Our Week at Preschool – Exploring Autumn 🍂
Hello everyone,
We hope you all had a great weekend with family and friends!
This week, our learning has been all about Autumn. The children have been busy exploring, investigating, and creating through a variety of fun, hands-on experiences — celebrating the wonderful sights, sounds, and colours of the season.
Group Time
We shared two lovely stories this week: We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger and I See Fall by Charles Ghigna. The children enjoyed joining in with the actions and talking about all the changes we notice in nature during autumn. This week we met Reggie the Resilient Tortoise. He talked all about being Resilient and keeping on trying. We told him about things we can't do yet and how we are going to keep on trying.
Tuesday
In the morning, we did some bubble painting using autumn colours. The children were fantastic at blowing bubbles and creating beautiful, colourful artwork.
We also went on our very own leaf hunt, just like in the story We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt! We found lots of different coloured autumn leaves — red, yellow, orange, and brown — and collected them to use later.
In the afternoon, we used our leaves to do leaf printing, painting the leaves and pressing them onto paper to make wonderful prints. We also went in small groups to soft play, and had lots of fun playing in the leaves outside — throwing them up in the air, hiding under them, and making big leaf piles together!
Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, we enjoyed a special bonfire snack! The children had hotdogs and hot chocolate, then toasted marshmallows over the fire to make s’mores — they were very yummy!
We had a great time exploring the forest school area, playing in the mud kitchen, on the swings, and in the roundhouse. The children also learned about how to stay safe around a fire, listening carefully and following instructions beautifully.
In the afternoon, we recalled our forest school adventure, talking about what we did, what we liked best, and how we felt. We also played some games in the hall like Duck, duck, pumpkin and guess the musical instrument.
Thursday
On Thursday morning, we used the computers and the programme Purple Mash to colour in leaves. This helped us develop our technology skills, including using the touchpad to move the mouse and change colours.
We also played a turn-taking game in small groups, practising finishing a game and developing our number skills.
In the afternoon, we did some leaf threading using a needle and wool. We went “in and out” and “back and front” with our threading, practising our hand–eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Friday
On Friday morning, we did some conker rolling painting in groups — this was so much fun! The children worked really well as a team and were fascinated by the different patterns the rolling conkers made.
We also went to soft play, where we had lots of active fun with our friends.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed a wonderful trip to Kingston Maurward. We went on a lovely walk around the grounds, noticing all the beautiful autumn colours and spotting lots of nature along the way. We visited the animals, saw some of our favourites up close, and had a great time playing on the outdoor play equipment.
Play and Learning Throughout the Week 🍁
Alongside our special activities, the children have continued to learn through play in the classroom. There has been so much excitement and curiosity as they explored a variety of autumn-themed experiences!
In our vocabulary tray, we explored a collection of autumn objects — naming, signing, and describing them using our senses. The children enjoyed feeling the different textures and talking about what they noticed.
We’ve had lots of fun with imaginative play in both the small world farm scene and the role-play home corner, where the children have been using their real-life experiences in their play. Our bonfire night role-play area has been especially popular — complete with pretend marshmallows, logs, and cosy scarves!
At the Finger Frenzy table, we used scissors to cut up autumn leaves. This has been a fantastic activity for practising our scissor skills, helping the children learn how to hold and control scissors safely and effectively.
The construction area has been as busy as ever, with children building creatively using blocks, Toolo, and transparent shapes.
In the number area, we used different-sized containers such as egg boxes and muffin tins to count conkers, helping to develop our early counting and sorting skills through hands-on play.
We also enjoyed exploring orange playdough with a variety of leaf cutters, which encouraged creativity, fine motor development, and imaginative thinking.
It’s been a fantastic week of autumn adventures, full of new experiences and joyful learning. The children have been amazing — exploring with curiosity, working together, and showing great independence.
📸 Some photos from the week...
Next Week at Preschool 🎆
Next week, we’ll be exploring fireworks and colour!
We have lots of exciting adventures planned, including a trip to the woods, cooking, science experiments, painting using different techniques, and lots more!
On Tuesday, we will be learning about Remembrance Day, helping the children understand its meaning in an age-appropriate way through stories and creative activities.
On Friday, we’ll be joining in with Children in Need — a wonderful opportunity to talk about kindness, helping others, and community.
Home Learning 🏡
Here are some simple activities you can try at home this week:
🌟 Can you recognise your own name?
Look for the letters in your name on signs, books, or toys. See if you can spot it all by yourself!
💪 Can you have a go at something new?
Try a new activity, food, or skill — and talk about how it feels to be Resilient like Reggie, even when something feels tricky at first.
🎲 Can you play a game together?
Board games, turn-taking games, or simple counting games are great for practising sharing, patience, and teamwork.
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
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