Welcome to our Nursery blog ...

In our spacious, inviting nursery, we work hard to offer a nurturing and supportive learning environment for the children to thrive and grow. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, emphasising the characteristics of effective learning.

This approach fosters a love of learning and provides challenges linked closely to developmentally age-appropriate experience. We strive to create an environment where the children feel confident exploring and discovering new things. We have weekly forest school activities and constant access to a large, safe outdoor space and an all-weather area. Our excellent cook cooks all meals daily on-site.

As a Nursery, we understand that all children are unique and understand the importance of following their individual interests.

We are set just outside the beautiful village of Blisland, 10 mins from Bodmin town centre.

As a smaller setting, we can only offer ten places per year group, which ensures a very high level of interaction with adults and quality education for your child while they are with us. We are very family-oriented and have strong community connections.

We can offer places to children from the age 2yrs and offer 3yrs funding and 30-hour funding; more information can be found here: www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare

Morning sessions are from 8.50 am - 12 cost £17.70

Lunch is available from 12-1 pm at £5.90 plus meal cost or a home-packed lunch.

The afternoon session would be from 12-3 pm at £ 17.70 plus meal cost or home-packed lunch.

All day session 8.50 am - 3 pm £35.40 plus the meal or home-packed lunch.

We are offering a fourth session free if you pay for 3. It can be just mornings or a full day.  Your equivalent 4th session would be free, saving a max of £35.40

We are very flexible with hours and days, so please feel free to ring for more information.

We can offer afterschool care from 3.15 - 4.15 pm for £5.80, including snacks.

We also run a parent and toddler group, ' Twiglets', on a Wednesday morning from 9 am to 11 am, where you can come along to stay and play and meet new people, have a coffee and get a feel for what we are all about; this runs weekly in term time and its free. Bump to 4yrs.     Weekly information is also available on our Twiglets Facebook page.

Following our nursery blog, which we hope to publish weekly, will allow us to inform you through words and pictures how we promote your child’s learning in the nursery. It is also a great way for you to discuss with your child at home what they have been doing each week.

Kind regards,

Reading

Reading is one of the most important things we do in Kensa Class and we encourage all children to participate in reading activities at home at least 4 x per week. For children in Year Reception, this might be simply sharing a bedtime story together. Please record any activities you do in your child's reading record - this helps to ignite a love of reading from a young age. Inside the children’s book bag, you will also find a ‘reading for pleasure’ book. These are books chosen by your child, for you to read to them at home. We will change these over every Monday but you are very welcome to swap them yourself at any time during the week. The books can be found in the reading for pleasure box in the children’s cloakroom.

Welcome to our Nursery blog ...

In our spacious, inviting nursery, we work hard to offer a nurturing and supportive learning environment for the children to thrive and grow. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, emphasising the characteristics of effective learning.

This approach fosters a love of learning and provides challenges linked closely to developmentally age-appropriate experience. We strive to create an environment where the children feel confident exploring and discovering new things. We have weekly forest school activities and constant access to a large, safe outdoor space and an all-weather area. Our excellent cook prepares all meals daily on-site.

As a Nursery, we understand that all children are unique and understand the importance of following their individual interests.

We are set just outside the beautiful village of Blisland, 10 mins from Bodmin town centre.

As a smaller setting, we can only offer ten places per year group, which ensures a very high level of interaction with adults and quality education for your child while they are with us. We are very family-oriented and have strong community connections.

We can offer places to children from the age 2yrs and offer 3yrs funding and 30-hour funding; more information can be found here: www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare

Morning sessions are from 8.50 am - 12 cost £16.80

Lunch is available from 12-1 pm at £5.60 plus meal cost or a home-packed lunch.

The afternoon session would be from 12-3 pm at £ 16.80 plus meal cost or home-packed lunch.

All day session 8.50 am - 3 pm £33.60 plus the meal or home-packed lunch.

We are offering a fourth session free if you pay for 3. It can be just mornings or a full day.  Your equivalent 4th session would be free, saving a max of £33.60

We are very flexible with hours and days, so please feel free to ring for more information.

We can offer after-school care from 3.15 - 4.15 pm for £5.00, including snacks.

We also run a parent and toddler group, ' Twiglets,' on Wednesday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. You can come along to stay and play, meet new people, have a coffee, and get a feel for what we are all about; this runs weekly in term time and is free. Bump to 4yrs. Weekly information is also available on our Twiglets Facebook page.

Following our nursery blog, which we hope to publish weekly, will allow us to inform you through words and pictures how we promote your child’s learning in the nursery. It is also a great way for you to discuss with your child at home what they have been doing each week.

Kind regards,

Julie Pearce and the Storytellers team. 

As we near the end of another wonderful year at Storytellers, we celebrated with a circus-themed day; the children all looked fantastic as they arrived as an array of clowns, acrobats and strong men! The children thoroughly enjoyed the large inflatable Circus, which housed a side, ball pool, obstacle course, and air shots. We had a delicious party lunch with a fabulous fruit elephant created by our clever cook, Sam!

A day full of laughter in the sunshine….what a perfect way to end the year.

