This week was Nursery Rhyme Week, and we celebrated it using our magic bag full of familiar props, prompts and lots of singing and rhyming.

Choosing items, remembering rhymes and joining in together supports early language, confidence and social skills.

Nursery rhymes also boost vocabulary, strengthen early literacy and numeracy skills, and help children develop social, physical and emotional skills — all wrapped up in simple, joyful songs.

The wet weather brought brilliant learning too. Children explored water in every form the woods could offer: noticing patterns in puddles, watching fast-flowing water, navigating the rising burn and observing rain dripping from branches. These simple moments support early scientific thinking, help children understand cause and effect, and build confidence in managing themselves in changing weather.

Because of the work happening in the woods, we’ve been spending more time in some of our other favourite places — the Bendy Tree, the “spider web” and the Badger — letting the children decide where they wanted to explore. Moving through different spaces in the woods naturally brings different learning opportunities, including the discovery of some “buried treasure” under an X made with sticks! 

Climbing, hiding, imagining and moving through these natural spaces builds balance, coordination, problem-solving and teamwork.

A week filled with songs, puddles, climbing and imagination — all the things that make learning outdoors so special!

Next time you’re outside, see if you can spot natural shapes that look like letters — an X made by crossing sticks, a Y-shaped branch, or an O in a puddle.

It’s a simple way to build early pattern-spotting and visual awareness, and helps children see how shapes and letters appear naturally in the world around them.

As the days shorten and the light turns golden, last week’s play had a distinctly autumnal feel. Hallowe’en was a strong theme — there were pumpkins to scoop, potions to mix, and wands to wave — but as always, nature provided most of what we needed.

Wands appeared not from plastic tubs but from sticks and stems of bracken, chosen carefully for their shape and texture.

Potion-making invited exploration of all sorts of textures and sensations — slippery, squishy, gloopy and sparkly — as children mixed and experimented with great seriousness.

We kept an old Scottish tradition alive too — dooking for apples and, with a more modern nod, scooping pumpkins rather than turnips!

We explored a different area of the woods this week, and the children immediately noticed how the new space offered fresh possibilities for play and challenge. The slope, the trees, and the uneven ground invited climbing, balancing, and adventure — from stamping through the burn to testing balance on an old mossy wall and fallen logs. Each new feature of the landscape brought fresh opportunities for movement, imagination, and joy.

For all the bright colours and shop-bought sparkle of Hallowe’en, what truly captured the children’s attention were nature’s own displays — fungi bursting through the woodland floor, golden leaves, glistening webs and tree reflections shimmering in the puddles.

It reminds us that seasonal celebrations don’t have to be about what we buy or add — they can be about what we notice and create together. There’s plenty of magic to be found outdoors if we know where to look.

When children play under the trees, they are surrounded by shifting light, movement, and sound. Their senses are sharpened as they notice what rustles, glimmers, or glows. The natural world already holds all the ingredients for wonder — and that’s the kind of Hallowe’en we love best.

So as we move from October into the darker months ahead, we’ll keep following the children’s lead — finding enchantment not in decorations, but in discovery. After all, a puddle that reflects the trees can be just as magical as any crystal ball.

Next time you’re outdoors take a moment to notice the changes autumn brings. Look for fungi, glistening webs, or reflections in puddles, and talk about what you see. These small moments of noticing help children tune in to nature’s quiet magic.

After weeks of sunshine, the rain has returned — and with it, new rhythms for us all. Waterproofs back on, puddles underfoot, and lunch eaten under the tarpaulin while the rain poured off the edges. For the children, this wasn’t just shelter — it was an experience of sound, pattern, and comfort, as we listened to the steady beat of water above us.

Learning about time and seasons : Our numeracy focus this term is time. Children have been singing the days of the week song, joining in at different moments and beginning to understand that days always follow in the same order. Out in the woods, they notice how the weather changes from one day to the next — spotting toadstools that seem appear overnight, berries ripening, and leaves starting to turn yellow and beginning to fall. This is how children learn about “yesterday, today, and tomorrow” in a way that is real and meaningful: by seeing the seasons change around them.

