We’ve been talking about pets a lot at nursery recently and staff have brought in photos of their own to show the children. This led to lots of interest and requests to bring our pets to nursery. Last week Coco and Luna (Celine’s dogs) popped in for a visit . Today Georgia’s dog Floyd came by to say hello and Naomi brought Basil the tortoise in for the day. Children were very excited and really curious to find out more about Basil. There was lots of talk and discussion about what she looked like and what she felt like. Particularly noticing the different textures of her shell, her scales , her claws and her beak. Many were mesmerised by her and how slowly she moved and by the way she moved her head in and out of her shell for protection. And by how quickly she could eat a blueberry in one go. #eyfs #nursery #keepingitreal #earlylearning #barnetearlyyearsalliance #earlyyearsoutdoors #maintainednurseryschools #knowledgeandunderstandingoftheworld #bringyourpetstoschool

Colour mixing using pipettes and syringes. So much fun was had working out how to squeeze the pipettes and amazing amounts of strength was used to suck up the water and squirt it out using the syringes, the focus held was fascinating to watch! Building all those much needed muscles for writing one day 🖊️ #hampdenwaynursery #barnetearlyyearsalliance #earlywritingskilldevelopment #colourmixing #earlyyears #waterplay

Thank you to all families who came along to our Welcome Wednesday olympics special. The children had spent all afternoon practising all sorts of races and getting the garden ready. So were very excited to come back this evening. It was a really lovely turnout with many families enjoying the early evening sunshine and spending time playing together in the garden. We practised climbing on the climbing wall and the many climbing frames around the garden. Jumped as high s we could on to the crash mat .And practised throwing different sized balls through the basketball hoops . Children all worked incredibly hard to pull the tyres up and down the hill . Which was a real challenge with some of the bigger tyres . Most popular of all was the medal making station . It was lovely to see children enjoying sharing their space with their families . Children always love showing them around . Thank you all again for coming. #eyfs #nursery #keepingitreal #earlylearning #barnetearlyyearsalliance #earlyyearsoutdoors #maintainednurseryschools #olympics #eyfsphysicaldevlopment

Outside mark making! The children requested somewhere to draw outside and were so excited to help transport the tables to under our pirate ship, giving them the opportunity to be creative in an enclosed outdoor space during our weekly ’Wild Day’. They spent hours drawing and talking about the marks they made. We had everything from trains in Greece, to the beach with magic balloons, rainbows, piggy and a cow and the beautiful sunshine and grass! #hampdenwaynursery #barnetearlyyearsalliance #markmaking #earlyyears #outdoorsearlyyears

We are so lucky to have this beautiful wild flower area at nursery. . Spending time outdoors and in nature is not just fun for children — it’s also necessary. Research shows that children who play outside are happier, better at paying attention and less anxious than children who spend more time indoors. It can have such a positive affect on children’s mental health and well being. . Imagine how it would feel to walk through and hide amongst flowers taller than you - just magical! . #eyfs #childledplay #earlyyearsoutdoors #keepingitreal #earlylearning #barnetearlyyearsalliance #eyfsoutdoors #outdoorplay #outdoorlearning #forestschoolideas #themagicofchildhood #eytagteam #maintainednurseryschools #forestschool #forestschoolactivities #earlyyearsoutdoors #hyggeintheearlyyears #wildflowers #childrenswellbeing #childrensmentalhealth

Water play #eyfs #nursery #earlyyearsoutdoors #keepingitreal #earlylearning #barnetearlyyearsalliance #outdoorplay #earlyyearsoutdoors #eytagteam #maintainednurseryschools #eyfsoutdoors #childrenscentre #waterplay #eyfsoutdoors #earlyyearsoutdoors #themagicofchildhood #theirplaytheirway #childledlearning #eytagteam #waterplayideas #outdoorwaterplay #sensoryplay

Wild days, slow days, the best days. . #eyfs #childledplay #earlyyearsoutdoors #keepingitreal #earlylearning #barnetearlyyearsalliance #eyfsoutdoors #outdoorplay #outdoorlearning #forestschoolideas #themagicofchildhood #eytagteam #maintainednurseryschools #forestschool #forestschoolactivities #earlyyearsoutdoors #hyggeintheearlyyears #wildflowers #childrenswellbeing #childrensmentalhealth #earlyreading #denbuilding #bubbles

Keeping cool Hampden Way style! #eyfs #nursery #education #earlyyears #earlyyearsideas #keepingitreal #earlylearning #playbasedlearning #learning #play #barnetearlyyearsalliance #eytagteam #learningenvironment #childhood #pretendplay #themagicofchildhood #imaginativeplay #looseparts #loosepartsplay #outdoorlooseparts #waterplay #outdoorwaterplay #earlyyearsoutdoors #outdoorplay #eyfsoutdoors #waterplayideas

The pure joy experienced today summed up by the words of a four year old, ‘It’s been a big day!’ Yes, there may be the odd misplaced item of clothing or child now wearing the wrong shorts but the memories made today will last forever. Huge thank you to every member of staff that worked so hard to make today so wonderful. . #eyfs #nursery #education #earlyyears #earlyyearsideas #keepingitreal #earlylearning #playbasedlearning #learning #play #barnetearlyyearsalliance #eytagteam #learningenvironment #childhood #pretendplay #themagicofchildhood #imaginativeplay #looseparts #loosepartsplay #outdoorlooseparts #waterplay #outdoorwaterplay #earlyyearsoutdoors #outdoorplay #eyfsoutdoors #waterplayideas

Wishing the very best to all our children moving onto school and wishing all our families a wonderful summer. We hope you enjoyed the party and the leavers video. We would also like to thank you all for your support, kind words and generous gifts, they are always appreciated. THANK YOU! With love from us all at Hampden Way XXX . #eyfs #nursery #education #earlyyears #barnetearlyyearsalliance #eyfsoutdoors #maintainednurseryschool #eytagteam #nurserycommunity #community #schoolleavers #nurseryleavers

And we are back! It has been so lovely to see our returning children getting stuck into their play and a warm welcome to our new children and families joining us this term. Let the adventures begin! #eyfs #education #earlyyears #earlyyearsideas #barnetearlyyearsalliance #keepingitreal #community #maintainednurseryschools #eytagteam #mothersday #parentpartnership #nurserycommunity #freeplay #learningthroughplay #psed

We’ve been painting, printing and washing tyres in the garden. Why is this important? Large-scale mark making is important in early childhood development as it engages the whole body, helping children develop hand strength, balance, coordination, and core strength. By using large movements to create marks, children activate not only the small muscles in their hands and fingers but also larger muscle groups in the arms, shoulders, and torso. All of this builds the motor skills necessary for later writing. It’s also lots of fun! #eyfs #nursery #earlyyears #barnetearlyyearsalliance #eytagteam @eytagteam #finemotorskills #finemotor #handeyecoordination #maintainednurseryschools #finemotorideas #preschoolideas #earlyyearsideas #physicaldevelopment #boyswriting #earlywriting #markmaking #markmakingideas #outdoorplay #earlyyearsoutdoors #looseparts #learningthroughplay