We’ve been making the most of the lovely weather at Sandytots over the last few weeks, spending as much time outdoors as possible and enjoying all the fun that comes with sunnier days.
Outdoor play is such an important part of nursery life for us. It encourages creativity, supports physical development, builds confidence and gives children endless opportunities to explore the world around them through hands-on learning.
Take a look at some of the exciting things we’ve been getting up to recently, we can’t wait for even more sunny adventures ahead!
Pumpkin Seed Planting
Our Nursery Manager, Michelle, spent a lovely afternoon with the children planting pumpkin seeds ready for autumn.
The little ones loved scooping compost into the trays and carefully tucking the seeds into the soil all cosy and safe.
We’ll be watching closely over the next few weeks as the seeds begin to sprout, grow roots, develop stems and eventually produce leaves, teaching the children all about the different stages of plant growth along the way.
Activities like this are a lovely way to encourage curiosity about nature, develop fine motor skills and teach patience as children care for something and watch it grow.
Our Mud Kitchen is ready for Magic!
Our Mud Kitchen has had a lovely little spruce-up ready for all the outdoor fun summer brings.
The children absolutely love spending time in the mud kitchen, mixing, pouring, scooping and creating all sorts of imaginative “recipes” using mud, water, leaves, flowers and anything else they discover in the garden.
Mud kitchens are such a wonderful way for children to learn through play. While they are busy having fun, they are also developing important skills like communication, teamwork, creativity and problem-solving. Activities like pouring, stirring and scooping also help strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Mud Pies and Leaf Soup
The children have been busy in the Mud Kitchen using compost and leaves to cook up some Michelin star-style dishes. 😆
Using the finest ingredients nature has to offer, they created mud pies with rich compost and tasty soups topped with leaves collected from the trees above.
As simple as it may seem, imaginative play like this helps children build creativity, communication skills and confidence, all while exploring the outdoors and getting wonderfully messy.
We’ll keep you updated with all the other fun activities we get up to this summer, as we continue exploring, creating and making the most of the lovely weather together.
