Cliffe House Day Nursery Burley-In-Wharfedale

Today in Blue Room 💙

Manipulating tools ⚒️

This morning, the children practised their pre-writing skills through a fun and engaging fine motor activity. Using pegs, they squeezed and picked up a variety of objects, helping to strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers that are essential for future writing development.
The children first observed an adult demonstrating the correct squeezing motion before independently having a go themselves. They then selected different objects to pick up using the pegs, developing their hand-eye coordination, concentration, and grip strength.
To extend the challenge, we provided objects of different sizes and shapes, encouraging the children to adapt their movements and problem-solve as they explored the activity.

Exploring Water 💦

This morning, the children enjoyed exploring and cooling off with water play outdoors in the warm weather. Working together, they helped to create a water construction site using pipes, water features, posts, and buckets.
As they built at different heights and experimented with the flow of water, the children observed what happened as the water travelled through the pipes. They were encouraged to think critically and solve problems, making adjustments to help the water reach its destination or using buckets to collect and redirect the falling water.
This hands-on experience supported the children's understanding of cause and effect while developing their problem-solving skills, teamwork, communication, and perseverance.

Exploring Mexico🇲🇽 This morning, the children continued their exploration of different countries and cultures, and today we focused on Mexico! The children were tasked with creating their own Mexican hats using dabbers. They thoroughly enjoyed this activity. Throughout the session, we engaged the children in conversations about various aspects of Mexico, such as asking if they've ever visited and what they think the main language spoken there is. We also encouraged them to say hello in Spanish, which they did wonderfully. In the end, we all created beautiful hats and had a fantastic time learning about this new country.

💚💚💚 Green Room💚💚💚

Composing and decomposing shapes - the children have enjoyed composing and decomposing shapes onto the light board. They have all enjoyed watching what shadows the shapes made. They have used their imagination to create objects using the shapes. 🔷🔺💠🔸🟤

Whiteboards - retracing vertical lines and developing anticlockwise movement - This morning, Green Room have been brushing up on their writing skills on the whiteboards. They have been practicing both their uppercase and lowercase letters. Everyone selected a few random letters from the pile of magnetic letters and starting writing them. Green room were clearly very confident during this and held their pens correctly and was very careful and steady with each movement. Well done, everyone! ✍️

Fishing for numerals - this morning we were fishing for ducks that have different numerals underneath them, once we had caught our ducks or goal was to identify the numerals underneath which we achieved successfully !
🎣

We also had a lovely visit from Number train this morning, where the children took an adventure to the fairground!!!! Nancy and Norman were teaching the children all about the value of money. Everyone wanted to play on the carousel and exchanged smaller coins to 5ps so they could have a go on the ride! Well done, Green room! 🔢🚂

This afternoon, due to the warmth, we decided that the children could cool down with a lovely spa afternoon. After they had an ice lolly, We filled up the tuff trays with water and gave the children a face cloth to wipe themselves down with some sensory lights and relaxing music. It was lovely after such a hot day!!!!! 🥵🔥☀️

What an amazing day!!!! Well done, Green Room!

🔴 Red Room 🔴

Yesterday activities 23/06/26❤️

Ocean water play 🌊 - This morning the children have enjoyed keeping cool in hot weather by doing lots of emptying and filling with different sizes spoons and measuring jugs. The children explored what animals they could see in the water and if they could name what they are using their single words. Together we sang nursery rhymes such as “baby shark” and “I had a tiny Turtle”.

Colour Monster🎨 - the children also indulged in discussing their emotion and how they are feeling in a fun colourful tuff tray with coloured shredded paper and the emotion colour monster. Together we read “The colour monster” and discussed what each colour represented our emotions from calm, anger, fear, happy, sad and love. They children loved discussing who they loved such as friends and family.

Playdough family🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 - This afternoon the children loved making their family out of playdough looking at the different figurines and working out who they looked like out of their family members such as mummy, daddy, and by brother and sister they have or pets. The children enjoyed playing the figurines into the house they were sat in front of and also placing them in the playdough. Then the children used rolling pins and shape cutters to ask their family members.

Shape of the week ⭐️ - For this week our shape is a star, so the children enjoyed creating their very own galaxy using different sized stars and paints that were all different coloured so they loved watching the colours mix together to bring the picture to life. Together we discussed what colours we could se and if we recognised what they were.

Outdoor play- During outdoor play the children have throughly enjoyed the sunny weather all sun creamed up. They enjoyed playing in the sand making sandcastles and playing with the large truck filling them its sand and manoeuvring them round the garden. They loved playing basketball practicing throwing and catching using a small ball, building with the skittle bricks and climbing over the soft play too.

Well done for a lovely day red room❤️

Today in blue room 💙

Exploring Ice 🧊

The children have loved exploring ice and engaging in lots of conversations about how it feels and what happens as it warms up. ❄️💧

“It’s melting!” they excitedly observed as they watched the ice change. We compared different sizes and talked about which pieces felt heavy or light. The children used their imaginations, incorporating a variety of tools to create potions, pour water into containers, and spoon ice between different vessels.

Throughout the activity, we encouraged the children to ask questions, make predictions, and investigate what was happening. It was a wonderful hands-on learning experience that supported curiosity, exploration, and early scientific thinking!

