Forest schools and treasure hunts!

The children went to the Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park for a forest school pirate adventure! They worked very well together, finding large branches to make a den, lifting them up high ' Wow this is so heavy!' observed Sreya. Some of the children made an X spot on the floor with twigs, and other made the mark on paper which was dotted about the forest floor as a trail. 'X marks the spot!' said Robyn as they searched for the treasure.

as they children have been reading and discussing the story of Priate Pete and his smelly feet, the children decided to make their own smelly feet from card which was also hidden around to find. ' Just smell with our noses and we will find them!' said Amelia which was helpful. The children also found large red coins in the bushes 'Yay i found one!' shouted Avy very proudly. Great fun!

The babies spent a lovely time in the woodland area of the park, and picked blackberries to bring back to nursery. They were washed and then the children were able to explore the fruits. Some tasted them, and puckered their lips as they can be a little sour sometimes! they then mashed the berries with pestles and mortars, and fingers, and then used  the deep purple colour juice and pips mixture could be to paint pictures with brushes and their fingers. Some of the toddlers made fingerprints, and Zac decided to paint his legs! 

They have also been running through floaty material, which was suspended as a curtain, giggling all the time. William played peek-a-boo with his friends and Emily and Hlenhaze had great fun hiding behind it making a secret space where they had plates and cups and playfood, pretending to eat ad drink. 

Beetroot and ice cream!

As the weather as been so hot recently, the children were discussing ways to keep cool, including eating ice creams. They used ice cream cones and used shaving foam to fill them to sell in their ice cream shop. They added food colours for flavours and sold them to the staff team members ‘ 50p please ! ‘ said Amelia as she sat at the till.

They have harvested the beetroot, cutting and shredding it for afternoon tea. ‘ My hands are red !’ said Joshua. They have also picked a few raspberries which were promptly eaten, and added nasturtiums to the salad. Jonah wondered whether the beans were ready, and found out not just yet, and David was very interested in the snail he found.  ‘Snails eat the leaves!’ 

The babies and toddlers went to the park and enjoyed playing football. They kicked it as far as they could to have a chase! At one point Eve ran away with the ball to hide it from the others, and they laughed and giggled so much chasing after her! Some of the older children came over to greet them as they were in the park, and helped the toddlers find their way around.

They have colour mixed the paints on the large tray , before painting on the easel. They love to get messy as you can see! William even had a go at painting the floor! They then used cars to push through the paint and made marks on paper. Jenson was more interested at painting the whole car and did a very good job!

Pirates and plants!

The children dressed as pirates to listen to the story of Pirate Pete and his stinky feet! They chanted ‘Walk the plank! ‘. Amelia shouted ‘ Ahoy captain!’ and the others followed. They went on a treasure hunt in the nursery and garden, and used sequins as the treasure to share amongst themselves. They later made a boat using the large wooden blocks, crates and ramps and sailed the ocean far and wide.

The hot weather has meant extra attention to the plants this week. ” It’s too hot, the plants need lots and lots of water! ‘ observed Esther. The children then noticed the baby frogs in the pond nearby ‘ There are hundreds!’ said Robyn.

The babies and toddlers have been exploring plants and  fruits this week. They joined in with the older children to paint fruits as you can see, and have explored fruit soup and frozen fruit! They felt the difference between frozen and fresh fruit; very interested as the ice melted. Zach worked out that he could speed up the process by licking the ice stick as a lolly pop!

They have felt and smelt the fruit, with Henry very keen to start tasting. Zach loved to splash, and others kindly sharing. They have been busy visiteing the garden centre to explore the textures and smells of the plants and fruits there, and had such fun with the ingredients whilst making playdough. Ines sprinkled the flour in the bowl, and then all around the room!

Summer Concert!

The children put on a fantastic performance at their summer concert this week. They dressed up in the favourite outfits, and sat beautifully and waited for their parents to arrive. During the day, they were discussing what their favourite songs were. Jack said “Peter Rabbit!” They couldn’t wait for the concert to start. They were so excited they joined in jumping about, making silly fun noises and faces!

Viviane reminded everyone not to make silly faces when mummies and daddies are here! At the end, the school leavers  received a certificate and joined together to sing their graduation song. The children received a great cheer at the end and took a bow. The children were rightly very proud of the concert and so were all the staff. Everyone  celebrated afterwards with tasty food as you can see!

As this week is the last week of swimming classes, the children made the most of it! They laid together on the big float and were pulled around. They helped to move it by kicking their legs really fast, making large splashes behind them. The children also confidently jumped into the water, putting their heads underneath and were very proud of themselves. Some of the children used a woggle to help them float around the pool, swimming on their fronts and their backs. At the end they all floated into a circle and sang ‘ring a roses!’ going underneath as the song finished – great fun!

On one of their walks this week , the babies went to the park and took a picnic snack of fruit and raisins. They also brought along chalks, brushes and water to make beautiful outdoor pictures! Zac managed to increase the size of his picture by tipping his mixture onto the ground and then using his brush!

They have been exploring the magical moon sand mixture which is an interesting texture made with ingredients including cornflour sand and water. They like to prod and pull at the mix, with William not so sure as he tried to shake it off his hand to start with. The art easel is very adaptable, meaning that even our youngest babies can join in and paint with their friends. Jenson like to put his paint at the very top of his picture, in order to watch the drips it creates!