The boys and girls had a great time at our nursery parties. We played lots of games; musical bumps/statues, hokey cokey, pass the parcel, dress up as Santa game, dress up as Santa, reindeers, presents and an elf game, listened to Christmas stories and had a lovely snack. We also had a very exciting and special visitor………. SANTA!!!!!! The boys and girls had to sing Santa’s favourite songs for him, Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.
This week the children have been exploring “transient art” or sometimes called loose parts. ‘Loose Parts’ are materials that children are able to collect, move, transport, attach, use on their own or combined with other open ended materials and can be made into many different objects. There is no right or wrong way of using them so children can be as creative as they want to be without feeling that they are not using them correctly. This means children have full control and can direct the play activity.The loose parts theory was first developed by Simon Nicholson, architect, who suggested that if children have access to a range of materials which have no defined purpose then they will access a wider range of play types and be more creative in the ways they play. “In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it”. Nicholson. S. 1971
• connections are made experientially with the real world outside the classroom, helping
to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in a meaningful context
• outdoor environments and surroundings act as a rich stimulus for creative thinking and
learning. This affords opportunities for challenge, enquiry, critical thinking and reflection
• children and young people find that not everything outside matches the models
or the textbooks. This does not mean that what they have found is ‘wrong’. Instead,
it develops awareness of the complexities of the real world and can help to develop
critical thinking skills
• children and young people are able to understand the relevance of a subject taught
in school to everyday life
• children and young people can sometimes behave differently outdoors. Quiet pupils
may speak more, others become calmer and more focused when outside, especially
in a natural space
• the multi-sensory experience outdoors helps children and young people to retain
knowledge more effectively. There are opportunities for pupils to learn with their
whole bodies on a large scale
• learning in a less structured environment can provide a different learning experience
from that of the classroom
• being outdoors can be a more relaxing learning experience for many learners
finding something tiny find me something bigger find something huge
can you find something to match?
how far can you jump?
The nursery boys and girls had the opportunity to experience a campfire today. We talked about what we would need for the fire; wood, sticks, something to light the fire and how to be safe; stay back from the fire, sit down, listen to Ms Connor, not touch the fire.
We made popcorn on the campfire and had hot chocolate to drink.
Following on from our story Bear Snores On in which a bear sleeps in a cave through Winter while other animals sneek in his cave a have a party the nursery boys and girls have been very busy this week building dens inside and outside the nursery. The Orange Group helped build a den in the imaginative area. First we had to sort out all the bits by colour (each pole had a coloured dot inside) and put them into piles.
Then we discussed the plan of our den. We had to make sure the correct coloured pole went in the right place and that all the poles were connected together properly.
The we covered our den. On ce our den was complete we decided what we would put in it. Some of the suggestions were cushions, blankets, paper and pencils, books, cuddly toys etc.
OUTDOOR DENS
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