This week, the nursery children embarked on a wonderfully creative and scientific journey inspired by the story of “The Three Little Pigs” and the book “The Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales” by Catherine Cawthorne and Sara Ogilvie. Blending storytelling, music, and hands-on experimentation, we explored key concepts in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) through play and discovery.
All About Chins!
We asked: “Do pigs really have chins?” Using mirrors and animal toys, children explored their own faces and compared them with different animals. With playdough and photos, we dove into a scientific discussion about anatomy and evolution, asking big questions like “Why do we have chins?”
Can Wolves Really Blow?
We discovered that unlike humans, wolves can’t close their lips tightly—so blowing down houses might be a challenge! However, there are other animals who can blow or spout … AKA dolphins, elephants and whales! The children created whale spout simulators using streamers and cups, discussed how animals breathe, and used spray bottles to mimic whales and elephants. We also made pig parachutes to explore air resistance and test if our pigs could fly away safely!
Can You Build It?
Children used a wide range of materials—straws, sticks, clay, boxes, and more—to construct their own houses. The grand finale was a “wind test” where we used a hairdryer to simulate a strong gust and see which structures could withstand the Big Bad Wolf’s mighty huff and puff! This led to rich discussions about structure, stability, and real-world building materials like straw, bricks and steel beams!
🎶 Songs and Stories
During this week, the children were able to retell the traditional fairy tale of the 3 Little pigs many times using props like puppets, DIY constructions and blocks! We also began to read The Fox and the Stork which is one of Aesop’s most popular fables, sparking conversations about differences and how we can be respectful to one another. Healthy choices were also on our list with the book: Care for your body by Matha Rustad, as a preparation for our Healthy Eating week which is happening from Monday 16/06!
✍️ Mark Making & Literacy Fun
Musical games, playing rhyming soup, and making sound patterns filled our days with joyful noise and growing confidence. The children are beginning to understand the concept of rhyming and they are coming up with real and non- real words to create new versions of well known songs! At the writing table, cards, little books and lots of drawing were on full swing!
🌿 Outdoor Learning
Our outdoor learning involved a bug hunt and an outdoors snack and was, as usual, a big success! We managed to spot snails, slugs, bees, beetles and butterflies and we even captured some creatures in our little pots to observe them for a while before releasing them back to the forest! How exciting!
📊 Maths Moments
Children explored lengths, heights, sizes and speeds through playful activities during the week. We made sure to save their brilliant constructions for display and testing! Tally Counters will be going out this and the following week for the children to record details about their own homes—how many windows, rooms, or stories does your house have? Can you make small marks like lines to record your data? Please share photos of your findings through Tapestry!
It was a week full of discovery, questions, laughter, and lots of blowing! Stay tuned for next week’s adventures as we continue to learn through stories, science, and play.
The Nursery Team 🐷💨🧱