Hello and welcome to our new nursery year. We will be adding things in this section for you to try at home.
Here’s a good book for this month. 
October 2015
We are looking at the changes in the weather now that is Autumn. Try going on a colour hunt in the park. See how many colours you can see. Make a colour treasure chest with the beautiful things that you find. You could start to discuss light and dark colours and recognising the difference between the two.
September 2015
Traditional tales
We will be looking at the repetition in the stories we tell and encouraging your children to join in with the parts they know. You could try a few of the stories below at bedtime.
June
This month we have been looking carefully at ourselves and our families. We have talked about who lives in their house and what they look like. This has then led onto children drawing and painting both self and family portraits. Some children have even included their pets.
As an extension to this you could try asking your child to observe, talk about and describe a pet they have or even a one they would like. You could then look closely and draw or paint their pet or favourite animal. You could talk about what they feel like, smell like and look like. This will then allow your child to really think about the attributes of the animal.
May
We are focusing on rhythm and rhyme activities at the moment. The children have really enjoyed some of the songs and dances they have learnt so far. Here are some below to try out. Have Fun!
April
We have been focusing a lot on what happens in Spring. We have discussed new life outdoors, changes in the weather and much more. To support this further at home you could try a few of these following games. There is also a list of books you could borrow from the library.
http://www.primarygames.com/seasons/spring/games/springmatch/
http://www.primarygames.com/science/flowers/games/tulipsdragdrop/
Spring
by Gerda Muller
A lovely book with no text but full of illustrations that will encourage discussion about spring.
Ferdie’s Springtime Blosom
by Julia Rawlinson
A lovely springtime adventure, that will have everyone looking forward to warmer days.
March
We have been learning about positional language and it would be great if you could follow this up at home. Talk to your child about where their teddy is e.g. on top of the bed, under the covers, beside them etc. You could also turn this into a fun I spy game e.g. I spy with my little something under the table…something on top of the house….something behind the sofa etc. A good book to read with your child to support this language is Rosie’s Walk.
February
This month we will be talking about Chinese New Year.
Here are some useful links you could try on the internet.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/lets-celebrate-chinese2
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/category/topics/chinese-new-year
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/holiday_station07/chinese_new_year_feb07.shtml
Gung hay fat choy
January
During this month we will be talking a lot above the weather, winter and how cold it has been. Within these discussions we will be using ice, cold colours to paint with and having stories about cold winter days. To support this at home try reading a bedtime story or telling a story about the cold winter weather. Some suggestions that you could borrow from the library are :-
First Snow by Kim Lewis
Let’s Go Home Little Bear by Martin Waddell
Ridiculous by Michael Coleman and Gwyneth Williamson
One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth
Penguin Small by Mick Inkpen
The Snow Lambs by Debi Gliori
17th Nov
One of the focuses for this week is ‘feelings’. We are looking at being able to recognise how others are feeling. You could try playing games in the mirror and ask them to show you a happy, sad, cross face. Then ask them to show you how they would feel if they got an ice cream, fell over etc.
14th Nov
One of things we have been looking at this week is tapping out rhythms and beats to songs. Try going on the following link and singing the songs whilst tapping out the beats…I’m sure your child will teach you the words.
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/chocolate-cake
3rd Nov
This week we will be discussing how to stay safe on Bonfire Night along with the sights and sounds from the night. I have attached a link for you to look at with your child which will support what we are doing in the nursery.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/14927/dg_074037.pdf
October 2nd
We are supporting sharing with the children and turn taking. Try playing a game such as snap and encourage your child to wait for their turn.
This week has been our first full week in nursery. We have been working on putting our wellies on, taking them off and changing into our slippers. To help your child further you could try encouraging them to put on their own wellington boots before nursery and changing into their comfy shoes / slippers when they come home.
The children have shown a keen interest in dinosaurs this week. We have been creating dinosaur dens and using non fiction books to find out more about them. See if you can find out more about dinosaurs on the internet and bring it in to share at school. You could also try out making your own dinosaur land with potting compost and cress seeds. Using a large tray fill with compost then sprinkle with cress seeds. In a very short time the seeds will grow and become your very own dinosaur world.
