The Night Before Christmas

This week we are reading The Night Before Christmas. We will look at some of the more unusual words in the poem. We will also think about the things we do before Christmas.

It will be a fairly relaxed week in Nursery, finishing off anything that needs to be done before the holidays. We have our Christmas Party on Wednesday morning (8.45-11.45am), including a special visitor if we are very good!

What's coming up next week?

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS!!
Nursery reopens on TUESDAY, 7TH JANUARY, 2014. We would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and to say thank you for your support this year. Have a lovely holiday time with your children and we will see you in 2014!

Aliens Love Panta Claus & Christmas Arrangements

In Nursery this week we are going to read "Aliens Love Panta Claus" by Clare Freedman and Ben Cort. The story is about the aliens who go to help Santa. They do all sorts of things with the pants, such as hanging them up instead of a stocking, dressing up the elves in frilly pants and exchanging Santa's sack for a pair of bloomers!

This week we will be making our calendars to take home next week. We will be thinking about Christmas traditions and how to prepare for Christmas. We will talk about things we would do on Christmas Eve, for example, putting out mince pies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. As our story is about aliens in underpants, we will be making our own special pants. We will have lots of collage materials to decorate our own pants shapes. We also have our Christmas Play on Wednesday morning.

Ways to help at home this week

Talk about the traditions you and your family have at Christmas time. What do you do on Christmas Eve? Christmas Day? Boxing Day?

What's coming up next week?

Monday, 16th December
Christmas Lunch - 11.30am-12.45pm (approx.)
If your child would like to stay for a Christmas lunch but you have not yet filled in the form, please speak to a member of staff.

Wednesday, 18th December
Christmas Party for ALL Nursery children - 8.45-11.45am
You are welcome to join us from 11.15am in the hall for our special visitor.
Nursery is CLOSED for the afternoon session.

Friday, 20th December
Celebration Assembly - 1.30pm in the hall
All welcome
Last day of term

Our Visitor from the North Pole

Dear Father Christmas

This week in Nursery we are reading a story called Dear Father Christmas written by Jeanne Willis. This story is about a little girl who writes a letter to Father Christmas. She asks for some very different presents, such as a spray to keep the scary monsters away and special snow to make her snowman come to life!

We will be making our Christmas decorations and calendars ready for the end of term. On Wednesday we will be having a dress rehearsal for our Christmas play next week. Please remember that the play will involve everyone in Nursery on Wednesday morning and we will be closed for the afternoon session on Wednesday, 11th December.

We will be going outside this week to have a Winter Picnic. We will have hot food and hot chocolate to drink, as well as talking about ways to keep warm in the cold weather.

Ways to help at home this week

Continue practising our Christmas songs for the play. If you need another copy of the song words, please see a member of staff.

Christmas Cards

Our Christmas post box will be in the Nursery from this week. A list of Nursery children is available in the Nursery porch if you need it for sending cards.

Christmas Lunch

Christmas lunch in school is on Monday, 16th December. If your child does not normally stay for lunch or attends Nursery in the second half of the week we would like to invite them to join us for lunch on that day. A school Christmas lunch will cost £1.80. If you would like your child to come to Nursery for their Christmas lunch, please fill in the form available from the Nursery and return it by next Wednesday so that we can confirm numbers with the kitchen staff.

What's coming up next week?

Wednesday, 11th December at 9.30am
Christmas Play for ALL NURSERY CHILDREN. Children need to be in Nursery for 8.45am as normal. Parents, grandparents and other family members/friends are invited! Please note Nursery is CLOSED for the AFTERNOON session.

The Elf on the Shelf & The Nativity Play

Last week we had a special visitor in Nursery. A little elf from the North Pole arrived to watch us in Nursery and report back to Santa about our behaviour. The first day he was in Nursery he sat on the windowsill very nicely all day. However, when we came in on Tuesday he had cut down some of our rockets from the washing line! On Wednesday he had eaten a biscuit from the cupboard and drank our milk! On Thursday he was sitting on the Christmas tree and on Friday he put toilet roll all over the Nursery! We think we should be reporting back to Santa about HIS behaviour!

This week in Nursery we will be reading a story by Mick Inkpen and Nick Butterworth, called The Nativity Play. We will be practising for our play during the week too. We will also be making special reindeer biscuits ready to take home at the end of term. We will use the story to learn about the story of Christmas and who all the characters were.

