Category: Nursery

Dear Parents, Carers and Children

It has been such a privilege to work with you and teach your children. This time has been unprecedented and I really wish your children the best of luck as they start their next big adventure into their Reception classes.

In tribute to the children I have posted my favourite song that I would usually play at the Nursery Graduation. It reminds me of the friendships and laughter in Nursery,

I found this book as it explains exactly how I am feeling at this moment in time, It is called The Goodbye book by Todd Parr.

Talk to yor child about the next academic year for example the name of the school and the name of their new class teacher.

Ask them what they want to learn next year and skills they want to improve?

Ask them what they will miss most about Nusery?

Ask them what their favourite memory was?

Above are some top tips for children to ensure they are ready for school.

Please look at the past blogs for lots of activities you can try in the summer

I will really miss you

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everybody!

I was speaking about getting the classroom ready for next year and having a good tidy up with Mrs Islam and it reminded of my favourite story by Emily Gravett.

Pete the Badger likes everything neat and tidy at all times, but what starts as collecting of one fallen leaf escalates quickly and ends up with the complete distruction of the forest.

Task 1:

Pete is a badger. Can you find out more about badgers?

Where do they live?

What do they eat?

What is a Badger’s home called?

Task 2:

Draw a picture of Pete cleaning or a picture of the forest before and after Pete has cleaned it?
What room in your home would Pete like to clean?

What piece of cleaning equipment will he like to use the most?
Is there anything in your home that you could tidy?

Task 3:

Use leaves or other natural materials to create your own art?
Create some pictures of trees using finger painting.

You could make a handprint and then add finger prints to make the leaves?

Task 4:

At the end of the story the animals have a picnic. What food would the animals eat at the picnic?

Task 5: Maths

Ask your child to use their fingers to represent numbers. Alternatively you can make hands using plastic gloves filled with sand or sugar and your child can play with them and count the amounts using the fingers.

Can you sing a song that involves numbers. 1,2,3,4.5 once I caught a fish alive or zoom zoom zoom we are going to the moon.

Best wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everyone!

I don’t know about you but I am really sad we did not have an end of year celebration together where we could wear party hats or wear graduation hats. So I would like to share with you my favourite story about hats.

Bears hat has gone and he wants it back , Patiently and politely he asks the animals he comes across whether they have seen his hat.

Task One

Can you design a new hat for bear? I have given an example of the shape you need to make a party hat. You could role paper into a cone shape or draw one.

Task Two

Make a missing poster for Bear’s missing hat

Task 3

Discuss why the Rabbit gives so many answers to Bear’s questions about his missing hat.

Task 4 Maths

Can you make a hat that represents maths ?

Can you count how many hats you have in your home?
Can you write the numbers 1 to ten and draw the corresponing amount of hats?

Task 5

Can you research hats from around the world or from History?

Best Wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everyone!

I found a review of this book online and could not wait to share it with you. I have my own copy coming very soon.

It is called Why we can’t hug (a Hedgehog and Tortoise Story) by Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar.

This timely book helps to explain to children how we can stay connected with the ones we love and friends when we cannot hug them.

The story explains how the little friends have waved to each other; pull silly faces to make each other laugh; write letters, sing songs and blow kisses to make each other know that they love and care for each other.

Task 1:

List three feelings that the animals may have felt when they were told they couldn’t hug.

Task 2:

What are the ways the hedgehog and the tortoise showed each other they are loved ?

Task 3:

How are you going to show your friends that you love them?

Write a letter to someone letting them know how much you have missed them. Maybe a school friend or a family member?

Task 4:

Draw a picture for your best friend?

Task 5:

You will need:

Paper with a hedgehog template drawn on it.

Pegs

To Play:

Draw a hedgehog template and draw a number onto it.

Your child will add the corresponding amount of pegs to create the spikes on the hedgehog.

Best Wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everybody!

I hope you are well. I have been thinking about a quote that I saw about dancing “if you stumble make it part of your dance” and it reminded me of a classic Eyfs book called Giraffes Can’t Dance.

For Speaking and Listening today I would like you to discuss and complete these activities with an adult.

First we are going to be looking at alliteration, Waltzing Warthogs is an example of this. Can you think of your own alliteration? For example hopping hedgehogs or kaolas doing Karate.

Can you think of some words that describe Gerald’s Giraffes dancing? For example in the text the words swishing, swaying and shuffling are used.

The first page of the book uses words to describe the giraffe. Can you describe a giraffe?

The animals think Gerald can’t dance . Some people say “There is no such word as can’t” What does this mean?

For Understanding of the World I would like you to find out about giraffes.

Where do they live in the wild?

What do they eat?

Do they have any special adaptations?

The author wrote the book after they visited Kenya. Can you locate Kenya on a map? Look at some images from Kenya. Is it similar or different to where you live?

For Maths i would like you to try one of these activities:

Make a shopping list of items that might be needed for the Jungle Dance. How many of each item might be needed and how much will it cost?

Carry out a survey in your home to find out which animal your family think will be the best dancers.

Find out how tall the different animals are in the story (eg. cricket, warthog, lion, giraffe) estimate which would be the shortest and which will be the tallest.

For Expressive Arts and Design I would like you to try these activities:

Compose a song to be sung at the Jungle dance.

