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3rd May 2024
Dear Parents
I hope you are enjoying the start to the half term and that you have an enjoyable and restful week ahead.
I write this from School on Friday, where the staff, after a little lie in, are making good use of the day, predominantly to reflect on the half term. They are busy recording pupil progress on ITrack, our assessment and tracking software, considering which objectives have been successfully completed over the half term and which areas require revisiting, for all or specific children. This feeds into curriculum planning, target setting and also the end of year reports that you will be receiving. These will be in a different format this year, as we are moving away from the Word templates that have been used in the past, and generating these through ITrack. This alleviates the administrative burden of typing and formatting tables in Word (which I’m sure many of you have wrestled with), ensures consistency throughout the School and makes full use of this assessment software onto which teachers invest considerable time logging attainment and progress in all curriculum areas.
We have also sent Jasmin off on maternity leave with a joyous lunch; we wish her all the very best and look forward to meeting her new addition!
It has been yet another immensely successful half term here. The children were jumping with excitement and pride on Thursday morning, dragging parents by the hand to show off their work. It was a delight to see and hear your joy in their achievements as well. Their resilience and ambition is evident in the wondrous bookwork and displays at both sites. They have learnt so much, not just over the past six weeks, but, as we approach our final half term, we can now see how much progress each makes in one academic year.
Our first residential trip was a roaring success, as you will read below. The Year 3s and 4s spent two nights, 3 days at PGL Liddington, near Swindon, enjoying a range of activities from rock climbing to raft building to giant swing. They challenged themselves, supported one another, and generally had a fabulous time. Each of those pupils was awarded a special, unique certificate for their participation at PGL in Wednesday's assembly, celebrating perseverance, sportsmanship, teamwork and even dance moves at the silent disco. Thank you to those staff that accompanied them and well done to the children on their courage, determination and positive participation on this trip.
The office is very busy planning for next year, and we thank those of you that completed our recent survey. We are taking your feedback into account in our planning for September 2024 and we will be writing to you after half term with updates, including staffing. Looking forward to seeing everyone refreshed and raring to go on Monday 3rd June.
Ellie
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Dear Parents,
We hope you had a wonderful time at Wheelies, which nicely set the tone for our Science and Healthy Living Week. The children's excitement for all the experiments was palpable throughout the nursery, with lively chatter about the experiments everywhere. The nursery staff, along with Eliot from the upper school, did a fantastic job of capturing their interest perfectly. You can read more about it from your child's teachers below.
Behind the scenes, Nicolette has been coordinating with parents for numerous tours, all of which have shown great interest in the possibility of extended hours at both sites. Our recent school Open Day was a great success, resulting in a few sign-ups on the spot! I attended an interesting meeting with the EYFS teachers in the borough to discuss how we make accurate judgements on children's progress. It was highly informative and indicated that our nursery and reception children are surpassing outcomes in many other settings.
Mihaela has been busy attending training to support staff in developing children's writing and is ready to share and implement new ideas with the rest of our team. She has also been diligently keeping us updated on safeguarding after attending the EYFS safeguarding forum. A big thank you to her for keeping everything running smoothly in Jess' absence for jury service. Jess has been in touch every day, letting us know that she's currently on a short case and has been using her time to work on the children's end-of-year reports as well as liaising with Mihaela on our upcoming Problem Solving and Critical Thinking workshop on Wednesday, 5th June, from 6-7 pm. Please do attend!
The children absolutely loved showing you around their classrooms during the open morning and sharing their achievements. Seeing the pride on both your faces and theirs was a real joy. You will have noticed the focus of our displays on their critical thinking and problem-solving work, for which I must commend our teaching assistants. They have undertaken the huge challenge of planning and preparing wonderful outdoor provisions for the children. I spent time observing and filming some of their efforts during our outings, and it was wonderful to see how engaged and motivated the children are. The hard work and skills of our staff are what make us shine as an early years setting.
