Our Monday morning was a little different this week as we all met at Stonepitts Farm for our class visit to pick strawberries. We were greeted by Gus, the farm dog, and Jackie. Once everyone arrived we gathered on the tarpaulin for a welcome chat with Jackie. She explained how to pick strawberries and showed us some examples. The children understood that we only pick red ones as the green ones still need to grow.       

Lots of fun was had, walking up and down the field to find the best strawberries. One of our Robins found an unusual strawberry as it looked like the shape of a butterfly. The children also noticed some kites flying above the field and they understood that they protect the crop from cheeky birds . 

Once all the punnets were filled, we gathered together to blow some bubbles. This was great fun and it was wonderful to see the children exploring the space and greenery. The weather was perfect as it wasn’t too hot or too cold.          

The children then gathered with myself and Miss Ruby for a story before eating their picnics. After eating, the Robins enjoyed drawing with their clipboards and crayons as this ensured they rested for a short while after eating. We then made a circle and played Duck, Duck, Goose. It was great to have the mummies and daddies join us too and I think they had lots of fun chasing the children! 

 

On return to school, the children washed the strawberries to ensure they were clean. They watched my demonstration during carpet time on how to cut strawberries. Miss Ruby and I were very impressed with their fantastic chopping skills. In fact, it’s activities like this that support and promote early writing. 

This week’s cooking activities consisted of strawberry jam, hummus and dippers and banana cake with frosting. The children also enjoyed picnics on the field, which consisted of fresh fruit and vegetables and sandwiches. 

As part of our Healthy Eating topic, we spoke about a variety of fruit and vegetables during our Talk for Learning discussions.  One of our Robins was able to identify brussels sprouts! Playdough was used to create some healthy meals on the children’s paper plates and to support their understanding, we also displayed some fruit on the table. This promoted lots of discussion and the children were able to touch and feel the fruit to assist with the making/ creating process. 

It was our Sports Day and Teddy Bears’ Picnic on Tuesday and everyone had a fantastic time. We also played games, sang songs and had a yummy cold treat to keep us cool. Keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook where the photos of Sports Day will be posted soon.

Bubbles are a fond favourite of the children so, never missing an opportunity for fun experiences, we ventured to the school field to chase bubbles. The children liked taking off their shoes and socks and they enjoyed feeling the grass beneath their feet as they ran around, exploring the space. 

The children created their own Father’s Day cards using a variety of materials. The resources were placed on the table for the children to use. We hope you like them. They have been interested in rocks recently, so we thought of a creative way to use them. 

To support the children’s communication and language, we played the Kim’s Game. A conversation was had surrounding the vegetables and then the children carefully counted the items with Miss Ruby. Courgette was our new word this week, so there might be an interesting culinary creation for next week’s cooking activities. 

During the children’s time with us, we build strong relationships with the children and this enables the children to become confident and independent learners. We regularly play alongside the children and get down to their level as this enables us to become an active partner in their learning rather than a distant observer. The role of an adult is also to scaffold a child’s learning and by doing this encourages involvement and creativity. 

Music is a fond favourite of the Robins and lots of fun was had with the giant scrunchie whilst we sang Andy Pandy. We have continued practising for our Summer Celebration and the children are looking forward to showing off their singing and actions.     

It was lovely sharing the children’s news from home and it is always great to read comments which link to our weekly topics. Thank you once again for your continued support, it is truly wonderful to receive such a great level of parental support as it extends the children’s learning. 

Next week, our topic will be Insect Week. We have lots of fun activities planned to support the children’s learning. We encourage children to bring in something from home (just not too big please). This can be related to our weekly topic or anything else they would like to share or celebrate with us. The children enjoy sharing their objects from home during carpet time and it is a fantastic way to build effective communication and listening skills.   

Have a lovely weekend and happy Father’s Day to all the daddies on Sunday!