This week the children were posed a difficult question; Which pet shall we ask for…a deadly Australian Red Back Spider or a collection of Butterflies?…
The children wrote their names and added them to our survey board, the educators were sweating as the poll was counted…luckily the butterflies just about won the day and within 24 hours Thornton Heath Nursery School became the proud custodians of 15 tiny, very hungry Caterpillars.
The children marvelled at the creatures as they grew each day throughout the week, getting fatter and fatter, longer and longer. By Friday some were showing signs of becoming a chrysalis, perhaps by Monday all will be quietly sleeping, getting ready to move on to their next stage in life…not unlike our friends at THNS who are preparing to move on to their primary schools in September.
In honour of our new pets, the children have been creating their own symmetrical butterflies with paint, pen and collage.
In other news, the garden became a bike wash, a snail racing track and a sports field throughout the week. The Summer rains last week have added to the abundance of life in our garden. Blackcurrants, broad beans, runner beans, courgettes, potatoes, beetroot and sunflowers have swamped our beds and climbing trellis. The bumper crop we feared would never come seems to be within our grasp and is literally transforming our garden before the children’s eyes!
Our garden is an Oasis in busy Thornton Heath!
