Week commencing Monday 16th June

The Investigation Hub at Sidney Grove

Characteristics of Effective Learning

This week, some of the children found a pipe in the gazebo, commenting that it was broken and needed “construction work”. They then went to find lots of loose parts to make a construction site. They used the blue mat to represent water (leaking from the burst water pipe) and thought about how they could be safe in the water, first climbing on the ladders and then using a boat to “float away” Finally, the boat sank and they had to be rescued by a Police Boat! This is a lovely example of how children use objects to support their imaginative play in an open-ended manner!

Parents as Partners

We have started a mini-topic on caterpillars and butterflies. Through sharing the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and singing our rhyme the children are beginning to understand the life cycle of butterflies. We explored symmetry using paint to make prints for butterflies and using loose parts to place onto the wings making them the same on both sides. The children also used playdough to create butterflies and caterpillars in detail!

On Monday the children took part in a yoga session with Fay. They followed along with music and this week had an additional focus task of balancing along the beam. Lots of concentration and coordination were needed to complete the task without stepping off! The children always enjoy the end of the session when they have fun with bubbles floating all around them!

This week we had visits from Reception Class Teachers to see children leaving us to begin school. It was lovely to see those first meetings take place and to share wonderful transition information about the children with their teachers. We look forward to welcoming more teachers next week.

Outdoors Learning

This week, the children have continued to demonstrate a strong interest in the natural world around them. They have been using magnifying glasses to closely observe plants, flowers, and insects, showing great curiosity and wonder. As they explored, they engaged in thoughtful conversations, comparing similarities and differences — developing both their observational skills and their ability to describe and discuss what they see.

On Thursday, we heard a very noisy alarm sounding in the distance and this in itself prompted some amazing discussion about what was happening:

‘I think it’s bad guys… it’s a bad guy alarm!’

‘It might be the fire engines!’

‘I think it’s for a fire.. they have to go out!’

The children were fascinated and discussed this alarm for some time!

Next week we will continue to explore our mini-topic of caterpillars and butterflies. We hope you all have a lovely weekend!