Nursery | Norton Infant School

“Egg-stremely” exciting visitors.

2nd February 2025Sarah Winkley

This week Nursery and EYFS had the most exciting expert visitors arrive at school in their shells! The children have been hooked into our latest text “How does an egg hatch?” By Eric Carle by watching real chicken eggs hatch courtesy of The Happy Chick Company. The children were so excited and completely in awe of seeing the eggs and observing the daily changes of how the eggs have changed and chicks have grown and hatched. A truly magnificent experience met with care, concern and compassion for the chicks from our youngest children.

On the first day the children observed the eggs and made predictions of what would happen and who might come out of the eggs if they were left inside the incubator. Some of the children’s ideas included; “a penguin”, “a caterpillar”, “a dinosaur”, “a chicken”, “a duck” and “a baby chick”. They drew the eggs inside the incubator in our message centre (below).

On the second day the chicks had began to hatch and the children were amazed to witness the hatchlings make their journey out of the eggs using their “Egg Tooth” one of the new words we learnt from our key vocabulary. To consolidate their understanding of the hatching process the children took part in a chick life cycle hunt in our outdoor area. When the children found photos of the key points of development, they brought them to our crew circle and we examined them and ordered them in the correct sequence using key words from our Maths learning; “First, next and then”.

As we investigated the life cycle further Nursery thought about the most important stage of the cycle. Our text explained that the hen makes a nest that is “warm and dry” (more of our key vocabulary) using sticks and straw. The children explored that the eggs we had in school didn’t have a nest or a mummy hen to sit on them to keep them warm, instead they had an incubator to replace those things. However in the wild or on the farm, there probably wouldn’t be any electricity for an incubator, so the children learnt that building the nest as a “warm and cosy” home for the eggs to be sat on, is the most important part of the process that allows the fertilised eggs to grow. The children had lots of fun making their own chocolate coated shredded wheat nests and filling them with chocolate eggs to show the nests significance.

The children observed the changes in the state of the chocolate as it was melted and then again as it was mixed with the shredded wheat and cooled in the fridge to harden again. They thought carefully of the order in which they were constructing the nests, again using our sequencing vocabulary; “First, then and next”.

In provision this week the children have learnt the song “Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken”, painted chicks using yellow paint and a fork to mark on their fluffy feathers. They have sculpted eggs, nests and chickens from play dough, taken part in a cut and stick version of the life cycle of a chick practising their cutting skills. The children have also examined and matched mummy and baby animals together in pairs, learning the new vocabulary of the infant animals names eg; Horse and foal, Cow and calf, Duck and duckling and noticing the differences between the young and older animal as they grow and change.

Finally Nursery were super excited and eager to prepare their own chick box in preparation for us to host our own chicks in Nursery, now that they are all hatched and getting stronger and ready to be handled with care.

Truly beautiful work – well done everyone!

Creative Construction.

30th January 2025Sarah Winkley

Yesterday Nursery showed what creative chameleons and teamwork tigers they can be, as they constructed collaboratively using Duplo. There were a range of thoughtful models created and all groups or individuals described their creations, answering who, what and why questions practising their listening and attention skills.

The life cycle of a caterpillar.

23rd January 2025Sarah Winkley

This week Nursery have become Scientists by observing the changes that happen in animals as part of our first case study, through our key text The Very Hungry Caterpillar for a second week. The children have closely examined the pictures within our story to work out what the physical changes in the caterpillar are. An egg, a tiny caterpillar, a cocoon or chrysalis and then a butterfly. Some of the words used to describe the above were as follows;

Egg – “Circle”, “Tiny”, “Bubble”, “White”, “Spot” and “Dot”.

Caterpillar – “Tiny”, “Big, fat caterpillar”, “Wriggly”, “Green” and “Bumpy”.

Cocoon – “Like a sleeping bag”, “shell”, “like a stick”, “Wood” and “egg”.

Butterfly – “Rainbow”, “Beautiful”, “Wings” and “Flappy”.

Nursery read another text which focused more on the life cycle and explained how the changes take place called Little Caterpillar by Autumn Publishing. I then modelled to the children how to draw a life cycle to help embed the cycle in their minds and demonstrate it was a loop (cycle) that started over and over again.

In our provision the children had the opportunity to explore and examine toys representing the life cycle.

We consolidated the events that helped make the life cycle process possible by playing the fruit game. The caterpillar ate lots of fruit to be able to make him grow. The children had to listen and run to a fruit called out by their grown up as part of activating our brains, it was lots of fun!

The children also revisited their previous learning from the week before when they painted beautiful pictures of the fruit. They each looked closely at their pictures and chose at least one piece of fruit and (with support and modelling) began to write the first letter sound for that item using their phonetic knowledge. Eg; Banana – b, Apple – a or Strawberry – s.

In provision the children independently used collage to create beautiful pictures of fruit and the caterpillar at various stages. They also created beautiful butterflies in the play dough and on the painting easel.

