Puddleducks
Puddleducks update.
W/c 28th January 2019.
This week in Puddleducks we have been learning about China and Chinese new year. At the beginning of the week we looked at Chinese writing. In group time we looked at letters and numbers, talking about how they are different to ours. Some of the children then used the Chinese alphabet to mark their names using Chinese letters.
We have also been putting numbers 0-5 in order independently.
The children have had lots of fun filling bowls, cups and money wallets in the rice tray, where they talked about full/empty as well as guessing how many spoons of rice it takes to full different sized bowls.
In PE we took the ribbons and scarves and the children moved to traditional Chinese music, we also watched some children dancing traditional Chinese new year dances, which the children enjoyed copying the move along with.
We have also had a variety of crafts for the children to chose from such as dragon masks, collaging trees, making drums and painting different animals from the zodiac.
We have had a busy week and looks like we are going to have an exciting weekend if the snow stays with us.
The Puddleducks Team.
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/c 14th January 2019.
We began the week by using ICT Apps to work on our maths, the children used 2 different Apps on the iPad. One focused on sorting and matching the second focused on shape and position. The children worked really well independently on the Apps, working their way through a series of small topics then completing the questions at the end to receive a certificate.
We have also been looking at shapes through the week, printing with 2D shapes and going on a shape hunt in small groups. This weeks shape was square. In maths we have also been ordering numbers 0-10, working together to order the number cards. In PE we carried on the theme of looking at shapes by using our bodies to make basic 2D shapes such as, triangles, squares and circles. We also used our bodies in groups to make the initial letters of our names.
We have used foam to mark make, making patterns, letters and lines using mark making tools or our fingers.
For literacy and understanding of the world we have been investigating penguins, we used factual books to find out information t
o answer a series of questions we had about Emperor penguins and how they live.
On Thursday we looked at being kind and how words can effect us on the inside. We used 2 apples, saying kind things to the first apple and unkind words to the second, we then cut the apples in half and saw that the apple we were kind to was still nice and healthy and the apple that we had been unkind to was all brown and bruised. Showing us that just because we can't see how we hurt others doesn't mean it doesn't make us feel bad inside, and proving it's better to be kind to others.
Have a good week!
Mandy and Lisa.
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/C 7th January 2019.
Happy New Year!!
We have had a super busy first week back this term. At the beginning of the week we have been working on developing our fine and gross motor skills. Focusing on scissor skills and mark making. We drew pictures of things that Santa bought us and marked our names on our pictures.
We have enjoyed working on group motor skills in PE, throwing, catching and kicking balls as well as using a range of equipment such as, hoops, ribbons and spinning plates.
We have also looked at mixing colours, the children used different coloured powder paints and water to mix together to make a new colour. Exploring how we make specific colours such as green, purple and orange.
In maths we have been ordering objects by length, then using a pencil and looking for objects either longer or shorter than the pencil.
We have had a fun start to the new year and have lot's of fun activities planned for the rest of the half term too!!
Have a good week.
Mandy and Lisa.
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/c 10th December 2018.
This week in Puddleducks we have been getting into the Christmas spirit. We started to week with the Christingle service in the school. The children enjoyed making their own Christingles and talking about what the different parts represented, their favourite part being the dolly mixtures and marshmallows! The children all did really well standing beautiful with their Christingles and were very sensible when they had their candle lit. Well done to all of them!!
We have also become very crafty this week, making some lovely Christmas decorations. We have painted handprint Christmas trees, paper plate Santa's, felt trees and some lovely snow flakes to decorate the window.
Over the week the children have been working hard learning our songs for our sing a long on Tuesday. The children have done so well learning the words and actions.
On Wednesday we enjoyed Christmas dinner and had a lovely time eating our lunch, pulling crackers and singing a few songs. We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in making it such a fun lunch!!!
By the end of the week we were all getting a little tired and decided to have a little treat and watch a film, where we had a well earned rest!
We are looking forward to a few more Christmas packed days next week.
Have a good weekend.
Mandy
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/c 3rd December 2018
We started off this week looking at Hanukkah. We watched a short video about a family and how they celebrate Hanukkah at their home with their family. We borrowed a Menorah from Mrs Duncan and talked about what the candles represent. On Tuesday we made biscuits in the shape of 6 pointed stars. We have had lots of fun learning how to play Dreidel, learning what the different symbols mean and counting out the correct amount of marbles, we also have been talking about what it means if we have to take half of the marbles out of the bowl.
This week the winner of the make a Christmas tree decoration competition was announced in assembly. All of the decorations were amazing and I didn’t envy the judge of this one, but our well deserving winner was Lilia! Well done Lilia your bauble was beautiful!
This week we have also talked about Christmas around the world, trying some delicious Stollen treats, as well as leaving Star Bears shoes out to see if St. Nicholas would visit. We were very excited when we found a sweet in the shoe the next day.
We also went to join in with a little singing for Ash class nativity, which we really enjoyed and all thought Ash did amazing, singing, acting and remembering their lines for.
Lastly to finish the week we had our cake sale and would like to thank all the parents who donated cakes for us to sell.
I would also like to say a big thank you to Mrs Harridine for all her help this week, we couldn’t of done it without you.
Mandy.
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/c 26th November 2018.
This week in Puddleducks we have used a variety of materials and tools to make our own igloos. We have been talking about how to use them correctly and safely. For example no running with the scissors.
We have also been looking at technolgy around the setting, having our own technolgy hunt in Puddleducks. The children found things such as phones, lights, interactive toy’s and the computer. We then used magazines to find different technolgy objects and decide which room in the house we might find them. The children practiced using scissors to cut out the objects that they found.
We have also continued our work on 2D shapes, naming them and looking at the different properties they have.
Christmas has arrived in Puddleducks!! We have marked our letters to Father Christmas and on Friday had a walk to the post box to send them to the North pole! We are looking forward to recieve a reply. We have also put up our christmas tree, which was lot’s of fun.
Well done to all the children who bought in their home made christmas tree decorations, they all looked amazing!!
We have got lot’s of exciting things to do next week.
Mandy and Lisa.
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/c 5th November 2018.
This week we have been helping our class bear, 'Star' to explore Diwali.
We started the week by talking about what is Diwali and who celebrates it. We found out that it is a very important holiday in India and used atlases to find out where about in the world India is. We also looked at differences and similarities between England and India.
We then read the story of Rama and Sita, talking about the different characters and how they felt.
