30/03/23 - Lent Walk

Today the children took part in The Big Lent Walk with the aim of walking 200km as a combined total for the school. In nursery we walked two laps of the school field to raise donations for CAFOD
Please see link below for further information:

https://cafod.enthuse.com/pf/stmaryandstpetergorelston 

29/03/23 - Dentist

As part of our learning on 'People Who Help Us' we have been learning about dentists. We shared a non-fiction text on Dentists to find out more about their role and today Emma visited us from Plummer's Dental Surgery and showed us what dentists wear and the tools that they may use during an appointment to help the children to become familiar with them. Emma taught us how to care for our teeth reminding the children to brush twice a day using circular motions for the duration of two minutes. The children then got to brush Derick the dinosaur's teeth using circular motions. We discussed the types of foods that are good for our teeth and those that should only be eaten occasionally to avoid tooth decay. Following this the children then got to brush a set of teeth and we used a two minute sand timer to show the children how long they need to brush their teeth for each time.

March 2023 - Science Week - Humpty Dumpty Egg Drop

Today as part of science week, we shared the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and discussed what happened to him when he fell off the wall. We then dropped Humpty Dumpty the egg to see first hand what happened to him. Following this the children were set the task to think of a way to protect Humpty Dumpty to stop him breaking if he gets dropped. The children worked in small groups sharing their ideas of what they could do to keep him safe and worked cooperatively to create something to protect him. At the end of the morning we took the children's creations outside and explored dropping them to see if the children had been successful in protecting Humpty Dumpty. We discussed what worked well and the things that were not as effective.

March 2023 - Science Week - Floating and Sinking

Today in nursery as part of Science Week the children explored floating and sinking. During carpet time we discussed what the words 'float' and 'sink' mean and we investigated a range of objects to see if they float or sink. Following this the children made their own boats with the aim of trying to make a boat that can float. They then tested their boat designs to see what happened. Some children discovered that the container that they had chosen to use had holes in the bottom, causing their boat to take on water and then sink. We then discussed what changes they would need to make to their design to improve it thus learning from their hands on experiences.

20/03/23 - Norfolk Fire Service

As part of our learning based on 'People Who Help Us' today we had a visit from Norfolk Fire Service. The firefighters told us about their role and showed us around their fire engine. The children each got to have a turn at using the hose and we looked at the special clothing that firefighters wear to help to keep them safe.

 

March 2023 - RE - The Holy Family

In RE the children have been learning about the Holy Family. We shared a story about a family going on a special outing and the children shared their own experiences of places that they have visited as part of a family. This led onto sharing the story of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. The children learnt that a Temple is a very important place where people go to pray together to God. Mary and Joseph wanted to thank God for baby Jesus. The children made their own Temples and prayed to God to give thanks for Jesus. The children learnt that when Jesus was a little boy he was kind and helpful. We placed footprints on the floor for the children to follow and discussed how we can follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Here are some examples of how the children responded:

"Be kind to our friends."

"Do prayers."

"Good sharing."

"Be nice and say kind things."

02/03/23 - World Book Day

Today we have had lots of fun celebrating World Book Day. Lots of stories have been shared during the coarse of the morning including The Gingerbread Man, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and Shark in the Park. The children have been learning what 'character' means and identified the characters in the texts, as well as talking about the characters that they have come to nursery dressed up as. The children made masks and puppets of their favourite characters. What a fun day we have had at nursery.

 

21/02/23 - Pancake Day

The children learnt that today is Shrove Tuesday and we discussed what this means - traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. During Lent Christians give up rich, tasty foods such as butter, eggs, sugar and fats. Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to eat them and what better way to do so than with a delicious pancake! Today the children got to make pancakes and explored the changes that take place during the cooking process. The children also took part in pancake races.

 

30/01/23

During the last few weeks the children's learning has been focused around Chinese New Year. The children have been finding out about how the festival is celebrated. They made decorations which included creating good luck signs/banners using Chinese writing and they made lanterns to hang in nursery to develop their scissor skills and fine motor control.