As part of Mental Health Awareness, the children enjoyed focusing on our bodies and minds and the importance of looking after ourselves. We all found moments to increase our movement for its positive effects on our minds, beyond their routine dance, PE, and yoga sessions. Even the staff were encouraged to go for a mindful walk during their breaks, which I believe they greatly appreciated!
I am immensely proud of our Pre-Reception children who entered the young artists' competition and expressed their creativity by drawing wonderful pictures of themselves and their families. We are happy to hear that, with your permission, their work will be published in a book.
Enjoy a lovely half-term break. I look forward to seeing you all upon our return for a fun and hopefully sun-filled second half of the summer term!
Taiba
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Nursery School Key Upcoming Dates
Monday 3rd June
Back to school
Wednesday 5th June
Workshop – Developing Critical thinking skills
Wednesday 12th June
Sports Day Downstairs Nursery
Thursday 20th June
Parent’s Evening for Aatika, Jess and Mihaela’s Class
Saturday 22nd June Summer Fair
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Upper School Key Upcoming Dates
Monday 3rd June
Back to school
Friday 7th June
Sports Day (US children only) - Highbury Fields
Mon 17th - Weds 19th June US Parents’ Evenings
Saturday 22nd June Summer Fair
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All Summer Term Important Dates and the term dates for the next academic year can be found here.
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TCH Marketing - volunteers needed:
We are stepping up our marketing efforts and would be grateful for volunteers to help with either a testimonial, or a Google review (click on Nursery School or Upper School).
Just a reminder that we are proud of our pupils, their achievements and the variety of activities they participate in. We use pupil's images on social media to market the school, but never identify any pupils by name. More information can be found here, if you would like to opt out.
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Parent Forum Feedback, Head's Report to Parent Committee and Social Media
Please click through to the parent portal to see our latest Parent Forum notes.
Our social media handles are:
Facebook - The Children's House School
Instagram - @childrenshouseschool
We'd love it if you'd follow us. Please review our image consent form here.
Parent Forum Feedback & Head's Report to Parent Committee, can be found here.
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Mental Health Awareness week
To promote Mental Health Awareness week, we organised a school-wide assembly focusing on the beneficial effects of physical activity on our mental wellbeing. This year's theme, 'Move Your Way,' aimed to inspire young individuals to incorporate exercise into their routines for better mental health.
Within our school community, we emphasise the importance of nurturing both our bodies and minds. Our goal is to instil in our students the understanding that movement can serve as a tool for supporting our overall wellbeing.
During the assembly, we explored various forms of movement and their positive impact on mental health. Alongside the assembly, students were presented with a 5-day Movement Challenge, encouraging them to partake in activities like yoga, fitness sessions, danceathons, and playground runs to bolster their wellbeing.
I was thrilled to witness the enthusiasm of our students, and their positive feedback reflected their enjoyment of moving for the sake of their mental health! We're eager to integrate more movement-focused assemblies to enhance concentration and foster healthy habits among our students.
Thank you for your ongoing support in promoting our students' health and happiness.
Wishing you all a lovely half-term break!
Laura
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Eco council news, by Emily
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Art Club
We decorated these terracotta flowerpots and planted violas. They had as much fun painting the pots as they did planting the flowers.
Talking about fun; the penultimate art club before half term is mainly play. To that end we did messy, slime, aqua play, scratch art and fine tip colouring in.
Art Specialist Lessons
Year 1
The William Morris inspired repeating pattern prints has concluded. After half term our art study of life and growth will continue with botanical observational drawing. We will also incorporate ICT into our skill set inspired by the impressionist movement.
Year 2
The art season of printing continued with Traction Man. Our previous activity of drawing this action man square by square proved extremely useful. The whole class made a collaborative print. I am so impressed and happy with the results.
Year 3
Shape, colour and form in the representation of a butterfly was the focus in this abstract art project.
Everyone created a print and a main piece using a range of materials. I wanted them to try a new medium. Something that would challenge them. Ceddy announced ‘This is the best art I have ever made!'
Art and Spanish joined forces to make a residential structure in which the children will be creating labels in Spanish.
