The home of the Fox Cubs!
Hello Everyone!!
Hello and welcome to our special page for Nursery, known as the 'Fox Cubs' class! The place where children have lots of fun learning through play!
In Nursery, Miss Harrison is the class teacher, Mrs Tomlinson, Mrs Rowley , Miss Renshaw and Miss Kean are the Early Years Practitioners who will be working with the children throughout the week.
We want your child to be happy and to enjoy learning so if you have any questions or concerns please come and see us!
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any question no matter how big or small. Email me at foxcubs@coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk I know this year will be another amazing year in our Fox Cubs class with lots of learning and laughter happening!!
Meet the Fox Cubs Team
Miss Harrison
Nursery Teacher/ EYFS co-ordinator
Our Fabulous EYFS Practitioners
Our topic this term is
Down at the Bottom of the Garden
Here are some ideas to start with and we will continue to add to them as we go through the half term! We base our learning on a book/theme each week linked to our topic. Within this we also follow the principles of 'planning in the moment' which means that the children guide our learning following their interests and so every day is full of surprises!!
Summer 1 - Week 1
The Tiny Seed
What are seeds? Do all seeds look the same? How can we sort the seeds? What do we do with seeds? Where do seeds come from? What journey does the seed go on? What seasons are there? What happens to the seeds in different seasons?
We are starting our new topic this week which is called 'Down at the Bottom of the Garden'. This is an exciting topic where we will be learning more about plants and food that we can grow! We will begin by finding out what we already know about plants and use this to extend our knowledge and skills further throughout the term!
During reading the story of 'The Tiny Seed' we will explore different seasons and revisit the seasons we have learnt about so far this year - autumn, winter and spring as well as learning about the new season of summer! We will find out how the seed goes on a journey and then settles in the soil and grows into a beautiful flower! We will begin to explore different plants and flowers and describe what they look like and begin to name them! In our movement activity we will be dancing and moving to music to share the journey that the seed went on! We will begin to look at the different seeds and sort them in different ways in the calculation corner!
At the creation station we will make our own leaves for the class tree by making green handprints. We will also explore how to make a stained glass flower by using cellophane in a laminating pouch which we will then laminate! Look out for these on our classroom windows this term!!
Summer 1 - Week 2
Jasper's Beanstalk
Who is Jasper? What is he growing? What is Jasper doing? What do we need to grow a plant from a tiny seed? Can we think of other times we need to patient and wait for things to happen? Can we name the days of the week? What happened on each day to Jasper? What could we grow? How do we need to look after our plants?
This week we will be learning about what a seed needs to grow by reading the story of 'Jasper's Beanstalk'! Jasper plants a bean seed and he expects it to grow in 7 days! We will look at what we need to do to look after seeds such as planting it in soil, watering it and keeping the seed warm. We will plant sunflower seeds to help us do this as well as planting our own bean seeds!
We will have time to play and learn in our role play area which will be a garden centre! The children will keep the shelves stocked and take on different roles including being the shop keeper or the customer! The children will be able to use money to pay for the different items (this is something that we really enjoy doing!)
We will be learning about the various different plants that we could grow from a seed. We will look at how they are similar/different and begin to learn the names for them! The children will make their own images of plants using paint after learning about the artist Georgia O'Keefe who is our artist of the term!
In Calculation corner we will continue to use our subitising skills to develop our number sense skills by looking at different combinations of seeds in the plant pots! We will also begin to learn the days of the week! In Adventure Island we will use the garden small world resources to create our own garden stories as well as retelling the story of 'Jasper's Beanstalk' along with our Talk for writing actions!
Summer 1 - Week 3
The King's Pants
Who is the King? What does he do? Where do he live? What is a coronation? What happened to the King’s pants? Why is a crown special to a King? What do we know about the royal family? Who is King Charles? Can we design some new pants for the King?
This week is going to a celebration of an event no one at our school has ever seen before - a coronation! The time has come for King Charles III to be crowned as our King! During the week we will learn more about this special event and learn more about our royal family, especially King Charles!
We are going to be learning through a brand new story called 'The King's Pants'! The week will begin with lots of different underpants being found in the outside area. The children will collect these and then explore different ways that they can be sorted - this could be by colour, size or type! After this the children will make their own pants for the King using fabric paints and collage materials that can be stuck on to real pants to make them more exciting! As a challenge we will see if the children can make a repeating pattern!
At the message centre we will create our own invitation to the King's Coronation and we will write messages of good luck to King Charles as he starts his new adventures as the King of our country and the commonwealth!
At the creative station we will make our own crowns ready to wear at our Nursery street party which we hope to have on Friday! We will also be using the junk modelling resources to design and make a new castle for King Charles to live in! We are sure that he would like it to have a lovely garden as he is passionate about gardening and growing!
