Our Week at Preschool – Spiders
Hello everyone,
We hope you all had a lovely weekend with family and friends.
This week has been full of excitement, curiosity and hands-on learning. Our theme took us on a wonderful journey exploring Spiders, and the children have been incredible explorers, creators and thinkers throughout.
Group Time
This week we shared the stories Spinderella by Julia Donaldson and Spider Sandwich.
We also enjoyed some rhyming stories — Big Pig, Shark in the Park and Toad on the Road. The children are beginning to understand the concept of rhyme and are noticing words that sound the same. It has been lovely hearing them offer their own ideas for rhyming words. Have a go at spotting rhymes at home!
We also spent time with Reggie the Resilient Tortoise, talking about what it means to keep trying. The children shared things they can’t do yet and came up with lots of brilliant ideas about how they can keep practising.
Monday
We started the week with some Christmas cooking in the kitchen — a special surprise to bring home at Christmas! We followed a recipe, did lots of mixing and used plenty of dried fruit.
In the afternoon, we went to soft play in small groups. We also made spider webs using paper plates, wool and a needle — the children were great at threading.
We created fizzy spiders using bicarbonate of soda, food colouring and water, making sure to put the correct number of legs on each side. We learned that spiders have 8 legs, then popped them into the freezer ready for Tuesday’s experiment.
Tuesday
We had our third Kickboxing session on Tuesday morning. We went on an adventure and continued practising our guard and stance. We did bear crawling and balanced along a rope and bench.
In the afternoon, we carried out our fizzing spider experiment. Using pipettes, we added vinegar to our frozen spiders. We made predictions, observed the reactions and practised our pincer grip skills as we squeezed the pipettes.
Wednesday
One group of children visited the local care home for songs, a story and some cakes — a lovely intergenerational moment for everyone.
Another group spent time in the kitchen making more Christmas cooking to bring home. We followed a recipe, mixed our ingredients and used lots of dried fruit.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed a calming Relax Kids session with Sian. We loved using the parachute to play games such as the washing machine and popcorn, followed by some peaceful peer massage.
Thursday
A group of children continued with Christmas cooking in the kitchen.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed time playing outside before using Purple Mash on the computers to colour our own spiders. We also created edible spiders to bring home! The children practised their scissor skills and made sure to add the correct number of legs on each side. We hope you liked them.
Friday
On Friday, more children had the chance to do their Christmas cooking.
In the afternoon, we headed to soft play and had a brilliant time climbing, sliding and exploring.
Play & Learning Throughout the Week
Objects Beginning with ‘P’
We explored a tray of objects beginning with the P sound — naming, signing and describing them using our senses. Lots of fantastic observing and talking!
Imaginative Play
The forest friends small world has been very popular — a woodland Lego scene with spiders, bees, ladybirds, mushroom people and flowers.
Our home corner and bonfire night role-play areas have also been a big hit. Children roasted pretend marshmallows, wrapped up in cosy scarves and created their own bonfire stories.
Fine Motor Fun
At the Finger Frenzy table, the children used different tweezers to rescue spiders from the web — super fine motor practice!
Construction Area
Builders have been busy all week. Using blocks, magnetic tiles (on Monday and Friday) and foam connecting shapes, the children created all sorts of imaginative structures.
Number Play
We discovered lots of different coloured and sized worms in the compost. The children used rulers to measure them and explored the language shortest and longest. We also sorted them by size and colour.
Playdough Creations
Using playdough, plastic sticks, googly eyes, insect props, tools and gems, the children made all sorts of wonderful models — including plenty of insects and spiders!
At the painting easel, we were busy painting spiders too.
📸 Some photos from the week…
Next Week at Preschool 🎆
Next week, we will be beginning all our lovely Christmas adventures!
We’ll be decorating our surprise Christmas cooking, doing Christmas printing, taking trips to see the Christmas decorations, and creating decorations for our preschool Christmas tree at the St George's Church Christmas Tree Festival.
We will also be sharing the story ** Dear Santa **.
Home Learning 🏡
Here are some simple, fun activities you can try at home this week:
🔺 Go on a Shape Hunt
Take a walk around your home and see how many different shapes you can find. What shapes can your child spot?
📚 Share a Rhyming Story
Enjoy reading together and listening for words that sound the same. Can your child hear the rhyme?
🤸 Balance Challenge
Can you hop on one leg? How long can you balance for?
You can apply for a reception place from 1 September 2025.
The closing date for applications is 15 January 2026.
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/starting-school-for-the-first-time
On Wednesday POWSA have their monthly catchup from 7.30pm in the Main school staff room. Everyone welcome.
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