Ways to help at home this week

Practise our Christmas play songs at home.

What's coming up next week?

Wednesday, 4th December
Dress Rehearsal for our Christmas Play

Christmas Craft Evening 5.00-6.00pm

Thursday, 5th December
Christmas Fair 2.30-4.30pm

Friday, 6th December
Christingle Service 2.15pm

Request...
I have recently updated the Nursery section of the school website. Please have a look at it and let me know if there is anything else you would need to know as a parent choosing a Nursery for your child. Thank you! http://www.collierley.durham.sch.uk/ournursery/

Getting ready for Christmas...

The past week in Nursery has seen a few changes to the layout of the room. We have a new present wrapping area so that we can give Santa and his elves a helping hand with all those presents they need to wrap before Christmas Eve. We have also made a change to the writing area. It now has a writing wall (we will be stressing that this is the ONLY wall the children should be writing on and that Santa will be watching!!!) and lots of letter writing materials for writing our letters to Santa.

There will be another update on the blog through the week with information about our activities and ways to help at home this week. In the meantime, don't forget our Parent Squiggle Sessions on Wednesday this week at 9.00am or 2.30pm depending when your child attends Nursery. We will be doing another evening Squiggle session for parents in the Spring Term for anyone who is unable to attend this time.

Stick Man

This week we're reading Stick Man by Julia Donaldson. The story is about Stick Man who lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their three stick children. One day Stick Man goes for a jog and ends up going on a long adventure. He is eventually rescued by a very important person...

We will be using the outdoor area a lot this week for our daily maths challenges. We will be counting out sticks and other natural objects. Another Stick Man will be visiting the Nursery this week and we will take him on a few adventures around the school grounds. We will talk about the adventures he has when we go back to the Nursery, answering who, what, where, why, when and how questions. Everyone will help to draw out the adventures he has around school too. We will be talking about what makes us special and unique.

There will be Christmas cake mix to explore in our malleable area, doilies for printing and painting with, straws to make "sticky" pictures, glittery water in the water tray and soap flakes in another tray.

Ways to help at home this week

Talk to your child about their family tree. Who is in your family? What do they do? How are they similar/different to each other?

Next week we will be writing letters to Santa. Talk about what your child might want for Christmas and what they might leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve.

What's coming up next week?

We will be having a Parents' Squiggle Session on Wednesday, 20th November at 9.00am and 2.30pm. If you are unable to attend but would like to, please be aware that we will be having another Squiggle session in the Spring Term one evening after school.

Wish Tree

Can you donate any of the following items to Nursery?

• box of tissues
• cheap shaving foam
• baby wipes

Children in Need

We will be donating the money from next week's non uniform day to Children in Need. If you would like to donate more than the usual 50p you are welcome to do so.

Children can wear Pudsey ears, etc. to Nursery on Wednesday or Friday next week if they wish.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Halloween fundraising activities. We raised an amazing £408!!! The money will be put towards new furniture for the Nursery.

Christmas Is Coming!!!

Our theme for this half term is Christmas & Winter. We are starting the theme by looking at the story of The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson. We will be playing parachute games in the big hall, involving lots of teamwork. Everyone will use the digital cameras and iPads to take photographs. We will be using the overhead projector to explore shadows, as well as investigating the changes in the weather outdoors. We will use black pens, crayons and paint to make some cave paintings like the ones in the Gruffalo's cave. In our brand new floor books we will be drawing and writing about the things we are scared of. We will also talk about who our families are and what they do. We have some games to play in the outdoor area, including What's the Time, Baby Gruffalo? We will also make homes for the animals in the story outside and talk about hibernation and habitats.

Ways to help at home this week

Talk about how warm or cold it is outside this week and whether or not you need a coat to go outdoors.
Go outdoors as it is beginning to get dark and ask your child to listen to the sounds they can hear. Are there any sounds that are different to the ones you hear when it is light?

What's coming up next week?

We are welcoming more new starters to Nursery next week.

Children in Need... details to follow as soon as they are confirmed!

Don't forget...

HALLOWEEN FUNDRAISING FUN DAY

Wednesday, 23rd October
9.00-10.00am & 2.00-3.00pm
Parents welcome!

PUMPKIN DECORATING COMPETITION

£1 per entry
All entries must be in school by lunchtime on Tuesday, 22nd October.

