The Den:

We have had a busy week in The Den as we focus on insects! We have been exploring them in a range of ways.

Characteristics of effective learning:

While out in the garden, the children spotted a ladybird. They were very intrigued by it and looked at it closely when it was in my hand. We spoke about ladybirds and other bugs like spiders and butterflies. This prompted us to explore bugs this week as our focus!

We created a bug sensory tray with a variety of bugs, fake grass and some rice/ lentils to add a different texture. The children very excitedly came over to have a look! We labelled the different bugs in the tray like ‘spider’ ‘beetle’ ‘caterpillar’ and ‘ladybird’. The children copied the names of bugs and after time, were able to identify them when asked. We spoke about how bugs moved in different ways- like butterflies fly, crickets jump and beetles scuttle. The children were very intrigued by the new language.

To extend this more, we decided to paint with the bugs! The children selected a bug and dipped it into paint, then onto the paper. We looked at the different marks left behind by the bugs.

Finally during our daily group times, we have been reading ‘the hungry caterpillar’. The children sat well for the duration and enjoyed listening to us read the book. We were very pleased to hear some children help count the pieces of fruit in the book when prompted.

Outdoor learning:

We have been spending lots of time outdoors this week, looking at the weather changes. There has been lots of leaves on the floor which we have been brushing away. The children have become very curious of this so we found some smaller brushes and asked the children to help! They were very keen to have a turn and gave it a good go!

Parents as partners:

Next week we will be looking at the hungry caterpillar in more detail!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!