As the week progressed the children each worked with an adult and explained the process of the butterfly life cycle using the toys as physical props to help organise and consolidate their understanding of the life cycle. They were each recorded and were able to recall key vocabulary and other significant events within the story. Such beautiful work!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

19th January 2025Sarah Winkley

This week Nursery have been storytellers, learning to retell the classic story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. The children became active learners by using physical literacy actions to embed key vocabulary and events from the story. They used the prompts to help them recall and retell the story.

The children have examined the key character, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and have looked at how he develops and changes throughout the story. The children have used models to paint and sculpt their own caterpillars. They have used loose parts to represent the variations of the character as both a caterpillar and a butterfly.

During their Tranquil Tuesday Crew, Nursery sequenced the story events and talked about the kinds and amounts of food the caterpillar was eating. They thought about the emotions the caterpillar experienced in the story looking a picture cues and their own experiences. They modelled these faces to each other.

After gaining a good understanding of the key character the children followed an online tutorial to help them draw the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

In provision we have also painted fruits from the story using toy fruits as inspiration.

During our Maths inputs the children have been learning to count using “careful counting”. This is touching and using number names for each object they are counting. The children became problem solvers as they began to investigate how they could find out; “How many of each fruit were in a basket?”

First it was demonstrated to the children how to carefully count using touch and number names for each piece of fruit and then they modelled to their peers, leading their own learning.

In our Thoughtful Thursday Crew the children thought about the cocoon that the caterpillar wrapped himself in and we likened it to being inside a sleeping bag or wrapping ourselves in our coats. The children practised the life skill of zipping their own coats using their fine motor skills.

Finally the children finished the week by thinking about the Very Hungry Caterpillar at the beginning of the story and comparing him to the end of the story. They used some of the physical literacy prompts to help them recall the stages of the caterpillar and key sentences from the text. They drew the caterpillar at the start of the story as either an “egg on a leaf” or a “Teeny, tiny caterpillar” and then as he appeared at the end of the story as “A big, fat caterpillar” or a “Beautiful, colourful butterfly” as they began to further understand the changes which the caterpillar goes through in preparation for when they become Scientists next week.

Hook Week!

12th January 2025Sarah Winkley

This week has been a very exciting start to our spring term expedition “How do things grow and change?” The whole of EYFS have been exploring the story “How do you grow a Dinosaur?” By Caryl Hart. In the text a little boy named Albie is asked to help his mother with the gardening. Little did Albie realise, that the seeds were in fact dinosaur seeds!!! Nursery have had a lovely time painting their own imaginative creations of what they would grow, if they could grow anything from a packet of seeds.

We have also had an exciting visit from an expert visitor “Albie” the Ranger, from Animal Club, who brought with him some of his reptiles, insects and furrier animals to share with us. The children learned lots of interesting and exciting facts from Albie and were able to touch and experience most of the creatures close up, such as; a hissing cockroach called Bob, a black beauty stick insect named Del, a giant African snail, a horned frog, a tarantula, a monitor lizard (closest to a dinosaur) and a tiny furry mouse. Albie shared with the children how the animals change as they grow and how they are specially adapted to survive in the wild.

Our final hook was a lovely visit from our Kindness Elves, who kindly brought us some Jelly Beans to try, which they had harvested from their Jelly Bean Tree – just like in our story! Nursery played a game, where we covered the bowl of Jelly beans with a paper towel and had to slide our hand underneath to get a surprise flavoured Jelly Bean. We then talked about what kind of flavour they thought the coloured jelly bean would be? Some of the ideas were “Lime”, “Apple”, “Milk”, “Snow”, “Orange”, “Carrot”, “Raspberry”, “Strawberry”, “Blood”, “Lemonade”, Banana”, “Custard” and “Yellow Pepper”. They were very yummy and we all had quite a few chances to try the different flavours, for some of us this was our first time eating jelly beans.

Christmas Catch Up

12th January 2025Sarah Winkley

Nursery were very busy over the festive period and created some beautiful work to close our Autumn Expedition; “Be Kind, How do we show we care?” Our final two texts we stories that were centred around love and kindness.

Our first festive text “Little Robin Red Vest” by Jan Fearnley told us of a main character, a little robin who wore knitted vests each day of winter to keep him warm. However, whenever he encountered a friend along his journey, suffering from the cold or snow, he gave them his vest to keep them warm. Nursery designed their own vests for Little Robin Red Vest as he eventually ran out of vests for himself. We decorated them with repeating patterns as the children had been learning all about these in maths. Here is some of our beautiful work.

