Weekly blog and posts

This week, we will be enjoying favourite stories and celebrating World Book Day. It is always lovely to share a book together, whether as a quiet end to a busy day or to share ideas, chat about outcomes and explore possibilities. At gatherings, the Discoverers will be taking part in 'The Big Read' activities and Explorers will be acting out 'There Was A Princess Long Ago' we will also be sharing favourite books and discussing their different features. The theme area has becom

This week, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year, Barn style! We will be finding out about China, exploring the Dragon Dance and listening to the ancient Chinese New Year story. A pop up Chinese restaurant has opened in the role play area - no need to book! The Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a Chinese calendar year and each cycle is named after an animal. 2026 is the Year of the Horse. During small circle time, the Discoverers will look more closely at the similar

This week, hearts are everywhere as we think about the special people in our lives. We will also be practising our fire drills this week so we know what to do when we hear the whistle. The restaurant in the theme area is the perfect place to go for a Valentine’s Day meal or maybe just to sit and talk with our friends. We will be playing the traditional circle game 'I sent a letter to my love', sorting and matching shapes and decorating a heart-shaped biscuit to enjoy at home.

This week we are exploring shapes by naming them and discussing their properties. We will be busy going on shape walks and spotting familiar shapes in our environment and thinking of ways to record them. At gatherings, we will be singing shape rhymes, dancing and making different shapes with our bodies and playing lots of matching and guess the shape games. Outside in the garden, there will be lots of gross motor fun from painting on a large scale canvases to using shape sten

This week we are going to be finding out how animals and people survive in polar landscapes. The Discoverers will be acting out 10 Tubby Snowmen in gathering and the Explorers will be learning a penguin number rhyme and taking part in a snowflake dance. In the afternoon, at small circle, we will be investigating real fish and their anatomy. In the theme area, the Hot Chocolate Stand will be open for business, the perfect place to keep warm and dry. Outside, we will continue t

The weekend of the 23-25th January is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Throughout the week, the children will be finding out about garden birds, where they live, what they like to eat, and their identifying features . The children will all be making their own bird feeders to take home and hang outdoors. Small circle time will involve a game of matching pairs, with the children looking at the features and identifying different birds and the Explorers will be acting out their Dic

This week, the winter fun continues with a Jack Frost story (click to open YouTube link) . The Children will also be dancing to music and freezing as frost statues. Percy's Shed was very popular last week and the fun will continue, we wonder where the animals will choose to hide and sleep this week! Every afternoon, in small circle, the Discoverers will be exploring different sounds in Mrs Browning's Box and will be coming up with ideas of how to describe them. Outside, chil

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to welcoming you all back for the start of the new year. We would like to offer a warm welcome our new starters; Gabriella, Isra and Tallulah. Percy's shed has arrived in our theme area and we will exploring the story One Snowy Night. At Rainbow times this week, the Explorers will be exploring patterns and the Discoverers will be finding out alll about woodland animals. The afternoon activities continue with Music and

Make the most of everyday opportunities to chat with your baby or toddler while you are out and about. It will help them to develop their...

There is no set answer to this question, all children are different. They will be ready to begin to learn to write their name at...

Hearing you use words to describe feelings will help your child to understand and manage their emotions when they are older. Click here...

The BBC has advice, videos, games and other resources to help families get ready to start primary school. From...

Parents and carers in Hampshire can access free online courses to help build their confidence and better understand the behaviour,...

At this time of year, many children have coughs, colds and runny noses. Please show your child how to cough or sneeze into their elbow if...

Research tells us that 'If a child knows 8 nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are 4 years old, they are usually among the best...

The NDNA's campaign, First Five Years Count, is aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the importance of high-quality early...

Sometimes, even when you know that you shouldn’t tell your child to stop crying, it’s hard to know what to say or do instead! A crying...

Now that the weather getting cooler and wetter, it's time to introduce children to the Montesori Coat Flip! It is quick, easy and fun....

Children are active by nature, and their hands tend to pick up germs while they are moving around and touching various surfaces. When...

Children from about age three are asking us to help them learn independence. Children want to learn how to do things on their own without...

Some thoughts and tips to see you through the first few days ad weeks...

Mark-making is one of the key building blocks in developing early writing – but why, and how? Click here to find out more.

Language is used to communicate with others, to share and express feelings, to give and obtain information, and to understand ideas and...

Your child is learning new things every day and they are surrounded by numbers: from simple counting in nursery rhymes to the numbers on...