Merdyn Day Nursery

Happy World Book Day 📖

We had a fantastic day at Merdyn celebrating all things books and stories. From classic storybook characters to some very creative ideas, everyone looked brilliant.

The children had a lovely time sharing their favourite stories and celebrating the magic of books together.

🐧❄️ Little Penguin Adventures! ❄️🐧

This month our toddlers have been exploring our Little Penguin Lost theme through hands-on sensory play and problem solving.

The penguins were trapped in ice, and the children used spoons to chip, tap and scrape them free. There were lots of cheers as each penguin made its great escape!

We then froze our own penguins and explored how they could slide down a slippy slope — experimenting with speed, movement and gravity.

So much learning through play:
❄️ Fine motor skills
❄️ Patience & perseverance
❄️ Early science exploration
❄️ New vocabulary — slippery, cold, melt, slide

Learning really is an adventure!

Today the children enjoyed a very special day celebrating Chinese New Year – the Year of the Horse! 🧧 The children explored new traditions and even tried using individual chopsticks while enjoying delicious noodles for snack time. What fantastic effort from everyone!

The fun didn’t stop there… we also celebrated Pancake Tuesday! 🥞 The nursery was filled with excitement as the children chose from a variety of tasty toppings to create their perfect pancakes.

A wonderful day full of culture, creativity, and delicious treats ❤️

🌿Eco Garden Fun:Japanese Kokedama Moss Balls🌿

This week we enjoyed this beautiful hands-on activity with our Forest School teacher from

The children created their own Japanese Kokedama Moss Balls, a traditional planting technique where plant roots are wrapped in soil and moss to form a living ball.

They carefully shaped, wrapped and secured their creations, learning about roots, moisture, and how plants grow. Some kokedama were made to take home — we can’t wait for families to watch them grow and flower 🌼

We also made a few extra to add to our living willow archway at the entrance, helping to care for and decorate the beautiful space that welcomes us each day.

The children continued weaving willow into our Eco Garden teepee, working together to strengthen the living structure. The children showed wonderful teamwork, patience and pride in caring for our outdoor environment 💚

A morning in our Ecogarden with our forest school teacher, bringing one of the children’s favourite stories to life. Using branches for the body and leaves for the hair, we created our very own Stick Man — where imagination, nature and storytelling meet.” 📖 🌳

December has been a very busy and joyful month for us at Merdyn.

We held a nursery-wide fundraising week in support of the with each room taking part in their own sponsored event — thank you to everyone who supported and donated.

Our preschool seniors then put on a beautiful Christmas nativity performance of ‘Gnome Alone’ for their parents and grandparents.

We also enjoyed lots of festive, Christmas-themed messy play activities filled with fun, creativity, and laughter!

What a wonderful way to end the year — thank you to all our families for your continued support. 🎄 ✨

This month we added a little extra wonder to the eco garden… a tiny home fit for the fairies! 🧚‍♀️💫

Built with fallen twigs, smooth stones, dried flowers and a sprinkle of imagination — no new materials, just nature’s leftovers. ♻️🌸

There’s something special about slowing down, noticing the small things, and creating a space where magic can live. ✨
Here’s to sustainable crafting, childlike joy, and believing that tiny visitors might just stop by.

A wonderfully messy jungle themed sensory activity using homemade “chocolate gloop” made from dairy & nut free cocoa powder, cornflour and water. The mixture had a rich chocolatey smell and a smooth, silky texture that captivated the children as they explored with their hands. Jungle animals were added to the tray, encouraging imaginative play as the children made footprints, hid the animals and created their own “muddy jungle” 🐵 🦎 🐍