Concepts🏃‍♀️💨 This morning, the children investigated the concepts of fast and slow. We transformed the table into a ramp and provided a variety of differently sized and shaped balls. We invited two children at a time to select their preferred ball and release it at the same moment to observe which one was faster or slower. Some balls were noticeably slower than others because of their shapes. The children did an excellent job identifying which balls were faster or slower.

Well done Blue Room!

💛Yellow room💛

This morning we have had a flamingo tuff tray for pink flamingo day! The children had lots of fun exploring the coloured sand and trying to find the flamingos with the paintbrushes and their hands! We also read the flamingo book to the children which they really enjoyed!

This afternoon we have had water play which we enhanced for insect week! The children had lots of fun splashing in the water and playing with the different insects! We also encouraged single words such as “splash”, “spider” and “frog”! The children also enjoyed clapping along to the nursery rhymes “incy wincy spider” and “five green speckled frogs”!

💚💚GREEN ROOM💚💚

Composing and decomposing shapes!
I drew some shapes on the tuff tray and we used the magnets to match the shapes to the drawn ones. We spoke about the sizes of the shapes, what they looked like and if we found it easy or hard. Well done everyone!

Outdoor play!
This morning in green room we’ve enjoyed some outdoor play in the sunshine, we enjoyed water play and also an obstacle course!

Releasing the butterflies!
This morning we have released our three butterflies! The children enjoyed looking at the different colours and talking about the lifecycle of the butterfly.

Junk modelling!
This morning, Green room have been expressing their thoughts and ideas through some junk modelling. I provided the children with lots of recycled material, some scissors and masking tape. The children had the freedom to make WHATEVER they want,HOWEVER they want. There was some lovely teamwork and sharing going on during this activity and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are some of the things Green room said during this activity: “I’m making a launch to start a rocket to go” “I’m making a rocket” “I’m actually making a trampoline” “Let’s stick it together” “I need something like a triangle for this top bit” “Can I have some scissors? I have an idea”. Well done, Green Room!

💚💚 GREEN ROOM💚💚

Yesterday in green room we…

Creating patterns!
This morning, we used the pegs and boards to create different patterns. I asked the children if they could copy the pattern and when they finished, I asked if they could create their own pattern. Everyone did a great job!

Arts and crafts - Making cards
This morning the children enjoyed using their creative side and made some cards!

Forming letters and shapes in coloured sand
We organised a mark-making activity using coloured sand, lolly sticks, letter boards, small chalkboards, and chalks. The children loved forming letters by looking at the letter boards or trying to write their own names. They then moved on to drawing shapes.

Basketball
The children have had a fantastic time playing with the new basketball hoop and ball outside.

Number matching fishing activity!
This morning, Green room really enjoyed this number matching fishing activity. It was everyone’s job to use the fishing nets to scoop up the ducks, look at the number at the bottom and place it into the correct numbered lily pad. Green room confidently named all the numbers and put them in the correct place whilst also using the fishing net to full effect. Well done, Green Room!

🩵 Blue room 🩵

Language - sinking or floating

The children worked together as a team to explore which objects would float and which would sink. Taking turns, each child selected an object from the basket and shared their prediction about whether it would float or sink. We then tested our ideas by carefully placing the objects into the water and observing what happened.

This engaging activity encouraged the children to develop their prediction and observation skills, while also introducing new vocabulary such as float, sink, heavy, and light. The children demonstrated excellent teamwork, communication, and turn-taking throughout the investigation, making it a fun and valuable learning experience for everyone involved.

Ice cream shop 🍦🍨:- This morning the children used the ice cream scoops to scoop the ice cream onto their cones. The children used their dominant hand for the scoop, taking a big scoop and when tipping the scoop if it didn’t come off they were gently tap it on the top of their cone and get more. They were able to tell me most of the ice cream flavours on the tuff tray and enjoyed telling me all about what flavour is their favourite, who buys them their ice creams and if they have sprinkles on the top.

Mark making:- This morning, the children used their fingers to create wonderful designs in the tuff tray with paint. We provided a range of patterns for them to follow and practice, and we encouraged them to use their imagination. We asked if there was anything special they wanted to paint, and some children chose to depict their mummies, daddies, and pets. We also encouraged the children to recognise and mix different colours in the tuff tray. They did a fantastic job identifying and mixing colours, even creating shades like brown and purple. It was a messy but fun activity that helped the children practice their fine motor skills.

Well done Blue Room!

💛 Yellow Room 💛

This morning in baby room we enjoyed a rainforest tuff tray for World Rainforest Day! The babies enjoyed exploring the different textures in the tray and looking at the different rainforest animals. We encouraged lots of language and sounds by modelling single words as well as animal noises.

This afternoon we have explored some filling and emptying in the coloured sand outside. The children practiced using one handed tools like spades to fill up the jugs and then loved to pour it all out again!

🔴 Red Room 🔴

Fishing 🎣
Today we have enjoyed fishing in our very own fishing pond! We have practised sharing and helping our friends by passing the fish and fishing rods to each other. We have also named the colours of the fish and counted how many fish each child had.

Save the mini beasts🕷️
We have been using tweezers to save the mini beasts from the sticky mud. The children used their pincer grip to pick out the mini beasts and also using the tweezers to pick them up.

Animal painting 🖼️
This morning we have been using animals to paint. The children talked about what marks they made on their paper and we also named the colours.

We have also played outside and done lots of building and stories today!