Our second festive text was the traditional Christian nativity story, titled “The First Christmas” by Rod Campbell. The children explored the journey of Mary and Joseph, who fell upon the kindness of an Inn Keeper, who allowed them to shelter in his warm stable. The children enjoyed learning about the birth of baby Jesus and the important role which the Angels played in delivering God’s messages to the world. They also learned the difference between a fairy (something which lives in woodlands or at the bottom of your garden) and an angel (someone who lives in heaven with God), as many of the children at first sight called the angels, fairies, associating them from their experience, with what some people use to decorate their Christmas tree. As a celebration of the peace and joy the story brings, Nursery crafted their own angels, using a photo of their faces and their own handprints for the wings. These beautiful Christmas decorations will be enjoyed for years to come and serve as a legacy of the first time that the majority of the Nursery children heard the story and God’s message from Reverend Andy (our expert visitor who came into school to share and teach the children about the celebration also). Just look how beautiful our little angels are!

In our message centre the children retold the story using a cut and stick stable. They thought hard about the characters from the story and worked hard to colour and place them in the stable. Most of the children were able to recount the story and name key characters with confidence.

Our final week reflected how many of us celebrate Christmas now with a modern text “Dear Santa” from the same author Rod Campbell. This text explored the perfect Christmas present wished for by boys and girls. We were lucky enough to have a visit from Santa during our Christmas parties! He brought us all gifts…. How kind of him.

Finally we partied and celebrated with a lovely Christmas buffet and traditional party games. We were all kind and compassionate about winning and losing and played nicely with our friends, like the Crew we are. Such a beautiful Christmas time!

What makes a good friend?

20th November 2024Sarah Winkley

As our expedition on “Be Kind – How can we show we care?” Draws to a close, Nursery have been thinking about how having a friend makes us feel? And what makes a good friend?

Here are there thoughts and ideas from our Crew sessions today….

Our expedition has really helped the children to understand kindness and given them a good start to showing kindness towards others. Well Done Nursery, Beautiful Work!

World Kindness Day.

17th November 2024Sarah Winkley

Last week we celebrated World Kindness day on Wednesday 13th November as part of our continuing expedition “Be Kind – How do we show we care?”

During our current and final case study “Where do we live in the world?” The children have began to explore differences between them and their home to that of others around the world, through our key text “My World, Your World” by Melanie Walsh. We have examined key vocabulary which helped us to understand some of our differences, such as “Sari”, “Snowboots”, “Chopsticks” and “Flats”.

Nursery practised thinking about differences between each other, staff and toys to help them understand what a difference is. We then celebrated these differences by making Kindness Wands, using breadsticks, icing and sprinkles to spread kindness everywhere.

At the end of the week the children were thinking about Children in Need and how the cause helps to bring happiness to children that are less fortunate or sick. We made a huge Pudsey Bear collage out of coloured papers, working collaboratively .

Lest we forget.

11th November 2024Sarah Winkley

As part of our Remberance Day celebrations Nursery learned why we wear poppy’s around this time of year, as a mark of respect for the fallen and serving armed forces. The children explored remembrance through a simple story thinking of days we would like to remember and days we’d like to forget, titled Lest We Forget by Kerry Brown.

We learned some simple actions to help the children embed the story into their minds about what happened on the battle fields, imagining that the children were bunny rabbits at that time. The children pretended to be aeroplanes that flew over the bunnies and then bombs that dropped, exploding like fireworks. The children show empathy for the bunnies, understanding that they would “be hurt”, “die” or “be scared” and “frightened”.

The children then made poppies from creative materials, play dough and paint to show their thanks to our soldiers and service people. Wow!! Beautiful work in big moments.

Celebrations of tradition & light.

11th November 2024Sarah Winkley

Last week Nursery were learning all about the traditions around celebrations of light. The children focused on Bonfire Night and Guy Fawkes as part of our own heritage and traditions in England. They learnt who Guy Fawkes was and what him and his catholic friends were planning to do as part of the “Gunpowder Plot” against King James 1. The children sequenced the events in the story during a Crew session and then created their own Guy Fawkes sock puppets during time in provision. This activity took lots of fine and gross motor skills to draw on Guy Fawkes features but to also stuff the sock with straw and then use their cutting skills to make him a hat. Just look at the beautiful work the children produced.

The children thought of ways in which we celebrate bonfire night and created firework scenes in the play dough and also used their painting skills to paint fireworks, which they had experienced at bonfire celebrations that they had attended. We also learnt a fabulous firework song, using actions to mimic the fireworks and our voices to imitate the sounds that they make.

At the later stages of the week the children compared the Hindu celebration of Diwali with our own experiences of Bonfire Night. The children investigated the traditions of Diwali through the story of Rama and Sita. They learned how the community of Rama and Sita celebrated their return by lighting Diva Lamps to help guide the couple home. The children also compared the demon king Ravana (a ten headed and twenty armed monster) to Guy Fawkes as the children recognised that that they were both “unkind” and “baddies” with “moustaches” who had “nasty plans” (Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament and Ravana to kidnap the Sita, the beautiful wife of the Rama the renowned warrior).