This week in Nursery we have been enjoying our Story of the Week: What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson. The children have loved listening to the story and exploring it in lots of different ways. We have been acting out the story using puppets, taking turns to be the different farm animals and retelling what happened. The children have also been practising retelling the directions from the story, just like the animals do to trick the robbers. We have found some sleepy ladybirds outside which sparked great conversations about ladybirds, their number of legs, spots and whether they can make any sounds. What do you think?
Alongside our story learning, we have been practising songs and nursery rhymes and having fun spotting the rhyming words at the end of lines. We have also been playing listening games to hear the initial sounds at the beginning of words. Hearing and recognising the beginning and ending sounds in words is an important early phonics skill. In the early years, children develop their phonics through careful listening. Being able to hear these sounds helps children begin to understand how words are made up of smaller sounds, which supports their early reading and writing development later on.
With the weather beginning to improve, we are looking forward to spending even more time learning outdoors. The children will be exploring with mud, clay and water, which are wonderful for sensory play, creativity and developing fine motor skills. As these activities can get a little messy (which is part of the fun!), please ensure your child has spare clothes in their bag.
Finally, a big thank you for all the wonderful contributions to our Week about Egypt. We really enjoy welcoming parents into the setting and truly appreciate you sharing your traditions, experiences and knowledge with the children. It helps make their learning richer and more meaningful.
Thank you for your continued support.