Sapphires Nursery School

Developing a love of Nature at SNS. A fond farewell to our friendly frogs. 🐸

Over the past few weeks, our children have been captivated by one of nature’s most fascinating transformations.

From frog spawn to tadpoles, then growing legs and arms before becoming froglets, the children have observed every stage of the life cycle with wonder and excitement.

Through careful observation, meaningful conversations, and diving into fascinating books, the children have developed a deep understanding of this incredible process and a genuine sense of care for the living creatures they were nurturing.

Thursday was the day our froglets returned to the wild. Together, the children headed out from the Nursery to the wilderness and chose a beautiful shady spot beside the water, surrounded by damp undergrowth and natural shelter.

Sitting quietly and patiently, we watched as the froglets climbed from their tank and began exploring their new home. Some seemed in no hurry to leave, choosing instead to rest on the children’s hands for a few moments before continuing their adventure. The children were delighted by these memorable moments and treated their tiny visitors with great care and respect.

There were smiles, gasps of excitement, and a few emotional goodbyes as the froglets hopped away into the undergrowth.

Experiences like these help children develop curiosity, empathy, responsibility, and a lifelong connection with the natural world.

Our little froglets will be greatly missed. It has been a privilege to observe their remarkable growth and transformation and to share this unforgettable learning journey with the children. 🐸

SNS Gardening Club Summer Update

It has been wonderful to watch the children develop their gardening skills, and learn about how plants grow, and take pride in caring for their environment. We are all looking forward to seeing the SNS garden flourish in the summer!

Over the past few weeks, our SNS Gardening Club children have been busy exploring, planting, nurturing, and harvesting in our outdoor spaces! They have enjoyed picking and smelling fresh herbs, including - oregano, mint, and lemon balm, while learning all about the flowers and vegetables growing in our garden.

They have planted out a variety of seeds and plants, including - Swiss chard, parsnips, peas, climbing beans, cucumbers, sunflowers, nasturtiums, geraniums, and some colourful snapdragon flowers to attract pollinators.

Also they have taken great care of our garden - learning all about the importance of watering it regularly and maintaining the planting areas. They were all so excited to harvest fresh spinach, peas, and beautiful flowers, as well as prepare raised beds and containers for new planting.

Visitors Cause Stir at SNS

SNS had the pleasure of welcoming Mr Tom and his incredible collection of exotic animals to the Nursery this week.

Tom shared his huge knowledge about each annd every animal, explaining that his millipede has hundreds of legs to help it move along the ground, allowing the children to gently stroke and bravely
hold each animal. Among our visitors was a beautiful, spiky, and ever so friendly bearded dragon, who happily settled on the warm laps of the children to their delight.

The giant African land snails made for a slimy spectacle, while Harry the tortoise surprised everyone with his unusual speed as he explored the classrooms.

The final highlight of the visit wasssssssssss……. a royal python, which quickly became the children’s favourite. They demonstrated remarkable bravery, eagerly asking to hold Hermione around their shoulders or cradle her in their arms, enjoying the smooth texture of her skin and learning that she can grow up to 5 feet long!

I am sure many wonderful dreams were sparked in the children’s imagination this week - who knows we might be fostering future zookeepers, zoologists or David Attenboroughs!

This week SNS was filled with excitement as some duck eggs were safely delivered in a warm incubator.
The children eagerly observed every stage of the hatching process, watching and waiting for the first tiny cracks and celebrated as the ducklings began to hatch.

They explored the life cycle of a duck, learning how living creatures grow and change over time.

The children showed great care and responsibility, helping to keep the ducklings’ environment clean and cosy, and delighting in watching them splash and bathe in the water.

We are so grateful to one of our wonderful SNS families who looked after the ducklings over the weekend — they returned to us very happy indeed!

This hands-on experience sparked awe and wonder , and lots of thought provoking conversations, as the children made connections between what they observed and their own ideas about the world around them.

Yesterday, we finally said a sad goodbye to our ducklings as they returned to the farm, where they now have plenty of space to grow and thrive.

