Nursery News ~ 3rd December 2021

Happy Friday All!

We are almost ready for our Nativity show performance thanks to our morning Music and Write Dance sessions where we have been singing new songs and learning new routines. Next week, we will start splitting the children into teams of angels, travellers, innkeepers and shepherds ready for the recording on Wednesday.  It is lovely to hear that the children have been coming home and singing (with hand shapes) to you all.  You are in for a treat.  You have all had a chance to play an indoor and outdoor game for our morning circle time.  A Listening Game with Miss Herlihy where you had to hide and help a friend to find the present in the cabin and outdoors with Mrs Mander where we have been listening and matching instrument sounds for our Phonics topic this half term.  In Maths this week we have been putting all of our subitising learning to the test as we have been naming “what numbers we see”.  Seeing (without counting) numbers 1,2,3 in everyday life is a key Early Years skill – hearing children talking at the lunch table “I can see one cookie or two cookies on the tray” or “I can see one girl, three boys and one grownup” is the building block for understanding how numbers work together to make bigger numbers.  Please take time this weekend to ask the children “what numbers do you see?” both indoors and outdoors.  It is OK that we see different arrangements!  Our dough disco song this week has been chosen and taught by Miss Turner, a clear Take That fan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1GMpz5i01I.  Miss Turner has also been sharing some new Christmas stories with you thanks to the kindness of our elves Holly and Jolly.   In Forest School this week, Mrs Allen has gone all Christmassy on us as she has been showing you how to make stars using sticks and string.  She then used the star to play a favourite game of yours, “Follow the Leader”.  It was fun following the star around Forest School – we never did make it to Bethlehem though did we? It is such a long way away!  In the afternoons, you have had fun hunting the present bows – “look high, look low, look everywhere you go”.  You sang the song as you had to find five bows with your eyes and when you had spotted them all; high five a grownup!  Which grownup did you high five?  Parachute games were on the agenda with Miss Herlihy as you had fun making it turn in a circle, lifting it high and low and swapping places with a friend of your choosing. 

A message for parents – Our self-registration is in full swing and the children are doing so well at recognising their name.  For some children it is more challenging as they share the same initial sound with their friends.  For these children, we are asking them to look at the first and second letter in their name.  If they come home with a sticker with these sounds on, either on their sleeve or upside down on their top, this will be the reason why.  Next week we will begin writing their initial letter (capital only) in a special card we have made.  For those avid mark makers at home, feel free to encourage the drawing of this first shape only, the cursive lower case letters are for another time…..

Have a lovely weekend!

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen, Mrs Franklin, Miss Turner (am), Mrs Hampton (pm) and Miss Herlihy (student teacher) X