Summer 1- Week 4
Oliver's Fruit Salad
Which plants can we name in our outside area? What is similar/different between fruits and vegetables? What do we need to do to look after our plants and flowers? How can we use foods we grow in our own cooking? What fruits and vegetables can I name? How can I make a fruit smoothie? What happens to the fruits when I blend them?
This week will be a fruity week as we explore different fruits that we can grow in our garden and why some we cannot grow as we don't have the right weather but other countries do!
We will have lots of different fruits in the classroom for the children to explore using their different senses. They will be able to feel them, look at them closely using magnifying glasses to see the different seeds, smell them and of course taste them! We will make fruit kebabs to have as a snack at the snack table and we will learn how to use the blender to make a fruit smoothie!!! Yummy!! We will share which our favourite fruit is and make a pictogram to represent this information.
In the message centre we will mark make the different fruits that we know using a range of mark making materials and different shaped paper! We will work together in small groups to write a recipe about how to make a fruit smoothie!
At the creative station we will explore making masterpieces using the skill of printing with different fruits! We will explore making pictures using different fruits and vegetables like the artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo!
In the role play area we will have a fruit market stall where the children can practise their sorting skills to put the same fruits in the baskets and to buy items using the money.
Summer 1 - Week 5
The Enormous Potato
Which plants can we name in our outside area? Do all plants look, feel or smell the same? What is similar/different between the plants? What do we need to do to look after our plants and flowers? What are potatoes and what do we make from them? How do we prepare and grow potatoes? What tools can we use in our garden area? How do we use the tools safely? How are we going to look after the plants in our outside area?
This week we will be reading the story of 'The Enormous Potato'. We will discuss how this story is similar to the story we explored at Harvest time - 'The Enormous Carrot'! We will act the story out and learn about how team work makes jobs/activities in life easier! We will discuss how we can help each other in Nursery!
We will plant our potatoes which have been chitting during the term growing the shoots ready to be planted! We will learn about how potatoes are used in cooking and what foods we could eat with potatoes! After planting the potatoes we will also plant other vegetables in our outside area and look after them during the rest of the term!
We will explore different vegetables again by using our different senses! We will feel them, smell them and taste some of them such as runner beans, carrots and peas! In the funky fingers area we will have a go at mashing the potatoes!
Of course a week about vegetables would not be complete without reading Miss Harrison's favourite story books - Supatato!!
Summer 1 - Week 6
Fairy and Elf week!
What is the little door that we have found next to tree? Who lives behind the tiny little door? What does the little letter left in our classroom tell us? Can we work out what the different clues we find each day tell us? Can we make a house fit for a fairy or elf? Why would the fairies or elves like to live in our EYFS outside area? Can we make a home for the fairies and elves in the Forest Schools site?
This week for our final week of the term we will be exploring who could live in our EYFS outside area! Little fairy doors will appear and clues will be left each night for the children to find the next morning! Ask your child to share what they have found each day! The children will use their mark making skills to record the evidence that they find as well as writing some messages for the special visitors!
We hope to have our first Forest Schools session in Nursery! We will go around the Forest Schools site and learn our rules about learning and playing here. We will make some fairy doors to encourage our visitors from the EYFS outside area to come and visit!
We will use different 2D shapes to make pictures to make the elves and fairies smile and then we will use 2D shapes to make different paths from the fairy and elf doors to other areas of our EYFS outside area!
During the week we will have lots of opportunities to practise using our positional and directional vocabulary to describe what we have found and where we think the fairies and elves will go next!
Topic web
To see the full topic web for this half term please click on the link below
Nursery Summer One topic plan overview - Down at the Bottom of the Garden
Nursery Dates
Here are the dates we have so far for this half term. We will continue to add to them as the half term progresses. Also remember to check your weekly newsletter!
Throughout March and April - Parent meetings will take place at 11.40am.
Monday 17th April – School opens for the start of the new term.
Monday 1st May - Bank Holiday
Friday 5th May – King’s Coronation celebrations
Monday 8th May - Bank Holiday (for the King's Coronation)
Monday 8th May to Friday 12th May – Mental Health Awareness week
Friday 12th May Balance bike training for EYFS classes.
Wednesday 24th May Forest Schools session – Fairies and Elves in the woodland – making friendship bracelets, making fairy and elf houses, tree rubbings, sharing stories.
Thursday 18th May at 11.00am – Fox Cubs stay and play
Tuesday 23rd May - Level One Phonics workshop at 11.00am
Friday 26th May - Last day of term
Monday 5th June - First day of term
The Early Years Foundation Stage
In Nursery we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage which is organised into seven areas of learning. These seven areas are as follows:
PSED - Personal, social, emotional development (developing self confidence and self awareness, making relationships as well as managing behaviour and feelings).
CL - Communication and Language (speaking, listening and understanding)
PD - Physical development (moving and handling as well as health and self care)
LIT - Literacy (reading and writing)
MATHS - Mathematics (numbers, shape, space and measures)
UW - Understanding the World (people and communities, the world and technology)
EAD - Expressive Arts and Design (exploring and using media and materials as well as being imaginative!)
