Week commencing 1st December 2025

The Investigation Hub at Sidney Grove

Characteristics of Effective Learning -Creative and Critical Thinking

This week we observed some mathematical thinking during tidy time. Two friends were trying to tidy away their blocks and struggling to fit them in to the allocated space. One of the children used some mathematical language to explain his thinking…the big number blocks are the biggest so we need to do them first. This is the longest… there are so many massive ones! He started to realise that the blocks did not fit so an adult asked him to remove them all and look at the templates. On our blocks templates we often include the shape of the block and the number of blocks which can be placed there on top. The child then realised that he needed four and then four more. He counted both sets of four on accurately and the adult took the opportunity to explain that when we have two sets of four the total number is eight. The child then counted each block carefully and was happy to discover that there were indeed eight blocks!

Parents as Partners

This week we shared our core text ‘One Snowy Night’ and used this text to practise some careful counting of the animals into Percy’s hut using ‘snow’ to create a sensory element to the activity. In forest school the children helped to build shelters for the animals using branches and other natural materials.

We have continued to practise our Christmas songs and you will find attached a copy if you’d like to sing together at home. On Thursday we had a visit from Joanne from the Library Service. Joanne shared some festive stories with the children and brought some special book packs for the children to take home. It was lovely to hear the children sharing their own experiences of visiting the library with their grown-ups.

Transition Visits

It has been wonderful to see our friends from the Rising Three Provision visiting us in the Investigation Hub as part of our planned transition programme. The children have been so excited to access wider provision opportunities and wasted no time in accessing some wonderful play during their visits. The children in the Rising Three section are already familiar with the Investigation Hub wider team alongside the environment which will all help to ease their move across to new groups in January!

Just a reminder of our festive events in the last two weeks of term:

Christmas Jumper Day and/or Christmas Lunch Wednesday 10th December

Please feel free to come in a Christmas jumper/top/outfit on this day. For children who normally stay for lunch we will have Christmas lunch on this day.

The Clumsiest Elf Play Monday 15th December

Children from the Investigation Hub will enjoy this fun, Christmas themed performance for 45 minutes, within the Nursery session supported by staff.

Christmas Party- Tuesday 16th December 9-12

If your child usually attends the afternoon session they are welcome to attend the morning session 9-12 instead. Please notify your key person to arrange this prior to Tuesday.

Singalong: Wednesday 17th December

Morning: 11am

Afternoon:2.30pm

Movie Day Friday 19th December

Feel free to attend in regular clothes, Christmas jumpers or PJs and we will enjoy some Christmas movies together!