Full of Beans!

Since returning from the half-term break, the nursery children have jumped straight into our exciting new topic – Ground, Air, Water – with lots of enthusiasm, curiosity, and creativity.

To begin our learning journey, we’ve been focusing on the traditional tale Jack and the Beanstalk as well as the much-loved story Jasper’s Beanstalk. These stories have been the perfect springboard for exploring the world around us – especially what grows from the ground!

The nursery has been full of imagination and chatter as the children explored role play through small world activities, bringing the characters of Jack, the giant and Jasper to life. This has encouraged them to "Be a Talker", developing their language skills as they narrated stories, shared ideas, and described their characters’ adventures.

Our young artists have been busy painting beanstalks, giants, and Jacks, using their creativity to express what they imagined. This has supported their journey to "Be a Creator", experimenting with colours, textures, and shapes.

In maths, we've introduced mathematical language such as big, small, tall, and taller to compare sizes, especially when measuring our own beanstalks! These comparisons have helped deepen the children’s understanding of size and scale through hands-on, meaningful experiences.

Of course, no beanstalk topic would be complete without real beans! The children have planted their own beans both indoors and outdoors, and will be closely observing their growth and recording changes in their very own Bean Diaries. They are learning to "Be an Explorer", asking questions like “What will happen next?” and “Why does the bean need water?” as they observe and care for their plants each day.

Being explorers also means being willing to try new things, and the children are very excited for an upcoming treat – cooking and eating beans on toast! This will be a wonderful opportunity to "Be a Trier" as they get involved in food preparation, practise life skills, and perhaps taste something new!

We have been really living up to our Early Years Vision: