Class Blog for Nursery

Diwali

This week, the Storytellers have been exploring Diwali, the beautiful Festival of Light. The children learned that Diwali is a time of celebration for many people around the world and that light is an important symbol - it represents goodness, hope, and the triumph of light over darkness.

The children enjoyed making their own Diya lamps, carefully decorating them to shine brightly, just like the ones used in Diwali celebrations. On the light board, they created stunning Rangoli patterns, experimenting with colours, shapes, and symmetry to make vibrant designs that welcome light and happiness.

There was plenty of music and dancing, too, as we moved to traditional Indian rhythms and celebrated through movement and joy. The children also designed their own hand decorations, learning about the tradition of mehndi patterns and using their creativity to make unique designs.

Through these fun and meaningful activities, the Storytellers not only explored creativity and culture but also learned about kindness, celebration, and the importance of light in our lives.

The Little Red Hen

Storytellers enjoyed listening to the traditional tale The Little Red Hen. The children talked about why the hen's friends wouldn't help her and whether it was kind for them to expect to eat her bread after doing none of the hard work! This sparked some lovely discussions about kindness, teamwork, and helping others.

After the story, the children had the chance to become little bakers themselves! They helped weigh the ingredients and took turns kneading the dough, noticing how its texture changed as they worked. The room soon filled with the wonderful smell of baking, and the best part of all was tasting their very own freshly baked loaf - warm, golden, and absolutely delicious!

We were also very grateful to get all our ingredients from our fantastic Village Shop, helping the children understand where food comes from and how our local community supports us.

This activity was not only great fun but also a wonderful learning experience. Listening to and discussing the story supported the children's understanding of morals and empathy, while baking helped them develop early maths and science skills through weighing, measuring, and observing changes. Working together encouraged sharing and cooperation, and the sensory experience of kneading dough built fine motor skills - all while giving them a real sense of pride and achievement in what they'd made.

Creative outside adventures

Storytellers took their learning outdoors for a hands-on, creative adventure! Armed with hammers and bright wool, the children made their very own wooden name plaques. They carefully tapped in small nails to outline the first letter of their name, then wrapped colourful wool around the nails to bring their initials to life.

It was such a brilliant activity for our little preschoolers, full of fun, focus, and a little bit of challenge! Using real tools helped them feel so grown-up while strengthening their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Threading the wool around the nails gave their fingers a great workout, building the muscles they'll need for early writing. Working outdoors made it even more exciting, with plenty of giggles and proud smiles as they admired their finished creations. The children couldn't wait to show off their wonderful wooden masterpieces!

Harvest

At Storytellers, the children have been celebrating the move into autumn and the harvest season by exploring the wonderful world of vegetables and their many different colours. They enjoyed looking closely at a variety of vegetables, noticing the bright greens, deep reds, sunny yellows and earthy oranges that remind us of autumn's rich tones.

Inspired by what they saw, the children created their very own harvest-themed collages using a mixture of seeds and pulses. This activity encouraged lots of patience as they carefully placed each seed, while also helping to strengthen their pincer grip - an essential skill for early writing and fine motor development.

The children were so proud of their colourful creations, which captured the spirit of autumn and celebrated the harvest in a fun and creative way.

Shapes

Storytellers have been busy investigating shapes in lots of fun and creative ways. We started by examining the various shapes we could use to build a house, and then attempted some challenging shape puzzles to test our problem-solving skills.

We went on a shape hunt around our environment, spotting circles, squares, triangles and more hiding all around us. The children also enjoyed creating colourful shape pictures using paint and cotton buds - a fun way to practise their pincer grip and strengthen little fingers ready for early writing.

The week finished on a very yummy note - baking scrumptious shaped biscuits to share with our families.

Activities like these aren't just fun - they help children recognise shapes all around them, build early maths skills, strengthen fine motor control, and use their imagination in creative ways. And of course, the biscuit-making was a delicious way to bring all that learning together!.

Hidden treasures..

The children at Storytellers have been making the most of the autumn sunshine today by harvesting their very own potatoes!

With big smiles and muddy hands, they loved digging through the soil to find the hidden treasures beneath. Along the way, they discovered some of the amazing creatures that help the soil stay healthy - from wriggly worms to busy beetles - and even came across a tiny baby frog! The children carefully returned it to the pond area, learning more about how all these creatures play an important part in nature.

What a fantastic harvest and a wonderful way to celebrate the changing seasons!

Let the adventures begin...

We're back at Storytellers Nursery, and what a brilliant start to the year it's been!

Our first topic is All About Me, and the children have been full of energy, exploring all the different ways our bodies can move. There was so much giggling as they took turns drawing around each other - such a fun way to see just how unique we all are!

The brand-new Make Believe Manor has also been a huge hit- the children have been busy cooking up stories, stepping into different roles, and letting their imaginations run wild.

Here's to a year full of curiosity, laughter and magical adventures