A sunny start to the Summer Term has been warmly welcomed at Peacock Lodge and Forest School. The children have made the most of the beautiful weather, enjoying water play, bug hunts and plenty of imaginative fun in the mud kitchen.
This week, Kindergarten One explored how radishes grow beneath the ground. The children planted their own radish seeds and carefully watered them, looking forward to watching them grow over the coming weeks. They also had the chance to taste fully grown radishes—some more enthusiastically than others! This provided a wonderful opportunity to develop descriptive language, with words such as crunchy and peppery.
Reception are working towards their Minibeast Outdoor Learning badge this term, with a focus this week on butterflies. The children learned about the butterfly life cycle and how butterflies drink nectar using their long tongues. They were thrilled to spot butterflies fluttering by and were especially excited to discover a caterpillar. Inspired by their observations, the children explored a range of creative techniques, including leaf-printing with paint and ‘hapa zome’, where they carefully hammered leaves and petals onto fabric to reveal natural pigments.
Following the exciting discovery of a duck’s nest in the flowerbeds, Kindergarten Two listened to the traditional tale The Ugly Duckling. They learned about the life cycle of ducks and explored the differences between ducklings and cygnets. This sparked further outdoor exploration, from sensory, egg-themed activities to digging for worms.
At Forest School, Kindergarten One enjoyed the story The Enormous Turnip and brought it to life by acting it out using masks. They learned about a variety of vegetables, from parsnips to squashes, and had fun ‘digging’ them up and sorting them into groups. Their creativity continued with vegetable printing, using carrots and potatoes to create colourful marks with paint.
Reception also ventured into Forest School for a minibeast hunt. They discussed different habitats and how to handle living creatures with care before heading off with magnifying glasses and spotter cards. The area was soon filled with excited voices as the children discovered a wide range of insects.
It has been a joyful and engaging start to the term, filled with curiosity, creativity and hands-on learning. The children have embraced every opportunity to explore the natural world, building confidence, developing new skills and deepening their understanding through play and discovery.
