Nursery
Our Nursery teacher is Katy Laws and our Nursery TAs are Sally Blasi and Diana Drukteiniene. Nursery attend school for three hours each morning. Their classroom is in the Early Years Building where they have their own outdoor learning area.
Nursery Parents Meeting February 2024
Early Years Overview
Below you can find the overview of the learning that takes place in Early Years.
Core Books and Must Read Books
Throughout each term the children will read a selection of core books and base their learning and activities around these. The list of core books is below as we find many of our Nursery children who have little English language benefit from pre-reading the books at home with their families. We also read one of our ‘Must Read Books’ every day, before home time, to encourage a love for reading by becoming familiar with some favourite ‘must reads’.
National Sandwich Day
We celebrating National Sandwich Day by reading ‘The Disgusting Sandwich’. We then made our own sandwiches – but they weren’t disgusting – they were delicious! We had to scoop out jam, spread jam and cut our bread in half.
Autumn
We have been reading ‘The Leaf Thief’ and ‘Hedgehog Howdedo’. We have learnt that in Autumn the leaves change colour and fall down. Many animals get ready to hibernate by collecting bits for their nests and food to store.
Reading Corner
The children in Nursery have enjoyed spending time in their reading corner. We have many little toys and puppets to help us retell our ‘must read’ stories.
Diwali and Firework Night
We have been reading the story of ‘Rama and Sita’. We learnt about how this is a special story for Hindu’s celebrating Diwali. We made wanted posters to help Rama find Ravana, and we made diva lamps to welcome Rama and Sita home. We also learnt about how to be safe at Diwali or firework night celebrations.
Community
This week we have been learning about two communities that we belong to. We learnt about our school and went on a tour around the school; finding many special people who help look after us. We also learnt about the church. We made crosses, built huge churches, decorated crosses and learnt about baptism. Baptism is when God welcomes us into His church. We baptised some of our dolls. We used oil and water to place a cross on their heads.
Family
We discovered a pile of presents, a cake and a big balloon in the middle of our classroom. We read ‘So Much’ and discovered that it was the daddy’s birthday. We made presents, cards, balloons and party supplies for daddy, drew our family and ordered the story, and on Friday we threw a big party with party games and decorated cupcakes!
Noah’s Ark
We have been reading ‘Noah’s Ark’. God was unhappy with how people were treating each other and looking after His world. He decided to send a flood and entrusted Noah to build an ark filled with animals. Once the flood was over God sent a rainbow as a promise and reminder to us. We thought about why it is important to look after God’s world and ways in which we can do this.
God Created Us
We learnt that God looked at His beautiful creation and thought He was missing one thing – people. He made Adam and Eve. God has made us and everyone around us. God made us all unique and loves each one of us. We thought about why we are special.
Creation
We have been reading ‘God’s very Colourful Creation’. We learnt that God made the world. He filled it with plants, birds, fish and animals, He made day and night and filled the sky with clouds, the sun, moon and stars.
Colour Monster
We have been reading ‘The Colour Monster’. We learnt about all our different emotions and thought about things that make us feel happy and loved.
Cultural Day
The EYFS children came into school dressed wearing clothes that reflected their cultural heritage. We had such a lovely time learning about which continents and countries each of us was from and about different traditions.
Florence Nightingale
Some of the children believed Slinky Malinki had been treated by a doctor, so we talked about the differences between doctors and vets. We learnt that both have nurses to assist them. We learnt about Florence Nightingale and how she taught the world about hygiene, handwashing and healthy eating.
Slinky Malinki visits the vets!
Nursery came in to find Slinky Malinki was on Katy’s chair. He had a bandaged arm and a plaster on. We worked out that he must have visited the vets. We learnt about what equipment vets need to look after animals, we pretended to be vets, we wrote thank you cards to the vet for helping Slinky Malinki and we used our fine motor skills to peel plasters.
Slinky Malinki and Mog the Cat
Nursery came in to a big surprise this week – Slinky Malinki the criminal cat had been found! It appears he was rescued by the fire brigade. We made thank you cards and learnt about what equipment fire fighters need. We also read Mog’s Christmas Calamity. Mog accidentally set her house on fire, but she became a hero when she lead the fire brigade to her house.
EYFS Mass
Father Tim joined us to celebrate Mass in the EYFS garden with Nursery, Reception and their families. It was a lovely morning.
