Harvest festival!
The children went to St Marys Church for the Harvest Festival, and took food along for the collection. Sienna said on the way ‘We’re going to a Food bank!’ Once there, Finlay agreed to take the food to the Altar, but stopped half way and tried to open the packet he was carrying! We explained we would be eating other food in a little while! The children sand beautifully, and really enjoyed the dancing, especially Orion who was in his very own Discotech! Afterwards the children listened intently to the story about giving thanks and Leo had his hand up first when the vicar asked for help in demonstrating to everyone there ways to say ‘Thank you’ . They made Thank you sticks using hearts and lolly sticks and tucked into a lovely snack of fruit.
The babies and toddlers have been exploring Autumn and all it’s wonders. They were fascinated by the pumpkin ( one of those collected at the farm) and had the opportunity to create their own with a variety of materials. Eve was particularly interested in the cellophane, smiling as she scrunched it in her hands, enjoying the sound as much as the texture. Joshua loved the texture of the glue, rubbing it through his hands , and dripping it onto the table and fabrics. They painted pine cones which were suspended on the easel , and Xanthe deiced it was more fun to paint the easel itself! They have been in the garden, crawling under wicker tunnels, looking - and spotting - fish in our pond, and exploring the ‘fire pit’ . Hlenhaze noticed a plane and was most excited to point to show his friends.
Pumpkins galore!
The children visited Garsons Farm this week on two visits to harvest vegetables. They went on a bumpy trailer ride up through the fields, during which the children pointed out the various fruits and vegetables. Alex asked ‘ Where are all the animals?’ which raised a smile as we explained it was a different type of farm! The trailer ride included a stop at the huge pumpkin field. Some children managed to pick them up unaided. However some were very heavy ‘ I can’t lift this pumpkin, it may fall on my shoe!’ decided Jasmin. The children used the pumpkins as stools for a rest, and then they were back on the trailer with the enormous vegetables to the other fields. Zac thought the broccoli was prickly , and Douglas picked up a cabbage and said ‘ It’s got a hole in it!’ which led to a discussion about snails and slugs! The children then had a lovely packed lunch before heading back to the nursery with their collections, which they later took home. We hope you all try pumpkin pie or soup!
The babies and toddlers have been exploring animals and natural materials this week. They went out and collected leaves and twigs as you can see to use at nursery. They had a bug hunt in a mound of leaves, and played with the farm animals in mud! Animals were placed in water, and Eve favoured the elephant, cleverly identifying it out loud with a member of staff. They discovered frozen sea life in ice, and used the water in the ray to free them. Hlenhaze laughed when the Whale squirted him, and Ines told everyone that the ice was ‘cold!’
Our new Forest school classroom !
We are very proud and excited to announce our new Forest school indoor classroom at our Tadpoles building in lovely Carlisle Park! All the children, of all ages, whether term time or all year round will be able to visit the building and take part in the activities in this unique Forest school environment indoors and of course outdoors in the park itself.
The children love to design and build their own dens and shelters using camouflage fabrics, tarpaulins, pegs twigs and logs. They may go pond dipping, whitle with vegetable peelers and hunt for bugs.
The children also love to look for footprints, make traps, bark rub, play hide and seek and monitor the weather. They can explore the undergrowth and trees in the park, and record the seasons.
They use natural materials to create unique artwork, including mobiles.
As you an see even the youngest children can benefit from this amazing environment. The children are able to explore using the senses of sight, sound, touch and hearing. They are able to find natural objects that provoke curiosity, and share their excitement with others!
We look forward to sharing their experiences with you over the coming weeks and months.
