Big, bigger, biggest

This week we have used the traditional tale Jack and the beanstalk to base some fun activities.

In our maths sessions we introduced the children to some language regarding size (tall, taller, smaller, smaller, bigger etc), we set the children a challenge to order some items according to height, then the children worked together to measure everyone's height.

We also set up a measuring table with tape measures and bricks to build tall towers with, the children have loved using the measuring the equipment.

With the children's help we made a beanstalk number line, complete with clouds and a giant's castle at the top!

On our messy play table we had beanstalk dough- play dough with magic beans and pipe cleaner stalks. 

We read the story Jasper's beanstalk, which is about a cat that plants a bean and how he takes care of it; the children have been taking care of their own cress seeds this week. They have been watering them and checking them everyday to see what is happening. 

We have also been getting ready for spring and made some lovely paper birds which we added to our new spring display.

The children have been enjoying our new 'bear cave', we have made the role play area dark and cosy with cushions, throws, torches, books about bears and materials for independent writing. 

Next week we will be doing lots of spring and Easter crafts and using the story the Three little pigs for some other activities.   

We're going on a bear hunt...

This week we have had a bear theme, we have provided lots of activities inspired by Goldilocks and the three bears and We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen.

The children have been able to develop their mathematical language by sorting the three bears into appropriate sized baskets. We have heard lots of lovely language such as 'big, small, middle size, large, huge, giant, medium, little, tiny and enormous'.

We also asked the children to make beds that would be the right size for the three bears using construction bricks.

After reading the story 'We're going on a bear hunt' the children made some lovely sensory collages to represent all the places the family in the story go through on their hunt for the bear. We used strips of paper for the long wavy grass, blue foam shapes for the splashy sploshy river, sponge dabbers in brown paint for the squelchy mud and cotton wool for the swirling whirling snow storm.

  

We also decided to make some group art work based on the story for our display. We used lots of material to create our wonderful collages then we added the onomatopoeic language from the story.

Next week we ill be using the story Jack and the beanstalk to base our activities and will be visiting the Horniman museum.

Super spaceships!

This week we have had a space theme.

The children have made some great night sky pictures by mixing black power paint with glitter and painting onto tin foil.

We had some space themed counting activities.

We made some amazing aliens using tin foil and junk modelling materials.

Look at our super cool flying saucer spaceships, we made them using plastic cups, foam plates, string and tape.

Here are some more photos of our week...

 Space dough

 Shopping and tills role play.

 Large scale mark-making.

 The children turned the puppet theatre into a house.

 This is a 'hotel' built by the afternoon children.

Our space themed display area.

Next week we will be using the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears to base our activities.

We will be visiting the Horniman museum on 18th and 19th March, if you are able to come along with us us please sign-up on the sheets in the conservatory or see a member of the nursery team next week.