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SATS Superstars

We are incredibly proud of our year six pupils who have had their SATS results this week. We have worked extremely hard in school and in after school club. Each pupil was set their own targets and they put their all into achieving it. The process of setting high expectations and working hard towards it - with all the ups and downs - will set them up perfectly for the next stage of their learning journey. It is an absolute pleasure to see them succeed and all of us at Blisland Primary are extremely proud of each one them.

Storytellers have made the most of the weather this week and enjoyed adventuring outside. Mud pie making, setting sail with pirates and driving to the shops were just a few of the adventures they have been on! We have also been practising for sports day, and everyone is getting rather good at the egg and spoon race ….

Sports Day 2024.

Despite the weather's best efforts yesterday, we all had an exhilarating afternoon in the sunshine. The unexpected weather challenges only brought us closer, making Sports Day 2024 a testament to our community's resilience. We couldn't be prouder of the children, who showed remarkable teamwork, encouraged each other, and took care of their younger peers. It was a joy to witness!

The Duck race provided the usual year six mayhem as 400 ducks were released down the river to be caught by a very brave Mr Smith, who proceeded to get slightly wet! Hopefully, our duck catchers have all dried off!

We had some delighted prize winners! Thanks to the PTFA and everyone who supported them by donating food, setting up, clearing away, serving ice cream, and running the Tombola. We appreciate everything you all do, and it’s an integral part of our little community school!

As a school community, you raised a fantastic £700 with the PTFA, which goes towards providing enrichment opportunities over the coming year … That is one of the highest amounts ever raised on sports day.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who sponsored us: Tesco, Asda Bodmin, Morrison’s, The Old Inn, The Westberry Hotel, Bodmin Nursery, Rowes, Dole Fruit, Lappa Valley, The National Trust, Bodmin Wenford Railway, Bowood Golf Club, Trelawney Garden Center, and all our parents. Your support has made a significant difference to our school community.

Summer term 2

Well the fine weather is finally here! What a packed Summer Term we have.

PGL

Nessa class have recently returned from a hugely successful trip to Barton Hall. The residential was packed with activities: high ropes, climbing, archery, rifle shooting, aeroball and raft building to name a few. We were blessed with perfect weather and the children had a trip to remember!

Awful Auntie

On Friday we are off to the theater to see Awful Auntie - what an end to the week. 

Aquarium

Kensa class visited Plymouth Aquarium last week. They came back full of facts and ideas about the underwater world.

Cricket

Next week we are visiting Summerset Cricket Ground to watch a county game.

Mountain bike club

This half term we have been running an mountain bike club at Lanhydrock. We began by shredding the green family trails before progressing to the technical blue trails. All the pupils have made fantastic progress. We have even attacked the skill track where there are drops and jumps. A huge thank you to the parent helpers who have transported the bikes and children as well as joining us on the trails.

War Hammer club

Mr Coates has been running a War Hammer club this term. Pupils have been making and painting models as well as learning how to play the game. Thank you Mr Coates for volunteering your time to give our pupils this unique opportunity.

Insect topic

In Kensa class pupils have been studying insects. As part of this topic pupils have: been on a bug hunt, created bug environments and made bug art. In the classroom there are live caterpillars who are moving through there life-cycle. Our young scientists are observing the changes daily.

Ancient Greece




SATS

Throughout the year, several trips and experiences are planned into the seven areas of learning to help the children broaden their knowledge by exposing them to things they may not encounter. These experiences enhance the children’s awareness by seeing real-life examples of what they have been learning; the children gain a deeper understanding of the topic, increasing their motivation to learn and retain the information. We focus heavily on our local environment, with trips and walks around the local community, which is why our visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligan was a fantastic experience for the Storytellers as they were able to see lots of the things they have been learning about on a far grander scale: beehives, sculptures, conservation, unique colours within the world of plants and lots of rare breed animals. This language-rich experience is essential and also fun which is always at the heart of everything we do. It is our role as a setting to help the children experience the awe and wonder of the world in which they live, and what a pleasure it is to be able to do that with these fantastic little people 

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At Storytellers, we have been outside enjoying the sunshine while learning about various habitats for the minibeasts that we have been looking at resonantly. The children each picked a mini beast and set to work, making it a house. This involved lots of fine motor skills as they assembled their little homes.

Through our dedicated efforts in caring for minibeasts and other animals, we are instilling in the children a deep sense of respect and care for all creatures. This hands-on exploration of the natural world they inhabit is a testament to our commitment to their holistic development.

It's good to develop children’s knowledge of the natural world they live in.

Over time, the children will develop the skills to talk about what plants and insects need to grow and how they change.

We have been learning to take care of small creatures, hold them without damaging them, and know that we must always place them back where they found them.

We feel it’s really important to encourage our children’s curiosity about the natural world, for they will be the next generation safeguarding the future of our planet. Minibeasts, in particular, play a vital role in nature, and our children love to learn about how bees pollinate our plants, ladybirds eat the pests on our crops, and worms help to keep our soil healthy.