Over the week we have had a wide range of activities related to Diwali, such as drawing mehndi patterns and rangoli on the outside playground to welcome the goddess Lakshmi.
We have also made some traditional Diwali sweets, made out of dates, desiccated coconut and condensed milk. All the children tried them for snack, mostly liking them too.
This week we have also been talking about Remembrance. We watched a short film to explain what poppies stand for and why we have a day to remember the fallen soldiers from the wars.
We have been working on counting in order and recognising numerals too.
The staff and children have had a really fun week, learning about so many things, we look forward to next week when we start our next exciting adventure.
Also spaces in Puddleducks are filling up fast, if you are thinking of booking your child in. Either for The spring or summer term. Please do so as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. You can contact me through the school office.
Have a good weekend.
Mandy
Puddleducks weekly update!
W/c 29th Oct 2018
This week we have been exploring Halloween.
The children have had a wide range of activities to choose from, using 2D shapes to design a face on there pumpkin and make a witch picture. We went on a spider web hunt and looked at the shapes and patterns we found. We then used glue and glitter to make our own web pictures. 
We also made 3D pumpkins by threading strips of paper onto a pipe cleaner, then using different materials to decorate them.
Lisa and some of the children had lot's of fun on Wednesday carving pumpkins. They enjoyed using their hands to scoop out the inside of the pumpkin.
We have also iced spooky biscuits, making our own icing and decorating them with spooky decorations.
This week we have also been focusing on looking at books in small groups and independently, talking about what is happening in the story and pictures as well as what might happen next. We have also enjoyed turn taking games like, dominoes, Around the world bingo and number bingo.
We have had an exciting start to this half term and look forward to next week.
Puddleducks weekly update.
W/c 15th Oct 2018
This week in Puddleducks we have been learning about hibernation, we have read stories, designed dens for animals to hibernate in, talking about natural materials the animals could use to help them keep warm and cosy. We then build our dens using junk modelling and natural materials.
Also this week we have made clay hedgehogs, developing our fine motor skills by pushing in small sticks for the hedgehogs spikes.
In PE this week we have been following instructions and working on our listening skills as well as 'frozen yoga' on Thursday.
At the beginning of the week we had a look at ways to keep our bodies health, looking specifically at personal hygiene. First we read the book 'Wash, scrub, brush', then the children were introduced to 'Stuart the crocodile'. Stuart needed help keep his body clean, so the children helped him by showing him how to brush his teeth and wash.
We have had a busy week and wish everyone a peaceful half term. We return on Tuesday 30th October.
Mandy and Lisa
tigation into autumn changes. We have been on a colour hunt where we found natural objects of different colours in the world around. The children found many colours such as, red, yellow, orange and brown. We also went up on the field to make autumn potions, the children added acorns, leaves, conkers and lot's of different natural things the found. 
Puddleducks Weekly Update.
W/c 24/09/18
This week in Puddleducks we have been busy looking at the book Alien school. The children talked about astronauts and aliens. We then painted our hands and made some amazing handprint aliens. We also made aliens out of play dough.
We have also been making the most of the lovely weather and have had lot’s of fun outside mark making in foam, going onto the field and going on a leaf hunt. 
We have been talking about harvest and read the book ‘ The little red hen’. We have baked our own bread and talked about friendship and helping others.
The children have also enjoyed playing in our home made spaceship from the book ‘Whatever next?’ by Jill Murphy. Were the children role played going to the moon and having a picnic as well as sitting in the space ship to read books together.
We have had a fun and exciting week and look forward to what next week will bring!!
Mandy and Lisa.
The Puddleducks Team
17/09/18
We have had another busy week in Puddleducks this week. We started the week with a nature walk around the local area, we collected different coloured naturals objects, such as leaves, pine cones and feathers. Talking about the different colours we could see around us.
We then used the objects we had found to make collarges.
We have also been learning about space. The children have been helping our class bear, 'Star Bear' to plan a trip to space. We have been looking at the name of the planets and building rockets out of the junk modelling, we also built a rocket for 'Star' to use to fly to the moon!!
In Physical Education we have been using the large equipment to climb and balance on and talking about how to stay safe when using it! We also did a space themed yoga session on Thursday.
We
We have had a action packed week this week and are excited to see what next week will bring!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team.
W/C 10/09/18
We have had a busy first week in Puddleducks, it has been nice welcoming all the children back, including some new faces, who have settled in amazingly.
We are also excited to welcome Lisa to the KPA family and hope she has had a fantastic first week with us!!
This week we have been working on listening and have had a listening walk around the school grounds. We have also been on a shape hunt and been working on counting and number recognition. We are also working on feelings, being able to recognise and express our feelings in positive ways. We would also like to thank Mrs Harradine for giving us some foam dinosaurs, which we had lot's of fun decorating over the week. 
It has been a lovely start to the new school year and look forward to the rest of the exciting things we have planned over the Autumn term!!
The Puddleducks Team!
Weekly update!
16/07/18.
We have had a fun and busy week at Puddleducks this week!
At the beginning of the week it was reward day for the children and we had a bouncy castle, the children had a lovely time and we were all pretty worn out by the end of the day!
We have enjoyed the lovely weather and spent time out on the field and had a lovely picnic on Wednesday. We would like to thank all our parents for bringing in lovely treats for the picnic, especially the amazing leaving cakes for Laura! 
We have had a super week and have done lot's of fun things, making and flying paper planes, using our new story sacks, puzzles, games and loads more!
But now the school year is coming to an end and we would like to thank all the people who come in and support us over the year, staff, volunteers, and parents! We couldn't do our jobs without all of you, so a massive thank you to you all!
We would like to wish a huge thank you and sad goodbye to Laura who will be greatly missed in September, and look forward to welcoming our new member of staff joining our team!
Have a lovely Summer all, and we will see you in September (Term starts, Wednesday 5th Sep).
Mandy and Laura
The Puddleducks Team.
The Puddleducks team.
W/C 25/6/18
We have had a very busy week in Puddleducks this week! We continued to look at the phonics sound 'l' and did a little recap of all our other previously learnt sounds. On Tuesday morning we joined in with Sports Day and the children were fantastic! They took part in 3 different races - bean bag, dressing up and a running race. They all joined in and we were both so proud of them for how well they did and how well behaved they were!
