This week, we’ve been continuing our exciting holiday-themed learning journey, starting from the airport and venturing out into the wider world through the children’s incredible imaginations! Our key focus has been the word “exploring”, and we’ve encouraged the children to think about all the ways we explore the world around us—seeing, feeling, touching, tasting, and smellingnew and different things.
We returned to the story “You Choose”—a book the children are absolutely loving! It’s been a wonderful springboard for conversation and creative thinking. Together, we explored all the fascinating places you might stay on holiday: campervans, tents, hotels, and more. The children were encouraged to choose a destination or place they’d like to visit and describe what they might explore there.
Aurora chose a lighthouse and said she would “explore the water” and might “see fish swimming around.”
Rueben imagined living in a mushroom house and shared that “a motorbike might be outside.”
These moments offered valuable opportunities for developing the children’s communication and language skills, as they used descriptive vocabulary, made personal connections, and took part in thoughtful class discussions.
As part of our Expressive Arts and Design learning, the children explored a variety of world flags. We talked about the colours, patterns, and shapes used in different flags and what they might represent. Each child then chose a flag to recreate using ripped coloured paper, carefully assembling the pieces to match their chosen design. With some guidance and support, they showed great perseverance and pride in their finished artwork. These activities helped develop their fine motor skills, shape recognition, and colour matching, all while sparking curiosity about other cultures.
We also enjoyed a listen and colour activity, where the children followed multi-step instructions such as “Colour the boat orange and the car green.” This was a great way to practice listening carefully, following instructions, and recognising colours. It also gently challenged them to think about sequencing and attention to detail, which are important skills as they move through their learning journey.
Some of the children expressed an interest in painting during our indoor activities, so we took the opportunity to extend this interest outside. With brushes in hand, they created freely using the natural surroundings for inspiration. This spontaneous session supported their creativity, self-expression, and engagement with nature, making it a particularly joyful and relaxed part of our week.
Throughout the provision, we’ve had a wide range of activities that encouraged the children to think about what they might explore on holiday—from map-making and animal sorting to building famous landmarks in the construction area. They’ve also been working on pencil control, all helping to develop early writing and fine motor skills. These activities sparked lots of curiosity and questions about what we might see and do on a holiday when exploring. It was wonderful to see the children making connections between their own experiences and their imaginative ideas.
During PE, the children worked in small groups to build and complete their own obstacle courses using building crates and other outdoor equipment. This activity promoted teamwork, problem-solving, and important physical skills like balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. It was lovely to see all the children so engaged and supportive of one another as they moved through the course.