Lifecycles form an important part of this project, and we have our own class caterpillars. This gives the children a chance to watch their very own hungry caterpillars grow and turn into beautiful butterflies, which we’ll release in the nursery grounds.

The world of mini-beasts is amazing. There is always something new to learn, so we’ll be putting on our sunhats and sun cream, packing our binoculars and magnifying glasses, and setting off to explore the incredible tiny world that’s all around us over the coming weeks!

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Life Cycle of a Butterfly.

This half term, we are delving into the fascinating world of animal life cycles. The children were overjoyed when a small box arrived in the nursery today. Inside were five tiny caterpillars! We dove into some nonfiction books that revealed intriguing facts about caterpillars and butterflies. 

 We talked about the life cycle of our caterpillars and what we may see next. The children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the process and used some wonderful new vocabulary that we had been learning. The children made their own wonderful pictures of the butterflies' life cycle and decided where to place them in class so they could watch and wait patiently for the changes to happen.

  Watching the caterpillars change into chrysalises and then emerge as butterflies in the coming weeks is a fantastic opportunity for our children to learn more about the natural world around them.

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Storytellers made the most of their surroundings while visiting Restormel Castle, immersing themselves in magical tales of princesses and knights fighting off naughty dragons within the spectacular castle's grounds. 

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Storytellers have been learning about castles this week alongside their topic of ‘Traditional Tales’. They thoroughly enjoyed today's trip to Restormel Castle and saw all the different features we have been learning about. We climbed up the steep steps to see the view that soldiers had when looking for enemies. We found out about the worn armour, and we went into the kitchen and dressing room area to see how the king and his family lived. The children loved to see the features of a castle in real life!

Some children had never been to a castle before, and they were impressed by its sheer size. They enjoyed feeling the cold, hard stone and uneven walls and could relate the castle to the different pictures they had seen in the books we had been reading. They looked at specific features, such as the enormous windows, fireplaces, and drawbridge area over the moat, which proved very exciting as they checked for baddies. They all enjoyed exploring the grounds and looking at the information boards.

Storytellers had great fun searching for Easter treats and then happily sharing them in class so everyone had the same amount. Watching them help each other find the eggs and happily share is a pure joy and an essential aspect of their early education, which they are all flourishing in.
Happy Easter from everyone at Storytellers.

 During the last week of the Spring term, Storytellers read “Poppy and Sam’s Easter Egg Hunt” by Sam Taplin. The story explored the fun themes of hidden Easter egg shapes and encountering various springtime animals. Storytellers then began to explore the real meaning of celebrating Easter, learning that Easter Sunday is not just the day we all enjoy chocolate eggs but is traditionally part of the Easter Story. The children visited Blisland Church to place the Easter garden they had made; they were greeted by The Revd Robin Thwaites, who kindly took the time to speak with the children, starting by explaining when Jesus died, his body was put in a tomb, and a big stone was placed over the entrance so nobody could get in. Two days later, Jesus's friend Mary went to the tomb and discovered that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus's body was gone. At first, Mary was sad, who had taken her friend? But then she heard a voice, she turned around and saw Jesus, he was alive! Mary ran off to tell Jesus's friends he'd come back to life. The children grappled with the child-friendly version of the story and explored the various traditions surrounding Holy Week.

We couldn’t have been prouder of them as they listened intently and were keen to ask questions and contribute to the conversation.  

Within our EYFS curriculum, the children learn about special times for family and friends and special times of year for other people.  Therefore, throughout the year in Storytellers, we learn how people of different faiths celebrate their special festivals. 

Alternative Sports

Blisland sent 6 of our finest athletes over to Looe for an alternative sports day. The children competed in: ultimate frizbee, seqway races, fencing and street surfing. Our pupils showed fantastic attitudes and team work. We are delighted with our 2nd place overall. 

A huge thank you to Looe for hosting and organising the event. 

Spring Term 2

Cross country
Our athletes have been training hard this term - building up to the 5k Landrake run. We have trained for the distance and braved the wind and rain to complete the distance at Sibley Back Lake. A huge thank you to Mr Jones for organising and supporting our pupils.  

Bike club
After the Easter holidays we will be starting a bike club a Lanhydrock. The club will run for 5 weeks and start at 3:45pm. If you are interested please contact the secretary showing your interest. 

Mrs Chalkley
Last week we said goodbye to the fabulous Mrs Chalkley. After a decade at the school, it is impossible to quantify her impact. We will greatly miss her but are very excited for her next adventure in Yorkshire. We gave her a fitting send off: flowers, cake and a wonderful painting to remember us by. Mrs Chalkley gifted us a fabulous poetry book with one poem for every day of the year.

Trumpet
We have finished 11 weeks of trumpet lessons in KS2. Mr Jones has done an incredible job of teaching with all pupils able to read music and play along to a Mexican Samba. Keep you eyes peeled for the video on BridgeTube.

Easter Fayre
This Thursday is our Easter Fayre. We are extremely grateful to the PTA for organising this. Please come along and show your support. 

Farm and Country Day
Last week KS2 attended the farm and country day at Wadebridge Showground. We had a wonderful day making pasties, eggy bread and tacos whilst learning about food production in the local area.