Magnolia Tree Day Nursery

The bumblebees and caterpillars were delighted to discover newts in the pond. Watching them swim among the water plants was exciting enough, but getting the chance to gently hold them made the experience even more memorable.

This experience can teach children several valuable things:

- Curiosity about nature – Discovering and observing newts encourages children to explore the natural world and ask questions about living things.
- Respect for wildlife – Gently holding the newts helps children learn that animals should be treated with care and kindness.
- Observation skills – Watching the newts swim among the water plants develops children's ability to notice details and make observations.

We had a great time this week learning how to play tennis with Sports Ltd. We learnt special words like serve, backhand, and racket.

We started off playing a game where we had to run around the cones and turn when we were told. Then, we had to quickly run into the circle when we heard the word ball.

Then we practised serving by placing the racket up to our face, bringing the ball up to the racket and hitting it downwards.

We also played an amazing game where we had to balance the ball on the strings of the racket, and every time we heard the word sausage, we had to drop the ball and try and bounce it.

The children can't wait to learn more sports with Coach Michael!

During our health and safety week, we looked at road safety and how we could cross the roads as safely as possible. In circle time we spoke about looking left, right left to check for traffic and making sure we listening for oncoming vehicles. The Grasshoppers all knew that we must only cross the road with a grown-up until they are old enough to do this by themselves.

For this activity, we made three different coloured playdoughs, red, yellow, and green, to represent the traffic lights. The Grasshoppers loved watching the playdough being made and they each got to have a stir too.

Our Grasshoppers had a great time recently creating some beautiful tulip paintings using watercolours.

We began by coming together as a group to discuss what a tulip needs to grow. The children confidently identified a seed, soil, water, and sunshine as the key things needed to help a tulip grow and thrive. We also talked about the different parts of a flower, including the stem, petals, and leaves, helping to develop the children's understanding and vocabulary.

They started by painting the stems and leaves green and chose a variety of colours for the petals. The children showed great concentration and creativity throughout the activity, and their finished paintings turned out wonderfully. They all look so bright and beautiful.

This week, we have been learning all about our families. As part of our activities, the Bumblebees and Caterpillars worked together to create a family tree in the garden.

The children enjoyed painting their hands and making handprint stamps onto the tree to represent themselves and their families. They had lots of fun exploring the different colours and textures of the paint while developing their creativity and fine motor skills.

This activity encouraged the children to talk about the special people in their lives and helped them to understand that every family is unique and important. The finished family tree looks wonderful, and the children were very proud of their contributions.

We have been celebrating National Children's Gardening Week by exploring the garden and learning about the wildlife around us.

As part of our celebrations, the children ventured into the garden to collect a variety of leaves. We then took our findings back to the room and used them alongside some homemade playdough. The children had great fun rolling out the playdough and creating beautiful leaf prints using the leaves they had carefully selected.

They enjoyed exploring the different shapes, sizes, and patterns of the leaves, making each print unique. It was a wonderful hands-on activity that encouraged creativity, exploration, and an appreciation of the natural world.

During Safari Animal Week, we took part in a lovely two-day creative activity. On the first day, the children explored different coloured paints using sponges to blot and print onto a large sheet of paper, developing their creativity and sensory exploration skills.

On the second day, the Grasshoppers carefully painted different safari-themed shapes, including a tree, elephant, grass, and giraffe, using paint brushes and a variety of colours.

The children thoroughly enjoyed working together as a group, showing fantastic teamwork, communication, and collaboration skills throughout the activity.

Creative experiences like this help to develop fine motor control, concentration, imagination, and confidence, while also encouraging the children to share ideas and work cooperatively towards a shared goal. We are so proud of how beautifully it turned out!

The Bumblebees and Caterpillars were ecstatic to see that our radishes and spring onions had grown! The children worked very hard to plant and water these vegetables, working together to use the watering cans to make sure they had enough water to grow strong and healthy.

The Caterpillars and Bumblebees also enjoyed guessing how long it would take for the vegetables to grow — some of us even thought it might take nine years!

This activity teaches the children many important skills across different areas of learning as well as encouraging curiosity, confidence, and a sense of achievement when they see the results of their hard work

The Ladybirds have been exploring the sensory room, which is a great way to develop their exploration skills.

They have shown lots of interest in the lights, especially when they change colour, as well as the funky mirrors where they enjoyed looking at their reflections.

In the garden, we provide the children with a fantastic variety of activities to explore. We have seen a lot of interest in developing our literacy skills by reading our favourite stories. Enjoying a story in the sunshine, in a calm and relaxing outdoor environment, is so important for the children’s wellbeing and development.

The children have also been busy constructing their own houses, dens, and obstacle courses using the crates, encouraging teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. One of our new favourite activities has been working together to roll the tyre, using our big strong muscles to develop coordination and physical strength.

The children have enjoyed chasing Beth around the garden with the parachute, using their super speedy skills to navigate obstacles as they tried to catch her.