Children across Little Hayes Nursery School are exploring growth and change this month through stories, planting activities, life cycle observations and mathematical shape exploration.
In Willow Room, children are listening to and retelling the story of Jasper’s Beanstalk, helping them understand about caring for plants and realising that they don’t grow instantly. In the garden, children are noticing signs of spring and growing cress and sunflower seeds. The room is also looking at baby photos with children to help them notice how they have grown and changed. Linked to these activities around growth, the children are reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, using their counting skills to find out how many items are eaten whilst trying different fruits from around the world.
In Oak Room, children are noticing and making sense of similarities, differences and changes in nature and the wider world. In the garden, they are noticing signs of spring and the changes as plants and trees grow buds and leaves, and flowers and blossom start to appear. Children are growing cress and planting and caring for beans and seeds, and looking at baby photos to notice how they have grown and changed. The room is learning about life cycles of different plants and animals and hopes to watch caterpillars grow and change into butterflies. The core book this term is The Enormous Turnip, with children reading different versions, noticing similarities and differences, and thinking about forces (pushing and pulling) and how collaboration helps achieve goals. The maths focus is shapes, with children exploring and noticing shapes and patterns through placing and arranging activities, puzzles, loose parts play, building with construction resources, and going on shape hunts in the garden.
These rich experiences help children develop understanding of the world through observation of growth and change, build mathematical thinking through counting and shape exploration, and make personal connections as they reflect on their own development over time.