All of a sudden, we are in the final term of the year. Most of our Blackbirds will be moving up to Seagulls in September. The children are very excited about moving up, and we have been visiting the Seagulls room in small groups to get the children used to the space. Children have started visiting their new nest spaces and having snack time in there at the end of the day. There have also been lots of opportunities for the children to play with their new key person in the garden.  

Some staff are being trained to support children’s oral health with ‘Big Brush Club’. The children have enjoyed playing with the big teeth, brushing them with toothbrushes and toothpaste. This has opened conversations about the importance of keeping our teeth clean.   

We have been keeping cool in the hot weather with lots of water play. The children loved having the hose attached to the cascading water tray and watching leaves floating down with the water. We took some water jugs and cups into the garden and encouraged the children to stay hydrated. We also sat in the shade and shared ice lollies on the hottest days. The hot weather gave us the opportunity to explore the concept of temperature. We froze different items in coloured water, which encouraged the children to think critically about how to melt the ice and release the objects inside.  

Our forest sessions have continued to be wonderful. The stamina of our Blackbirds is really increasing, and we have been able to walk further and explore new footpaths. We found a new space with a huge den, and a rope swing. Some of our Blackbirds were hanging from the rope swing, which is a great work out for their arm and shoulder muscles.  

We have been exploring colour in lots of fun ways this term. We sprinkled bicarbonate of soda onto a large piece of card and dropped coloured vinegar onto it. The result was a foaming colourful mixture, which captivated the children. They spent long periods of time squeezing the vinegar out of the pipettes and watching the reaction. We have explored powder paint in lots of fun ways. Mixing it with water, blowing it around and sprinkling it onto paper. One of the Blackbirds wanted to add cinnamon into the powder paint, which resulted in a sweet-smelling colourful powder. It has been wonderful to see the Blackbirds exploring new possibilities and coming up with their own ideas.  

We have marked Windrush day by playing with small world boats, mark making on postcards and listening to steel pan music. Many of our families also celebrated Eid al-Adha this term, and the children have been delighted to share the different ways they celebrated with us.  

The raspberries have done very well in our garden, and some of the Blackbirds went on an adventure to pick some for snack time. They tasted absolutely delicious.

Two of our key people in Blackbirds are leaving us at the end of term. Danielle and Naomi have made some wonderful relationships with their key children and families. We will miss them lots and we wish them all the best.

Thank you all for your contributions to Blackbirds this year. It has been a pleasure to get to know you and a privilege to look after your children. Have a wonderful summer!

Best wishes from Alex and the whole team, Danielle, Naomi, Laurie, Antonia, Natasha, Maddy, Zoe, Helen, Gemma and Lou.

I would like to say a massive thank you to the Blackbirds team for the incredible work they have done with the children this year. It’s wonderful to see the progress they have made and how they are ready and excited for their new adventures in September. For those of you moving to Seagulls in September, I hope you have had a chance to meet your new Key Person. If you would like to ask any questions or find out more about the move to Seagulls, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your new Key Person or speak to myself, Laura (Deputy Headteacher) and Emma (Sendco).