HALLOWEEN DISCO

Wednesday, 23rd October
4.00-5.30pm
Nursery children must be accompanied by an adult

CELEBRATION ASSEMBLY

Friday, 25th October
1.45pm
Parents welcome. If your child does not normally attend Nursery on Friday afternoons they must be accompanied by an adult.

Room on the Broom - Week 2

This week we are still reading Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. We will be in the outdoor area moving like the frog, cat, bird and dragon in the story. We will be exploring the outside environment, looking at the changes in the weather and the leaves on the trees. Now that we know the story well, we will be retelling the story and talking about the characters and events in the story. Everyone will be making potions in the water tray and looking at capacity. We will make something with a spider theme from materials of our own choice. Some of us will paint, some will do a spider dance, some will make a collage and some of us might choose something completely different!

Ways to help at home this week

Next week is half term holiday. If you do anything with your child during the week please take photographs or keep a diary and bring it to Nursery after the holidays.

What's coming up next week?

Half term holiday!
We return to Nursery on Monday, 4th November and we will be welcoming more new starters that week too.

We would just like to say a big thank you to all of you (parents and children) for making the first half term of this year so successful. Next half term is extremely busy with Christmas activities and we are really looking forward to everything that will be happening.

Room on the Broom

This week we are reading the story of Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. We will spend lots of time focusing on the rhyming words, characters and events in the story. In the outdoor area we will be moving like the frog, cat, bird and dragon in the story.
We will use newspaper brooms and try to work out how we can make them longer to make more room on our brooms. Everyone will go to "Broom School" to learn how to fly their broom with the "Broom Instructor". We will be making something magical from the junk modelling materials and exploring different methods of joining materials together. There will be lots of paint, crayons and other drawing/writing tools available to make pictures of the characters in the story and to write letters to them.

Ways to help at home this week

Help your child to practise putting on their coat.
Sing rhymes and songs together, leaving out the rhyming word for your child to fill in, e.g. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great....

What's coming up next week?

Parent Meetings
Appointment sheets are in the Nursery porch. Please sign up for an appointment with your child's Key Person.

Halloween Fundraising Fun Day
Wednesday, 23rd October - 9.00-10.00am & 2.00-3.00pm

Halloween Disco
Wednesday, 23rd October - 4.00-5.30
Nursery children must be accompanied by an adult

Celebration Assembly
Friday, 25th October - 1.45pm
Everyone welcome. If your child does not normally attend Nursery on a Friday afternoon they must be accompanied by an adult.

Decorate a Pumpkin Competition
£1 to enter. Pumpkins must be decorated at home and brought to Nursery by lunchtime on Tuesday, 22nd October

Pirate George

This week we are reading Pirate George's Number Crew by Shonette Bason and Elaine Wright. The book is a series of rhymes set to well known nursery rhyme tunes. Each rhyme is about a member of the crew from Winky One Eye to Timmy Ten Toes, all with a focus from 1 to 10.

Our main focus for this week will be on Mathematics which is part of our Nursery curriculum. We will be finding out what the children can do in this area through activities based on the story and the children's other interests. We will have lots of Numeracy equipment out in the Nursery and will focus on counting skills and saying number names in order. We will also be looking at shape, space and measures through lots of different activities. The shape jigsaws and sorting games will be available to play with and we will also go on a shape hunt around the school.

Ways to help at home this week

Look for shapes in your house. What shape is the clock? The TV? The doors? Can you spot some numbers on your way to Nursery?

Halloween Fun Day

Wednesday, 23rd October is our Halloween Fun Day in Nursery. We are inviting parents and carers to come into Nursery from either 9.00-10.00am or 2.00-3.00pm to join in the activities and help us raise some money for new furniture. There will be lots to do!

Don't forget to guess how many snakes are in the jar (50p) and buy some raffle tickets for our Halloween raffle (£1 a strip).

What's coming up next week?

The sign up sheets for Parent Meetings will be available from Monday next week for meetings the week after (week beginning 21st October).

Outside with the Onion Elf

Whatever Next!

This week we are looking at the story "Whatever Next!" by Jill Murphy. The story is about a bear who pretends to fly to the moon in a rocket made from a cardboard box.

Our main focus for this week will be on Expressive Arts & Design which is part of our Nursery curriculum. It involves drawing, painting, making things, role play and music. We will be finding out what the children can do in this area through activities based around the story and the children's other interests.

