A very reflective week at nursery. We have been remembering all the servicemen and women who keep our country safe, and also those who lost their lives or were injured in conflicts over the years. We all watched a short video to help us understand. Click here to watch. Everyone thought that if we were more like Jesus there would be no more fighting. They are quite right.
You will be so impressed at all the different ways we have made remembering poppies. Take a look at our displays.
As we normally do we visited the chapel and were amazed to see hundreds of poppies cascading down from the chapel roof to the garden. We all thought it looked wonderful and made us think hard about the significance of Remembrance Day.
Thank you to everyone who sent in donations towards the Poppy Appeal.
Michelle’s blog
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s blog. We have had a very busy week learning about Remembrance Day. We watched a short video that helped us to understand that poppies help us to remember those affected by war. We then got very creative and made poppies in lots of different ways, printing using potatoes, collage using flower petals and using ICT on the interactive white board.
We also explored mixing colours with shaving foam and paint, experimenting with different colours as we remembered the fireworks we saw on Bonfire night.
A really important skill that we all need to learn is how to listen. Playing listening games is a really good way of developing the skills needed to learn to read and write. This week we played a game where we had to listen and follow the sequence. It got harder and harder but we concentrated like Cooper Crab and had a go like Tommy Turtle. Here is the game if you would like to have a go at home. Click here
We have continued this week to learn our letter sounds. We have learnt to recognise a, s, m, t and d. We are working really hard to write these letters too. Please look on Purple Mash for some phonic activities to do at home. Everyone should have received their log in details in a brown envelope a few weeks ago. Please do let us know if you need a reminder.
Please do read Emma’s blog too, as we both take lots of photos and do activities with all the children, not just our key group.
Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week
Michelle
Emma’s blog
Hello everyone. We have had a wonderful week of learning and with the weather being not so great we still continue to have lots of fun.
As Remembrance Day is this Sunday, the children have been learning about why we wear poppy's. We have watched a beautiful animated film about how some small animals experienced the effects of the fighting during World War One on the battle field. We then made our own poppy's using rose petals. We went to visit the Chapel and the children were very excited to see the school children's poppy's cascading from the top of the Chapel down to the ground. When we were in Chapel, we said a prayer about Remembrance Day and sang some hymns.
We continue our thread, learning about colour. We had some fun mixing different coloured paints with shaving foam on the table. At first, the children used one finger to make a new colour and by the end of the activity they were mixing with both hands, making different marks all over the table. We made a beautiful peach colour using all the colours we had started with. Some of the children practised their mark making by writing the sounds we have learnt or numbers, some made firework marks. The children (and grown ups) had so much fun getting messy.
We have also been strengthening our hands by squeezing and squashing clay and by screwing and unscrewing nuts and bolts. This will help the children's fine motor muscles develop and help their pencil grip and in turn their mark making skills. The children especially enjoyed playing with the clay and making some funny people and animals.
Please see the below link to a fine motor dance and freeze game. Enjoy building your muscles in your hands! Click here.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and let's all keep our fingers crossed for a little sunshine.
Phonics
Watch Geraldine the giraffe find out about m,a,s,d,t!
m - click here
a - click here
s - click here
d - click here
t - click here
We have also been identifying these sounds using the Alphablocks song. Click here to see if you can spot them at home! Click here.
Don’t forget to use your sound mat to help you practise writing these sounds at home…good luck!
The Our Lady Christmas Bake Off!
Click on the button and get involved! It is going to be so much fun!!!!
Travelling Nativity
Our Travelling Nativity has started it journey visiting your homes. It is yours to keep for one sleep and then you must return it to nursery. Please make sure that it is complete ready for another friend to enjoy.
You will find instructions and a camera in the sack so that you can share photos of you enjoying the birth of Christ at home. We will download them each day on the return of the sack.
Nativity
This year the Foundation Stage Nativity is as follows.
Dress rehearsal for the whole school 5th December. If you would like your child to be on the DVD you MUST attend this performance.
Parents performances will be on the 6th and 7th December. These are a ticket only events, with an allocation of 4 tickets per family over the two performances. Letters to purchase your tickets have gone out this week…check your child’s bag.
All children should be in nursery no later than 8.45 am on each performance day. If it is not your childs usual session could you please collect them promptly at the end of the play (at the nursery gate).
If your child requires a costume for their part in the play you will have received an email from the office this week, otherwise you can assume that there is an outfit available here.
We will need all additional costumes in as soon as possible please. If you are struggling to find any item just drop me an email.
If I can just mention two small things; after many decades of Nativity experience I find that sometimes three performances are a big ask for nursery children. It may be an idea to attend the dress rehearsal and one other performance (if possible, I understand that it will not be possible for all our children). Also another top tip, it is wise to sit where you can see your child but they cannot see you, as this often unsettle them and then they will not take part.
Finally, have the most splendid weekend and I will see you all on Monday.
God Bless
Barbara