For our baking activity today, we made chocolate Easter nests. The children used their motor skills to crush shredded wheat and then mix with melted chocolate. They scooped it into a bun cases and then added some mini eggs on top. I hope you enjoy eating them, Shooting Stars! 

Today was a very exciting day in nursery as the nursery children were invited to come to nursery wearing an Easter bonnet they had created at home. They could also wear non-uniform with brightly coloured clothes. We were so impressed by the amazing collection of Easter bonnets on display and the children loved showing them off to their friends. Firstly, each child had the chance to show everyone their Easter bonnet and tell us about how they made it. Then we went on an exciting parade all around school. We walked past the office to show the staff in there and then we walked around the outside of school, stopping at every classroom window. The children loved seeing their siblings and older friends through their classroom windows and they proudly showed off their Easter bonnets. 
Every child won an Easter bunny lollipop for their amazing creations and we chose one overall winner from morning and afternoon nursery who won a chocolate bunny. The morning nursery winner was Ivy and the afternoon winner was Erin. Well done! 
Thank you to all the parents for your amazing support with this event. 

We had a special snack of hot cross buns today. We talked about the significance of eating these at Easter time and we sang the following song:
Hot cross buns, 
Hot cross buns,
One a penny, two a penny, 
Hot cross buns.
If you have no daughters, 
Give them to your sons, 
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns. 
Some children loved the hot cross buns and others weren't so keen but they all tried them! See if your child can remember if they liked them or not. 

Today we have been on an Easter egg hunt in the nature reserve. Firstly we read the book "We're going on an Egg Hunt" which is similar to the bear hunt book which the children are already familiar with. Then we put on our wellies and set off on our own egg hunt. The children explored the nature reserve and found lots of hidden eggs. They developed their use of positional vocabulary as they described where they found them using words such as behind, under, in front of, next to, on top of etc. We also encouraged them to look high, low and in between things. When the children had found all the eggs we sat together under the shelter and counted and sorted them into different baskets- a great Mathematical activity! 
We received a message from the Easter bunny to say that if the children had found all the eggs, there would be a treat waiting in nursery. The children were so excited to discover a basket of chocolate eggs, bunnies and chicks when we returned to our classroom. They all enjoyed eating them for snack! 

For one of our activities this week, the children have all created their own Easter bag. Firstly they used scissors to cut a paper plate to make the bag and then they chose their own collage materials to decorate it. Some materials were more challenging to stick than others so the children learnt to persevere and to attach materials in different ways, Finally they added a ribbon handle so they can carry it just like a real bag. I wonder if the Easter bunny will visit and leave anything in our bags? 

This week all our learning will be themed around Easter. We have lots of resources to support this learning in our continuous provision and we will be reading lots of different Easter stories. 

Today the children in nursery were excited to raise money for Comic Relief by wearing non-uniform. It was also "Feel Good Friday" so the children were invited to wear their sporty clothing. 
After warming up with a ribbon dance, we completed a sponsored "treasure hunt" in the nature reserve. The children worked in teams to find hidden red noses with different facial expressions and tick them off on their sheet. We talked about the different emotions being displayed on each face as we found them. Well done to all the children as everyone managed to complete the challenge and find all the red noses! 

This week our new animal focus is about farm animals. Our book of the week is Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell. Today we read the story and the children were excellent at joining in with the repeated phrases. 
In our role play area, we have set up a farm shop so the children can play together and take turns being the shop keeper and customer. We have lots of toy farm animals for the children to use to create their own stories and, in the water tray, the children have enjoyed exploring pigs in mud (angel delight!) This was a great sensory experience- some children really enjoyed getting their hands in while others were not too keen on the texture! Here are some photographs of us engaged in our learning:

Here is a photo of our display which showcases the children's wonderful creativity. They have loved seeing their work on display and have enjoyed chatting to their friends about it. 

This week the children in nursery have been very creative designing and making their own wonderful sea creatures. Lots of skills were practised and developed while making these including: selecting suitable materials, finding ways to attach them, painting, cutting with scissors, using a sellotape dispenser, mark making and lots of fine motor skills. Please look out for a photograph of our amazing display which showcases the children's creations! 
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