We will have boxes in the Nursery to make things with and to make up stories with. We will also have lots of art equipment out, such as paint, crayons, pencils, etc. Everyone will have the opportunity to play with the musical instruments too. We will be singing and dancing our way through the week!

Ways to help at home this week

Make a picture together and bring it into Nursery to put on the display. You could draw something or make a collage picture.
Sing nursery rhymes and familiar songs together.

Fundraising

Have you guessed how many snakes are in the jar? It is 50p to enter and the nearest guess wins the jar!

What's coming up next week?

Another normal week for us in Nursery!

Out & About

This week our story is called "Out and About in my Boots". It is a book about some of the things you might discover in the great outdoors.

Our main focus for this week will be on Understanding the World, which is a big area of our Nursery curriculum. We will be finding out what the children can do in this area through activities based around the story and the children's other interests. The area is split into three subsections: People & Communities (focusing on children's knowledge of their families and different ways of life), The World (focusing on the environment and the world around us) and Technology (focusing on computers and other technological equipment).

Ways to help at home this week

Talk about what you can see and hear in the outdoors on your way to and from Nursery. Can you hear the birds? The traffic? Can you see clouds in the sky?
Talk about what the weather is like each day. Is it cold enough to need a coat?

Fundraising events

We are hoping to have a Halloween themed fundraising day on Wednesday, 23rd October. We will send out more information about this nearer the time. Over the next few weeks we have organised several competitions and activities for you and your child to take part in.

What's coming up next week?

More new starters and another normal week for us in Nursery!

Nat Fantastic

This week in Nursery we are reading a story called Nat Fantastic by Giles Andreae. Nat is a little boy who turns into a little superhero at bedtime when he sneezes. He whizzes through the air in his amazing silver pyjamas saving the world from greedy crocodiles and naught bank robbers! The book contains a repeated phrase which we will be encouraging the children to join in with when we read the story: "FLASH! BANG! WHIZZ! KABOOM! Nat Fantastic's in the room!"

We will talk about our favourite stories, songs and rhymes. We will also continue to learn the rules and routines in Nursery.
Our main focus for this week will be on Physical Development and Communication & Language, which are two areas of our Nursery curriculum. We will be finding out what the children can do in these areas through activities based around Nat Fantastic and the children's other interests.

This week also sees the start of Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle and Magic Maths. We will be holding parent sessions about these two parts of our Nursery day very soon so that you can find out more about them.

Ways to help at home this week

Talk about your child's favourite story. Read it together and ask them to tell it back to you.
Sing some songs and nursery rhymes together.
Talk about your child's favourite superhero. Encourage them to think about people who help us, e.g. firemen, doctors, parents, etc. as well as characters such as Spiderman and Ben 10.

A couple of reminders

Non uniform day is every Wednesday for Nursery. If your child comes to Nursery in non uniform they will need 50p for the money box.

The library box will be out on Wednesdays for you to choose a new book with your child. Don't forget to bring the old one back!

New Starters

This week we welcome our new children to Nursery! Some children will be starting on Monday and some will be starting on Wednesday. We hope they enjoy their time at Nursery!

We have had a lovely first week back. The children have told us all about their holidays and we are looking forward to the year ahead. Look out for a list of important diary dates very soon. All of our Christmas activities have been planned in the diary so that you have plenty of notice should you need time off work, etc.

Don't forget that school lunches have increased in price to £1.80.

In Nursery this week we will be showing our new friends what we do and how things work.

We still have some spaces for this year so if you know of anyone with a child under the age of 3 please invite them to come and have a look around!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Nursery!
We hope you have had a good summer holiday. There have been several changes in Nursery over the summer. We have had new radiators fitted which is great as we will be lovely and warm during the winter months! We have also done a little bit of furniture rearranging!

This week we will be spending time talking about our holidays and reminding ourselves of the rules in Nursery. We will be playing in the areas and reminding ourselves how to tidy each space properly.

Please be aware that after six weeks off the children will be very tired for a couple of weeks while they settle back into the Nursery routine, particularly if they are attending full day sessions for the first time. We have very full and busy days so don't be surprised if they are exhausted when they come home!

Just a reminder that we start back on Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on your child's sessions). The morning session is 8.45am-11.45am and the afternoon session is 12.15pm-3.15pm.

The Final Week!!

Well, it's here at last! The FINAL week of the academic year!