Slinky Malinki
The Nursery children came into school to a crime scene this morning! There were lots of items on the floor, some footprints and some police equipment. We became like police officers and investigated the scene. We soon discovered Slinky Malinki the criminal cat had been up to no good! We set about helping the police try and find him. We interviewed witnesses and eventually found his sack full of stolen property. We couldn’t find Slinky Malinki anywhere though! He is still on the loose!
Holy Rood Church
Nursery spent the morning at Holy Rood Church. They met Father Tim and went on a tour around the church. We had a list of special objects to find as we walked around. We also created lots of wonderful crafts in the Parish Centre. We learnt that after Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave people different languages, so that they could spread The Word. Eventually the Church was formed as a place to gather and worship God. We are part of the Holy Rood Church community.
Pentecost
The children have learnt about Pentecost. After Jesus’ death his disciples were gathered together when a strong wind blew in through the windows, followed by a dove and flames that appeared above their heads. The flames did not burn them though. Instead they were filled with a warm feeling – Jesus had sent them the Holy Spirit. We are never alone because the Holy Spirit is here with us.
Sports Day
Flowers
We have been learning about flowers. We learnt about the different parts of a flower and looked at different seeds and pips. We also replanted our sunflower seedlings outside.
May Day
On May 1st we celebrated May Day. Many Christians believe that Mary is the bringer of spring and new life in nature. We made flower crowns as it is traditional to crown Mary on May Day.
Bug Hotel
The children and Nursery staff have been working hard in our new woodland area to create a bug hotel.
Goodbye chicks
On Friday we had to say goodbye to the chicks as they went back to their farm. It was so lovely watching them hatch and grow. In the second week their feathers really started to develop and they became more confident and cheeky. They loved jumping in their food bowl and using their feet to push all the food out. They were very very greedy chicks and Katy is glad she doesn’t have to clean them out anymore! The children enjoyed stroking them and feeling how soft their fluffy new born feathers were.
The Resurrection
Last week the children learnt about the Resurrection of Christ. We learnt that Jesus’ friends went to His tomb and found it empty. Jesus had returned to His friends. Easter is linked to the coming of spring and New Life, so we went on a spring colour hunt around school!
Gymnastics
Nursery have been working hard over the last term to learn how to use the gymnastics equipment. They had to climb, balance, jump and roll. They also had to wait their turn and learn how to line up in order. Some children were very nervous at the start of the term but can now do it all by themselves!
Fire Fighters
Fire fighters visited us today and bought their fire engine to show us. They talked to us about how to be safe, how to shout “fire, fire, fire” if ever we discover and fire and they showed us how the engine works and what sorts of jobs they do.
Earth Day
On Monday 22nd April we celebrated Earth Day. We reread Noah’s Ark to remind ourselves that God made our world and entrusted us with it. We made bird feeders by threading cheerio’s onto string and we filled up our metal bird feeders. We hung everything from trees in our woodland area. We also learnt about the different birds we may see in our garden.
EYFS garden
Now that spring has sprung we can enjoy our garden a little more. We have been working hard to clear our mini woodland area so that the children can enjoy exploring in the woods and under logs. They have found so many minibeasts! We have also started planting seeds for our vegetable garden.
Easter Hats
Some of the children made amazing Easter hats with their families at home. It was so nice to see all the different styles and how much effort had gone into them.
Chicks
On Monday the children were very excited to see that we had received 10 eggs. On Wednesday the eggs begun to hatch and we now have 9 fluffy spring chicks.
Eid
We have been learning about the Muslim celebration of Eid. We had a vistor from Fatim. She explained to us that like Easter, Eid is a time to celebrate new life and a new start. We looked at different decorations Fatim puts up in her house and she talked to us a little bit about her Mosque. We made cards to wish her ‘Eid Mabarak’, we decorated an Eid tree and we took part in other Eid crafts and activities.
The Three Little Pigs
Nursery had a surprise when they discovered a crime scene in their classroom! There was straw, sticks and bricks on the floor surrounded by footprints. We discovered the Big Bad Wolf had been in our classroom! We made wanted posters to find him and the police came in to help us. They also told us all about what else they do to help us, as well as catching ‘bad guys’!
Good Friday
Today we learnt about Good Friday and how Jesus had to carry the cross and His body was put in the tomb. This is a very sad time during Lent.
