Barnaby's Day Nursery

Today is the first solar eclipse since 1999!
So in baby room today we have been looking at pictures and talking about the eclipse. This inspired us to enhance this learning by creating our own solar ellipse paintings. The children thoroughly enjoyed painting the black card white then taking the blue circle off to reveal a back circle silhouette underneath.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our pre-school graduation evening 🎓.
It was such a fabulous evening, and it was wonderful to come together and celebrate the children’s time here at Barnaby’s.

We wish each and every one of you the very best on your next adventure. We will miss you all and hope you take with you many happy memories of your time at Barnaby’s. 💙

💚 Please can you share this post or tag someone who you think may be interested in our TERM TIME ONLY position. Your share could help us find the perfect person to join our wonderful Forest School team!💚

✨🧚‍♀️ Fairy & Wizard Leavers Party 🧙‍♂️✨

We had a fabulous Fairy and Wizard themed leavers party this afternoon for our wonderful children who will be leaving us to start school in September. 💙

The children had a magical time making potions, creating their own wands, and taking part in a fairy-themed scavenger hunt. They all looked absolutely amazing in their fantastic costumes, making the day even more special!

A huge thank you to Sarah and Gemma for giving up their time to make the day so magical. Your hard work and dedication helped create wonderful memories for our children as they prepare for their exciting next adventure. ✨🌟

🌿 Father’s Day in the Wood 🌿

We had a fabulous evening yesterday celebrating Father’s Day in the woods.
The children and their daddies enjoyed making homemade lemonade, which was served with jam tarts and biscuits, before getting creative and building their very own cars using a variety of natural materials.
We think some of the dads may have taken the car-building challenge a little more seriously than the children… there was lots of concentration, careful design work and a few very determined faces! 🚗🍋

We finished the session with the calming sound of the gong and took time to listen to the wonderful sounds of the woodland around us. 🌳✨

A big thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it such a lovely evening — we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!

💧 It’s Not Just Water 💧

Water play is so much more than splashing and fun… it’s full of learning opportunities for pre-school children 🌊✨

As children pour, scoop, squeeze, float and explore, they are developing:

🖐️ Fine motor skills – strengthening little hands and improving coordination
🧠 Problem solving – discovering what sinks, floats, fills and empties
💬 Language development – describing textures, actions and ideas with friends
➕ Early maths skills – measuring, counting and comparing amounts
🤝 Social skills – sharing resources, taking turns and working together
🌱 Creativity and imagination – turning water into oceans, potions, car washes and adventures
💙 Emotional wellbeing – water play can feel calming, relaxing and engaging

Today’s water tray invited children to investigate, create and learn through hands-on exploration.

Because sometimes the simplest activities create the richest learning ✨

Have you been to see our art installation at Holmfirth Arts Festival yet? 🎨✨

The children worked so hard on it and were so excited discussing their ideas and seeing it all come together.

If you haven’t had chance yet, there’s still time to visit today!

Plus, Sarah Branson will be there offering free crafting activities from 12:00–4:30pm — perfect for children to get involved and be creative 💛

This week in the Pre-School Room the children have loved making the most of the sunny weather 😎☀️

Alongside lots of outdoor play, we’ve been talking about how to stay safe in the sunshine and why it’s important to wear sun hats, put on sun cream, and drink plenty of water on hot days.

During one of our conversations, one of the children asked, “Well if we need lots of water, what about the plants in the garden—do they need a drink too?” We thought that was such a lovely and inquisitive question.

This led us into talking about how we can care for our plants and vegetables during warm weather and what they need to help them grow. The children then helped to water them, taking great care of our garden together 🌱💦

It’s been wonderful to see their curiosity spark such thoughtful conversations and learning through play.

The boys and girls in the Pre-School Room have really enjoyed watching our caterpillars grow and talking about the changes they can see. 🐛🦋

They then asked if they could paint their own “fat caterpillars,” which they did using paint, circle sponges, and googly eyes. We think they did a fantastic job! 🎨✨