This week, we’ve been busy exploring 3D shapes, getting creative with butterfly art, and learning all about bees and frogs through stories and sensory play.

In maths, the children have been learning to name and describe 3D shapes such as cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders. We explored how different shapes roll or slide down a hill, sorted them into groups, and looked at real-life objects to match them to the correct shape. We used words like “round”, “flat”, “corners”, and “sides” to talk about their properties.

Our focus story was Bee My Friend, which helped us understand the important role of bees and how they work together. The children learned new vocabulary and discussed how being helpful and kind can make a big difference. We had some lovely conversations about teamwork and the importance of looking after nature.

At the big table, children made big marks using felt tips, paint dabbers, and crayons, helping to develop their fine motor control.

At the creative table, we explored printing and symmetry through butterfly artwork. The children folded painted paper to create beautiful symmetrical wings and talked about the patterns they made.

The water tray was transformed into a sensory dinosaur world with chia seed slime. The children explored the texture and worked together to create imaginative scenes, sharing ideas and extending their play.

This week’s tuff tray had a honeybee theme, filled with yellow oobleck, glitter, pasta honeycomb, and small bees. The children enjoyed scooping, squeezing, and pinching the sticky mixture just like busy bees.

Outdoors, the children have been exploring the garden, hunting for bugs, creating potions and soups in the mud kitchen, and building obstacle courses. These activities help them develop their physical skills, imagination, and teamwork.

We also had a special honey tasting session this week. The children tried honey on bread and talked about how bees make it in their hives. They used great descriptive words like “sweet” and “gooey” and really enjoyed the experience.

NELI

This week’s NELI story was Franklin Frog, where we learned about the frog’s life cycle. Special words included protect, jump, push, and grow. The children enjoyed learning how frogs change as they grow and used the new words in their play and conversations.

We hope you have a lovely half term!

See you back on Monday 2nd June.

Anemones team.