Autumn A
A Brilliant Beginning in Nursery
We’re so excited to welcome our new Nursery class to West Denton Primary! Over the past two weeks, we've had a busy and brilliant start, getting to know your lovely children. It’s been wonderful to see how enthusiastic and excited they are to join us.
During our induction period, the children have been learning new routines and how to use the classroom equipment safely and independently. They’ve also been busy exploring their new environment and building relationships through play with both their peers and the grown ups in class.
We’re looking forward to a fun filled year of learning, laughter and discovery. Take a look below to see just a few of the things we’ve been up to so far ...
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to come and chat with us. We’re always happy to help!
Ten Town
We begin each Nursery day with a fun Maths session, and this week the children were introduced to Ten Town on the Smart Board. They learned all about Zero Pond, a place with absolutely nothing living in it because it’s just too dirty!
We sang the Zero Pond Song and learned a special rhyme to help us form the number zero correctly when mark making:
“Start at the top, nice and slow, all the way round, and there you go!”
Each number character in Ten Town comes with its own story, song and games, and the children loved exploring these as they discovered more about zero. They also took part in a fun challenge to find containers with zero objects inside, like an empty drawer or vase.
To finish, Nursery created a bright classroom display all about the number zero, proudly showing off their beautiful number writing and artwork.
Meet Zero Pond!
Leaf Man
This week in Nursery we have been enjoying the lovely story “Leaf Man” by Lois Ehlert. The children talked about how the leaves are changing colour in Autumn and loved spotting the reds, oranges, yellows and browns in our outdoor area.
Using a variety of colourful leaves, the children created their very own Leaf Man characters. They were amazed to see how the laminator joined their Leaf Men together, and one child even said, “It’s like magic!”
Everyone was so proud of their finished Leaf Men, and we shared lots of smiles and giggles as we admired each other’s wonderful creations.
Autumn Exploration
All things Autumn!
In Nursery this week, we have been learning all about the season of Autumn. The children talked about the changes that happen and how the world around us begins to look a little different.
We noticed that during Autumn, the leaves begin to fall from the trees and turn beautiful shades of brown, red and orange. We also talked about how the weather starts to get cooler, which means it’s time to wear our jumpers and jackets!
The children enjoyed using glue and collage materials to create their own warm, Autumn inspired designs. They worked carefully and creatively, making wonderful pictures to celebrate this colourful season.
Bonkers about Conkers!
This week, the children have been exploring conkers. We found out that they are shiny seeds that grow inside spiky green cases. The children helped to open the cases to see the conkers inside and looked closely at the tree’s hand shaped leaves. They really enjoyed finding out more about these Autumn treasures.
Pumpkins
Nursery explored pumpkins, both large and small. The children used their senses to investigate the weight, shape, and texture of the skin, and they were very curious about what was inside!
They carefully scooped out the seeds using one handed tools and described what they could see, smell, and feel. We used lots of great words together, such as slimy, bumpy, pulp and carve.
Fine Motor Autumn Activities
Before children learn to hold a pencil correctly, they need to take part in activities that build their arm, hand and finger strength. In Nursery, we do this through lots of fun gross and fine motor play such as climbing, pressing, pulling, squishing, twisting and pinching. These movements help children develop the control and coordination they need for confident mark making and writing.
Finger painting leaves on a tree.
Hammering golf tees into a pumpkin.
Collecting conkers using tea strainers and tongs.
Zoo on the Broom
We had a very exciting visitor today, a witch named Charlotte from ZooLab, who shared a spooky story and brought along some fascinating animals for us to meet. The children had the chance to see and gently touch a hairy tarantula, a corn snake, a giant African snail, a frog, a gerbil and even a hissing cockroach.
As you can see from the photos, some children were braver than others, but everyone had a wonderful time learning about these amazing creatures. 
Pumpkin Soup
This week, the children enjoyed another wonderful Autumn learning experience inspired by the story "Pumpkin Soup". Before making their own soup they explored real pumpkins, investigating their size, texture, seeds and smell.
They then got hands on in the kitchen, practising important skills like chopping, cutting, mixing and mashing. These activities helped to develop their hand-eye coordination and taught them how to use kitchen tools safely, with close supervision.
The highlight of the week was, of course, tasting the pumpkin soup! Some children were curious and gave it a try, while others preferred to watch. Several proudly declared it was “delicious!”
Well done to all our little chefs!
Halloween Party Fun!
What a spook-tacular day we had in Nursery! Today our classroom was full of smiles, laughter, and just a tiny bit of spooky magic as we celebrated our Halloween Party. Everyone came dressed in their amazing costumes - witches, pumpkins, superheroes and even a few friendly ghosts! The children were so proud to share their outfits with their friends.
We had lots of fun dancing and enjoying some tasty treats together. Have a safe and happy Halloween from all of us in Nursery!
Diwali The Festival of Light
To mark the beginning of Diwali, Hindus light small oil lamps to remember the story of Rama’s faith in God and the triumph of good over evil. The children decorated paper plates with glitter and coloured in candles to make their own Diya lamps.
We enjoyed listening to stories about Diwali and watched a short film that helped us learn more about this beautiful celebration. Everyone had great fun trying some traditional dancing too!
