This week we are investigating light and dark. Today we made wooden spoon puppets with Issy.  Issy helped to cut out the clothes, and some of us stuck hair made out of wool. After Circle Time we set up a sheet and a bright light and used our hands or puppets to make different shapes.  We also went outside when the sun was shining and looked at our shadows and silhouettes.  

We had the small world farm animal set out and made a large farmyard with all the different animals.  In our fine motor tray we had the bear sorting set out, with plates and tweezers the children have to match bears to plates.

Today we used the objects we collected on our walk to print from.  We painted on leaves, pine cones, acorns and conkers.  Rolling and pressing them on to coloured paper to create a great effect.

 We used the small letter threading activity in our fine motor tray.  Some of the children used their name stickers to spell out their names with the plastic letters.  

At Circle Time Issy read the children her story about squirrel and how he was sad when the leaves fell to the ground, but he learnt that they grow again in spring.  The children were looking at the colours red, orange, brown and green.  Also the life cycle of trees and seasons.  

Outside the children played with the leaves throwing them in the air.

We have had a fun morning making apple crumble.  Firstly we talked about where the apples had come from.  One of the children’s Grandad had knocked the apples down form his tree and she had helped to collect them up.  The children helped to peel and chop some of the apples.  As the apples cooked we then all helped to make the crumble.  The children helped to weigh out the ingredients and all took turns at mixing it up.  All the children got to take home a small apple crumble they had to help make.  

As well as all our cooking fun we used the threading and also Becca made a new activity which involved colour recognition and fine motor skills.  Placing coloured straws through matching holes. 

We went for a lovely walk today to Finche Field to look for signs of Autumn.  The children collected acorns, pine cones and a varied selection of leaves.  While we were outside we had the chance to talk about the life cycle of an Oak tree and that squirrels enjoy hiding and eating acorns. Our Autumnal walk covers the EYFS area of ‘understanding the world’, encouraging the children to look at the environment around them ask questions and arouse awareness of nature.  At Circle Time we placed all the items we had collected into our tray (including items some children had bought in from their own walks) so that we could pick them up.  The children could feel the texture of the leaves, conkers and acorns.  We discussed what they felt like and the colours of each item.

We all enjoyed snack together today straight after our walk.  We talked about any news and what we had been doing over the weekend.  In the fine motor tray we had a new letter threading activity.  The children also used the baster to suck water from one cup to another and the tweezers to pick up small rubber and transfer between bowls.

After everyone had arrived we washed our hands and put our aprons on.  We all started preparing our soup ingredients. The children joined in peeling and chopping the vegetables ready to be cooked.  We talked about each vegetable, how it grows, it’s colour and what it feels like.  We used butternut squash, carrot, onion and green beans and also added barley and lentils.  We talked about heating the vegetables using oil and hot water.  

As well as making soup we had our usual snack, we enjoyed plums, banana, apples and pears.  We had the gears out and in the fine motor table we used the new threading letters.  The sun shining so we had time outside playing too. 

Tuesday 4th October 

Sorry I didn’t get chance to update the blog yesterday. On Tuesday Liz came in for more music fun singing ‘sleeping bunnies’ and using  the shaking eggs and rainmaker.  Following our Autumn theme we were colouring and cutting out Paddington Bears outdoor clothes and sticking them.  We had the new lacing letter game,  which develop fine motor and also letter recognition.  We had the balancing blocks out which the children ended up rearranging in a line and walking over, developing their gross motor skills. 

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 5th October we will be making soup.  Please bring a suitable named container for your child to take their soup home in.

On Thursday please can your child come with boots, hat and scarf as we will be practicing dressing for Autumn!

For the next couple of weeks we are going to be looking at Autumn.  We have lots of Autumnal activities planned including cooking, going for a walk to collect leaves and lots more.  We are going to be continuing to look at the Jolly Phonics and listening to our CD, this is preparing children for starting school. More information about Jolly Phonics can be found here http://jollylearning.co.uk/overview-about-jolly-phonics/

 This morning the children had lots of great activities to be getting involved in.  In the fine motor tray we had the pegs out.  The children all had a go at placing the pegs into the trays making different patterns.  We also had a few new activities, a plastic nut and bolt activity where the children can practice tightening the bolts.  We also had a new ‘Avalanche Fruit Stand’ game, developing pincer grip, fine motor, colour and fruit recognition.  

At Circle Time we put up the date and weather today, we also talked about the change in weather now that we are entering Autumn how the mornings are getting colder. 

29th September 

Today we received an exciting box of treats from all the Sainsburys vouchers that parents, grandparents and friends had collected.  We had ordered a tent with tunnels, pot stilts and some large dice.  All the children were very excited as we unpacked and put them together.  These items will be great to further the children’s development. They cover many of the EYFS ‘areas of learning’ ( https://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage ). 

In the fine motor tray today we used the gears.  Some of the children made a elaborate gear system using them horizontally and vertically. 

At circle time we played a shape game. We placed various shaped items in a bag, the children reached into the bag named the shape, and had to run to appropriate shape on the floor. We had great fun with this game. 

Issy read today’s story then we all sang Happy Birthday to Aster who is 4 today! 

28th September
This morning Liz came in for her weekly music and singing lesson. The children sang lots of songs and role played as frogs and kangaroos, jumping all around the hall. 
Today’s shape activities included making our houses out of pre-cut shapes. The children also took it in turns cutting our snack time fruit into circles, oval, rectangles and squares. Our cutting fruit exercise was not only great for learning our shapes it also helped to develop social skills, hand eye coordination, communication and learning about healthy eating. 
Outside the children initiated a game of hide and seek with the dinosaurs. All the children joined in with this game.
Before we went home Rebecca read ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ by Michael Rosen.