With the Summer Holidays only a few days away all the staff in the Nursery would like to say a very big thank you to all the children for being absolutely brilliant this year! We are going to miss all the children who are moving to new schools in September and even though some of them will only be across the corridor it won't be the same opening the door on a morning/afternoon and not seeing their smiley faces! That being said, we are looking forward to welcoming some of our children back in September and we are already preparing some exciting things for the Autumn Term!

The Nursery disco is on Wednesday this week. Children should arrive at 10.30am and will need to be collected at 1.30pm. Lunch is provided... they only need to bring themselves!

The Leavers' Celebration Assembly is on Thursday at 1.30pm in the school hall. Everyone is welcome. If your child does not normally attend Nursery on Thursday afternoon they will need to be accompanied by an adult.

Please don't forget to fill in the questionnaires and return them to Nursery as soon as possible. If you need another copy just ask a member of staff.

Finally, ENJOY THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS & thank you for all your support this year!

This Week & Arrangements for Next Week

This week we are going to finish off all the things that we are planning to send home. We also have our trip to Gibside on Wednesday. Your child will need to have a waterproof coat, footwear suitable for walking, a packed lunch and a backpack to carry it in. Please make sure that you apply sun cream if the sunny weather continues. Children can bring up to £5.00 spending money but it must be in a named purse/wallet/money bag and handed to a member of staff on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday, 17th July

Our end of year/Nursery leavers' disco is Wednesday, 17th July at 10.30am. It is for ALL NURSERY CHILDREN. We will provide lunch and children will need to be collected from the Nursery door at 1.30pm. Lunch will be party food, provided by Nursery. You do not need to bring anything & parents do not need to attend.

Thursday, 18th July

The last day of term is Thursday, 18th July. Our Celebration/Leavers' Assembly will take place in the hall at 1.30pm. Parents are welcome to attend.

Parent Meetings

Thank you to everyone who made an appointment to see your child's Key Worker last week. If you were unable to attend but would still like to speak to your child's Key Worker, please speak to a member of staff and we will try to arrange a mutually convenient time.

Tiddler - The Story Telling Fish

This week our older children who are staying at Collierley next year are going to spend some time in their new classroom. The rest of us will be reading "Tiddler - the story telling fish" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. We will be going to Diving School and learning about the equipment we would need to go diving in the deep blue sea.

We will be using the computer to find out about some of the creatures in the story. We will also be playing with the magnetic fishing games and will have lots of maths equipment out to use and explore. Everyone will make up a story like Tiddler during Talk Time. We will be making a great big under the sea picture and mixing different shades of blue paint to create the sea scene.

Ways to help at home this week
Make up a story together. Use story language, e.g. "once upon a time", "happily ever after", etc. Make it as imaginative as possible. You could even write it down and make it into a book!

What's coming up next week?
Wednesday, 10th July - Nursery trip to Gibside

Please return the consent slip and money as soon as possible. Children will need a packed lunch in a backpack, a waterproof coat and footwear suitable for walking. They can bring up to £5.00 but it must be in a named purse or money bag and handed to a member of staff on arrival at Nursery on Wednesday morning. Please make sure your child arrives at Nursery at 8.45am. We will be back at approximately 3.00pm and children should be collected from the Nursery door at 3.15pm. If you have any questions, please speak to a member of staff.

Commotion in the Ocean

This week in Nursery we are reading the book "Commotion in the Ocean". This book is a collection of rhymes and poems by Giles Andreae and is illustrated by David Wojtowycz. We will be going to Sea School and moving like all of the creatures in the book! We will go outdoors and blow lots of bubbles too!

We are going to make jiggling jellyfish from paper plates and crepe paper. We will be finding out lots of facts about under the sea creatures. The book is called "Commotion in the Ocean" so we are going to create a messy commotion of our own and have lots of messy things to play with linked with our under the sea theme. We will also be investigating shape and size in our outdoor area... is the Nursery yard big enough to hold a whale?

Ways to help at home this week

Use the internet or visit the library to find out about sea creatures. Which one is the biggest? Which is the smallest?

What's coming up next week?

Transition Week for the children who are moving into Reception at Collierley next year.

School Start Meeting on Tuesday at 2.30pm for children and parents of children who are moving into Reception at Collierley next year.

Parent Meetings
Please sign up for an appointment with your child's key person. The appointment list is in the Nursery porch.