Holi
This week we learnt about the Hindu festival of Holi which celebrates the coming of spring and the colours it brings!
The Last Supper
Nursery have been learning about the Last Supper. We learnt that Jesus told His friends that He was going to leave them. He broke bread and shared wine to help them remember Him. We shared different types of bread and juice with each other. We tried a loaf of bread, like we are used to, flat bread, like Jesus was used to and hot cross buns.
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Nursery have been reading the Three Billy Goats Gruff. A bridge appeared in our class room and we discovered it was put their by a troll! We made different bridges and retold the story. We thought about what the troll looked like and designed wanted posters to help find him. We wrote shopping lists for the troll to suggest a better diet other than goat! And we used the gym equipment to climb, balance and travel along different bridges.
International Day of Happiness
On Wednesday 20th March Nursery celebrated International Happiness Day.
Palm Sunday
Nursery have been learning about Palm Sunday. They created their own palm leaves and drew a donkey. They then re-enacted the story.
World Book Day
Nursery celebrated World Book Day by getting all comfy and cosy in our pyjamas and enjoying many book themed activities. Year 6 Padua worked with us to help us decorate our favourite book front covers and we went on a hunt around school to find all the doors that had been decorated to represent a book. Our door was based on Rumble in the Jungle.
Art Exhibition
Nursery enjoyed taking part in the St Anthony’s Art Exhibition. Each child drew a fabulous self-portrait of themselves which was professionally displayed in our hall for our parents to see and buy.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
We have been learning about Goldilocks and the three bears. We sorted hot and cold objects, hard and soft objects and sorted each other by size. We had so much fun looking after the three bears in their cottage and we also followed a recipe to make our own porridge!
Chinese New Year
Nursery have been celebrating Chinese New Year. We decorated our classroom with lanterns, filled red envelopes with different coins, tasted different traditional Chinese foods and moved our bodies like dragons. We read ‘Please Mr Panda’ and learnt about how pandas live in China. Mr Panda likes patterned doughnuts and so we also learnt about patterns.
Ash Wednesday
Deacon Neville visited us today to give us our ashes. He explained that the cross shows that Jesus loves us. As he placed the cross on our heads he said “Repent and believe in the Good News”.
Shrove Tuesday
Nursery celebrated Pancake Day with a pancake race and some pancake tasting. They needed to use cutlery to spread their favourite toppings on their pancakes. They also made pancakes out of playdough and craft materials.
Under the Sea
We have been exploring what lives under the sea! We also learnt about floating and sinking and experimented with different objects to see what they would do.
The Good Samaritan
Last week the children learnt the story of The Good Samaritan. Jesus taught us this story so that we could learn how to be kind to others and to choose between what is right and what is wrong. The children spent the morning looking after our teddies and dolls.
Candlemas
We have been celebrating Candlemas by learning about how we can be like Jesus. We can shine brightly like Jesus through our actions. If we do kind, nice things like sharing or helping each other, our candle shines brightly. If we do unkind things our candle dims. However, God will always give us another chance to try again.
National Story Telling Week
Nursery have been celebrating National Storytelling Week. On Monday Year 6 Lisbon bought their favourite picture books to read to us and on Tuesday we bought in our favourite books and Year 6 Padua read to us. We also had stories read to us by John, Sarah, Elaine, Hannah and Frances.
Hot Lands
We have been learning about Hot Lands and how the countries at the centre of the world are always very hot. They may have savannas and jungles and we have been learning about the animals that live there. We have been reading ‘The Animal Boogie’ and trying to move like the animals and we have been trying to find camouflaged animals who like to hide.
Jesus feeds the 5000
We have been learning about how Jesus performed miracles, like when He managed to feed all 5000 of His followers with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. We ‘went fishing’, made our own craft fish and managed to work together to share 3 loaves of bread between the whole class. We had to think about the size of each piece of bread and whether they were fair.
Cold Lands Continued
This week we focused on the Arctic. We sorted which animals live in the Arctic and which don’t, we explored melting and freezing and we moved our bodies like reindeer and polar bears.
Epiphany
Nursery celebrated Epiphany by throwing an Epiphany party! The children wore their party clothes to school with crowns they had made at home over the Christmas holidays! We thought about what presents we would give baby Jesus and we played pass the parcel.