Year 4
These young artists have made me very proud. They apply themselves in all of my lessons and the work they have produced is very satisfying. The Mayan hieroglyphics project incorporated drawing, painting and clay modelling. Just look at what they have produced.
I’m looking forward to next term.
Rose
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PE & Games
What a fantastic half term we've had in PE! Our young athletes have been busy developing their skills and having a blast on the field. Get ready to hear about some amazing footwork!
We are bursting with pride after witnessing the incredible performance of our Year 2 students in the recent 5-a-side Football Tournament! It was a true display of teamwork, skill, and sportsmanship. Be sure to check out some photos below capturing their action on the field!
Now, let us see what the rest of the school has been up to in PE:
Nursery: Our youngest learners have been busy bees! They've mastered aiming throws depending on the target's distance, and their dribbling skills are improving with each practice. They've put these skills to the test in fun games like Tidy Up the Room and Dribbling Pirates.
Reception: Get ready to be amazed! Reception children have become football whizzes. They can now dribble with confidence, aim and hit targets with their feet, pass the ball to their friends, and even score some impressive goals! Their favourite games include Knights and Pirates, where the knights defend their cones from being knocked down by the pirates and Stone Age House, where children pass the ball through their partner's legs to build their homes.
Year 1: Our Year 1 students have completed their Football Fundamentals unit with flying colours! They've mastered dribbling, controlling the ball, passing accurately, and shooting at targets. They've particularly enjoyed games like The Octopus and Ghosts-Busters where teamwork and strategy came into play.
Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4: As our students progress, their skills level up! These year groups have been honing their tackling techniques in 1 vs 1 scenarios, perfecting their shooting accuracy, and learning new strategies – from basic concepts for Year 2 to more complex strategy for Year 3 and 4. They've been putting their skills to the test in exciting football matches.
Have a fantastic break, everyone! Remember to stay active and healthy over the holidays!
Pablo
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¡Hola a todos!
It's the end of the first summer half term! We have concluded this with great success. The children have enjoyed their classes and are eager to learn new things.
Nursery: The little ones are singing with joy! They have learned a new song Old MacDonald has a Farm in Spanish, where they learn the names of the farmyard animals. The children can follow the lyrics of the song and understand what they hear with confidence.
Reception: The children have had fun learning about the animals they find under the sea! They have practised excellent pronunciation and have enjoyed creating a display of their classroom by drawing and colouring the animals with their respective names in Spanish.
Year 1: The children finished recognizing, remembering, and spelling high-frequency verbs and placing them correctly in a phrase. They have enjoyed the lessons, with plenty of active participation. Most are able to remember the words and phrases to introduce themselves and describe themselves as superheroes from memory and with confidence. I have been very amazed with the camaraderie that exists in Year 1, as the children help each other when some of them need a little more support with their work.
Year 2: The children have completed the unit on Se! They have written sentences using negative forms, conjunctions, and used this to build even more complex sentences using their own imagination. I have been excited with the enthusiasm they have shown in learning more about this topic. They have written a story about Traction Man using both first- and third-person singular correctly.
Year 3: Spanish and Art have combined specialisms to create a house, as part of the Mi Casa unit. The children really enjoyed building the room that they were allocated. This is an ongoing project and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
Year 4: The children have completed the unit, Do I have a pet?! With great enthusiasm, they have written whether they have pets at home and described these pets.
I am very proud of the progress that all children have made during this term. We will continue with this great enthusiasm.
Martha
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IT Blooms On!
Get ready for a blooming good update from the IT room! It's buzzing with activity as our young tech enthusiasts continue their exciting adventures in the digital world. Let's see what each year group is sprouting:
Year Group Updates:
Reception: These little explorers are still conquering new lands in the digital world! They're building on their Chromebook skills with confidence and venturing out to discover new ways to use their knowledge. We're also making sure their journey is safe and rewarding by teaching valuable e-safety practices.
Congratulations to Year 1 for graduating from interactive e-books! Their love for reading and digital literacy has blossomed, and now they're embarking on a brand new coding adventure. Get ready, – they might just learn how to program you (don't worry, it's all in good fun)! This exciting journey will delve into the fascinating world of algorithms and simple program creation.