Create a dance to some music.

Make a shaker to play at the dance. You need a empty bottle and fill it with rice or pasta.

Best Wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everybody!

I was reminded of this book when I was feeding my children their dinner. Can you guess what they were eating?

https://youtu.be/Jn1FBkrHNKg

Puffy’s talent is blowing bubbles can you think of your special talents?

Puffy gets upset when everyone wants to play with Barry. What could he do to maske himself feel better?

Puffy is described as a spoilsport? Dicuss what a Spoil sport is?

For Maths

Can you count your fingers ?

Barry has lots of favourite activities like painting and knitting, amongst other things. Can you count your favourite activities on your fingers?

Design a scarf for Puffy using a repeating pattern?

For Mark making

Can you draw around your hands and design some gloves for Barry to wear other his fingers?

Can you draw or design another animal with fingers?

For Expressive Arts and Design and Physical Development

Can you create a fish by using your hand?

You Will need to:

Draw around your hand and cut it out

Add your design to a blue background

Best wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everybody!

I really enjoyed speaking to your parents and finding out how you are getting on and how much progress you have been making at home.

During lockdown I have enjoyed watching cookery programme which has inspired todays story which is The Little Red Hen makes a Pizza.

For Speaking and Listening ask your child to imagine they are The Little Red Hen and ask them

What ingredients they would put on their pizza?

Who would you ask to help you make a pizza?

How do you feel when the animals say they will not help you?

What would you say to the animals to make them help you.

Get your child to retell the story

For our Mark Making writing task can you get your child to write a shopping list and draw a picture of the ingredients.

For our Reading task can you get your child to look at a cookery book and discuss it with your child.

For Maths I am going to suggest cooking Pitta Pizza’s and get your child to help you to count the ingredients.
You will need:

4 Wholewheat pitta bread

4 tablespoons sun dried tomato puree

3 ripe plum tomatoes, diced

50g of mature cheddar grated ( if you are non diary you could use an alternative or leave this out)

Your choice of ingredients.

Method:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put a baking sheet inside to heat up.

Spread each pitta with 1 tsp puree

Top with tomatoes and cheese (optional) and your other ingredients.

Place on thr hot sheet and bake for 10 minutes until the pitta is crisp.

Alternatively you could play this game with cards comparing numbers and saying which number has more or less?

Best Wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everybody!

I was speaking to my friend about our favourite Early Years books and we both mentioned The Gruffalo.

Today’s blog are my favourite activities based on The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.

Can you draw the Gruffalo? How is he described in the text? Have you remembered his purple prickles and his posionous wart at the end pof his nose?

Show your child a picture of the Gruffalo and get them to point out the body parts or add a counter to where the body part is :

Say, show me Gruffalo’s….

terrible claws

terrible tusks

terrible jaw with his terrible teeth

terrible horns

knobbly knees

turned-out toes

poisonous wart on his nose

black tounge

purple prickles

orange eyes

brown ears

bushy tail.

Alternatively can you read the body parts and get your child to count how many things you have read out.

Order the characters from the story by looking at the image above.

For an outside activity why not attempt to create a Gruffalo tree.

Best wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everyone!

I came across this book after a recommendation from my friend. It is called Kind.

It is great for children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Devlopment,

What can you do to be kind today?

The book suggests making a kindness jar. To make a jar you can add a pom pom or a note explaining how you have been kind, Fill the jar up everytime you do something kind. Once you filled your jar your child could recieve a reward or a cerificate,

For Maths why not make a Friendship Recipe

You will need

A bowl
A spoon
Some cereal
Some Glitter
Some porridge oats
Some Paper

To Set Up and Use

Decide what will make up your reciepe for example 6 spoonfuls of Kindness, 2 spoonfuls of smiles etc.

Write the recipe down

Your child will then add the ingredients to a bowl matching the numeral with quanity.

Mix the final creation together

Decide where you are going to spread your Friendship recipe. I would suggest putting some in a see through container by your door and then frienship will enter your house.

For Mark Making and our Creative Task I would like your child to make a handprint of kindness.
The example below shows the handprints made into a heart.

You will need to use paint and create a page full of handprints then cut into a heart shape.

Remember to wash your child’s hand between each colour of paint and wait for it to be fully dry before cutting into the heart shape.

Best Wishes

Miss Bagnall

Hello Everybody!

I hope you had a lovely weekend. I have been thinking about Sports day and was reminded about a book I usually read to the children called The Sports Day by Mick Inkpen and Nick Butterworth.

For today’s Physical Development and Maths I would like your child to try of these activities:

Prehaps you could create your own sports day with your family. You could also use Cardinal and Ordinal numbers and award points for coming 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th.

10 star jumps
5 claps
Run on the spot for a minute
Hop on one leg 7 times and then swap. How many hops have you done on both legs?
How about having an egg and spoon race with a spoom and a bouncy ball if your not brave enough to use a real egg.
How many times can you bounce a ball?
How many times can you catch a ball?

For our Creative, Expressive arts and Design activity I would like you to try and a make a medal.

I have provided an example above, I used some ribbon, cardboard and cereal.

For Mark Making why not try and make cerificates for the participants of your Sports Day and
Get your child to write the names of those who took part or who they would like to give a certificate too.

Best Wishes

Miss Bagnall