Cold Lands
Nursery have been looking at the globe and learning that the top and the bottom of the Earth are very cold. We have been learning about how Santa, reindeer and polar bears live in the Arctic and penguins live in Antarctica. We learnt about how penguin eggs have to be protected from the cold snow and we learnt how to move like penguins, by waddling, sliding, huddling together and balancing our ‘eggs’.
Nativity Christmas Play
Well done to all the Nursery and Reception children for performing in our Nativity Christmas play. You all did a fantastic job! We could hear every word.
Thank you Doctors and Nurses
We made cards for all the doctors, nurses, and staff at our local GP surgery to say thank you for all the hard work they do looking after us, even over Christmas. The Reception children delivered them for us.
Mary’s Journey to Bethlehem
We have been learning about how Mary had to travel a long way to Bethlehem on a donkey. We compared Mary’s experience with our own mummies. Mary didn’t have a hospital, ambulance, bed, cot for Jesus or any doctors or nurses to help her. We also met a real mummy and her baby who talked to us about what it is like to look after a baby.
Music
Nursery have been lucky enough to spend time with one of our school parents; Mr Joe and with the school’s old headteacher Mrs Wilson. Mr Joe has taught us all about the parts of a guitar, what pitch and tone means and has sung Nursery rhymes with us. Mrs Wilson has been teaching us about the piano and helping up to get ready for our Christmas play.
Advent and Annunciation
We have been learning about Advent. Advent is a time of waiting and preparing. We have learnt about the Advent Wreath and made our own advent wreath crafts to take home. We also learnt how an Angel came to Mary to bring her special news. We have been thinking about how Mary had to prepare for her special baby and how we have to prepare for Christmas. We have begun making Christmas cards and special surprise presents for our mummies and daddies.
Harvest
Nursery have been learning about how Autumn is a time when farmers harvest the food they have been growing. We read The Little Red Hen and learnt about how wheat is turned into flour. We made our own bread rolls.
Diwali
Nursery have been learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali. We read the story of Rama and Sita and we made our own diva lamps just like the ones that welcomed Rama and Sita home. We tasted some traditional Indian foods, looked at traditional Indian clothes and made a variety of Diwali inspired arts and crafts. We also did a special dance about preparing our houses for Diwali. We had to think about how we moved our bodies to make it look like we were cleaning the floor, brushing the floor, washing the windows, and hanging up decorations.
Remembrance Day
We have been learning about how there are many people who work to look after and protect us, our families, our communities, and our country. We remember them in November, and we remember everyone in Heaven. We worked with Year 6 Padua to make our own poppies.
Autumn
We have been learning about Autumn. We started by learning about the trees and how the leaves change colour and fall. We went on an autumn leaf hunt around school. We also learnt about how lots of animals spend Autumn collecting nuts and berries to get ready for winter. We made bird feeders by threading cheerio’s onto pipe cleaners, and we made binoculars out of kitchen rolls to look out for these animals. We did a lot of counting with conkers and we explored pumpkins; what is inside of them and how big, small, heavy and light they were.
Being God’s Stewards
We have been reading Noah’s Ark and learning how God looked down on Earth and saw that people were not looking after the world or each other. So He entrusted Noah to build an ark and collect 2 of every animal, ready for the flood. After the flood God entrusted Noah and his family to look after the world. God wanted us to be stewards for his earth. So we have been looking after the world by weeding our vegetable patch, planting flowers, making bird feeders, litter picking and taking part in several Noah’s ark based activities.
Baptism and Our Families
We have been learning about how God welcomes us into His family through Baptism. We go to Church and the Priest baptises us by placing a cross on our foreheads with oil and water. We also thought about our own families this week. We read ‘So Much’ and thought our who is in our families and what they do and like.
God Created Us
Nursery have continued to learn about the Creation story. We have learnt that God created Adam, Eve, and all of us. God made each of us and we are special and loved. We have been thinking about our bodies – we made faces with pens, paints and loose parts, we sang ‘Head Shoulders Knees and Toes’ and we played Simon Says.
God Created the World
Nursery have been learning about how God made the world. We created our own paper plate worlds and used our fine motor skills to peel off and stick lots of animal stickers all over them. We also used our fine motor skills to pinch pegs in order to make a flower. We sang ‘twinkle, twinkle little star’ and learnt how to roll and use cutters to make our own playdough stars.
Our Garden Update
Our vegetables have started to get big and we have even started to pick some of them! We have a bumper crop of radishes and lettuce!
