Preschool News 08.05.26

We have had a lovely week in preschool as we have finished exploring our garden and minibeasts theme.

The children have been especially excited about our real caterpillars. We’ve been watching them closely and talking about how much they have grown. They are not in their cocoons yet, but we are keeping a careful eye on them. We also enjoyed looking at our butterfly resources and learning about how caterpillars change.

Our story of the week was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and we sang Tiny Caterpillar on a Leaf, joining in with the actions and repeating phrases. This supported Communication and Language as the children listened, remembered key parts, and joined in with familiar words.

In maths, we have been practising counting to 10, and the children have become super confident. We made caterpillars with 10 printed spots, added 10 apples to a tree, and counted in lots of fun ways. A favourite activity was stomping like dinosaurs as we counted each step. This supported Number and Numerical Patterns within the EYFS.

In phonics, we reviewed the sounds we have learned so far: m, s, a, d, t.  and we also worked together to create oral stories, building ideas as a team. During Helicopter Stories, the children acted out their own imaginative tales, supporting Speaking, Imagination, and early Writing skills.

We have had a brilliant time outside. We were incredibly lucky to be donated some new balance bikes—a huge thank you! The children have loved riding them and developing their gross motor skills.

Minibeast hunting has been a big hit too. The children found everything on our spotting lists, including spiders, snails, woodlice, and lots of busy bees enjoying our flowers. This supported Understanding the World as the children explored nature and talked about what they discovered.

Indoors, the water tray and painting easel were busy as always. The children also enjoyed building bug houses using construction toys and small parts, showing great creativity and problem solving.

Our Heart Smart focus this week was “Keep trying, even when things are tricky.” The children showed resilience trying to match the nuts and bolts together. Boris reminded us, “Keep trying, you can do it!” The children practised having a go, staying positive, and celebrating their efforts.

Next week, we will be learning about the change of season as we move into summer, exploring sunshine, shadows, and all the things we notice outdoors at this time of year.