It has been a truly precious experience for the children, bringing joy, wonder, and meaningful learning to our week

There’s something truly precious about pausing and becoming still to witness nature close up - especially through the eyes of our Bluebells

Our journey began when the caterpillars arrived at SNS, immediately capturing the children’s curiosity. Over the next few days, the Bluebells eagerly observed them grow, sang songs inspired by their tiny visitors, and enjoyed listening to their favourite story - The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

As the caterpillars prepared to form chrysalises, the children began to wonder aloud, “Caterpillars, where?”—a beautiful reflection of their growing understanding of change and transformation.

After our Easter break, we returned to the Nursery to find an exciting surprise before us – three butterflies had emerged!

The room was filled with excitement as the Bluebells watched them closely, joyfully repeating “flap, flap butterfly".

We were even blessed to witness the final butterfly emerge from its chrysalis—a memorable moment that sparked awe and wonder.

A few days later, it was time to say goodbye to the butterflies. The children spent gentle, quiet moments with the butterflies as they landed softly on their little hands and arms, before fluttering off to explore the local countryside.

Wonderful experiences like these nurture curiosity, patience, and a deep appreciation for nature and the world around us – creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Sunshine and singing filled the air as the children took part in our very own SNS Easter Bonnet Parade.

The children proudly paraded, wearing their own handmade creations. Each hat was so remarkably unique - thank you to all our families for your support in making these.

We gathered together as Miss Sid led us in uplifting, celebratory songs, including a very enthusiastic Alive!

It was a superb afternoon full of joy, confidence and celebration, reminding us of the real hope and new life that Easter brings.

Well done to all our children — you are amazing!

So good to look back and reflect on our Easter celebrations at SNS.

On Maundy Thursday, the children took part in a re-enactment of Palm Sunday. They walked alongside “Jesus” and Andy the donkey, and enthusiastically waved their palm branches, threw down their coats and sang Hosanna as they journeyed together towards Jerusalem in the St Mary’s church gardens.

They gathered in the church gardens to sing Our God is a Great Big God, before Rev Nate shared the Easter story and reminded them of Jesus’ great love for us all. They paused for a quiet, reflective moment as “Jesus” prayed for us.

Throughout the week, the children explored the deeper meaning of Easter — learning how Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem to show His love, taking our wrong choices upon Himself so that we can be forgiven and made new.

We also reflected on His death and resurrection through the life cycle of a caterpillar 🐛🦋 — how it enters the chrysalis, where it appears there is no life left, before emerging as a butterfly, just as Jesus rose again bringing new life.

Using Resurrection Eggs, our Kingfishers children carefully retold the Easter story through each symbolic object, showing such thoughtful understanding.

The children also created beautiful Easter Gardens with Miss Liz, representing the Garden of Gethsemane. Some brought theirs in from home that they had already made — thank you so much for sharing your amazing creations with us!

To morning ended in great excitement back at the Nursery where the children enjoyed brushing and feeding Andy the donkey.

At SNS our Kingfishers class enjoy mastering the art of climbing trees.

Tree climbing offers so much more than just fun. It builds physical strength, improves balance, and nurtures confidence as children challenge themselves in a natural environment.

Through climbing, the children develop their own risk assessment skills—learning to problem-solve, make decisions, and trust their judgement. From selecting strong, sturdy branches to planning handholds and foot placements, they strengthen spatial awareness and fine motor skills and grow in independence.

Climbing also creates a sense of calm, helping them connect with nature and view the wonderful world from a new height. Along the way, they collaborate, communicate, and support one another—building trust and a real sense of achievement.

At SNS, our children truly shine brightly—sharing, helping, including, and never ever giving up!

SNS will be joining in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 - will you be joining in?

At Sapphires Nursery School, over the next few weeks we’ll be taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch

Schools take part in a slightly more flexible timeframe than the publicised dates of 23-25th Jan just to allow all the children to join in birdwatching in a calm, meaningful and child-led way.

We will be encouraging all our families to join in at home too during the national Big Garden Birdwatch weekend, from 23rd–25th January, and share their sightings too.

This is how we will be preparing at SNS:
Putting out our nut-free bird food in the SNS garden

Sharing our bird-watching books during group times

Getting out our binoculars and carefully cleaning the lenses ready for action

Donning our warm winter coats

Gathering our bird-spotting charts ready to play “I Spy”

Heading out into the Wilderness to hone our observation and early counting skills

Through quiet watching, listening and noticing, the children will develop curiosity, patience and a deeper connection with the natural world around them.

What beautiful birds will we spot?

We can’t wait to find out.