Nursery

Welcome to Nursery
2023-2024!
Miss Hewitt, Miss Leverton, Mrs Fox and Miss Godber.

Welcome to your new class!

Over the past couple of weeks we have taken our time to get the children settled into their new environment and begin to build relationships with their staff and peers. The timetable has been very relaxed in order to give the children these opportunities to talk and play, and to feel comfortable. We have also spent time embedding the knowledge of the daily routine so that the children are prepared for what is to come throughout the day. We are so impressed with how everyone has settled into Nursery, what a great group of children we have

How do we learn in Nursery?

In Nursery (and Reception), the children learn through play. Our environment is set up into different areas to create pockets of curiosity and include activities that link to all areas of the Early Years curriculum. Our timetable allows the children to explore and create in these areas, both independently or with their peers. Adults model through play, demonstrating how to use certain resources, such as scissors/weighing scales/funnels, as well as enhancing play through questioning and giving the children the correct language to describe or explain.

The children also take part in some adult-led activities in which they are supported specifically by a member of staff - for example, they have been painting self portraits. These were supported by an adult who encouraged the children to think carefully about the features they would need to include and what colours they would need.

Our theme for this half term is...
Each half term we will have a theme that underpins our learning. Good practice in the Early Years means that we follow the interests of the children, therefore this theme will act as a link to learning but activities and resources will change often based on what the children are interested in.
This half term our theme is Magical Me - so far we have spent time learning about our new friends, as well as focusing on ourselves and the features that make up our appearance. We have talked in detail about the fact that everyone is unique, whether that be in regards to look, likes, dislikes, family set up etc.

Each week we will use a book as a focus (sometimes fortnightly if it lends itself). We will refer back to the book throughout the week and some activities will be based around it.

How you can help at home.
The Class Page will be updated regularly with information about the learning taking place. Use this as a conversation starter with your child and encourage them to recall learning or activities they have been taking part in. If you have the book we have used at home, read it with them, or a version of them are often found online.
Note - it is said that some children don't recall their day straight away, so instead of asking them as soon as you pick them up, the conversation may come later in the day. Often children will respond with "I don't know"! However, if you give them time to think about their day and maybe tell them about yours first, they will be able to process more of what they have done. Bath/bed time is also a time where children will feel relaxed after a long day and want to talk - even if it is just so they can stay up a bit longer!

Singing and counting can be simple to include in your daily routine. Singing is hugely important to the development of young children and supports many areas such as speech and language, hearing rhythms, emotional regulation and so much more. Daily counting could include counting the steps up to bed, counting to ten before getting into the bath, how many bowls do we need for breakfast? etc.

Independence is really important, and something we work on a lot in Nursery. If a child has increased independence they will be able to access the environment at a better level and feel more secure in their personal selfcare.
You can help by:
Teach them how to put on their own coat and zip it up
To put on their own shoes and socks
To drink carefully from an open cup without spilling
To peel their own fruit
Encourage them to 'use their words' to tell you what they want, instead of pointing.
Encourage full sentences rather than single words
To ask for help if they need it
To use the toilet independently.

Finally!
The Nursery staff are always on hand to talk to. If you need longer than five minutes at the gate, please ask to arrange a time so that we are not taken away from our time with the children. You can always email us at nursery@anthonybek.derbyshire.sch.uk.
You know your child best, if there is anything you need to tell us, or ask advice on, we will do our best to support you. Your child's nursery year relies on good cooperation and communication between school and home, so please don't hesitate to get in touch if you need to, however small you might think it is.

We look forward to a busy, exciting year ahead!

The Road Map below gives you an idea of the expectations of your child's nursery year and some examples of what they will be working on before they start in Reception.

Road map to school.png

The children love our Wellie Wednesday sessions here at Anthony Bek. Being outdoors, exploring nature and learning skills that can't always be learnt in a classroom.

Counting, both rote and one to one is included daily in our nursery sessions. The children also love to access our Maths area, exploring the many resources.
As well as our designated areas, math opportunities can be found in all areas of our provision, both inside and out.

We have learnt about our five different senses - here are some images of the fun activities we took part in. Can you decide which sense we were using for each activity?

Our theme for this half term is...
This half term our theme is Let's Celebrate! During this half term the children have learnt about celebrations that are familiar to them, such as birthdays, Bonfire Night, Halloween, as well as learning about Diwali and then Christmas.

Diwali