February/ March Newsletter

We are simply out of this world!

 After celebrating Chinese new year the children had decided that the only way to see a dragon would be to go into space as "they fly really, really high in the sky up near the moon" So off we go to see if we see any dragons.

After deciding how we were going to get to space we made our own rocket and space station.

Making snips in paper to put in the rocket's window 

"It needs to be blue and have sticky bits"

Looking at outer space through a window

"I can make buttons and controls"

 After listening to the story Aliens Love Underpants we used a variety of loose materials and dough to make our own aliens.








Our small world space station

 
 
 Counting down to blast off

 

We have  been helping our friends decide if they would like to travel to earth, the moon or the sun and how they would like to travel there.  

Then off we go!

 

 

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Kung Hei Fat Choy! means Happy New Year! All the children have enjoyed learning about Chinese New year. 










We explored the celebration through active role play, small world play retelling the great race story, creating cards and red envelopes for good luck and fortune.








We made a fantastic Chinese dragon together as a group using bright colourful material for the body  and a variety of creative resources to construct the head.    Some of us looked at the Chinese dragon dance on the computer and I pad to see how they moved and what colours they used, whilst others looked for ideas in books. Our younger children created a small world of their own with dragons in the sand using natural materials to create an environment they thought they would like to live in.

We had our own Chinese restaurant with different traditional food types. We had fun mixing and selecting food for others. Some of us even tried to use chopsticks!

Super hero super numbers and shape

"I am a superhero shape hunter what can I find?"

What a week our super learners have had. They decided they were going to look at the shapes of containers and fruits in the Sparkle Shop as well as the cost of them.

When it comes to shopping having a child who comes from a family with a shop all the children have received first hand training on sorting type and size of fruits as well as how to be a good shop keeper.










Every item has a price where if a child has wanted to buy something they have needed to use the correct number of counters to make the purchase. Some children have even managed to buy two items and find the total number of counters needed.
 

"I will put on here how much money you need"

 How exciting to get four big boxes delivered for us from the Post lady. We had to work together for some as they were big and heavy.

 

Our superhero towers this week have been made with cubes. We looked for cubes in our environment especially in the shop. How many cubes can you see in your kitchen ?

 

So what will our Super learners be looking at next week?

 

Transient art with natural materials and endless possibility

  This week the  children have  worked with a variety of natural materials which opened up many possibilities. The resources selected with the children were packed with variety, promoting deep and complex thinking.

The range of sizes and materials selected encouraged them to look closely at the detail and to notice the differences in colour, texture, size and shape. They were fascinated by  making patterns and creating things special to them. In doing this they began to think about the fine details in places and things they were representing.

"It's Gareth in the picture box"

 The children wanted to explore them and create images and structures creating 2d and 3d art. The children showed creativity, imagination, problem solving using positional language to explain place and position within the patterns they made.



"This is my new house and bedroom and
Mummy's bedroom and that's my chair and table"

 By the time they finished and recorded their creations materials were shared in the group with their art here one moment, gone the next. Transient and unique works of art  with endless possibilities.

A busy start to 2016

Super Sparkler learners are ready to go!

 

The children have come back after the Christmas break and have been busy sorting the setting just how they want it.

The plan of action started with our pre-schoolers (with a little help) producing a mind map of what is to be in each area then everyone got to work finding the resources they wanted.



"I make my house at 9"

Following instructions, matching quantity and numeral

Shape, size and sorting our favourite food in the shop

Team building

Giving meaning to pictures

Recognising and ordering number

 

It's all about the process

and us getting it just how we want it.

January 2016 Newsletter

 " Round the back"

We have had great fun this term thinking about our favourite characters from films and TV so produced our own version of the Nativity story 'Round the back' with lights, singing dancing and of course every movie screening has an audience eating popcorn.

Thank you to all our friends, family and the children and staff from St Williams Catholic Primary School who came and share our fun.

 

Our poor innkeeper was very tired as lots of people came to Bethlehem and all he wanted to do was sleep. That wasn't going to happen! He had no room left in his inn so could only off Mary and Joseph his stable round the back.

 

 

After giving them a lovely Elsa blanket to keep them warm Mary had her baby a special baby boy

called Jesus. The thought of the children especially our Joseph was Jesus might prefer a Minions blanket to Olaf and Elsa.

 

Our Innkeeper still didn't get any rest he was visited by shepherds

 

 

Awoke by the beautiful sound of an angel

 

 

and then visited by 3 very wise men

 

 

After all his visitors he was rather angry and decided to go round the back to see what all  was going on. It was then he saw the baby Jesus sleeping peacefully and was so happy all his anger went away.

 

All the staff and little gems from Sparklers Nursery hope you all have a very happy and holy Christmas.