We have been looking at Star Bear's holiday and this week she decided to go to the beach. The children helped to pack a beach bag and spoke about what she would need. We talked to the children about beach safety and what the different coloured wind socks displayed mean. They then made their own wind socks which we took up to the field to experiment with. Star Bear decided that she wanted to write a postcard and send home. As a group we wrote a postcard and then the children had the opportunity to write their own ones!
On Thursday we had a picnic up on the field at lunchtime where we also enjoyed cakes and bubbles! This morning the children made their own pizzas and we enjoyed this for our snack!
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 4/6/18
We have had a very busy first week back! The children have started learning about the phonics sound 'u'. We have also been recapping all our previous sounds that we have learnt.
This half term we are looking at the story of 'The Rainbow Fish'. The children have been painting their own fish, decorating fish pictures using different materials and answering questions about the story. We have been talking about 3D shapes and their properties. The children were given the challenge of seeing if they could find objects within Puddleducks that were the shape of a cube, cuboid, sphere and cone.
We have been busy making something special for Father's Day and they have also spent lots of time exploring the sand tray indoors. They have been using the moulds to make fish and building sandcastles.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 21/5/18
This week we have continued to learn about the phonics sound 'o'. The children have been painting pictures of fresh flowers and decorating rocks. They used lots of different materials including glitter, googly eyes and fabrics!
Weekly we have been looking at our beanstalk and measuring how much it has grown. This week we talked about size and worked out if the beanstalk was taller or shorter than each of the children! Outside we have been playing hopscotch to help develop their gross motor skills and their understanding of number recognition.
The children have been helping us change our home corner into a beach shop ready for the last half term! They have been role playing selling ice creams and different foods to their friends!
We hope you all have a lovely, restful half term and we look forward to welcoming you back on Monday 4th June!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 7/5/18
This week we have continued to look at the phonics sound 'g'. On Tuesday we went up onto the field on a mini beast hunt. We have been talking about teamwork and how we can work well with others. The children worked in pairs to complete their chart on the clipboards when they found different mini beasts!
After our visit from the local fire brigade last week, the children have shown a real interest in fire engines. Over the week we have changed our home corner into a 'people who help us' theme. On Monday the children helped to make a fire engine which they have had lots of fun role playing in! They have been dressing up and making badges to wear.
We have been talking about length and arranging 3 objects in size order. The children have been playing counting games with hoops and bean bags where we have been encouraging number recognition. We have also continued to talk about road safety. Today we have come into Puddleducks and found that our chrysalis have turned into beautiful butterflies! We are all very excited at releasing them outside later on today!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 16/4/18
Welcome back! We hope you all had a lovely Easter break! This week we have introduced our new phonics sound 'd' and recapping the other sounds that we have learnt. We have been talking about rules - understanding what a rule is, why we have them and trying to think of rules that we follow.
The children have loved being outside in the beautiful weather and have been exploring lots of different activities! They have been busy washing babies, playing with the dinosaurs and volcano in the tuff spot, marking making with chalks and exploring the mud kitchen. We have also opened our 'reading den' in the hut and the children have been looking at stories and using the binoculars to look for birds.
We also had a very special delivery this week - we received some caterpillars! We have been talking about the life cycle of a caterpillar and we will be looking after them hoping that we can watch them grow into butterflies!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 12/3/18
This week it has been science week and we have had a wide range of science related activities available for the children.
On Monday morning we started off the day with a nature hunt, looking for different objects to build our own 'Bug hotel'. We first talked about the different things bugs would like to have in their hotel. The children decided we should look for sticks, stones, pine cones, bark and leaves, so we went outside and collected all of the different resources we would need. We also took photos of some of the things we found with the kiddie cameras. We then took the resources back to Puddleducks and the children used them to fill plant pots. We even found a bug hiding in the pile of leaves we had collected! We used these materials to make bug houses which we have placed in the garden. We took part in an experiment where we predicted if sugar cubes would melt quicker with hot or cold water. We measured our beans to see how much they had grown and also explored the tuff spot with sand, water and sea creatures.
On Tuesday we went to an assembly presented to us by the ‘Mad Science’ stage show. The theme was ‘Up, Up and Away’ and we learnt about air and how it works with things. We explored colour by mixing different powder paints together to create colours. We also went up to the field and learnt about measurements. The children took it in turns to throw or kick a different sized balls and then measured how far it went. On Tuesday afternoon we looked at shapes and talked about 2D and 3D shapes. We sorted the shapes into the groups and named them as we went.
On Wednesday some of the children used the shapes to mark their pictures with, talking about the shapes they are using.
We also had the 'Escape from the ice' outside. This is where the children use a range of tools to help the animals that had been frozen in the ice escape. They also used salt and warm/cold water to get them out. We focused on words such as ice, melt, freeze, thaw, water, liquid and solid. We had a 'capacity exploration table' where the children had a range of different size containers to fill and empty the rice from. We looked at words such as, empty, full, and half way up. In the afternoon as a group we looked at a range of factual books from the library, talking about a range of subjects, from the life cycle of the sea horse to looking at different places in the Atlas.
On Thursday morning we looked at different textures. We talked about how a range of materials felt and looked at a range of describing words such as, hard, soft, fluffy, rough and bumpy. We then used some of the materials to start our own texture book. In the afternoon we talked about what materials would be the best to keep our eggs safe if they fell, like Humpty Dumpty. We found different materials such as bubble wrap, cotton wool and kitchen roll. The children then used these to make houses for their eggs. When we had all made our houses we took them up to the field and dropped them on the floor. We then took them back to Puddleducks and opened the houses up to see if our eggs had broken or not. We had lots of messy fun!
Today we read the story 'Mister Seahorse' and spoke about what materials a seahorse would have in their habitat. The children then used what they had learnt to create their own houses for a seahorse. This afternoon we listened to the story 'The Best Ears in the World' and then went on a listening walk around the school. The children created their own 'good listening' ears. They worked in pairs to mark off what they could hear on their sheets.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 5/3/18
This week we have starting looking at the phonics sound 'r'. They have been completing their sound sheets and exploring the sound box. The children have been exploring magnets and finding out what objects are magnetic. They have been making predictions and then testing their ideas.
We took part in a colour changing celery experiment. The children had to half fill a beaker with water and using a pipette, drop food colouring in to change the colour of the water. They then placed a piece of celery into it and observed what happened over time. We have also been looking at the seeds and beans that we planted last week. We have been measuring how much they have grown, talked about what would help them to grow more and drawing pictures of them.
