• Looking at picture books in the story corner.
• Having the opportunity of sharing a story book on an individual basis.
• Story sessions in small groups.
• Larger group story sessions.
• Use of story tapes.

These help promote the following outcomes.

• Children have a positive attitude towards books and reading.
• Children are able to choose their material freely and develop favourites.
• Children begin to become aware of the conventions of reading.
• Where appropriate we will help develop individual’s phonic knowledge.

• The exploration of the properties of synthetic and natural materials.
• The development of descriptive, scientific and mathematical language.
• The manipulation and creation of change in materials.
• Sensory tactile and therapeutic play.
• Finding out about making prints, indentations and pattern making.
• The making of representations of real and imaginary items.

Craft and Design/Junk Modelling

• broadening children’s knowledge about the properties of various materials.
• developing fine motor skills through cutting, tying, threading etc.
• developing an understanding of different ways of joining  materials.
• Developing and extending language, particularly scientific, descriptive and mathematical.
  
  

Each week we will provide opportunities for children to be engaged in activities connected to food and cookery.  Our aim is that children will be able to discover the properties and nature of different types of food and additionally:

• Children will use descriptive, scientific and mathematical language.
• Children will be encouraged to count, weigh, measure ingredients, to sort and classify them and find similarities and differences.
• Children will develop early concepts of change, dissolving and the effects of heating and cooling.
• Children will use their senses.
• Children will learn about food, personal hygiene and healthy eating.
• Children will learn about food from other countries.

We provide a wide range of construction and small world play equipment to enable children to be engaged in:

• designing and making structures and enclosures.
• exploring the properties of different construction sets.
• developing descriptive and imaginative language.
• the exploration of strength, balance, shape and structure.
• estimation and measuring.
• interacting and working with others.
• role Play.
• the creation of environments.

Fine Manipulative Play and Puzzles.

• help develop hand eye coordination.
• spatial awareness.
• strengthen hand control.

• emulate roles, develop sharing skills, sequence domestic tasks, solve problems and make choices.
• become involved in familiar situations providing positive links with the home.
• develop speaking and listening skills.

This is usually in the form of a tabletop interactive display and we encourage children to observe, explore and develop their understanding of the world around them.  We encourage them to discuss and question what they discover.

Additionally opportunities will arise for the following either in the nursery setting or using the local environment with trips further afield.

• Children will make observations.
• Children will use their senses to discover.
• Children will make sense of their findings.
• Children will handle a wide variety of materials.
• Children will explore similarities, differences patterns and change

Outdoor Play

We provide opportunities for plenty of physical play, through large apparatus, outdoors and in, small apparatus eg. balls and hoops, games, dance and music and movement.  Through this we aim to

• provide physical activity, gross and fine movement.
• increase a child’s body awareness.
• foster confidence.
• help children learn about sharing and turn taking.
• help a child develop hand and eye coordination skills.
• help a child experience self-challenge and mastery of a new skill.

• free writing using defined areas (the writing table) and a range of tools eg. pencils, felt tip pens, coloured pencils, biros, crayons and chalks.  Children have access to a range of resources such as plain/lined/coloured paper, card, envelopes, scissors, glue, chalkboards, pencil sharpeners, rulers and rubbers.
• free writing throughout the nursery class using clipboards, order pads etc.
• having the opportunity to have work scribed for them.
• on an individual basis where appropriate, children will learn to write their name.

By making these provision our aim is to ensure that children:

• develop early skills of making marks on paper and develop hand control.

• learn that drawing and writing are enjoyable and that they have control to be individualistic and creative

• by observing the scribing process children will begin to see the connection between the spoken and written word.

• encourage children to listen a wide variety of music.
• encourage children to enjoy participating in music making.