As many of you know, there is an arch way at Free Rangers that is just through the main gates, before you get to the Burrow. Most parents would walk under the arch every day to get to the Burrow and Den rooms. However, this isn’t just any arch way, lots of exciting things happen under the arch whilst we are at nursery! The arch way gets ‘set up’ and ‘tidied away’ at the beginning and end of the day. The staff in the Burrow set it up at about 9.15am when all the children are in. It also then gets tidied away at 4.30pm before all the children go home.
We have some set activities that happen under the arch such as a tray for water play, a train to climb in, a new hazel house that the children enjoy going in and out of, poking their faces out of the window, and sitting inside to have a relaxing story or book. The arch is a big part of our planning that happens in the Burrow, that changes every week or two weeks, to ensure the children are kept interested and happy with new leading activities.
Recently under the arch, we have had a new soil tray set up, that includes soil, spades and buckets. We have added vegetables this week such as carrots and parsnips. The children have really enjoyed having the opportunity to dig and ‘plant’ vegetables using the spades and bowls. Not only have the children been developing their physical development by digging and planting, but we’ve also had a lot of conversation about our vegetables and where they come from and why we plant them.
This week under the arch we have also used our water tray and added some babies and dolls. The children have enjoyed washing the babies using flannels, making sure they are clean and bathed. We also provided towels for the children, so that after they had bathed the babies, they could take them out of the water tray and dry them. I have heard lots of language such as, ‘My baby needs a big bath, it’s very dirty’ and ‘Now we need to dry the baby so it’s not cold’ – modelling the language that they have heard at home.
We have also had some tyres under the arch this week, we have been putting them in a line with buckets and brushes. The children have been using the brushes to dip into the water to then wash the tyres which has been great fun. We then noticed that the children were using the brushes to wash the Burrow gates and windows! Very helpful Burrow children.
The archway is always changing and new ideas are always happening, so keep a look out and you might see some new exciting activities!
Thank you for reading.
Ezme