Netherton Infant & Nursery School

08/10/2026

🍂🦔 Forest School Fun with Happy Hedgehog! 🦔🍂

Today at Forest School, Happy Hedgehog planned lots of hedgehog-themed activities, and the children absolutely loved them!

We started by reading the story Hodge the Hedgehog before completing a range of creative crafts. The children's enthusiasm and imagination shone through, and the finished creations truly blew us away. We really do have the most talented children!

As always, Forest School was a hive of activity, with children busy exploring and discovering. One of the highlights of the afternoon was finding a caterpillar, which we identified as a Pale Tussock Moth caterpillar. The children were fascinated and enjoyed learning about its life cycle and discovering what it will eventually look like as an adult moth.

The mud kitchen was also in full swing, with the children preparing a fantastic feast for the staff. The menu included apple pie, salad, and the ever-popular conker surprise! 🥧🥗🌰

During our reflection time, we talked about which woodland animal we would most like to be and why. As always, the children's answers were thoughtful, imaginative, and incredibly interesting to hear.
"I would like to be a hedgehog so I can curl into a ball and roll."
"A spider. I could spin webs everywhere."
"A deer because the a so majestic."
"A squirrel so I can climb trees and jump up high."
"An owl for the big strong wings and flying everywhere."
"A butterfly because they are so colourful."
"A fox for its beautiful fur."
"A bunny rabbit because they are cute and cuddly."

It was another wonderful afternoon of creativity, exploration, discovery, and laughter in the great outdoors. Well done, everyone! 🌿🍁✨🦔

06/10/2026

01/10/2026

What a glorious afternoon for Forest School! ☀️ The sun was shining, the forest was calm, and it was the perfect setting for an afternoon of outdoor learning and exploration.

We began by reading Room on the Broom, which inspired the children to create their own conker wands and beautiful leaf crowns. They absolutely loved getting creative and bringing their ideas to life!

As always, the den-building area and dig pit were incredibly popular. Wherever you looked, children were busy, engaged, and immersed in their own adventures, working together, solving problems, and following their interests.

During our reflection time, we talked about the wishes we would make with our magical wands. While many children wished for special toys and treats, some shared thoughtful and heartwarming wishes that really showed their kindness and imagination.
"I would wish for a unicorn."
"I would wish for a puppy."
"I would wish for my family to be happy and healthy."
"I would like a happy life."
"For my dad to never shout."
"To be healthy. not hurt, and be kind."
"For my cat not to have been run over."

It was a lovely afternoon filled with creativity, teamwork, and plenty of smiles. 🌿🍂✨

01/10/2026

Happy October! We're sharing this with the children in school - you might like to have a go at home too.

30/09/2026

We all know that good attendance at school is essential but at this time there are also lots of illness about. The NHS have some useful guides for parents to help understand when its OK to come to school...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i5KxggkPTw&es_c=DA7BA5426424A39164E79429F595F4DF&es_cl=43A1D8DDDF73F82B356ED8976D77EC9F&es_id=ph7%C2%A3o1

24/09/2026

🌿🍂 Forest School Fun! 🍂🌿

Forest School this afternoon was just a beautiful place to be. The sunshine was shining, the atmosphere was calm and relaxed, and it was wonderful to see all of the children fully engaged, following their own interests and leading their own learning. We even got to wear the tie-dye headbands we made last week. There were lots of happy faces among both the children and staff!

We enjoyed reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and then used natural materials foraged from around Forest School to create our own caterpillars. Don't they look amazing? 🐛🍃

The children also loved spending time around the pond exploring the area. Unfortunately, we didn't spot any frogs this time, but that didn't stop the excitement and curiosity! 🐸

During our reflection time, we shared our favourite bugs and talked about why we liked them. It was lovely to hear the children's ideas and see their enthusiasm for the natural world.
"I love ladybirds and their spots."
"Spiders and cuddly and black."
"Glowworms, they light up the night."
"I love ants and how they carry the food."
"Butterflies are colourful and have really patterned wings."
"Ladybirds because they remind me of you."
"Slugs are slimy and gooey."

What a wonderful afternoon of exploring, creating and learning together! 🌞🌳💚

24/09/2026

Don't forget it's Holmfirth Children's Book Festival this weekend! It's sure to be an amazing event!

23/09/2026

What a fantastic start to Year 1! We are incredibly proud of all the children for how brilliantly they have settled into their new classes. They have been wonderful role models to our new Reception children, fantastic listeners and enthusiastic learners, and their behaviour has been outstanding. In fact, both classes have earned over 500 Class Dojo points already, which meant they were rewarded with their very first treat... a Teddy Bears' Picnic! The children (and staff!) enjoyed a lovely afternoon in the sunshine with their teddy bears, celebrating their hard work and achievements. We are so proud of everything they have accomplished so far. What has your child loved most about Year 1? We would love to hear from you, so please share your comments below! 🧸☀️⭐💚

17/09/2026

🌿🍂 Forest School Fun 🍂🌿

It has been such a joy to be back out at Forest School in our happy place! 💚

We began our session by reading The Leaf Thief and talking about what happens during autumn. The children shared their ideas about the changing season and noticed lots of signs of autumn around us.

We enjoyed experimenting with blackberries to create beautiful tie-dyed bandanas. We can't wait to wear them next week once they have been ironed! 🫐🎨

There was plenty of exploration and discovery throughout the forest. The children made great use of the investigation station equipment, enjoyed bug hunting, worm collecting and woodlice spotting, and explored every corner of our woodland environment. 🐛🪱🔍

It was lovely to see all areas of the forest being utilised, with children developing new skills, building relationships and forming new friendships along the way. Watching their confidence, teamwork and curiosity grow is always so special. 🌳✨

During reflection time, we talked about what we love most about autumn. Here are some of the children's responses:

🍁 "I like jumping in crunchy leaves."
🍁 "The leaves change colour."
🍁 "Conkers!Conkers!Conkers!."
🍁 "Dressing up for Halloween."
🍁 "Carving pumpkins."

Please comment and let us know what your child loved about Forest School.

What a wonderful start to our Forest School adventures this term. We are already looking forward to our next session! 🍂🌿💚

10/09/2026

Some great advice here...