27/01/23 - Cooking

Today in nursery the children used knives to cut vegetables, developing their fine motor control when using tools. They then cooked them alongside egg noodles, exploring the changes that take place to the ingredients during he cooking process e.g. change in colour, temperature, texture. The children then used chopsticks to eat with, as well as trying prawn crackers as part of our Chinese New Year celebrations.

19/01/23 - Winter

In nursery we have been learning about 'Winter'. We went on a winter walk around the school grounds to develop an interest in the natural world and talked about what we could see before comparing winter to the other seasons. We explored ice play and used our senses to describe the ice and talk about the changes that take place during the melting and freezing process.

 

16/12/22 - Nursery Christmas Party

Today we had our nursery Christmas party. We played a range of traditional party games including pass the parcel, musical statues, musical bumps and musical chairs followed by some dancing. We then all came together to share in some party snacks and we ate the Christmas biscuits that we made at nursery. What a lovely celebration we had.

 

15/12/22 - Christmas Performance

Today the nursery children sang two songs 'Twinkle Twinkle Christmas star' and 'Angels' at the schools Christmas production and performed amazingly. What little angels!

 

12/12/22 - RE - The Christmas Story

In nursery we have been sharing the Christmas story and the children have been learning why we celebrate Christmas time. We had the Advent Posada figurine in nursery for the day and our Mary and Joseph role played traveling from house to house asking for a room for the night and telling the hosts about the imminent arrival of Jesus. Nativity play figures were used by the children and they draw pictures to help them to retell the story. The children each made their own baby and a manger to represent the birth of Jesus. Finally we came together to share in a prayer to give thanks for the birth of Jesus.

 

09/12/22 - Christmas Stay and Play

Today parents were invited into nursery to join in with a range of Christmas craft activities. The children really enjoyed showing their parents around the nursery environment.

01/12/22 - RE - The Angel Gabriel

Today at nursery the children have been learning about the angel Gabriel visiting Mary to tell her the good news, that she was going to have a very special baby - The son of God and that she was to name him Jesus. The children created their own angels to represent the angel Gabriel visiting Mary.

At the end of the morning we came together to share in a prayer:
Thank you, God, for sending the angel Gabriel to Mary.
Thank you, God, for the good news that Mary is going to have a baby.
Thank you for your love and care.
Thank you for the joys we share.
Amen.

 

 

30/11/22 - RE - Our Family

In RE the children's learning has been focused around the topic of 'Our Family'. The children learnt that God gives us a family to look after us and we have been discussing ways in which our families care for us and the things that we like to do as part of a family. The children drew pictures of their families and labelled the family members developing their early writing skills. We came together to share in prayer to give thanks for our families.

Thank you God for making me,
Thank you for my family,
Thank you for you love and care,
Thank you for the joys we share.
Amen

 

28/11/22 - Diwali

At nursery the children have been learning about the celebrations of different faiths. This week the children were learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali - the festival of light. The children watched some clips to find out how Diwali is celebrated. Following this the children made Diva lamps using clay before decorating them with beads, paint and glitter. Lamps are lit during Diwali to represent light over dark or good over evil. The children also created Rangoli patterns to bring good luck and prosperity. Mehndi patterns were designed by the children which are used during festivals as a sign of celebration and symbol of health, luck and positive energy.

   

 

18/11/22 - Children In Need

Today we discussed Children in Need and what this means through sharing a story of Pudsey Bear helping people, and we thought about ways in which we can help others. The children made their own Pudsey Bear masks and ear headbands to wear for the occasion, developing their cutting and joining skills. We also made Pudsey Bear shaped biscuits exploring the changes that take place to the ingredients during the cooking process, what great bakers we have in nursery! We even had a visit from Pudsey Bear himself!

