During the month of August, the children have been busy in the nature garden looking at the story The Tiny Seed. The children have then planted their own seeds in the garden and have been watching their sunflowers and tomatoes grow. Many nature pictures have been created and seeds have been used to make transient art. As the weather has been good, garden time has been enjoyed exploring how things grow and supporting adults to de-weed the garden areas.
We have said a fond farewell to our Pre-School children and parents as the children have left Blackberries to go to start their next exciting adventure at school. We were lucky enough to have so many parents come and see their children celebrate their last days during our graduation parties and we thank them for their continued support to the settings.
Understanding the World
Plant seeds and care for growing plants
Communication and Language
Use longer sentences of four to six words
Literacy
Enjoys sharing books with an adult
Expressive Arts and Design
Start to make marks intentionally
Baby Unit
Our babies have been following the topic of summer and the garden. They have been going on trips round the local environment to look out for insects and flowers. The children have been looking at a variety of insects such as bees and butterflies and looking at the colours that we can see within the environment. Summer colours have been explored as well as sand and water play. Mark making has taken place using flowers and then exploring the different parts of the plants.
We have also been exploring a range of different textures and sensory experiences based on the topic ‘Let’s go on holiday’. The babies have also been exploring different modes of transport they could use to travel. They especially enjoyed splashing the boats in the water, playing ‘ready, steady, go’ with the cars and learning new words throughout their play experiences.
While in the garden they have enjoyed practising climbing up the wooden climbing wall and have been supported to jump down off the lower step.
Physical Development
Gradually gain control of their whole body through continual practice of large movements, such as waving, kicking, rolling, crawling and walking
Communication and Language
Copy your gestures and words.
Personal, Social and Emotional
Express preferences and decisions
Toddler Unit
Our Toddlers have continued with their theme of summer, diving a little deeper into their holidays and going to the seaside. They explored what they might have seen at the seaside and what animals they would find.
Toddlers have enjoyed making upcycled boats using them to sink and float on the water which has helped to support their development of simple propositions and mathematical language as well as enabling the Toddlers to vocabulary when communicating with peers and adults alike.
The children have also enjoyed spending time outdoors exploring the forest and looking at different flowers and the changing colours of the leaves.
One of the favourite activities this month has been our music and movement sessions, where the children have been able to move in a variety of different ways and this has supported their listening and attention skills.
Physical Development
Explore different materials and tools
Literacy
Enjoys sharing books with an adult
Personal, Social and Emotional
Develop friendships with other children
Communication and Language
Identify familiar objects and properties for practitioners when they are described
Understanding the World
Talk about what they see, using a wide vocabulary
Pre-School Unit
Our Pre-School children have explored the topic all things summer and the world cup. The children have loved getting active with their physical activities and learning all about football, as well as dressing up in their favourite football kits and taking part in football yoga.
Many discussions have taken place about family holidays, discussing what modes of transport they used and where they had visited. The preschoolers have made upcycled trains and cars and decorated them using various types of creative resources. New mathematical terminology has been learnt as paper planes were created and then were taken outside to practise flying.
A favourite story this month was ‘The space train’ and the children were excited to listen to the full story and see how it ended. This then led to them extending their learning and making a space train of their own using the loose parts in the outdoor construction area.
Expressive Arts and Design
Join different materials together and explore textures
Literacy
Engage in extended conversations about stories, learning new vocabulary
Mathematics
Talk about and explore 2D and 3D shapes using informal and mathematical language
Personal, Social and Emotional
Develop their sense of responsibility and membership of the community
