The Den:

We have been embracing autumn in The Den as we continue our exploration of autumn colours and items.

Characteristics of effective learning:

This week, we created an autumnal themed sensory tray containing lentils, barley and rice. We added some leaves, sticks and feathers so the children could explore the different textures. The children came over confidently to explore the tray, instantly picking up handfuls and feeling the texture. We narrated the children’s play, talking about what they were doing,

“….. is sprinkling”

“can you hear the sound when it falls on the tray?”

We encouraged the children to pick up handfuls and sprinkle it back into the tray, some children repeated back “sprinkle” as they did this. We talked about the feathers and where they come from. We then used the feathers to make marks in the tray. The children were fascinated by this and copied us creating strokes in the lentils. We finally added some metal items so the children could explore filling and emptying. They filled the items with the lentils and enjoyed pouring it from a height. We quickly discovered that when the lentils landed on the metal, it made a unique sound. The children loved this and copied staff pouring lentils onto the metal.

Parents as partners:

If you haven’t already and would like to, please send some photographs of you child’s family to be used as family books. Seeing themselves and loved ones in the nursery environment helps to support emotional well-being and can help promote communication and language.

The weather can be very unpredictable at the moment. Can we please ask children arrive to nursery in a suitable coat so we can acsess the garden in all weather 🌦️