 

17/11/22 - Judaism

Today in nursery we have been learning about the Jewish religion of Judaism. The children learnt that the 'Star of David' symbolises Judaism and the children cut out their own stars to represent this, developing their scissor skills. Mrs Parker came to visit us to tell us all about her religion and the Jewish festival of Hanukah - festival of light. We learnt that during Hanukah candles are lit on a holy candelabrum called the Menorah during the Jewish festival, and the children made their own candles. The children also got to wear a Kipper (cap) and prayer shawl and learnt that a Synagogue is a Jewish place of worship.

14/11/22 - Anti-Bullying Week

As part of anti-bullying week we have been sharing the story of Elmer the patchwork elephant, to represent that we are all unique. On Monday the children came to school wearing odd socks to symbolize that we are all different. The children participated in lots of activities themed around kindness, inclusion and celebrating difference and diversity. The children designed their own Elmer the elephants and cut them out to develop their scissor skills. At the end of the morning we came together and the children took it in turns to place their elephant in the middle of our circle to represent that we are all different and each and every one of us is a valued member of our school community. The children played an Elmer themed game to promote their sharing and turn taking skills.

 

Autumn

In nursery the children have been learning about autumn time and the changing seasons. We went on a walk around the school grounds looking for signs of autumn and used view finders and magnifying glasses to look closely at natural materials, using spoken language to describe what the children saw to build up their vocabulary. Non-fiction texts on seasons were shared to find out facts about autumn and we looked at the differences between non-fiction books and fiction books. We discussed the different colours that we see at autumn time and the children explored colour mixing to make their own autumn colours. The children also learnt about hibernation and made their own hedgehogs using clay.

 

11/11/22  Remembrance

Today we have been learning about Armistice Day. We watched a clip together on the interactive whiteboard to find out a bit more about it and we discussed what the poppy symbolises. The children made their own poppies, developing their cutting and joining skills. At the end of the morning we came together and listened to 'The Last Post' music. The children then took it in turns to place their poppies in the middle of our prayer circle before we observed a two minutes silence, followed by a period of reflection and prayer, to give thanks to those who lost their lives and to pray for a safe and united world for the future.

 

07/11/22     Fireworks

In nursery this week the children's learning has been based around the theme of 'Fireworks'. The children learnt a firework poem and watched clips of firework displays thinking about the different sounds that fireworks make. The children then created their own firework pictures.

03/10/22      Jackson Pollock Artwork

In nursery we have been looking at the work by artist Jackson Pollock with particular attention paid to his piece titled 'Autumn Rhythm' linking to our learning around seasonal changes. The children used his pictures as inspiration for their own work using splatter painting techniques. Wow what beautiful masterpieces!

 

 

22/09/22      God Made Me

This week the children have been learning that 'God made me'. The children created self portraits and used mirrors to look carefully at their facial features.

       

 

Our First Week at Nursery

The children have settled in beautifully and have been exploring the nursery environment.

Friday 6th May 2022 

This week our pupils in Nursery have been making plant pots using clay, waited patiently for them to dry, decorated them and finally planted some seeds. We can't wait to watch them grow!

Friday 29th April 2022 

This week our pupils in Nursery have been spotting signs of Spring and worked together to create a beautiful display inspired by all of those things, didn't they do well!

They have been practising their pouring skills.

Constructing a living room to watch a bit of television!

Friday 18th March 2022 - CAFOD Walk Against Hunger

Today to raise money for Walk Against Hunger we walked around the perimeter of our school field.

Thursday 17th March 2022 - Visit from a dentist

We had a visit from a local dentist who taught us how to clean and look after our teeth - it was great fun!

World Book Day - Thursday 3rd March 2022

Our Learning - Friday 25th February 2022

Making bird feeders to keep our feathered friends full until spring arrives.

Children In Need - Friday 19th November 2021

 

Learning about life cycles of flowers and the colours of autumn.

Dissecting sunflowers and talking about its life cycle from seed to flower and exploring colour mixing autumn leaves.

A busy, fun day in Nursery.

Welcome to all our children into Nursery - look what fun we are having.