Thank you to everyone who brought in family photos this week. The children have really enjoyed looking at these and sharing stories about what they were doing in the pictures. We talked about features of our family members, such as hair and eye colour and using a mirror, they were encouraged to think about the similarities and differences they have compared to their family members.
If we could please have family photos next week from anyone that was unable to bring them, thank you!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 26/2/18
This week in Puddleducks we have continued to look at the phonics sound 'h'. We have been learning about the concept of objects floating and sinking. The children each chose an object and predicted if they thought it would float or sink in water. We put our ideas into practice and afterwards spoke about what happened. The children were then able to use what they had learnt to make their own boats using materials they thought would help to make it float.
We have loved playing the snow this week and on Thursday we explored ice painting. The children used different coloured paint and mixed it into a big block of ice to see what would happen! On Thursday we also celebrated World Book Day. The children looked fantastic in their costumes and were very excited to read stories with their friends that they had brought in from home.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 19/2/18
We hope you all had a lovely, restful half term!
This week we have started looking at the phonics sound 'h'. We have also been recapping all the previous sounds and they are all doing brilliantly at making the connection between the letter and the sound.
At the beginning of the week we looked at Chinese New Year. The children joined in dancing to Chinese music with ribbons and scarves. They made dragon masks, Chinese rattle drums and tried noodles for their afternoon snack! They also listened to the story of 'The Great Race' and used the Chinese Zodiac to order the animals from the story.
On Wednesday we took part in a yoga session to 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. We have also been very excited as we now have some pond snails that have joined us in Puddleducks! The children have enjoyed watching them in the tank and drawing pictures of what they can see.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 29/1/18
This week we have started looking at the phonics sound 'e'. We have continued our work on numbers and incorporated this into different areas of play. In the garden they have been tracing around stencils of numbers on the ground using chalks, ordering numbers from 1 to 5 and counting movements such as hopping and jumping in our mini PE session. They have also been arranging objects by size and colour and exploring shape during a sticking activity.
Over this half term the children have been creating their own scrap books. In these are photos of them in action at Puddleducks and are available for them to look at throughout the day. It gives them a great opportunity to talk about what they have been doing and explore these independently or with their peers. They have been drawing pictures of things and people that are important to them and thinking about what they like to do.
We have also started talking about rules in Puddleducks this week. We encouraged the children to think about different rules we have at nursery and at home and why they are important. This morning they been busy making flapjacks and are very excited to try them at afternoon snack!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 22/1/18
This week we have continued to work on our phonics sound 'c/k'. We took part in a yoga session to the story of Moana and have been developing our listening skills by following instructions and moving in a variety of ways. We have been talking about our features and what makes us different from others. They have been making self portraits and using a mirror to get a closer look!
We have been talking about sounds and getting the children to think about sounds that they like and do not like. They have also been talking about self-care and how we wash our hands effectively. They then completed sheets where they had to place the sequencing in the correct order. The children have also been exploring numbers. They have been arranging number spots to 10 in the correct order and counting each spot as they jumped on them.
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 15/1/18
We have had another busy week in Puddleducks! The children have started learning the phonics sound 'c' and 'k' and completing their sound sheets. They have been exploring colour this week and taking part in different activities where they could see the changes when mixing colours together. They have been ice painting, mixing colours using their hands, squeezing pipettes and playing with coloured water.
Some of the children took part in a number hunt around the school where they had to see how many times they could find the numbers 1 and 2. We managed to find lots of numbers and they used their clipboards to mark them off. In our mini PE sessions the children followed an obstacle course to the story of 'We're going on a bear hunt' and on Wednesday they practiced their yoga skills to 'The very hungry caterpillar'! This morning we are making chocolate muffins and practicing following the stages to a recipe.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 8/1/18
Happy new year to everyone! We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed the break 
On Thursday and Friday last week the children helped to change our home corner into a doctors surgery. They have been very busy helping to make the babies feel better by giving them first aid and medicine! Over the past week we have been recapping our phonics sounds that we learnt last term - 's, a, t, p, i, n'. They have been playing bingo where they had to match the card to the sound on their board.
We have been practicing our cutting skills by following patterns on paper and also working on our number recognition. On Monday and Tuesday the children joined in with mini PE sessions. We played ring games with the parachute, danced with ribbons, played ball games, practiced our co-ordination by using rackets and balloons and exploring the climbing equipment.
The children also took part in ice play where they had to use different tools to free animals that were frozen in the ice! We spoke about where you would find ice, what was happening to it over time and what we could use to melt the ice quicker.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 11/12/17 and W/C 18/12/17
Apologises for this not being posted on Friday, we had a few technical issues in Puddleducks!
We started the week very excited for a snow day! The children loved exploring the snow, making footprints and playing on the field! We had a special visit overnight on Tuesday and were left with a letter from Santa and a sack full of presents! We were very busy baking in the week and made some delicious treats! They made cinnamon bread stars, gingerbread and sausage rolls! The children helped to follow the steps to the recipe, decorated them amazingly and brought them home to share with their families The children also enjoyed Christmas dinner with the rest of the school on Wednesday. They all sat beautifully and we had some very empty plates at the end!
This week we have been getting excited for Christmas! They have been decorating wooden decorations, playing with red glittery playdough and making rice krispie Christmas trees and Christmas puddings!
We hope that you all have a lovely Christmas and we look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year on Thursday 4th January!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 4.12.17
We have had a very busy week again in Puddleducks! We continued looking at the phonics sound 'n'. The children have enjoyed exploring the sound box and naming things starting the 'nnnn' sound. On Tuesday we joined the rest of the school for the Christingle service. They spent the morning making their Christingle and learning about what they represent. Thank you very much to the parents who came and helped us walk to the church
We have been decorating stockings, our calendars and drawing pictures to send to Santa at the North Pole! On Thursday we made penguins using different coloured icing and on Friday morning we made and decorated cookies called 'Amerikaner'.
We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 27.11.17
This week we have started our new phonics sound 'n'. The children have been completing their sound sheets and have enjoyed joining in with the action to the song.
We have finished making our wish stars where the children told us what they have hoped for for Christmas and decorated their stars. They have been using lollypop sticks to create Christmas trees and finishing making the last of the animals for our tree at the church. We took part in a mini PE session where we played ball games, practiced developing our physical skills and joined in with dancing. This morning the children also enjoyed decorating our Christmas tree in Puddleducks!