Year 2 is trading their binary tree expertise for a new adventure on the internet! They're diving into the world of safe search, understanding the internet's structure (www and browsers), and learning how to navigate this vast online landscape safely and effectively. This newfound knowledge will equip them to explore the wonders of the web responsibly.
Year 3 has shifted gears, focusing on building a strong foundation for future typing endeavours. They're mastering the home, top, and bottom rows while developing good posture to avoid any future aches and pains. Accuracy is key, and these budding keyboard virtuosos are laying the groundwork for speedy and efficient typing.
Calling all geometry whizzes! Year 4 has entered the world of Logo, a programming language that lets them bring their geometric visions to life on the screen. By learning this exciting language, their creativity will blossom as they code their way to creating amazing shapes.
Beyond the Classroom:
Remember, technology is a powerful tool that can bloom for learning and exploration at home too! We encourage you to continue supporting your child's digital journey. Parental control features like Google Family Link, Apple Screen Time, and Microsoft Family Safety can work alongside our classroom learning to create a safe and enriching online experience.
By working together, we can help our children become responsible and safe digital citizens, equipped to use technology for positive impact and lifelong learning.
Have a lovely bank holiday!
David
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Year 4
The last few weeks have been a flurry of excitement coupled with hard work. PGL was a transformative experience for our children and they have come back with new skills and stacks of independence. They are closer than ever before and it has been lovely to hear all the tales from their adventures. On Wednesday we had a special assembly where we shared photos, videos and stories of their time away. Each child was given a special certificate and an award to acknowledge their success. They have made their teachers and parents so proud and represented The Children’s House School perfectly.
Back in the classroom, the children have been very busy across the curriculum and it was lovely to have you all in the classroom to show you the fruits of their labour.
Our study of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is yielding wonderful work in English and the children have written a whole chapter of the novel and have done detailed character descriptions. After half term we will continue to read the book and will be using different genres to develop our writing skills.
I was blown away by the children’s geography projects about the rainforest. The variety of projects was lovely to see and the children’s subject knowledge is so in depth! The children have asked for more of the same so I will set another research task for the second half of term.
This week in history, the children have been learning about the importance of masks to the Maya and have created their own! They used mosaic and symmetry to achieve the look.
Well done on another successful few weeks and enjoy your break!
Click here for some PGL Pictures.
Sinead
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Year 3
Over the last few weeks, Year 3 has been deeply engaged in studying the topic of Light and Dark in Science. We were very privileged to have a fantastic Shadow Puppet workshop, with Bronia, who came back for the day, where the children learned all about how shadows are created. They investigated how torches can manipulate the size of shadows and the variables that affect them. Following this, the children designed and made their own puppets based on characters from "How to Train Your Dragon." Some aspects of the design and making process were challenging, but they showed remarkable problem-solving and creative skills to overcome any hurdles they encountered.
In Literacy, the students have completed their fantasy chapter and crafted some very captivating, suspenseful paragraphs that leave the reader on the edge of their seat. We are looking forward to using their puppets to create our own mini film alongside their written work.
Literacy by Scottie
Meanwhile, in Maths, the children have been revising how to tell the time. They have successfully learned to tell the time to the hour as well as past the hour to the minute and are now beginning to tackle reasoning questions involving time.
The residential trip was a huge success, and every child in Year 3 should be immensely proud of their achievements. From negotiating their luggage to their rooms, climbing walls, orienteering through fields, to making dens in the forest, the children were fully involved and embraced every moment with vigour and enthusiasm.
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Year 2
We have had an action packed few weeks in Year 2, I don’t even know where to start! The last few weeks have made me reflect and I keep thinking back to the first day when the children came into Year 2 in September (and two children later on in the year) and I couldn’t be prouder of how everyone has shone through their work and attitude so far in this Summer term. From celebrating victories in our football tournament (and dealing very well with the defeats) to the amazing active listening during a workshop session from the London Fire Brigade, we have been very busy bees.