Learning through movement : Our health and wellbeing focus is physical health and activity. On the woodland path we played “Red Light, Green Light,” listening carefully before running and then stopping suddenly. Afterwards, we felt our hearts beating faster, one child said “it’s popping” as she described her heart beat. Climbing trees, running, or stretching into a yoga pose all build coordination, strength, agility, and awareness of how our bodies feel when we are active.

Learning through rhythm and rhyme : Sometimes people imagine that “real learning” only happens indoors, with books and worksheets. But in the woods, learning is alive.

Children see, feel, and question the passing of time. They learn about their bodies through action and rest. They build early reading skills through song, rhyme, and shared stories. And they do all of this in ways that are meaningful, joyful, and connected to the world around them.

Ideas to try at home

Weather chat: Ask “What’s the weather today?” and notice how it feels outside. Stop–Go game: Play “Red Light, Green Light” — or swap the colours for silly words. Rhyme time: Share a nursery rhyme, clapping or stomping along to the beat. Season spotting: Look for signs of autumn — berries, seeds, or leaves changing colour.

As we settle back into nursery life, the children are quickly finding their rhythm again — sharing snack outdoors, walking familiar woodland paths, and noticing how the world around them has changed over the summer. Autumn is edging in, and the woods are full of treasures: berries shining on branches, acorns scattered underfoot, and of course the first ripe brambles along the path.

The children have been busy tasting the brambles, adding them to snack and lunch, and discovering what else they can do — squashing them into paint, mixing them into playdough, and dyeing their hands deep purple. Such playful experiments help children learn that nature’s harvest provides food, colour, and materials to explore feeding both their bodies and imagination.

Yesterday also brought another discovery: peas ready to pick from the walled garden. The children helped pick them and tasted them at lunch, learning that the food we eat can be gathered directly from plants growing nearby.

This term our planning is guided by Climate Action (SDG 13). For young children, climate action begins with noticing: noticing the weather, noticing what grows around them, noticing how the seasons shape our play and our food. Each small act — from tasting a bramble to shelling a pea — helps children build curiosity and care for the natural world.

Through these early autumn adventures, children are:

• Building sensory awareness — taste, texture, colour, smell.

• Learning how plants grow and change with the seasons.

• Beginning to see that food and materials come from nature, not just shops.

• Discovering that caring means taking only what we need and leaving plenty for birds and animals too 💕

Ideas for Home : These ideas don’t need special ingredients or trips out — they’re just simple ways to notice and explore together:

• Berry colours: If you have fruit at home, squash one on a plate or paper and notice the colour it makes.

• Weather chat: On the walk to nursery or school, ask “Is today a sunglasses day or a wellies day?”

• Noticing plants: Next time you’re outdoors, look for something with berries, flowers, or seeds. Even if you don’t know its name, just noticing the colours and shapes together is enough.

After weeks of glorious sunshine, this week brought a shift — back to classic Scottish weather, with rain, grey skies and resulting soggy boots.

The forecast for Thursday in particular promised a full day of rain — and it delivered! Nevertheless we packed the trolley, waterproofed up, and headed to the woods. And, despite the wet forecast which promised us mud, puddles, and downpours — we also got something much more.

We visited our Bendy Tree site where some children immediately remembered playing in their “house.” Their “house” quickly turned into a “party house”, complete with cake, presents (Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and even a peanut butter machine. Our children (and grown ups) splashed through the burn, climbed slippery slopes (and slid back down again), made cakes out of mud and even discovered a frog hiding in a hollow (we made him his own special cake).

Later, someone passing by remarked — a little surprised — “You’re not out in this weather are you?” And it reminded me again: if we let the forecast decide for us, imagine all we’d miss.

At Cambusbarron Village Nursery, we believe children don’t flourish in spite of the weather — they flourish through it. In downpours and in sunshine, in laughter and challenge, in all the messy, marvellous moments that nature offers.

So here’s to the splashers, the puddle jumpers, the slope sliders, the ones who find joy even before the sun comes out. Here’s to flourishing — in all weathers.