Just a reminder that Puddleducks have decorated a tree at the Christmas Tree Festival at the church. It is open this weekend for you to view if you would like to see it
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 13.11.17
This week we have started looking at the phonics sound 'P' and have been finding objects in the room that start with the letter 'P' and adding them to our sound box. We have continued to learn about the Arctic. We have been talking about what clothes we would wear and the materials that they would be made of. The children also enjoyed playing in our very own homemade Arctic and exploring lots of different textures.
We have been reading the story 'Little Robin Red Vest' at circle time and the children have been colouring in vests, making their own robins and a tree for them to sit in! We made the story interactive where they had to find the correct colour vest for the robin to wear.
Today as a school we have been taking part in Children in Need. In Puddleducks they have been colouring in Pudsey's, wearing Pudsey masks and talking about why we have Children in Need. This morning we also made apple and cinnamon muffins and the children did a fantastic job
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
WC 6.11.17
We have had a very busy and creative week in Puddleducks! We have started making decorations for our tree that will be displayed at the Christmas Tree Festival at the Church on the first weekend of December. Our theme is 'Arctic' and the children are really enjoying using different materials to create decorations. We have been talking about what the weather might be like and what clothes we would need to wear there.
We have been learning about Remembrance Day and why we remember. They have been painting their own poppy pictures, icing biscuits and joined in with the school for the 2 minute silence today. We have also been looking at numbers and trying to recognise when groups of objects have more, less or the same. The children have been encouraged to use language of quantities.
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 16.10.17
This week we have been working on the phonics sound 't'. The children have decorated plates with Autumn colours and leaves and listened to an Autumn poem. We have also continued our learning about Diwali. They have been listening to the story of 'Rama and Sita' where they have been role playing with the masks, colouring Mehndi patterns on hand pictures and creating a Rangoli design during a sticking activity. On Wednesday we took part in a children's yoga session to the story of 'Squish the fish'. Today the children have been decorating frozen bananas with chocolate and sprinkles and are very excited to try these at snack time!
We have had a fantastic first half term back and we have welcomed lots of new faces to Puddleducks! For anyone that hasn't activated their child's tapestry account please do as it is a lovely way to see what they have been up to and the stages in their development.
We hope you have a lovely break and we look forward to seeing you back on Monday 30th October!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 9.10.17
This week we have been looking at the phonics sound 't'. We have been continuing learning about our body parts and talking about how we keep ourselves clean and healthy. They have been listening to the story 'Wash, scrub, brush' and thinking about what we could do to keep our bodies clean.
We have started looking at the celebration of Diwali. They have been listening to 'The story of Rama and Sita' and playing with face masks of the characters in the story. They made Diva pots out of clay and decorated these with different beads. We also made traditional treats called 'Barfi'. They helped to roll the ingredients into balls and then enjoyed icing them in their chosen colour this morning!
They have been developing their mark making skills by being encouraged to talk about the pictures that they have drawn. They have enjoyed using the water pens on the mat and making marks in the sand.
We hope you have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Laura and Mandy
W/C 25.9.17
This week we have started to look at the phonics sound 'a'. We have continued with our Autumn theme and the children have been getting very creative! We went on a leaf hunt on the field and used these to create different animals. They also decorated transparent leaves using coloured tissue paper.
In our mini PE sessions we re-created the story of 'We're going on a bear hunt'. They had to travel across obstacles in different ways and join in with the actions to the story. We also worked on developing our physical skills by practicing balancing on one leg, climbing apparatus and walking along the balancing beam.
The children enjoyed making jam tarts this week and tasting what they had made for their snack! They helped to follow the recipe and had fun taking part in flour play after. We were also lucky to be invited along to the Harvest Festival at the church on Thursday. Each class did brilliantly with their performances and thank you to all the parents that joined us 
We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 18.9.17
This week we have continued to look at our phonics sound 's'. We have been adding to our Autumn display where the children have made big and small owls and winding wool around leaves. The children have been taking part in fruit and vegetable printing which then turned into hand printing!
We have started our mini P.E sessions in the hall this week. We followed the Sticky Kids CD where they had to follow the movements in the songs. The children were introduced to children's yoga where we did this to the story of 'We're going on a bear hunt'. They have also been taking part in ball games and ring games with their friends.
We have continued to read the story 'The Little Red Hen' and this week we made bread rolls with the children. They loved getting their hands messy and tasting what they had made!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
Weekly Update
W/C 11.9.17
Last week we had a settling in week where the children were able to get used to Puddleduck life again! Everyone settled in so well after the break and it is lovely to have them all back
This week we have introduced phonics where we have been looking at the 's' sound. The children have been exploring the sound box, completing sound sheets and joining in with the song. They have loved using the interactive whiteboard where they have been mark marking and playing shape games.
We have started looking at Autumn and have been working on our display. They have been creating tree pictures using paint and cups, leaf printing and cutting and sticking images related to Autumn. We have been on an Autumn walk around the area and we have been up on the field lots to find leaves, conkers, acorns and sticks. They have created a very interesting Autumn tray with all these materials together and helped to chose animals that they think would be best related to the season.
This half term we will be reading 'The Little Red Hen'. We listened to the story and then created a story board together with the main events. The children also made their own snack this week of berry yo-yo's. These included fruit, yoghurt and crushed biscuit. They were able to follow the instructions brilliantly and created a delicious snack to enjoy!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 17.7.17
We have had a very exciting last week in Puddleducks! On Monday we joined with Ash class to have a 'Teddy Bears Picnic' on the field. We had lots of fun on reward day on Tuesday where we were very lucky to have a bouncy castle and play lots of games! The children have been continuing to use the interactive board where they have been creating some beautiful mark making pieces.
Sadly we said goodbye to some of our older children who are going off to new schools or joining Ash class. It has been a pleasure to have them all in Puddleducks and they will be really missed!
We hope that you all have a fantastic, restful summer and we look forward to seeing you back in September!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 10.7.17
We had a very exciting delivery this week in Puddleducks! We had a new interactive whiteboard installed and the children have been really enjoying using it so far! We have been playing counting games, practising their mark making and listening to interactive stories. We are very excited to start using this next term to help us learn our phonics and develop new skills. A big thank you to everybody who helped make this purchase possible 
On Monday the children joined in with some running races at Sports Day. They had great fun and they all did fantastic! We have been busy decorating fish with different coloured tissue paper for our 'Under the sea' display that we are making with Ash class. We took part in a children's yoga session on Thursday based on the story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. They showed brilliant concentration skills and were amazing with following the different movements. In the garden they have been getting very messy exploring corn flour play and making 'cakes' in the mud kitchen.
