Mother's Day Tea Party!

This week the toddlers got to experience a very special event where their mummies were invited into nursery for a Mothers Day afternoon tea. When the toddlers noticed their mummies coming into the toddler room their faces lit up with surprise and they were so exicted to have them join in. Alastair quickly took his mummy’s hand and took her round the toddler room and showed her all his favourite toys. Isaac showed his mummy all the jungle animals both inside and outside while Florence enjoyed eating pizza and tasty sandwiches. 

To finish off the toddlers fairytale month the toddlers explored the story of Cinderella. Rowan and Max enjoyed making crowns to wear to the ball by adding lots of sparkly jewels and sequins. Sadie and Sophie popped on the Cinderella and Belle dress up costumes and danced the afternoon away at the ball. Rafferty and Chloe held hands and slow danced to the ‘I love you’ song and finished with blowing each other a kiss. 

Outside, the toddlers have been on a mouse hunt using the binoculars and ladybird magnifying glasses to try and find where the mice have been hiding. Ada tried to speak like a mouse to try and find them by closing one eye, scrunching up her nose and making a high pitch squeak. Tommy and Chloe tried searching for the mice in the sandpit using the spades to dig deep in hope to find some hiding. 

Out in the garden the under two’s enjoyed playing with the water tray. They added some Pom Poms to it and were very interested. Amélie and Youcef were the first to put her hands in beginning to  splash, making the Pom Poms move around. This made Amélie squeal and laugh, and as soon the others noticed what fun it was, Sophie, Kitty and Amélie were splashing about and having such fun that they got the staff all wet! Otto enjoyed squeezing the Pom Poms watching the water come out and fall through his fingers. Sebastian was exploring and trying to fill the watering can with water and empty it everywhere.

Inside, they were getting messy with the foam, and at first Esmé and Margot were a little unsure but soon could see the fun that was being had by Luciano and Sophie, as they were lifting up the foam into the air and watching it fall. Sophie began to squeeze the foam through her fingers and laughed as it went on her head and nose. Esmé was watching and soon started to join in squeezing foam, and some landed on their arms which prompted Kitty to rub it in and laugh. Margot then picked up the foam and began to rub it across a staff member’s arm smiling at Kitty as she did it. 

Our Mother’s Day afternoon tea was a huge success with so many mummies being able to join us. Otto was very excited to show his mummy around the garden and barely stopped for some cake! Youcef, Freddie and Sebastian got stuck into the mud kitchen, making some mud pies of their own and sharing them with their friends and parents. Kitty and Margot loved mark making at the table in the garden showing their mummies how to use the paint dabbers making some lovely pictures on paper plates to take home. Ceci and Otto enjoyed a lovely picnic on the blanket, after showing their parents the big tree house.

Caterpillars!

The pre school children have been very excited about the arrival of our caterpillars and have been waiting very patiently for the caterpillars to form a cocoon. Connie told her friends, “I think it’s just like the very hungry caterpillar, maybe we need to feed them some chocolate cake too so they can grow”. Vivienne laughed and said, “Noooo! Caterpillars can’t really eat chocolate cake, it will make them feel poorly”. Seeing that some of the caterpillars have started to hang from their lid, just before the process of the cocoon happening, Ethan called Salvador over and very excitedly told him, “Quick, it’s going to be a butterfly very soon”.

The children have been learning about life cycles of frogs as well as butterflies. During tea time, Joshua told Rowan, “You know what I remember about the frog? First it’s an egg and then it’s a tadpole and then it’s a frog”. Rowan said, “Well done, I know that too, and the back legs come before the front legs”. Ezmie added, “But who remembers what happens to the tail? That’s a very tricky question?” Henry and Jasper both called out, “I know” and Henry told the children, “The tail disappears back inside it’s own body, it’s very clever”.

The children have observed that some of the the flowers on the trees in our garden have started to blossom. Emma and Jessica called Isabelle and Eloise over to the trees at the back of the garden and announced, “The trees look so pretty, they have started to grow some flowers”. The children then found some magnifying glasses and were going around the garden, looking at the buds they thought were going to grow next. Vivienne said, “I think this one is going to have some lovely pink flowers”. The children went on to draw their very own flower pictures and were comparing the colours that they thought were going to grow into.

World book day!

This week in the under twos room the children have been playing with lots of textures.  Sophie and Otto enjoyed exploring the mash potato using the kitchen utensils, Esmé was a little unsure of it at first, but soon became absorbed in scooping up the mash with her hands and squeezing it in her fingers, and soon giggled and smiled. Otto placed some in a metal colander and mixed it with a spoon, occasionally having a little taste, he looked very proud at the meal he had created when he put it on a plate!

The children have had lots fun in the garden exploring bubbles. Youcef and Sebastian were captivated as big bubbles were blown on the wand, clapping and watching closely as they grew and sometimes popped. Amélie pointed and laughed as they blew into the wind and she tried to keep up with them. Sophie was on the bridge watching and when one landed in front of her, she looked confused as it popped and disappeared.

During a walk around the grounds, the children got very excited to see a tractor at the side of the field, Sophie and Margot were pointing towards it and Amelie said “Tractor tractor!” 

As they continued to walk across the bridge they saw some ducks on the river, and Freddie, Amelie, Sebastian and Kitty did a great job of feeding them, tearing up small pieces of bread and throwing them through the railings to the water below. 

Back on the field, the children loved running around, and watching the tractor. Youcef and Freddie waved to the driver who waved back to them which made them very happy. 