The workshop from the London Fire Brigade is a compulsory session which informs Year 2 children of the dangers of fires, what to do in the event of a fire and how to get help. The children practised shouting ‘FIRE’ and how to get closer to the ground when trying to escape (only if safe). They also looked at various ‘household hazards’ that might cause a fire in their own homes. We have all been reminded to not leave anything that is boiling or frying unattended in the kitchen as this is one of the main causes of fires in homes.
In Literacy, the children have been busy putting the building blocks in place to write their amazing comics. The pages from the comic will be collated and put into a book. This is a Year 2 tradition and the legacy will continue with the next set of exciting adventures of Traction Man and Scrubbing Brush! We had an onomatopoeia hunt around the classroom and gave examples of when we might use the words we found. As a classroom we had a blast turning household and garden objects into villains. I then used Copilot (AI picture generator) to input the children’s descriptions to generate a cartoon version of their favourite villain and the likes of Dr Egg Brush, Angry Fan and Vroooooom the race car have caused quite a stir! Before the children started creating their comics, they planned using a story mountain and used this to ensure that they included all the different parts to create suspense, and that their stories had a good flow.
We went back in time to 1856 in our History lessons. The children transformed into Florence Nightingale and had to answer a range of questions from a reporter from the ‘Indigo Weekly’. They thought carefully about their answers to make sure that they gave the reporter the correct information. The children used Purple Mash to type up their answers and we printed their amazing work to be officially published in a mini magazine. It was so great to see the children typing and putting all their skills from their IT lessons into practice.
During Science and Healthy Living Week the children conducted an experiment called Sugar Rush. We used corn syrup and food colouring to make fake blood and we wanted to conduct a test to see if flour or sugar would dissolve into our fake blood quicker. The children had to predict and we had a blind vote to see how the children’s predictions might differ. The children were then asked to complete a science experiment write up which included the aim, method and equipment list. Lastly, the children were asked to write-up their observations to see if their predictions were correct. We discovered that sugar dissolved much quicker than the flour and this is why we might get more energy after eating sugar, but it also runs out quicker!
I hope all the children enjoy the term and have a well earned rest!
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Year 1
Dear Parents,
I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year! I’m sure you’ll agree from the book look that the children have progressed massively this term and I am so proud of all their commitment to their learning!
The children continued their Literacy learning by writing an information text all about the life cycle of a bean, which complimented their science learning very well. They first tried to grow a bean in science and then wrote about the different stages of germination. The children’s use of chronological order and factual information was great. We have started to look at Beatrix Potter and her many stories. The children have created a story for one of her many characters and started to make a book for it. We’ve got some going to Granny’s house, a frog getting angry at the sea and others who are exploring nature. The writing is looking great and these will be finished after half term.
In Maths, the children have continued to look at sharing and grouping. They then started to look at fractions including halves and quarters. The children really excelled at finding halves and quarters of objects and quantities. I started to show the different parts of a fraction and slowly began to introduce adding them. I think the children really enjoyed fractions this term! We have finished the half term by starting to look at position and direction. The children have continued to practise their left and right, they also looked at full turns, half turns, quarter turns and three-quarter turns. They picked these up very quickly!
After looking at the different parts of a plant in science, the children looked at the germination process and what happens at each step. Next, the children looked at the different parts of a tree and their function. They compared them to the different parts of a flower. The class then learnt about how bees are pollinators and how important they, and other insects, are for the plant life cycle. The children brought all their knowledge together to explore how seeds are made using each part of the flower.
In PSHE, the children have been speaking about being a good friend and the qualities they look for in a friend. We spoke about how important it is to be a good friend and how lovely it is to be a member of a loving family.
The children have worked really hard this half term and I look forward to seeing them continue to better their learning next half term. Have a restful and enjoyable break!
