This week we will be celebrating the Chinese Year of the Monkey with lots of different activities including ribbon dancing, exploring noodles and trying out Chinese writing.

Our stories are all about monkeys.

Our song of the week is all about Chinese New Year celebrations.

The song can be heard by clicking here.

Chorus:
(keep a rhythm patting hands together one hand up, then the other)
Gung Hay Fat Choy, Gung Hay Fat Choy
Sing Happy New Year, Gung Hay Fat Choy

1. The new moon tells us, exactly when
(hold up one hand in C shape for crescent moon)
To celebrate with family and friends (clap hands in rhythm)

2. Clean up the house and get out the broom (pretend to sweep)
Sweep out the old year, bring in the new

3. Bring out the apples, the oranges too (hold out one fist, then the other)
Their colors bring us joy and good luck too

4. The dragon dances, the lanterns light
(place hands together, and snake around )
The firecrackers light up the night
(alternate right and left fist out with fingers opening quickly to mimic shooting fireworks).

All our books for this week are by Colin West.  These are great stories with lots of repetition which encourages children to join in with the story telling.

Our rhyme of the week is another one about 5 little monkeys, but this time they come to a sticky end!

Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree

Five little monkeys swinging in the tree
Teasing Mr Crocodile “You can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr Crocodile as quiet as can be
And SNAP went Mr Crocodile “I’ll have you for my tea!”

Four little monkeys…

Last week, I shared this story with all of the children in Group Times.  It is a lovely story about Barney the Bear, who just wants to eat his iced currant bun in peace and quiet.  The story really got us thinking about what we would do if somebody came to try and take something from us.  It gave us the opportunity to practice saying, “Stop. No! I don’t like that!”  which is what we encourage children to do if someone in Nursery is doing or saying something unkind to them.

Perhaps you could talk to them about what happened to Barney the Bear and help us reinforce the message at home too.

This week’s stories are all about bears.

Do you have any favourite bear stories?

Our rhymes for the week are Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear and Round and Round the Garden.

We had much excitement in Nursery on Thursday when the snow fell and the children gleefully made plans to build a snowman when we had enough snow. Alas, we were left with lots of ice today instead of snow.  We had a great time investigating the frozen landscape, but some of us still managed to make snowmen inside Nursery on our interactive white board.

Perhaps you could try the same activity at home.  It can be found by clicking here.

 You might like to print off your child’s snowman picture for their Learning Journal.

This week’s stories are all about shopping.  We have been enjoying the shop role-play area in the Blue Room, so we’ve planned in shopping stories to support our thinking.  We have been busy writing shopping lists, being customers choosing our shopping and shop assistants operating tills and checking prices.  Perhaps you could help your child set up a shop to play at home?

Our song of the week is all about robot bits and pieces – it’s to the same tune as ‘Five Currant Buns’ and the printable props for the rhyme can be downloaded here

Ten bits and pieces in a robot shop

10 bits and pieces in a robot shop,

cables, connectors, buttons ‘Go’ and ‘Stop’.

Along came …………

and chose a robot bit,

checked the instructions

to see where it would fit.

We’re hoping that in addition to teaching the children some new vocabulary, developing counting skills and awareness of shape, it will hit the spot with our robot enthusiasts!

This week, all our books are about animals.  Does your child have a favourite animal story?

Our song of the week is all about how animals move.

If I were

(Sung to: ” The Mulberry Bush”)

Oh, if I were a tiny snake,
A tiny snake, a tiny snake.
Oh, if I were a tiny snake,
I’d slither around the zoo.

Oh, if I were an elephant,
an elephant, an elephant.
Oh, if I were an elephant,
I’d march around the zoo.

Oh, if I were a kangaroo,
A kangaroo, a kangaroo.
Oh, if I were a kangaroo,
I’d hop around the zoo.