Can we ask that if anyone still has a library book at home, please can it be returned next week! Thank you!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 3rd July 2017
This week the children have been exploring the play dough where they have used cutters to create different shapes. They have then enjoyed testing their friends on what shape they have made. We have been learning about team work and how working together can help us in completing puzzles!
The children took part in an insect hunt in the garden and were very excited to find worms, snails and slugs! They used the magnifying glasses to look at them more closely and talk about the features that they had. They have also enjoyed caring for our plants by helping to water them each day. We have been looking at the Kipper story sack and the children have loved exploring the bag and creating their own stories with the characters.
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 26.6.17
This week we have been developing the children's listening skills. They have played sound bingo where they had to identify the animals and instruments and match them to the picture on their cards. The children also joined in making playdough. They had to listen and follow the instructions to find out what the needed to do next!
In the garden they have been exploring wet sand and making sandcastles! The children have enjoyed mark making where they have decorated their own art folders. We have also been looking at numbers where they had to match the numbers on the balls to the correct house number. They also played the ladybird counting game in groups.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 19.6.17
The children have loved being outside and making the most of the beautiful weather this week! We have had lots of water play in the garden, role playing with the babies and playing with the small world people. They enjoyed making their own treasure maps and trying to find where their friends 'x' was in the garden. We have spent lots of time on the field too exploring the adventure trail and finding different types of flowers.
We have been making special houses for the school fete with the help of the children! They have been constructing their own houses and decorating them. The children have enjoyed role play where they have been busy making their own trains and taking it in turns to be the driver!
We look forward to seeing some of you at the school fete tomorrow! Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 12.6.17
This week the children have enjoyed spending lots of time outside. They have been learning about shadows and drawing around objects in the garden. We have been washing, dressing and feeding babies, experimenting with torches in the tent and making ramps for our cars to run down.
We had a music and movement session in the hall where we encouraged the children to move in different ways. They enjoyed playing with the parachute and taking part in ball games. The children have also been busy creating special pieces for Father's Day. We hope that they like them!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 22.5.17
The children have had a fantastic week making the most of the beautiful weather! We have taken our learning outside and they have loved it! We have had lots of water play with boats, bottles, sprays, ramps, washing babies and cars. We have been developing the children's scissor skills by cutting along lines and in different shapes. They have enjoyed painting at the easel and making dens out of materials.
We have been playing ball games on the field and exploring the adventure trail. We have also been focusing on the phonics sound 'f' this week.
Hope that you all have a lovely half term break!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 15.5.17
This week we have been looking at the phonics sound 'l'. The children have completed their sound sheets and have been finding objects beginning with the letter 'l' around them.
We have been focusing on our pencil holding skills this week and encouraging children to talk about the pictures that they have drawn.
They also enjoyed a children's yoga session to the story of Frozen in the hall. They showed great concentration and were able to follow the movements brilliantly!
It has been very exciting this week in Puddleducks as one of our tadpoles has grown into a froglet! The children have enjoyed watching it jump around the tank and it has been named by them as Fred the Frog! We are hoping some more froglets grow as the children have been thinking up lots more names for them!
As the weather is due to be getting warmer (hopefully!) please would your child be able to bring a sun hat with them each day and can sun cream be applied before nursery if possible. Thank you!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 8.5.17
This week we have been looking at the phonics sound 'u'. The children have been playing phonics bingo where they had the task of distinguishing between all of the sounds that we have learnt.
They have enjoyed checking on the tadpoles and have been keen to take their own photos so they could have a closer look! We are all very excited as some of them seem to be growing legs!
We have been practicing our counting and recapping the names of shapes. They had lots of fun going on a shape hunt around Puddleducks to see if they could find them within the environment. We have also been looking at groups of objects where they had to work out which had more or less.
This morning the children have been enjoying icing cakes. Once they had decorated them as you can imagine they did not last very long!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 1.5.17
This week we have been focusing on the jolly phonics sound 'o'. We have continued with looking at the story 'Hands are not for hitting'. The children have been talking with each other about what happy hands and sad hands mean to them. They took part in a cutting and sticking activity where they had to arrange what their hands should and should not be used for and explored hand printing as being a fun way to use their hands!
We have also been looking at colours and exploring how they change when they are mixed together. They got very excited when they saw the colours that they had made!
The children have been spending time in the hall where we have been setting up group activities and continuing to develop their listening skills. They have been listening to interactive stories and talking about what might happen next and playing animal bingo. The children have also used blocks to build structures. They have been talking and working together with their friends to share ideas about how they can build what they set out to do.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 24.4.17
We have had another busy week in puddleducks! The children have been learning about the jolly phonics sound 'g' and exploring rhyming words. We have taken part in music and movement activities in the hall encouraging the children to develop their understanding of following instructions.
The children have been developing their fine motor skills by threading cotton reels and using beads to create pieces on pipe cleaners. We have continued with our number recognition activities where they had to identify numbers in the environment.
During our circle times we have been talking about how to be kind and gentle with others. We have focused on the books 'feet are not for kicking' and 'hands are not for hitting'. The children have been thinking of different ways that they can use their hands and feet.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 17.4.17
Welcome back! We hope that you all had a lovely Easter! Puddleducks have had a very busy first week back! We have welcomed lots of new faces and they have all settled in fantastically!
We have been revisiting the jolly phonics sounds that we have previously looked at and introduced the sound 'd'. The children have been drawing and painting pictures of things they did during their holidays. They have enjoyed telling us all about what they got up to and comparing the amount of Easter eggs they got with their friends!!
As the weather has been so lovely this week we have spent lots of time outside! The children helped to plant seeds and water out plants. We spoke about what the seeds would need to help them grow and how we should care for them. They have loved exploring the mud kitchen where they have been making 'pies' and 'cakes'! We have also been working on number recognition. The children have been taking part in counting activities and matching numbers and colours.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 27.3.17
This week we have been looking at the Jolly Phonics sound 'm' and looking back over the sounds to see what we could all remember! The children did really well and are becoming very familiar with them! On Tuesday we were invited to attend the Easter Service at the church. Puddleducks were fantastic walking and sat beautifully the whole way through. They also enjoyed having the chance to show everybody the lovely Easter hats that they had made. A big thank you to the parents who helped us walk to and from the church!
