Pizza!

The children have been very busy making and delivering pizzas. They wrote down orders, and took them to the mud kitchen where the chefs were hard at work. ‘Let’s deliver the pizzas on our bikes!’ suggested Darcey, and so the children made homes with blocks and waited patiently for their delivery. ‘Wow, we have built a town!’ said Zac.

They had a special trip to Piazza Firenze, the Italian restaurant nearby where they were able to make their own pizzas. ‘The olives like like deer poo!’ observed Elara which raised a few smiles. The restaurant staff were so kind and welcoming, and even showed the children how to toss the dough into shape! Matilda recognised the Italian flag saying ‘Look, Italy! My Nonna lives in Italy!’. The children were able to bring back their pizzas to the nursery which were shared with their friends. A fabulous time was had by all and a huge thank you to the lovely restaurant staff. The children are making a thank you card and gingerbread to take early next week.

The babies have been up their elbows in paper this week as you can see. We added soap for a sensory touch , and the toddlers and babies shrieked with delight when they found hidden objects. Emily found some keys saying ‘Oh, wow!’, and Thomas said ‘uh-oh!’ as he knocked the shredded paper over the edge onto the floor. Freddie looked quite shocked at the floor which was becoming a sea of paper. Later on we added cooked spaghetti and vegetables to find and feel the various textures. Joshua found a carrot and took it to the painting table to make marks with it , and Hlenhaxze enjoyed pulling the sticky mixture apart.

Magic!

The children have been mixing, weighing and measuring to make magic potions. They wrote recipes on the floor using magic chalk. ‘I think the witches won’t be able to read our magic recipe’ said Joshua as it was a busy message. Amelia chose parsley and sugar for the unicorns, and Douglas decided they need to mix it up with lots of mountain water. They also used leaves sticks soil and small stones to mix further potions, which were transported all around the garden. They wanted to cross a bridge, but before they did decided they needed wellies. ‘ Be careful not to spill any’ said Sienna as they went along the way. When they had finished they were very careful to match up the wellies in the correct pairs in very neat lines. ‘Well done!’ encouraged Isla to her friends.

The babies have been exploring a variety of materials this week in their new sensory tray. They explored soil , feeling the fine grain texture between their fingers , with William shaking it off to lots of giggles! They have also played with sand and leaves, , looking for hidden treasure. ‘Wow!’ said Emily when she discovered a silver egg cup, and was then very keen to do some more with Thomas helping. They later cleaned up with a tray full of water using cups , with Xanthe missing the tray and spilling the water all over the floor with a very concerned expression indeed. This was until Ines laughed and said ‘Uh-oh’ pointing at the puddle on the floor. Another time they had great fun examining the iced animals which where floating in the water. James and Millie tried very hard to free them by pulling at the animals and rubbing the ice, and were very happy when they succeeded as the ice melted.

Bushy Park Adventures

The children went on an adventure to Bushy Park, and took camping materials with them. They discussed beforehand what things they would need to take ‘ We need a tent to sleep in’ decided Joshua, and Faith said ‘ A campfire to cook our food!’. The decided that squirrels, deer and rabbits might join them ‘ I hope there are no bears to get us!’ exclaimed Theo ‘ No bears!’ giggled Magnus. They were so relieved there were no bears in the park! They climbed grassy mounds (‘Hills’ said Zac), and huge trunks of old fallen trees and logs which were a great opportunity to practice their climbing and balancing skills. They decided one trunk was a train and took a ride to the beach. They made a fabulous den to hide in and made up stories including retelling the Bear Hunt story.

The babies and toddlers have been exploring the park as you can see. They love to climb over tree trunks and logs and very interested in the texture of the bark. They then had a run about on the grass playing football. Eddie was very enthusiastic and chased the ball around all over shouting ‘Wheee!’ and his name when it was his turn to kick the ball.

Inside nursery the little ones used the baby gym to continue climbing and crawling. Thomas was very determined on climbing the stairs and go down the slide with some help, having the giggles and saying ‘ Uh-oh!’. They then practiced their fine motor skills , sorting shapes in boxes, and building towers with sensory tubes. James and Joshua came yup with a great games of one building it up and the other knocking it down!

Dragon dance!

The children celebrated Chinese New year and used brightly coloured streamers and lanterns to decorate the nursery inside and also out in the garden. They also made their own lanterns ‘ Let’s put them in the trees’ said Faith ‘ Yes to make it pretty’ replied Clara. ‘The birds will love this’ said Darcey as they hung them up outside.

They glued and painted a large boat ‘It’s a dragon boat!’ announced Damon. Let’s make dragons!’ suggested Zac, and so the children selected various resources including large boxes to make beautiful dragon masks as you can see. They danced the Dragon dance to Chinese music ‘ Move the dragons up and down!’ shouted Elara as she danced.

They children were able to taste and sample delicious Chinese foods. They decorated tables and pretended it was a Chinese restaurant, and ate home made stir fry, spring rolls and egg fried rice. Kung Hei Fat Choi! 恭喜发财 (Congratulations and be prosperous) to you all!

The babies and toddlers also celebrated the Year of The Pig. The little ones began by mark making with pens paints and hands onto paper and formed them into lovely lanterns, and also made pigs. They decided to tear the different paper and card into different sizes to use a decoration, and stuck these onto various shaped and sized materials.Joshua said ‘Oh dear!’ and covered his mouth with his hand during the tearing activity and James just laughed.

They also had the opportunity to taste and snack on Chinese food and Xanthe ate all her vegetables and noodles and wanted more! However Ines said ‘Yuk!’ after sampling the spring rolls. Emily loved the Chinese music which was playing over the meal and swayed in time to it, later dancing to it after the meal.

The new baby gym has proved very successful and popular. Thomas loved the slide in particular saying ‘Wheee!’ as he came down, and Hlenhaze was very interested in the ship’s wheel up on the platform.

Icy science!

The children have been observing the weather and exploring ice. Outside in the garden they noticed ice on plants and structures, and that as the morning progressed the sun melted some of it. Matilda noticed ‘The ice is still here. That’s because the sun didn’t melt it!’ Douglas said ‘ You get ice in orange juice and water!’ They had a game of finding and recording where the ice was - on buckets, fences and even the pond. Afterwards they made beautiful ice eggs and put dinosaurs inside , and the following day placed them in a special dinosaur nest of straw ‘ To keep them warm!’ said Darcey.

They took part in a science experiment and gave various suggestions on how the ice could be melted. ‘ We could put a hat on it!’ said Joshua . Elara observed the ice was begging to crack and said ‘It snaps like a bread stick!

The children have planted some garlic and Iris bulbs into pots inside, as they realized the ground was far too icy and hard at this time of year. Some of the flowers are already begging to appear!

The babies and toddlers have had an exciting week full of dance, movement and being creative. They love to explore the Hideaway tunnel. Ines smiled as she hurried in and out, saying ‘Boo!’ to James as she passed. Emily and Freddie gazed and waved the floaty materials all around the room. They laughed as they hid under their fabric; Hlenhaze laughed as Xanthe hid under hers and suddenly pulled it off to surprise him.

The little ones explored each of the ingredients before mixing them all together to make playdough. Eddie particularly liked the soft texture of the flour, spreading it all over the table , then poured more into the bowl. Meanwhile Freddie was more interested in adding the flour and salt to his hair! Once the dough was ready, the children spent a long time feeling the texture, and enjoying the warmth !