All posts by Miss Skinner

UNCRC FEBRUARY 2025 – Mental Health Awareness

Throughout the month of February we had a focus on ‘Mental Health Awareness’ linking with the UNCRC  Article 24 – ‘I have the right to be as healthy as possible’.

Some activities we did throughout February were:

  • Abigail’s group had a ‘Show and Tell’  focusing on their strengths and achievements for e.g. ballet, singing, looking after pets.
  • Making Valentine’s Day cards and Thank You cards for someone we love or for a kind friend.
  • Keygroups listened to the story ‘Have You Filled a Bucket Today?’ And spoke in their group about what would fill their bucket or empty it.
  • Yoga sessions at the woods.
  • Using breathing buddies at the library and quiet rooms.
  • Spending time outdoors dancing and singing.

Som helpful links below:

   https://youtu.be/pOJy8-OC0iU?si=yqcxSwomZTvnOl-U (Have You Filled a Bucket Today?)

Childsmile

This morning, Lisa from Childsmile came in to visit and we showed her how good we all were at brushing our teeth at nursery ⭐️ Lisa brought along her friend – Elliot the dragon 🐉 who also showed us how he brushes his teeth…they are lovely and shiny ✨

Well-being Workshop Feb 2025

Today Julie ran our well-being workshop with our families. She discussed some of the strategies and resources we use with the children to help support them to understand their feelings. Families were given a brief introduction to the PATHS program and how the program benefits the children. At the end of the workshop, the children joined their grown ups for a yoga session.

PATHS-Parent-Workshop-LEYC

To learn more about the PATHS programme, see below:

PATHS

 

3-5 Room Planning Update

Over the last 4 weeks our planning within the room has focused on the following outcomes:

Health & Wellbeing – I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space. I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play. By exploring and observing movement, I can describe what I have learned about it.

Literacy and English – As I play and learn, I enjoy exploring interesting materials for drawing and different ways of recording my experiences and feelings, ideas and information.

Numeracy and Mathematics – I enjoy investigating objects and shapes and can sort, describe and be creative with them.

Here are some experiences the children have been joining in to support their learning:

 

LEYC Hospital

Following on from the children’s interests around ‘People Who Help Us’, this week we have created a hospital at LEYC 🩻🩹🩺The children have been exploring different instruments and resources used by doctors and nurses such as a stethoscope 🩺 bandages/plasters 🩹thermometers, etc. The children have been observed playing appropriately by acting out different real life scenarios (we have some great actors and actresses who were the patients today 🤣) within the hospital role play area. The children were also using appropriate language such as “I am sick”, “you need medicine to make you better”, “do you have a virus?”🦠

🟢Health & Wellbeing 0-42a – I am beginning to learn about people who can help us in an emergency situation.

🟢Health & Wellbeing 0-47b – I am aware of my growing body and I am learning the correct names for it’s different parts and how they work.

🌈Expressive Arts 0-14a – I use drama to explore real and imaginary situations, helping me to understand my world.

This also links with ⭐️UNCRC⭐️Article 39 -I have the right to help if I have been hurt.

LEYC Strictly Come Dancing

Some of the children created their own ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ set up yesterday. The children asked for this again today, so we created another area and provided the children with dressing up items so they could perform their own dances to the judging panel and audience. The children were provided with paper or a whiteboard and pens to write their score of the performances. All children were great at applauding the performances and joining in with clapping throughout the performance 🤩.

Well Done Everyone 👏

🟠 Expressive Arts 0-02a – I have experienced the energy and excitement of performing in front of an audience.

🟠 Expressive Arts 0-10a – I have opportunities to enjoy taking part in dance  experiences .

UNCRC:

Article 24 – I have the right to be as healthy as possible. (Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week – I can say thank you and support my friends for their talents)

Article 29 – I have the right to an education which develops my personality, talents and abilities.

 

 

Animals

Following on from the children’s idea in our STEM floorbook to learn animal names, an area was set up to provide the children with opportunities to explore and learn animal names. There was zoo maps, question and answer books, the promethean board displayed videos about animals and how to look after them. The children gathered their own resources to build on the safari map.

To continue with the children’s interests we created our own zoo maps using some ideas from zoo maps around the world we had displayed on the table. The children started by drawing the outline of their zoo and paths by drawing lines, squiggles and waves. Some extended their zoo by drawing grass and water areas. To add the animals to their drawing, the children learned how to navigate the different functions of the app. Following the steps press ‘T’ on the page , ‘Smiley face’ on the keyboard and then ‘bear’ icon for all the animal emojis to be displayed. The more the action was repeated, the more the children were able to do this independently. We spoke about the zoos we’ve visited before and our favourite animals.