St Pauls Nursery School & Children’s Centre has had a wonderful first term, with children across all rooms engaging in rich sensory experiences, outdoor adventures and creative explorations that support their learning and development.
Children across St Pauls have been embracing autumn through outdoor adventures. Baby Room children have been searching for conkers, cones and acorns in local parks, noticing the orange, brown and red leaves. Early Years 2 children have been collecting leaves in the garden to create leaf crowns, igniting conversations about changes in the weather. The Pod and Nursery Room 1 children have been adventuring into the woods with their key groups, climbing trees, scrambling up and down ditches and taking risks as resilient explorers. Children have been mapping their journeys, creating observational drawings of forest treasures and connecting their adventures with core stories like ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’.
Scientific enquiry and experimentation have been central to learning across the nursery. Children have been exploring ramps, tubes, funnels and tunnels with great curiosity. Nursery Room 1 children have been solving problems when cars fall off edges by adding bumpers or widening ramps, exploring angles, height, speed and length to develop mathematical understanding. Nursery Room 2 children have been building ramps for balls and cars using guttering and pipes on the big hill, exploring how water travels through connected pipes and enormous tubes placed high in trees.
Sensory experiences have been rich and varied. Nursery Room 2 children have been using their hands to explore gloop, playdough and water, discovering that materials feel cold, slippery, soft and runny. Early Years 2 children have been using all their senses as they help make crackling fires in the garden and mix up banana pancakes to cook on hot flames. Baby Room children have been making marks with foam and flour, and exploring light, colour and shadows using torches, walls, mirrors and objects.
Creative expression and stories have brought children together. Nursery Room 2 children have been experiencing paint in different ways, whilst Nursery Room 1 children have been creating self-portraits that celebrate who they are. Core books have immersed children in rhythm, rhyme and vocabulary, with Early Years 2 children particularly enjoying ‘Duck in the Truck’, retelling it by getting stuck in the muck in the sand pit. Nursery Room 1 children have been working in the kitchen to create delicious dishes from scratch, exploring colourful fruits and vegetables whilst learning how to make healthy choices.
Throughout this term, children across all rooms at St Pauls have been developing a strong sense of belonging to the learning community whilst becoming confident, curious learners who are ready to explore the world around them.