Summer Fair & Nursery Open Day - Saturday, 6th July at 11.00am-1.00pm
Come along and join in the fun of the Summer Fair, whatever the weather!
Nursery will be open during this time for prospective parents to come and chat to staff and view the facilities. If you know any parents who might be interested, please invite them along!

Parent Meetings and Gibside Trip

Parent Meetings will take place during the week beginning Monday, 1st July. Please sign up for an appointment with your child's key person on the appointment sheet in the Nursery porch.

If the dates and times available are not suitable due to work commitments, etc., then please speak to a member of staff and we will try to arrange a mutually convenient time, but we would ask that you try to use the allocated times if at all possible. Thank you!

We are hoping to go to Gibside on Wednesday, 10th July. This will be for all Nursery children and will be for the full day. You should receive a letter about this visit on Wednesday this week.

In the Nursery...

You may have noticed some changes in the Nursery lately.

First, there was the appearance of the beach...

And then there was the circus tent...

We have really enjoyed pretending to be at the circus this week! We've been walking around on stilts, trying to juggle and wearing the clown wigs! It has been great fun!

The Singing Mermaid

This week we are reading the story "The Singing Mermaid" by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks. We will be listening for the rhyming words in the story. The mermaid goes to the circus so we will be practising circus skills in the outdoor area. It is also the Big Toddle this week, so we are talking about what we did and what we saw in our Talk Time afterwards.

On Monday a bottle appeared in our classroom beach with a message inside. They are appearing all over the Nursery this week too! We will be writing replies to the messages. We are going to use our plastic bottles to make a memory bottle to take home at the end of the year. We will be singing like the mermaid in the story and creating a brand new tail for her using our collaging skills!

Ways to help at home this week

Sing songs and nursery rhymes together. What is your favourite song? Sing along to songs on the radio or TV. If you are stuck for ideas the CBeebies website has a song section.

What's coming up next week?

Wednesday, 26th June is Sports Day for Reception to Year 6. Nursery do not take part in Sports Day but if you would like to take your child to watch the older children you are very welcome to do so. Please speak to a member of staff for more details. Please note: Sports Day is dependent on the weather!

Big Toddle

Can you please collect Big Toddle sponsor money and bring it to Nursery along with the sponsor form by Wednesday, 3rd July? Thank you!

Winnie at the Seaside

This week we are reading "Winnie at the Seaside". We will be talking about what we could do at the beach. In the outdoor area we will be pretending the wooden planks are surf boards. We will be going to surf school and finding ways of balancing.

We will be having a sandcastle competition in the classroom. We will look at different sandcastles on the computer first to give us some ideas. In the story Winnie the Witch left her broomstick in the sea. She used her magic wand to bring it back, but it caused all sorts of problems so we are going to build a boat for her instead. We will be testing different materials to see which ones float and which ones last the longest in the water. We are going to taste different flavours of ice cream and see which is the most popular.

Ways to help at home this week

Talk about times you have been to the seaside and what you did when you were there.
Look for shapes around the house, out in the street, etc. Point out road signs for example and talk about their shape.

What's coming up next week?

Wednesday, 19th June is the Barnardo's Big Toddle. This will take place during normal nursery sessions, within the school grounds. We would like to ask the children to dress up as a fairy tale or nursery rhyme character for the toddle this year. Please remember that we are doing our walk outside (hopefully on the school field, weather permitting) and they will need to have sensible shoes on their feet.
Can you please bring sponsor money into Nursery by Wednesday, 3rd July?
If you have any questions, please speak to a member of staff in Nursery. Thank you!

Barnardo's Big Toddle

We are planning to hold our Big Toddle on Wednesday, 19th June during normal Nursery sessions.

The theme for this year's toddle is Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales. We would like to invite the children to dress up as a Fairy Tale or Nursery Rhyme character for the day.

You will receive a sponsor form on Wednesday and we hope you will help us to support this charity. We would like to raise as much money as possible for this very worthy cause.

If you have any questions about this event, please speak to a member of staff.

Wish Tree

Items on the wish tree this half term are:

• baby wipes
• tissues
• cornflour
• (cheap) shaving foam
• (cheap) mashed potato
• jelly

If you are able to contribute any of these items they would be appreciated! Thank you!

Mr Men & Little Miss Stories

This week we are reading three Mr. Men and Little Miss stories. We will look at Mr. Silly, Mr. Daydream and Little Miss Giggles. We will be looking at what makes us special and looking inside a very important box to see what's inside. Mr. Daydream took a little boy called Jack on an exciting adventure to all sorts of places around the world! We will be thinking and talking about where we would like to go on an adventure.

