Spring is in the air at Peacock Lodge as daffodils bloom and blossom covers the cherry tree at the front of the building.
This week, Kindergarten One explored spring-themed sensory play using blossom petals mixed into gloop – a fascinating mixture of cornflour and water. The children were captivated by the way it flowed through scoops and between their fingers. Gloop is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it behaves like a liquid one moment and a solid the next when pressure is applied. This sparked great curiosity and experimentation among our youngest learners. The children also practised colour recognition by matching items from sensory baskets to coloured pictures, sending coloured balls down chutes, and throwing matching hoops into buckets. These activities provided wonderful opportunities to support their physical development while playing and collaborating with their peers.
Reception children have been learning about wildlife conservation and the importance of caring for the environment. They listened attentively to the story One Little Bird, which explores the impact on animals when their homes are destroyed. This led to a thoughtful discussion about how we can help protect animals around the world. Inspired by birds, the children investigated birdhouses made by Year 8 before working together to paint them, ready to place outside. They also discovered a new bird feeder equipped with a small camera, and we are excited to see which birds come to visit. To further support our feathered friends, the children carefully placed stones and water into a tray to create a bird bath.
Kindergarten Two have been busy planting seeds in the pots they previously decorated. They learned about what seeds need to grow and recited the poem A Little Seed to help them remember. The children also revisited the names of the different parts of a flower and created beautiful collage bouquets using images of a variety of flowers.
During Forest School, the children in Kindergarten One requested the story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. We retold the story together as we explored the forest school site, moving through swishy grass, splashy water, and oozy mud until we discovered the bear hiding in the ‘cave’! Afterwards, the children went on their own bear hunt, searching for photographs of different bears before using natural materials such as leaves, grass, and sticks to create their own bear collages.