We have been looking at Easter, talking about the Easter story and why people celebrate it. On Wednesday they tasted hot cross buns and were able to choose their fillings! They have been decorating eggs where they were able to colour in or explore different materials to use. We took part in a name egg hunt in the hall. The children were given their names and had to match the different eggs to the letters of their names. They loved this and were amazing in finding them!
Today we have been enjoying reward day. We went on an Easter egg hunt in the field and were very excited to find a treat at the end! We also had a very special visitor from The Animal Experience where the children were able to learn about and touch a range of animals including a meerkat, snake and an owl!
We hope that you have a lovely, restful Easter break!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 20.3.17
This week we have been learning about Easter and why people celebrate it. They helped to make and decorate an Easter egg tree and have continued to practice lots of spring songs. Puddleducks made their own Easter hats to wear at our service at the church next Tuesday.
The children have been busy this week getting creative making their gifts for Mother's Day. We hope that you like them and hopefully they have been able to keep what it is a secret!!
In our Jolly Phonics session, we have been looking at the 'r' sound. They have been busy adding to our spring display where they painted their own ladybirds and we went on a spring walk around the field to see if we could notice any changes in the environment. We also celebrated Red Nose Day on Friday. They have been creating their own faces with red noses and decorating biscuits!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 13.3.17
We have had another very busy week in Puddleducks! The children have been learning about the Jolly Phonics sound 'h' and finding objects that began with the letter. We have started to sing Spring songs and continued working on our spring display. They have been painting blossom trees and decorating frogs for the pond.
We have started looking at healthy eating this week. We began by talking about what foods are good for us and which foods are not so good. They enjoyed an activity of cutting out foods that they liked and sticking them onto their plates. During a taste testing activity, we encouraged the children to talk about what they thought of the different foods and why.
The children asked if they could take it in turns to lead the morning circle time where we complete the weather board and find out how everyone is feeling that day. They had lots of fun doing this and they all made fantastic teachers!
Puddleducks would also like to say a big thank you to Mike who came and put some wonderful shelving into our new shed for us!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 6.3.17
We have been making the most of the lovely weather this week by spending lots of time outside! We went on a walk on the school field where we checked on the chickens, played ball games and tested our balancing skills on the climbing equipment. In the garden, the children were exploring things that float in water. They used boats, cars and other materials around them to test these ideas.The children have also been learning about the life cycle of frogspawn. We collected some carefully from the pond in the playground and have watched them grow into tadpoles! The children are very excited and love looking at the frog books to find out more!
Puddleducks have been learning about the sound 'e' in Jolly Phonics. They watched a short clip where they had to guess what items beginning with the sound 'e' were being made with the play dough as fast as they could! We have been learning about our senses this week. The children took part in a smelling activity where they had to guess what was in the boxes. They enjoyed talking about the smells, where they had smelt them before and explaining why they liked or didn't like them! The children also explored their sense of touch. We encouraged them to use describing words to talk about the items they were feeling in the feely box and during shaving foam play.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 27.2.17
We have had a very busy week in Puddleducks! On Monday we were invited to the assembly led by the local PCSO. We learnt about the roles policeman do to help us and how to stay safe.
Tuesday we celebrated pancake day. The children took it in turns to add and mix together the ingredients - all waiting very patiently for them to be cooked! They had great fun choosing which toppings they wanted to use but the best bit was tasting our creations!
This week the children have been learning about the Jolly Phonics sounds 'C' and 'K'. If you are interested in listening to the sound songs you can go to YouTube and search 'Jolly Phonics'. We have continued with our topic of all about me. The children painted self portraits and used mirrors to look at their features more closely.
We also celebrated World Book Day. The children brought in their favourite stories from home or chose a special one they like to look at at nursery. They were encouraged to retell what happens in the story and enjoyed drawing parts of the book. We loved looking at each other's costumes and listening to the stories our friends had brought in.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 20.2.17
This week we have been looking at the jolly phonics sound 'n'. The children have been enjoying practicing the sound along with the aeroplane movement.
We have started our topic 'All about me' which we have been looking at self-care. The children were introduced to Toby the crocodile who was shy and unsure how to keep himself clean and healthy so needed the children's help! They were very kind in showing him how to brush his teeth properly, wash himself and how to clean his nose!
The children have shown an interest in mark making this week and exploring different ways to make movements. They have been using the whiteboards, sand tray and taking part in large scale finger painting to make marks.
We have also been developing our physical skills during our mini P.E sessions in the hall. They have been taking part in a small obstacle course that tested their climbing, balance and movement skills. They loved exploring their abilities and we all earned a well deserved rest afterwards!
Puddleducks would also like to thank the PTA for our new shed! We really appreciated all the help with taking our old one down on Tuesday and look forward to filling up the new one soon! Thank you again!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 6/2/17
We have been looking at the ‘i’ sound in Jolly phonics this week. The children completed their sound sheets and we also went on a sound hunt around the school looking for words with an ‘i’ or ‘s’ in them.
The children enjoyed a pizza making session on Wednesday where they were able to choose which toppings they would like and were encouraged to use different cutlery safely. I’m sure you can see from the photos that these were definitely a success with the children!
Puddleducks enjoyed making Valentine’s day cards for their families where they decorated hearts and used hand prints to make leaves for a flower. They have been exploring pink and glittery play dough and in our circle time we have been talking about feelings and characteristics of our friends and family. We have been discussing what would make people happy and sad and why we like to play with our friends. The children have been very kind about each other and people that they know! We also decorated biscuits for our loved ones to enjoy using pink icing and different types of sprinkles - luckily we made enough to have one at snack time!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 30.1.17
This week we have been looking at the sound 'P'. The children have been colouring in our sound sheets and finding items in the room. As the jolly phonics song was a bit of a difficult one this week, we decided to help them with the understanding of the words by making their very own pink pig cakes. Since then we have all been singing along to the words successfully!
We have continued to look at Chinese New Year. The children decorated their own dragon masks using bright colours and lots of glitter! They also explored the clothes and items they have and even had a chance to try these on!
Puddleducks have been learning about rhythm and tempo this week. We had a music and movement session in the hall where the children danced at different speeds to how fast the song was. They showed us some brilliant dance moves! We also used instruments where they were given the chance to tap the drum at different tempos for their friends to move in a range of ways. They had a great fun and was a great workout for all!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 23.1.17
This week we have been continuing to introduce Jolly Phonics. We have been learning about the sound 't'. We have been finding things beginning with that sound and putting them in our sound box and singing along to the song!