We will be drawing pictures of ourselves and using the iPads to record ourselves making animals noises to use in a sound lotto game. In Magic Maths we will be making shapes with the play dough. We will also be Squiggling!

Ways to help at home this week

Talk about what makes you feel happy, sad, scared, angry, upset, excited, surprised, etc.
Listen to the sounds around. What can you hear?
Talk about the weather. What's it like outside today?

What's coming up next week?

It's a "normal" week in Nursery! We are starting our new topic about the seaside next week. Watch out for some changes in the Nursery... If you have any photographs of your child enjoying the beach they would be a great addition to our seaside topic display! They can be photocopied and returned immediately.

Growing Frogs

This week in Nursery we are looking at non-fiction. Carrying on from last week we will read a book about frogs called "Growing Frogs". We will use this as a starting point for finding out about the life cycle of the frog. We didn't get a chance to do our life cycle dance last week so we will be doing that this week instead and will pretend to be a tadpole and a jumping frog!

We will visit the school library to find some non-fiction books about frogs and other pond animals. We will also try to find more information on the computer. We will be doing some painting and playing number related games such as hopscotch outdoors. We might visit the school pond to see if there are any tadpoles or frogs living there at the moment too.

Ways to help at home this week

When you're out and about during the holidays look for things that are living and talk about the things you can see. Can you find a pattern on a building or on an animal, e.g. spotty, stripes, etc.?

What's coming up next week?

It's HALF TERM HOLIDAY!

We are off for a week and a day. Monday, 3rd June is a staff training day so Nursery is closed to pupils. We return to Nursery on Tuesday, 4th June.

Stay and Play Week

Thank you to everyone who came to Stay and Play Week and thank you for the lovely comments. We hope you enjoyed it and that it gave you an insight into Nursery life.

Celebration Assembly

Our whole school celebration assembly is next Friday (24th May) at 1.45pm in the hall. All parents/carers are welcome to attend. If your child is receiving an award we will let you know as soon as possible.

Class Photos

The group photograph orders have now been sent off to Tempest. We hope to have the photographs back soon after the half term holiday. We will let you know as soon as they arrive.

Quick Reminder

The older morning and afternoon children who were in Nursery today (Wednesday) will have received a letter about lunches after half term. Please return the form at the bottom of the letter to Nursery by Wednesday next week (22nd May).

If your child is staying in Nursery next year, you should have received a form so that you can choose the sessions you would like for them from September. Those forms also need to be returned to Nursery by next Wednesday.

Thank you!

The Frog Prince

This week we're looking at the story of the Frog Prince (aka The Princess & the Frog). In the version of the story we're going to read the princess throws the frog out of the window! We're going to talk about caring for animals, the environment and each other. We will also talk about keeping promises and safety around water. We will be using the hall and our outdoor area to play ball games and practise our throwing, catching and kicking skills.

We will look at the life cycle of a frog and make pictures of each stage using different painting skills. Some of us will mix paint to make green paint for the frog and some of us will use finger paints to make pictures of frogspawn. We will also do a dance based on the life cycle of the frog. We are going to use frogs and lily pads to practise our number and addition skills this week too.

Ways to help at home this week

Go outdoors. What can you hear? Listen carefully to the sounds around you and help your child to identify them. What about indoors? What can you hear in your house?
Play I Spy. You could play a different version and sound out the word for your child, e.g. I spy with my little eye the b-i-n.

What's coming up next week?

It's the last week of this half term next week! We will have our Celebration Assembly on Friday at 1.45pm. Parents and carers are welcome to attend. Please use the main entrance.

Little Red Riding Hood

This week we're reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood. We will be talking about the rule Little Red Riding Hood broke - Don't talk to wolves! We will talk about "stranger danger" and about making sure our parents know where we are. In our key groups we will be retelling the story in the correct sequence, using story language and time words.

We have some plants to put into our Nursery yard to brighten it up a little for the summer time. We will be looking at the plants carefully and talking about the different parts of plants. We will be making jam tarts for Granny and tasting them.... just to make sure they taste nice!!

The children who are in Nursery on Friday will be going out to the garden/woodland area of the school grounds to explore. We will play some games and explore the area to see what we can find.

