An overview of the facilitated learning your children will explore at CTW over the next few weeks.

FESTIVAL: St. George's Day (whole nursery)

Children will learn a simple version of St George’s Day through storytelling, sensory play, and creative activities. They will explore colours (red and white), recognise symbols (cross on the flag) and role play dragons and knights

Discoverers:

20th & 27th April - On the Farm

4th & 11th May - In the Jungle

Children will continue to develop their sensory, exploratory and everyday experiences through the topics.  Specifically, children will recognise familiar animals (farm) and new encounters (jungle), explore their sounds and environments and through physical play, children will imitate animal movements (crawling, stomping, running).

Adventurers:

w/c: 20th April - Farm: Horses and Donkeys - Children will look at how horses and donkeys help us (police, carrying heavy loads), and talk about the similarities and differences between them.

w/c: 27th April - Farm: Chickens and Ducks - Children will look at the life cycle of a chicken, watching the eggs hatch and helping to care for the chicks, and talk about where chickens and ducks live.

w/c: 4th May - Aliens Love Underpants & Toilet Training - Children will read the story Aliens Love Underpants and books about toilet training (e.g. Pirate Pete). They will talk about dressing themselves, and role play dressing and using the toilet with dolls.

w/c: 11th May - The Magic Porridge Pot - Children will talk about sharing and turn taking, asking for permission and working together.

Trailblazers (pre-school):

w/c: 20th April - The Gingerbread Man - Children will be completing their half term topic of Traditional Nursery Tales, exploring the stories, role play and associated art work.

w/c: 27th April & May - Around The World - Each week children will explore a different country (closely linked to children's own family heritage). They will develop an awareness that different people live in different places around the world and recognise similarities and differences between cultures as well as build their geographical vocabulary.

The government recently released new guidance for parents on young children's access to screen time.

The main summary states: For children under two, the guidance recommends avoiding screen time other than for shared activities that encourage bonding, interaction and conversation. For two- to five-year-olds, parents are advised to aim for no more than one hour of screen time a day and to keep screens out of mealtimes and the hour before bed.

How do we use screen time at CTW?

We endorse the principles of the guidance as well as recognise that children are growing into a world of technology, which continues to progress at a high pace!  As such, we feel it important to make use of visual media as a learning tool and only where necessary to enhance learning.

Discoverers: children have a daily 10-15 minute singing session using Singing Hands DVDs https://singinghands.co.uk before their lunchtime. The approach is designed to help develop language and communication through songs using Makaton signing. The teachers also model the signing and singing alongside the DVD.  Occasionally, children may watch a two minute clip of something that directly links to their learning.  An example might be watching and listening to a cow 'mooing' that links directly to the topic 'On The Farm.

Adventurers and Trailblazers: children have a daily 30 minute singing session after lunchtime. For those who sleep, their singing session is about 15 minutes.  Some of the session is facilitated using the Singing Hands DVDs, as above, as well as audio only CDs. Occasionally, children will watch a short clip or a 10 minute DVD that directly links to their topic.

In light of the new guidance and for our own initiated interest, we are going to audit the times we've used screen time for learning clips over the Summer and Autumn term.

For more information and DfE blog visit: 

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/new-advice-for-parents-on-screen-time-for-young-children