Our School Values
We are very excited to be starting work on our new values system when we come back in school in January. The whole school will focus on the twelve values during the year whereas in Nursery we will focus on four of these values on a regular basis through the year - confident, achieving, respectful and enthusiastic. Our first value will be Respect. We will cover this in all aspects of Nursery and we will be expecting this to be demonstrated to all members of our Coppice community, it is important that even when we move onto a new value, the old one isn’t lost.
Each week on our Nursery newsletter, Miss Harrison will share which value we are working on in Nursery and what you can work on at home. We cannot wait for you to share how your child has demonstrated the values through proud clouds and on Tapestry! We look forward to seeing our children bright and early ready to embrace the new weekly challenges!
Nursery newsletters
We have a weekly newsletter which will keep everyone informed about what we are doing and what we will be learning about in the future. The newsletter will come home every Friday but we will also put a copy here on our web page.
Parent Partnership
We believe in having a good partnership with parents and carers. Together we can help your child to become a happy and successful learner!
Topic Challenges
Challenges for your child to work on with you during the topic. The children will receive a certificate for completing the challenges if they earn 6 or more points:
1 point – Finding a picture of a plant.
2 points – Looking after own sunflower plant at home.
3 points – Making a picture of a plant.
4 points – Making an information book about what can be found at the bottom of the garden.
Learning journeys
During the last few years we have developed the way that we collect observations about what your child can do during their time in Nursery. Your child will have a gorgeous book called 'My Little Book of Adventures' where we put in evidence of what your child has been learning! As part of this we will be using an app called 'Tapestry' on our iPads to take photographs of your child completing different activities and make notes about what they are doing. One of the best features of this is that we can email you all the evidence we collect! You can also let us know of any 'wow' moments you witness at home. We will be sending home an information letter and permission form for this during the beginning of September!
We also love to hear what your child has achieved at home and so we ask you fill in proud clouds and share them with us!
Proud cloud letter - September 2022
Proud cloud template - September 2022
Have a question or concern?
We understand that there are times when you might have a question or concern! We have an open door policy in our school and you are always welcome to come and speak to any member of staff. Alternatively you can ring school on 01773 712840 or email me at kharrison4@ coppice.derbyshire.sch.uk and we will do all we can to help.
Our Nursery
Here is our latest Nursery booklet which contains all the information about our Nursery
Welcome to Coppice Nursery School booklet 2022
School readiness
Over the year we will be preparing your child for their start in Reception. Is your child ready to start Reception? The following are some of the skills that your child is expected to be able to do as they begin their journey into Reception but remember we have a whole year to prepare them.
Is your child ready for Reception?
Stay and Play sessions
Each term we have a stay and play session so parents, carers and other family member can join us in Nursery to see what we do. The children love showing everyone their classroom and the type of activities we do every day in Nursery. We always end with an activity for both children and adults. This could be a story, a squiggle, a dough disco or a dance! Who knows!! We like to keep it a surprise!!
We are hoping to do an outside Stay and Play on Thursday 18th May at 11.00am!!
Helping at home!
There are lots of things you can do to help your child. Below are some ideas of what you can do which are quick and easy and will help your child consolidate skills we have taught in school. If you would like any help or support please ask any member of EYFS staff. We would be more than happy to help with ideas!
Letters and Sounds
Level 1 Aspect 1 (Environmental Sounds) booklet - Ideas for parents to use at home.
Level 1 Aspect 2 (Instrumental Sounds) booklet - Ideas for parents to use at home.
Level 1 Aspect 3 (Body percussion) booklet - Ideas for parents to use at home.
Reading
Spend time sharing lots of books together. Practise holding the books the correct way round and turning the pages in order. Encourage your child to talk about the pictures and to support them in making their own stories using the pictures.
Writing
At this stage the children will be making lots of marks using a range of writing tools such as felt tips, pens and paint. Encourage your child to talk about what their marks mean. As your child becomes more confident in holding writing tools support them in writing their names on invitations and cards.
By the end of nursery your child is expected to be able to say a sentence with 5 to 8 words in it and hold a pencil using a 'tripod' grip.
Nursery Literacy non-negotiables
Mathematics
Play board games such as 'snakes and ladders' to encourage your child to count spaces to move their counters forwards or backward. When you are walking as the children to count how many foot steps from one place to another and ask the children to identify different numbers they see on doors or buses.
By the end of nursery your child is expected to be able to recite numbers to 5, recognise numerals 1 to 3, count 3 to 4 objects and make marks to represent their counting.
Nursery Numeracy non-negotiables
Life skills
Encourage your child to put on and fasten their own coat, to put on their own shoes and to get dressed and undress by themselves. Remind them to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before eating a meal. When eating encourage your child to use a knife and fork correctly.