We created a 'I can count to ten' board where we encouraged children to find the correct number of the same items. They have been using the board independently and learning to associate numbers with objects.
Puddleducks have been learning about Chinese New Year. We have been listening to the story 'The Great Race' and we created a story board recalling what happened in book. The children have enjoyed making fans, dragons out of egg boxes, looking at Chinese books and listening to Chinese music where they incorporated musical instruments. They also learnt about what animal represents them for their year of birth when looking at the zodiac.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 16.1.17
This week we introduced the letter sound 'a'. The children have been singing the song with the actions all week and we hear that they have been doing the same at home!
The children have been measuring items by putting them in length and height order from smallest to biggest. They have been arranging different lengths of string and looking at a variety of sizes of animals.
We have been continuing to look at the story 'We're going on a bear hunt'. In the hall we acted out the story by using different sounds and movements. The children have also been busy making their own penguins for our winter display.
On Thursday the children made pizzas to eat at our very own teddy bears picnic. They were able to choose which toppings they would like on their pizza and their teddies were even lucky enough to have a little taste too!
Have a lovely weekend!
Mandy and Laura
W/C 9.1.17
We are beginning to introduce the children to Jolly Phonics. It is a fun and child centred approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics. In Puddleducks we are starting to work on Phase 1 which are the letter sounds s, a, t, i, p, n. This week we have been looking at the sound 's'. We created a sound box together by searching for things that start with the 's' sound.
Puddleducks have been enjoying listening to 'We're going on a bear hunt' and made their own caves for the bear in the story. We have also been talking about different types of bears and learning where they live.
The children have been developing their understanding of shape names including circle, triangle, square and rectangle. We have also introduced the shapes hexagon and oval. They were able to practice drawing familiar shapes using the interactive board. We did this in pairs which encouraged turn taking by using the sand timer and they enjoyed testing each other on the shape names.
We also took part in the Big Schools' Bird Watch. The children used binoculars to spot the birds and used cameras to try to capture them. They also ticked off the birds that they spotted on their clipboards.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 12/12/16
We have had a very busy week in Puddleducks! We have made our own wreaths using string......
Listening to the story of the Nativity and acting this out independently with the characters in the sand......
Exploring the Christmas stickers!!........
Making Christmas trees using marshmallows and rice krispies.....
Santa delivered a very special sack full of presents, a letter from him for each child and reindeer food to put out on Christmas Eve......
They enjoyed Christmas dinner.....
And playing with the snow.....
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 5/12/16
On Monday the children were invited to the church with the rest of the school to celebrate Christingle. In the morning Puddleducks learnt about the meaning of Christingle and what the oranges represent. They then got the chance to decorate their own!
The children enjoyed exploring ice play and trying to free the snow animals that were frozen inside! We spoke about ways that the ice would melt and what features the animals have to live in the colder climate. We also took part in a shape hunt in the garden where they had to find familiar shapes and mark them off on their clipboards.
On Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon the children joined in with the Christmas nativity where they all chose their own outfits to wear! They sat and sang along to the songs beautifully - well done Puddleducks!
We have been busy drawing pictures to send to Father Christmas and some of us went to post them on Friday morning. The children were very excited that they would be going all the way to the North Pole and hoped to receive a reply from him before Christmas!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 28/11/16
This week we have been getting very festive in Puddleducks. We have been arranging baubles, trees, stockings, stars and candy canes in order of size and then decorating them.....
Dressing up in our festive outfits.......
Making Robins using paper plates, tissue paper and googly eyes.......
Decorating our Christmas tree.........
Wrapping presents..........
And joined in with the rehearsals of the Christmas nativity 'The Dinky Donkeys'
We are looking forward to another fun filled week next week!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
We went on a nature walk Wednesday afternoon around the local area. Luckily we were well prepared with our wellie boots as we found some big puddles to splash in! We came across a drey that had fallen from a tree and talked about how the squirrels would have made it. They enjoyed looking for materials around that the squirrel would have used and trying to spot them in the trees.
On Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving. The children enjoyed making turkey sandwiches to have for snack and they also made their own dreamcatchers.
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 14/11/16
The children have been exploring ice as part of sensory play. We looked in the atlas to find where the Antarctic is and talked about the animals that live there. They chose from our animal box which ones they thought would be best suited to live with the ice and in the cold and even made homes for them using lego pieces!
Over the last few weeks we have had fun singing along to our Halloween and Autumn songs. The children have been joining in with the actions and are looking forward to starting our winter songs in the coming weeks!
As part of our 'All about me' theme, the children have been talking about their families and creating their own family tree. Thank you everyone who provided the leaves and photos, they loved telling us about who was who and sharing stories about them!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 7/11/16
This week we created a story box for the book 'Room on the Broom'. The children have enjoyed dressing up, role playing with the animals and making their own potions using coloured glitter. They have loved listening to the story and rearranging the magnetic story board in order of the events happening in the book.
We have also been learning about Remembrance Day. During a circle time activity we discussed what it is about and why we wear poppies. The children were able to purchase their own poppies and used these to paint a picture of them.
They also decorated biscuits into poppies using red icing and cherries. The children loved this and as you can see from the pictures, some of the icing made it onto the biscuits and some of it did not!!
We would also like to thank the parents who came to the Stay and Play session last Friday afternoon. We had a brilliant turn out and the children loved exploring the new environment!
We hope to see you all again!
Have a lovely weekend!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
W/C 31/10/16
Hope that you all had a lovely break at half term!
We have been busy looking at Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night this week and getting very creative!
For Halloween the children used paint and glitter to decorate pumpkins and wanted to display these outside for you all to see. Using cut out shapes they made their own pumpkin pictures and explored Halloween shaped pasta which they threaded onto string and used them to make textured pictures.
After many of us watched the fireworks here at the school this week, the children made their own firework pictures. Using glitter and paint they decorated paper plates. They also enjoyed printing with cut out toilet rolls which created a lovely effect!
The Puddleducks Team
Mandy and Laura
Autumn Term
Puddleducks have been busy this half term! After the long summer we all settled in quickly and got straight into celebrating Roald Dahl Day. We decorated masks of animals that are in some of the stories using a range of materials and also explored the different books.
Recently we have started a mini P.E session twice a week where we take the children into the school hall and take part in a range of physical activities. We have been playing ball games, taking part in music and movement and parachute games. The children have loved this time and we will be continuing this weekly next term!
