What a busy week at nursery! One of the huge benefits of our new setting is having the luxury of a flowing indoor to outdoor learning environment, giving the children the choice of where they want to learn as part of a continuous provision. There are numerous advantages to learning outdoors and we are very grateful to the Zephyr for supplying the children and adults with outdoor suits so that we can learn outside whatever the weather if we want to!!

Our outdoor area gives us opportunities for rich physical activities which grows our muscles and physiques making us ready for writing and sitting in the future. Having a strong physical core is fundamental to being able to sit at a desk later in our educational journeys. Having time to explore, climb, balance, grip and grasp when outside strengthens our hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders – all of which we will need for focussed writing activities in the future.

 

 

Digging in the sand with others, sharing play in the mud kitchen and pushing with our whole bodies, arms and legs on the See-Saw this week is helping us develop, not only our gross motor skills, but also our awareness of space, of each other and our listening and communication skills as we negotiate and take turns.

 

 

Our outdoor area has also provided an excellent environment for us to take part in treasure hunts this week. Imaginary play that started indoors naturally moved outside as we “read” treasure maps and worked together to hunt for buried treasure. Taking part in these activities are important for us to develop early literacy and numeracy skills such as print awareness, early mark making, communication and interaction skills, turn taking and awareness of number and quantity and counting.