Hello! Welcome to Nursery Apple Class

To keep up with updates of our learning journey this year, don't forget to follow the Grange First School Facebook page! For notices, remember to read our weekly school newsletter.

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor learning is a huge and integral part to learning in Nursery. Our outdoor space provides endless learning opportunities across the EYFS curriculum areas and unlimited scope for physical development particularly, a prime area of the Early Years curriculum. We have free-flow to our outdoor space for the majority of the school day as the children love to be outside and we know that young children learn so much through their play and when following their own interests. 

Every week, all Apple Class children get the opportunity to spend an afternoon venturing to other parts of the school to broaden their outdoor learning experience. We LOVE using the large OPAL play equipment and loose parts that the older children use on the Drive and the Sports Yard. We have a lot of fun exploring the Hideout area too!

Indoor Learning

Nursery has different areas of continuous provision which are set up daily to invite the children to learn through their play. We have a home corner, roleplay which we extend and change each half term, malleable/playdough which is consistent throughout the year to support fine motor and physical development to support early writing, creative/craft, small world, construction, reading/cosy area, puppet stand, sand, soft play/physical, and calm area to support personal, social and emotional development.

We also have daily adult-led activities to encourage key skills and further learning of sticky knowledge (key knowledge which we want all children to learn).

Apple Class take part in daily Plan Do Review sessions. This is a process to support the children to plan and achieve their goals where they first create a plan, then execute the plan before finally reviewing the outcome and learning for the future. The children love having the autonomy and responsibility of this task and come up with some really creative plans!

Phonics

In Apple Class, we begin to build the foundations for phonics that help us to become Reception ready.

We follow the LittleWandle programme, engaging in daily Rhyme Time singing and games and we also have a Rhyme Time table where we can act out and sing the rhyme with props in our play.

We have Tuning into Sounds sessions multiple times a week which consists of short games that support our awareness of sounds in words.

Literacy

In Apple Class, we begin to build the foundations and early literacy skills that support our future learning throughout our school journey.

We follow the LittleWandle programme to build our love of reading and communication and language, a prime area of the EYFS curriculum.

We have a focus story each week, within which we look closely at the language, adding actions and talking about the meaning of words to build our vocabulary. We engage in many fun activities linked to our focus story over the week to build our understanding and knowledge of the language and support our sticky learning.

Before we learn to write letters, in Apple Class we build up our fine motor physical skills and practise mark making in many different ways! Mark marking in Nursery isn't sitting at a table with paper and a pencil (although it can be at times), it includes painting on large vertical easels, drawing on the floor with chalk, making marks with brushes and water, drawing in mud with sticks, drawing with fingers in sand and many other creative ways of building our early writing skills.

Apple Class are very much enjoying their weekly visits to our school library - remember to return your book each week in order to swap it for a new one to read together at home!

Mathematics

Although we have adult-led mathematics carpet times and circle times, mathematics in Apple Class is throughout our Nursery environment, both inside and outside and in everything we do as we play.

Each half term we have a KIRF (Key Instant Recall Fact) that we support the children to achieve. In Autumn 1, our KIRF is "I can touch count to 3.", this builds into "I can touch count to 5." in Autumn 2.

Alongside our KIRFS, we have a weekly mathematics 'building block' which over the year builds the children's knowledge and understanding of the key components of early maths; counting, pattern, comparison, subitising and shape, space and measure

We work towards our KIRFs and building block through songs, rhymes, storytimes, games, activities and play.