own preferences.

Parents as Partners

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Our story of the week has linked beautifully with our learning about the number 3, while also giving us lots of opportunities to develop the children’s listening, attention, vocabulary and storytelling skills.

Why not enjoy reading the story together at home and encourage your child to join in with the repeated phrases?

You could also ask questions such as:

◦ What happened next?

◦ Who does this belong to?

◦ Can you find three?

◦ Which porridge would you choose?

◦ How do you think Goldilocks felt?

Talking about the pictures, remembering what happened and predicting what might happen next are all lovely ways to support your child’s language and communication skills.

Maths at Home

You can continue our focus on 3 through everyday play.

Why not look for groups of three around your home, count three objects together or play a simple game of “Can you find me three?”

You could also look for different shapes when you are out and about. Windows, doors, road signs and buildings can all provide opportunities to spot shapes and talk about what you can see.

Thank you, as always, for continuing to work in partnership with us and supporting your children’s learning at home.

We look forward to another week of exploring, playing and learning together in our Investigation Hub!