Last week the toddlers enjoyed celebrating world book day by dressing up as different characters from their favourite books. Ada, Rafferty and James all came as the hungry caterpillar, Isaac came as a giraffe and Sophie came as Snow White. The toddlers loved listening to lots of different stories while using story spoons, musical instruments and finger puppets. As part of celebrating world book day the toddlers have started a new theme exploring a different fairytale every week. This week the chosen book was Jack in the beanstalk. At the beginning of the week, Sadie, Sophie and Tommy gathered materials from inside and outside to help make a giant beanstalk to be put up around the toddler room. Each day the toddlers went outside on a treasure hunt to try and find golden coins and golden eggs to help Jack get away from the giant. 

While being busy with making giants, treasure hunts and writing their own books the toddlers also celebrated pancake day! Rowan and Florence showed off their impressive natural talent of being able to flip mini pancakes in the home corner using a frying pan. Reegan found it frustrating that his pancake wasn’t flipping in the pan so he used a different method, using his hands to flip it instead! During the afternoon the toddlers had the opportunity to decorate their own pancakes. Reegan choose honey and fresh strawberries for his pancake while Blake enjoyed strawberry sauce.... Tasty! 

Outside, the toddlers have been wrapped up in wetsuits and wellies ready to jump in every single puddle, both big and small on walks round Imber court and in the garden. Finley bent his knees and leaped into the air only to come back down again and soak himself up to his armpits and splash all his friends around him. The toddlers ventured out on Friday in the buggies to the duck pond in Thames Ditton. Olivia and Rowan loved throwing the bread as far as they could in the water, with Caiden making duck noises! 

New Seasons & Making Cars!

The pre-school children have been learning all about the changes of seasons and have started to welcome spring. They enjoyed taking part in an observational drawing of daffodils. The children first observed the flower buds when they first came to nursery and over the following days, they watched as the daffodils blossomed. Connie came in to nursery the next morning and said, “Wow, they look so beautiful today, they are fully grown!”. Whilst doing the observational drawings, Vivienne told Louis, “This long bit here I know is called the stem, and that bit is the flower”. Louis replied, “It’s just like a red rose”. Realising that the daffodils were placed in a cup of water, Shyla told her friends, “The water is for the flowers to drink so that they can grow bigger and bigger”. Riley said, “Thats right Shyla, well done, there is no rain inside nursery so the water will help them grow”.

The children have also enjoyed making their very own 3D vehicles using the junk modelling boxes. Joshua added an extra part on to the top of the car and said to his friends, “This bit is for the roof rack so we can put all of our clothes in there and go on holiday”. Ezmie laughed and said, “But our clothes go in a suitcase, silly billy!”. Once the children had glued together their boxes and painted them in bright colours, William suggested, “Now we need our wheels otherwise the car won’t be able to drive”. They all worked together to figure out what they could use the make the wheels and very quickly discovered that the paper plates were the perfect option.

Exploring Emotions & Windy Weather!

Last week, the toddlers have been learning about different emotions each day. On Monday they looked at love and had the opportunity to tell their friends at circle time who they love. Florence said she “Loves mummy and daddy” and Rafferty said he “Loves Riley, mummy and daddy”. Meanwhile, Sadie and Tommy enjoyed making a heart collage using lots of different materials including tissue paper, paint, pipe cleaners and more! On Tuesday, the toddlers explored being happy. Using flour in the sensory tray, the toddlers tried to make happy faces with their fingers. Reegan used his finger and carefully drew a big circle and then added some eyes. On Wednesday and Thursday the toddlers looked at being sad and angry and what they can do to feel better. Alastair said “Give friends toys to make happy!” and Chloe demonstrated what she would do by giving her friends a cuddle to cheer them up. 

Outside they took part in circle time in the field, where they were able to use their surroundings for inspiration on what song to sing. Rowan saw a horse and asked for “E-I-E-I-O”. On Friday, the winds were taking control and sadly the toddlers couldn’t venture out. This didn’t phase them as they were able to watch the stormy winds blow the leaves, sticks, bark all round the garden through the windows. Daniel watched carefully and suddenly burst into laughter. He then shouted “Wellies!” as he spotted a pair of wellies fly past the window. This encouraged all the toddlers to run to the windows to have a closer look. 

The toddlers have also enjoyed playing with water during a sensory play activity. Lana used her arms to splash the water and bubbles as high as they could go while soaking herself and all her friends. Sophie collected the bubbles on her hands and blew them all around the room, while Olivia found it hilarious to put the bubbles on her head as if she was taking a bubble bath!

In the under two’s room, they little ones have been very busy exploring. Freddie and Sebastian had great fun exploring the play tower, Freddie found it very funny that he could watch himself in the mirror as he climbed the stairs. Youcef came over to investigate what Freddie was laughing at, and Esmé also joined in the fun laughing at their reflections.

The children the explored different ways of painting using different materials. They used the mega blocks, empty bottles and sponges which made lots of lines and splodges over the paper.Ada and Otto had great concentration when using the bottles to make flower patterns.  

In the garden, thye have enjoyed playing in the sandpit, watching the sand fall over off the spade and filling up the buckets. Margot and Kitty kept picking up the sand and letting it fall through their fingers, both making lots ‘Oooh’ and ‘Aaaah’ sounds as it fell back into the sand.

During one of our walks around the beautiful grounds, the children got very excited to see all the ducks. As they got nearer to them to give them some bread, the ducks began walking towards the pushchairs. Kitty began to shout out to let everyone know they were coming. As they continued the walk, they went across the bridge, and suddenly Amélie began pointing and started to shout “Dactor! Dactor!” (tractor), as she had spotted a big tractor on the edge of the field which prompted them all to investigate more closely.