Eliot
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Reception
As part of Healthy Living Week and our topic Growth Reception looked closely at delicious and nutritious vegetables. The class retold the story Oliver’s Vegetables and discussed ways that we can cultivate food in urban areas following our reading of the story Florette. The children used magazine clippings to create a mosaic background for their favourite vegetables. Reception also created a composition detailing how produce can grow above and below ground. In maths we began our exploration of money and visited Ridley Road Market. Each child used £1 to buy a fruit. Once we returned to school, we explored the countries these foods originated from and the long distances some had travelled, we even had a go cracking coconuts! We finally treated ourselves to a delicious fruit salad!
Last week the children looked closely at honey bees, and the vital role they play as pollinators. The children created their own drawings of honey bees and used their phonics to write about the honey making process. Reception also discussed how bees are becoming endangered, and the repercussions we will face if they are to become extinct. We brainstormed things that we could do to help bees and created persuasive posters, urging people to save our bees! We rounded off the week by creating delicious bread buns drizzled in honey.
This week we have been exploring birds and tress. The children used the features of a narrative to retell Pip and Egg and discussed similes and metaphors through our reading of Be A Tree. The class created papier-mâché birds and developed their fine motor skills by threading beads to create a perch. It was so lovely to welcome you all in to the classroom to see the children’s work, they have been so busy this term. We are all incredibly proud of them, and they have undoubtedly earned their half term break!
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Pre-Reception
Dear Parents,
Our classroom has been full of scientific investigations for the past few weeks! The arrival of 10 hungry caterpillars has sparked lots of inquiries into their life cycle, as the children were keen to learn about the transformations that take place during each stage. They have been very excited to closely observe the caterpillars and handled them with great care to inspect their features and movement.
The children took great responsibility to make sure the caterpillars truly enjoyed their time with us. They made shelters for them, listed possible meals and even read them stories. It was wonderful to see them so enthusiastic and engaged!
The plethora of scientific experiments that we set up throughout the Science and Healthy Living Week, aimed to tap into the children’s curiosity and develop their desire to explore and question how things work. They thoroughly enjoyed learning about changes in texture and consistency whilst making strawberry and banana ice lollies for snack time. The volcano eruption and milky rainbow experiments gave the children an opportunity to explore chemical reactions that occur when mixing substances, and their beaming faces showed how much fun they were having making predictions and asking questions to clarify their thoughts.
The classroom has been filled this week with lots of happy chirps, and we are not only referring to the children. The 7 chicks that have hatched before our eyes brought such delight to us all and provided a powerful learning experience. The children not only expanded their knowledge of life cycles, but also developed their empathy, compassion and sense of responsibility. They enthusiastically worked together on a large scale to build new chicken coops and used their vivid imaginations to send the chicks on exciting adventures, where they had to extinguish fires and cross treacherous jungles! It was hard to say goodbye, but we are sure that they will continue to have a happy life on the farm.
We wish you all a sunny half-term break, full of explorations!
Mihaela and Jess
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Downstairs Nursery
These past couple of weeks have been very busy at the Downstairs Nursery!
Two weeks ago, we explored the topic of Science and Healthy Living. We read books about fruit and vegetables and discussed different ways of keeping ourselves healthy. The children made delicious and healthy fruit kebabs for their snack. We also conducted our own science experiments! The children predicted what might happen if we put white flowers in food colouring, brainstormed ideas to take toys out of ice, and explored friction with jelly cubes and oil. We also made our own gloop, observing changes in textures, and experimented with shaving foam and food colouring. Finally, we had an explosive time with our volcano experiment, which we then recorded through drawings that you can see in the Nursery classroom! Looking at the lava pouring out, Maggie said, "The lava is going this way and that way!"
Last week, the children got the chance to observe real caterpillars growing. They have been eating very well, and we can’t wait to see them emerge from their chrysalises as butterflies! We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and created our own pom-pom caterpillars. We also painted parts of the story for our classroom display using the Eric Carle tissue paper method!
This week, we have been learning about chicks and ducks. We looked at different eggs and discussed which animals they might belong to. The children have learned about the life cycle of a chick. They have explored different emotions the chicks might be feeling, and we’ve discussed different ways we could help them feel happy and safe. Kit said, "We have to be really quiet, or they will get scared."
Downstairs Nursery
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