In addition to all of that, it is also Stay & Play week at Nursery. If you haven't already signed up to stay for an hour, there are still some spaces left. The sign up sheets are in the Nursery porch.

Ways to help at home this week

Do you have a different version of the story of Little Red Riding Hood? Read it together and discuss how it is different to the version we read in Nursery. In our class version the wolf eats Little Red Riding Hood and Granny but the woodcutter opens the wolf's tummy and they escape. Little Red Riding Hood fills the wolf's tummy with stones and sews him up again. He now rattles when we walks so he can't creep up on people anymore and is vegetarian at the end of the story!

What's coming up next week?

It's another "normal" week in Nursery! We will be looking at the story of the Frog Prince and looking at lifecycles.

Parachute Club

As part of our transition work Parachute Games Club will run on Tuesdays from 3.15-4.00pm throughout the Summer Term for the children who are moving into Reception in September. If your child would like to attend, please speak to a member of staff for more details.

The Three Little Pigs

This week in Nursery we will be reading the story of The Three Little Pigs. We will be acting out the story and joining in with the repeated phrases in the story.
We will be talking about our homes, what they look like and what we like about them.
We will also be playing games in the outdoor area such as What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?

We are going to be painting pictures of houses we would like to live in. Some of us might choose to paint a castle or a palace, others might choose a tent or a caravan. We will be using shapes to create simple pictures of houses.

Everyone will go over to the Post Office to post a letter and we will look at the buildings we can see on the way.

Ways to help at home this week

Look at the features of different houses on your way to Nursery. Talk about how many windows they have, where the door is, etc. Are they all the same? Do they all have two floors? Have you seen any unusual houses?

What's coming up next week?

Monday, 6th May is Bank Holiday Monday. Nursery will be closed all day.

Stay & Play Week: If you would like to stay and play for an hour at Nursery next week please add your name to the lists in the Nursery porch. Numbers are limited for each session.

Nursery Treat Week

This week we are having a special "treat week" in Nursery. We had some special visitors last week and the children in Nursery behaved so well that we decided they all needed to have a treat to say thank you!

We will be a little bit more relaxed than usual this week. We will explore the garden, use the big climbing equipment in the hall and the trim trail outdoors, as well as free choice in the Nursery, both indoors and outdoors.

We will be back to normal next week.

Ways to help at home this week

Look at shapes and patterns on buildings, road signs and other things in the environment when you're out and about. Can you spot a square, a triangle, a circle? You could take photographs and bring them into Nursery.

What's coming up next week?

Next week we are looking at the story of The Three Little Pigs. We are going to go to the Post Office and post some letters and we will be looking at the buildings around Nursery. This will be done in small groups and within the Nursery sessions. Children will be well supervised by staff and volunteers throughout.

MYSTERY SOLVED: We found him!!

We made a Gingerbread Man on Monday and Thursday last week and each time he managed to escape from our oven! He left floury footprints all around school so we turned detective and followed the clues to look for him.

We found him in Mr. Grimes' office on Tuesday afternoon and in the staff room on Friday morning. But, on Tuesday, he was missing an arm! (Mr. Grimes denied eating it, but we weren't so sure!) Then, on Friday morning, he was missing part of his head! Nobody owned up but most of the children decided it must have been Mr. Grimes because (according to one of the girls) "he's always hungry"!!!

Welcome to our blog!

We hope you will find this blog useful for keeping you up to date with everything that is happening at Collierley Nursery. The information from our weekly newsletter will be posted each week.

This week in Nursery...

This week we are looking at the story of the Gingerbread Man. We will be retelling the story through role play and talking about it in our key groups. We will be running as fast as we can in our outdoor area to see if we could catch the Gingerbread Man!

The children who come to Nursery on Monday and Tuesday afternoons have made a Gingerbread Man already this week. (The rest of the children will make another one on Thursday morning.) But, when we went to take him out of the oven he had gone! We made posters asking if anyone had seen him and delivered them around school. Then we found some floury footprints so we turned into detectives and followed the clues around school to find him. We used the iPads to take photographs of the clues and where we found them. We have also been sorting some special gingerbread men into different sizes and colours.

Ways to help at home this week

Talk to your child about the story. What can they remember?
Our special word this week is "delicious". How many times can you use it this week?

What's coming up next week?

It will be a "normal" week in Nursery next week! We will be looking at another fairy tale and exploring our local area. We will be going out in small groups on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday next week to post letters at the Post Office and to look at the buildings near school.