This week in the block area the children have been exploring risky play through use of the big blocks. They demonstrated excellent turn taking skills and risk assessed their play to enable positive risks.The children also explored smaller scale builds using the dollhouse, train tracks,and magna tiles which we will extend into next week as we explore a variety of microcosims. 

In baking this week the children have been baking their own apple crumble. They have been exploring new techniques and skills throughout this recipe including measuring using spoons and scales, learning to rub together butter and flour to create breadcrumbs and chopping fruit to put in the crumble. The children also learned about safety whilst using utensils to chop the fruit.

This week we have also been enjoying lots of trips in the local community. We have been having lots of fun visiting Fairweather Park.

In the outdoor classroom we have been exploring water play. We used various jugs to transport the water and discussed capacity when discussing full/empty.

The children explored digital creativity  in the malleable area by using the ChatterBox app on the iPad to bring their playdough creations to life. They discovered that the app can make any picture appear to talk by adding an animated mouth. The children recorded their own voices, choosing different words and phrases for their creations to say. Watching their models come to life was met with lots of excitement, laughter and conversation as they experimented with different recordings. This fun activity encouraged creativity, communication and confidence while introducing the children to digital technology in an engaging and meaningful way.

This week the children have been interested in making pompom jewellery. They have been extending their fine motor skills to wrap the wool around the pom pom maker. The children have been engaged for an extended period of time and had the option to create small pom poms or larger pom poms. They have shown patience while waiting for their turn and have used a waiting list to add their name to so they know who is next to make one. 

The children have been sharing the resources and have played alongside each other to create large scale artwork. They used rollers and brushes of different sizes to make patterns and marks with the paint. They also used the sponges to print various shapes, and some children decided to paint their hands or fingers and pressed these on to the paper also.

This week the children have also been doing lots of baking with Miss Smith.  They followed the recipe and measured the ingredients to make some cakes. They were most excited to take them home and eat them!

We also had lots of fun during a trip to the Avenue to see the Dinosaur Exhibition.

Outdoors in the garden we have been exploring lots of sensory play with the water and sea animals , using the guttering pipes to transport the water.

In the block area, the children have been continuing to explore large scale buildings and adding detail to them. They have been continuing to extend their learning by transporting figures from the small world area to explore role play opportunities. This has developed children’s communication skills as they have been taking on various roles within their play, demonstrating creative and imaginative skills.

The children recently explored early coding and storytelling through the use of Intelino smart train tiles. This hands-on experience allowed them to investigate how different coloured tiles influenced the train’s movement, supporting their understanding of sequencing, cause and effect, and early computational thinking.

Initially, the children spent time experimenting with the tiles to discover what each colour represented. They quickly became engaged in testing ideas, observing how the train responded when different combinations were placed on the track. This open-ended exploration encouraged curiosity, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Building on this learning, the children then used a selection of visual prompts, including images of the nursery, a zoo, and various zoo animals, to create their own narrative journey. The activity developed into a rich storytelling experience as the children collaboratively constructed a “day trip to the zoo” story.

Using the tiles, they programmed the train to follow their story sequence: stopping at the nursery, travelling faster along open sections, slowing down as it passed the crocodile, stopping to feed the elephant, and carefully passing the lion. This helped the children connect physical actions with imaginative storytelling, reinforcing their understanding of sequencing in a meaningful context.

One child naturally emerged as a leader, confidently supporting peers by explaining what each tile sequence did and guiding the group’s decisions. This demonstrated strong communication skills, confidence, and a developing understanding of early coding language.

Overall, the experience provided a rich blend of STEM learning, creativity, and collaborative play, allowing the children to explore technology in a purposeful and engaging way.

The children have also  been mark making with the clay.Some of the children scribed their initials or attempted scribing words. Whilst other children drew pictures on the clay and decorated them with some loose parts!