This week in nursery we explored a simple version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Shakespeare Week. The children were captivated by the magical woodland setting, mischievous fairies, and enchanting characters, which inspired a week full of imaginative play, creativity, music, and movement.
We began by acting out parts of the story together, encouraging the children to take on different roles. They especially enjoyed using our puppet theatre to retell key parts of the story, developing their confidence in speaking and storytelling while working collaboratively with their friends. They were using the theatre during the week to retell their own stories and sing their own made up songs.
Our outdoor learning took us deep into our own magical “forest”, where the children explored nature using all of their senses. They found a secret box with a hidden message in it. Has it come from the fairies? They collected leaves, flowers, sticks, and natural treasures to create beautiful nature crowns fit for fairy kings and queens. The children also loved making “magic potions” using petals, herbs, water, and mud, engaging in imaginative role play and experimenting with textures, colours, and scents.
In music, the children explored sound using chime bars, experimenting with different notes and rhythms to create their own magical forest music. They listened carefully to pitch and tone and worked together to make simple musical patterns, following the beat.
One of the highlights of the week was visiting the hall for a special barefoot ballet session inspired by the beautiful music of Felix Mendelssohn. The children moved gracefully to the music, pretending to flutter like fairies and creep through the enchanted woods. Dancing barefoot encouraged balance, coordination, and body awareness while helping the children connect physically and emotionally to the music.
It has been a joyful and magical week filled with fairies, storytelling, music, movement, and exploration. The children embraced the wonder of the story and showed fantastic creativity, curiosity, and teamwork throughout all of our activities.
Hope you all have a wonderful half term!
The Nursery Team