15/07/2026
Children at Oak Tree Nursery celebrated National Week of Play by exploring stories through creativity, nature and imaginative play, bringing books to life in a variety of engaging ways.
The nursery's youngest children enjoyed sharing the much-loved story ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, inspiring them to create a beautiful garden display and collaborative artwork. Through exploring the story together, the babies developed early communication skills while expressing themselves creatively and working together to produce a shared piece of art.
Meanwhile, children in the main pre-school room focused on the story ‘Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden’, using the book as a springboard for exploration and discovery. The children visited the nursery's newly cleared garden area, embracing it as a natural space for play, investigation and learning. Inspired by the story and their outdoor experiences, they also created their own flower artwork, using sunflowers as a printing resource to make unique floral designs.
The activities encouraged children to make meaningful connections between stories and the natural world, helping them develop their imagination, creativity and understanding of how plants, insects and gardens support wildlife.
The learning extends beyond National Week of Play, with the nursery's two-year-olds having spent recent weeks exploring the outdoor environment and creating their own caterpillars, butterflies and worms as part of their growing interest in nature and life cycles.
By combining stories, creativity and outdoor exploration, Oak Tree Nursery is aiming to provide children with meaningful opportunities to learn through play while developing a love of books and the natural world around them.
