As children engage in pretend play we can see their imagination develop.They are using increasing vocabulary as they talk during their play, using their own experiences.

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We have been introducing more opportunities which support fine motor development such as, turning nuts and bolts, threading, peg boards and building carefully with various sized blocks. Children often  revisit these skills in their own play.

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We decorated some small pine cones from the pine tree in the Woodland Area, then put them back on the big pine tree.  We sang “Oh Christmas Tree”as we stood at the base of the tree.  A lovely experience.

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We are now seeing much higher levels of concentration in activities now that children are relaxed and comfortable.

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The children have been using our indoor resources more this week, and we are seeing their imagination developing more and more.

The children have been developing their hand-eye co-ordination by filling ice cube moulds with small grains of rice and pasta. We coloured the rice first – and the children said the rice were “sprinkles”.

We returned to nursery to find a carpet of leaves in our garden. The children have enjoyed crunching through them and making “leaf snow”! They have also been comparing the different shapes, sizes and colours – and have been learning about the trees that don’t drop their leaves.

On our last day before the half term break the children enjoyed dressing up, doing some creative activities and listening to stories.

The children looked at sunflower pictures, including the famous Van Gough painting and painted their own versions. They also explored the different shades of orange and yellow – linking these colours to the colour of Autumn leaves.

We are learning about Autumn and the children have been pleased to find some conkers in our garden as they played and explored outside.