Well, it is going to be a big month for Dolphins this month. We’ve got all the environmental changes that the children are getting excited about; bringing in autumn fall, constantly finding more and more leaves in our garden, our sunflowers and summer pots all starting to die. As the month goes on, we will be relocating whilst the nursery takes renovations to the Dolphins’ play spaces. So, we will mostly be looking at Autumn changes with a few changes for ourselves coming too…
The activities this month will be based around the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) areas of learning:
Prime areas:
PSED: Noticing
the change in weather and thinking about how to keep ourselves warm. PD: Taking steps and having a go at
putting on jackets, shoes and warmer clothes to go outside. C&L Learning new songs about the
season, new words to label what they learn, see and discover.
Specific areas:
L: Referring
to books to discuss changes and link ideas with literature. M: Noticing colours, shapes and
patterns in the environment. UW: Developing
an understanding of change, processes, sequences from start to finish. EA&D:
Using natural materials to create art and using what we have observed to
re-enact stories and ideas through dramatic play.
Some of the activities we will be doing this month to support
this will be:
·
Leaf collections and prints. Christine H will be collecting leaves with the
children and using them to make prints, compare, sort, order and discuss the
qualities of them.
·
Natural materials collages with Manjit and
Jenny, using acorns,
conkers, twigs, leaves, and items brought in from home by the children.
·
Making Wigwams with leaf decorations. Matt will be making wigwams with the
children and decorating them with leaves.
·
Harvesting. Shilpi will be bringing in and talking about harvesting and all
of the fruits and vegetables that are available at present to eat- and trying
them too.
·
Making hedgehogs. Marie-Claire will be talking about hedgehogs
in the autumn with the children and making salt dough and pipe cleaner
hedgehogs.
·
Autumn tree. Laura Z will be making a giant tree
representing autumn using the children’s hand and finger prints, exploring the
colours red, brown, orange, and yellow.
·
Talking about the change to our nursery. Su will be talking to the children about the
changes to the nursery that will be happening soon. What will be different for
us, how we will manage the change and charting the progress as we go.
What you could do to support
your children at home:
·
Take some time out and go collecting. Collect leaves, conkers, acorns, sticks, bark,
pinecones, etc. Sit down together and look at them, talk about them, compare,
sort, order, match and play with them. What can you make with them? Acorn
people? Stick men?
·
Remember to use a wide range of challenging
language to describe the properties of the pieces and extend their word
repertoire; spikey,
jagged, rough, pocked, flecked, crisp, silky, brittle, flexible, etc.
·
Cut
a pumpkin and explore it together. What do the seeds
feel like, where are they, what does the flesh feel like, what colour is it, what
does it smell like, what happens to it when you cook it? What are all the
things that you could make with it?
·
If
you’re a member of Kew, don’t miss out on all the
amazing pumpkin installations at the moment.
·
What’s
changed in the supermarkets recently? Count how many
different types, colours shapes of squash you can find in the supermarket.
