The Den: 

We have had a busy week celebrating nursery rhyme week! The children have participated in a range of activities based around their favourite rhymes. 

We created a ‘old McDonald’ sensory farm which the children really enjoyed! We added Weetabix, tissue paper and water so the children could experiment with different textures and colours. They really enjoyed this and we saw some wonderful imaginative play as the children ‘fed’ the animals with tissue paper and ‘washed’ them in the water. The children were able to identify many of the animals and their sounds. 

We also made a ‘incy-wincy spider’ tray with coloured rice, fake spiders and water spout made from a recycled paper towel roll. The children were so engrossed throughout this activity and enjoyed the sensory exploration of the rice. We also added some metal bowls so they could fill and empty the rice. We heard lots of children begin to narrate their play, speaking “scoop…pour” as they filled the bowl with rice. It also made an interesting sound when the rice was poured on the metal which the children loved! They also enjoyed playing with the spiders and putting them in the ‘water spout!’

Understanding the world:

We have recently bought some quadruple buggies so we decided to take the children on a walk to the big garden. They had lots of fun on this new venture and looked curiously at the new environment around them. We spoke about all the things we could see like big trees, leaves and birds. The children looked at some leaves in their hands and we spoke about the difference in colour, size and texture. 

To celebrate children in need, they made some yellow play-dough. We added some colourful Pom-poms to represent the spots on Pudsey’s eye patch. The children followed instructions and poured (most!) of the ingredients in the bowl and mixed it well. They enjoyed exploring the texture of the dough and using rolling pins and cutters to explore it further. 

Staffing updates:

On a Thursday and Friday, we will be joined by Laura to support the children in The Nest/ Den, we are thrilled to have her join the team!

Parents as partners:

Reminder we have a stay-and-play session 27th November. Please use the sign-up sheet on the door if you are able to come with your child so we know how many people to expect.