Autumn 1 2025: Everyone Different, Everyone Loved...

What a wonderful first half term it has been! The children have settled beautifully into school life and are beginning to foster a real love for learning. We’ve enjoyed sharing stories linked to emotions and self-regulation, such as The Way I Act and When Sophie Gets Angry, helping the children to understand and talk about their feelings. Our Walking Wednesdays to the local playground and woodland area have been a weekly highlight, offering plenty of opportunities for exploration and adventure. We’ve also loved discovering the changes Autumn brings and creating beautiful seasonal artwork inspired by the colours and textures we’ve seen in nature.

Autumn 2 2025: Starry Night 

This term, the nursery children have made lovely progress in their learning. They have enjoyed taking part in daily phonics activities, listening carefully to sounds, joining in with songs and rhymes and beginning to notice sounds in words. In maths, the children have explored repeating patterns using natural resources and are starting to subitise small amounts by recognising quantities without counting.

The children have loved learning about space, exploring the moon and stars through stories, creative activities and imaginative play.

We have continued with our Walking Wednesdays, where the children explored the local area and took part in litter picking, helping them to develop an understanding of caring for their environment.

We have also marked special events such as Children in Need and Remembrance Day by decorating biscuits and creating beautiful artwork.  As the half-term has come to an end, the children have been very excited in the run-up to Christmas and have enjoyed learning about the true meaning of Christmas. We are so proud of all the children and the progress they are making! 

Spring 1 2026: Footprints in the Snow

This half term in Nursery we have been learning all about winter. The children have explored how the weather changes in winter and discovered how some animals hibernate, while others have different ways of staying warm during the colder months. We have had lots of fun exploring ice, watching it melt and learning about how water can freeze and change back again. The children were very curious and enjoyed talking about what they could see happening.

The children have continued to take part in our daily phonics and rhyme time, joining in with great enthusiasm and growing confidence.We have also enjoyed learning about and celebrating Shrove Tuesday, Chinese New Year, and Children’s Mental Health Week, giving the children opportunities to talk about different traditions, feelings and ways to look after ourselves and others.

It has been a lovely half term filled with curiosity, exploration and lots of learning through play.

Spring 2 2026: The Vegetable Patch 

The children have had a lovely half-term and have really enjoyed their learning. We have been sharing a range of books linked to growing plants, healthy vegetables and exploring the seasonal changes we see in Spring.

In phonics, the children have continued to build their confidence with sounds and joining in with familiar rhymes. In maths, we have been exploring capacity and developing our understanding of length and height through lots of practical activities.

We also enjoyed taking part in Rock Your Socks Day for World Down Syndrome Day, helping the children to celebrate differences and inclusion. As a school, we came together for a charity walk to raise money for a very worthwhile local cause.

Well done to all the children for their enthusiasm and hard work this half-term!

Summer 1 2026: All Creatures Great and Small 

This half-term in nursery, we have loved learning all about minibeasts! The children discovered lots of interesting facts, including the surprising fact that honey is actually “bee sick!” We enjoyed going on minibeast hunts, creating minibeast artwork, and reading lots of wonderful books linked to our topic. A special highlight was welcoming Crazy Creatures into school, where the children had an exciting hands-on experience meeting a range of amazing animals. We also enjoyed inviting parents and carers in to listen to our singing. In our weekly worships, we have been learning about resilience and perseverance, encouraging the children to keep trying when things feel tricky. It has been a fun and busy half-term full of learning and discovery!

Adventures at Sea! 

We've had a wonderful half-term and the children have continued to grow in confidence, independence and their learning. We have had a fantastic time exploring our seaside topic, reading lots of exciting stories about pirates, mermaids and life by the sea. The children have loved making pirate ships, creating seaside artwork and taking part in investigations to learn about floating and sinking. They enjoyed asking questions, making predictions and testing different objects in water.

One of the highlights of the half-term was our visit to the beach, where the children had a wonderful day exploring the seaside, playing together and making special memories. We also had a fantastic Sports Day, where everyone showed great determination, teamwork and enthusiasm. It was lovely to see the children encouraging one another and celebrating each other's achievements.

As we reach the end of the school year, we say goodbye to our Nursery children as they move on to full-time education. We are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved during their time in Little Acorns and know they are ready for their exciting next adventure. We wish them every success and happiness as they begin Reception, and we thank all of our families for their continued support throughout the year. We hope you all have a safe, relaxing and enjoyable summer holiday.