Sticks, Stories and Super Skills 21st November 2025 Nursery This week in Bumblebees Preschool class, we have been exploring the much loved story of ‘Stick Man’. Our activities included painting stick men, counting and sorting sticks, and in our ‘Funky Fingers’ area, we have been threading beads onto sticks to develop and enhance our fine motor skills.
Remembrance 14th November 2025 Community Nursery On Tuesday, the whole school congregated outside the chapel as an act of remembrance. In the stillness of the moment, our children were quiet, respectful, and deeply thoughtful, embodying the spirit of reflection that this occasion calls for. The chapel, as both a place of worship and a war memorial, provided a poignant backdrop for our community to honour those who gave their lives in service. Our Year 6 pupils led the school and their parents in an incredible assembly about remembrance and the horrors of war. Through poetry recitals that were both powerful and compassionate, they gave voice to themes of sacrifice, resilience, and hope. Their performances displayed maturity well beyond their years and highlighted the critical thinking skills we nurture here at Copthorne. We were deeply proud of all our pupils on Tuesday, particularly our Year 6 children who represented the incredible young people a Copthorne education fosters. Their thoughtful words and performances reminded us that remembrance is not only about looking back, but also about shaping the values of the future. We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all members of the wider Copthorne community who came to support and to pay their respects. Your presence made the occasion even more meaningful, and it is a reminder of how central community is to our school. At Copthorne, community is not just something we value, it is the foundation of everything we do. Whether in moments of reflection, celebration, or learning, it is the strength of our shared community that enriches the experience of every child and family. This act of remembrance was not only a tribute to the past but also a reminder of the legacy we carry forward. By gathering together in reflection, and by listening to the thoughtful words of our Year 6 children, we ensure that the lessons of history continue to shape the values of our school community today.
Creative Reflections for Remembrance Day 14th November 2025 Nursery This week in Bumblebees Pre-School class, we have been exploring the significance of Remembrance Day. We discussed the individuals who care for us, including the soldiers who serve the King. Additionally, we participated in the school’s Remembrance service and created lovely poppy artwork by using apples to print the shape.
Elmer’s Colourful World 14th November 2025 Nursery This week the children in Lower Nursery enjoyed continuing to explore the story Elmer the Patchwork Elephant. Inspired by Elmer’s bright colours, we made our own Elmer milk bottle elephants using lots of colourful tissue paper. The children showed great focus and creativity as they carefully chose and stuck on their colours. To continue our colourful theme, we also made fruit kebabs, talking about all the different colours and shapes we could see. The children loved trying new fruits and describing their favourites — a fun and healthy way to bring the story to life!
Inspired by Elmer, Nursery Celebrate Uniqueness 7th November 2025 Nursery This week in Butterflies Lower Nursery class, our 2–3 year olds have been exploring the wonderful world of Elmer the Elephant! We’ve been learning all about Elmer’s colourful patchwork and the important message that it’s okay to be different. The children enjoyed listening to the story and talking about all the bright colours that make Elmer so special. To celebrate, each child created their very own Elmer masterpiece using paper plates, tissue paper squares, and lots of creativity! They carefully chose their colours, stuck on the pieces, and even added a trunk — just like Elmer’s.
‘Whatever Next’ 7th November 2025 Nursery Bumblebees Pre-School class has been exploring the story of ‘Whatever Next’. In the story, Baby Bear prepares a packed lunch and embarks on a journey to the moon. Additionally, we have been practising spreading butter on our own bread during snack time, as well as cutting it into rectangular and square shapes.
Sharing and Kindness in Nursery 17th October 2025 Nursery This week our youngest pupils in Nursery explored the beloved tale of “The Rainbow Fish,” focusing on the importance of sharing and kindness. The children were captivated by the fish’s journey and how sharing his beautiful scales brought him true happiness. As our activity, they decorated their own fish, talking about their favourite colours and thinking about how they can share with their friends.
Preschool Make Their Own Music 17th October 2025 Nursery Building on our discussion of ‘Five Minutes’ Peace’, we decided to create our own recorders, following Lester’s example in the story. We developed our fine motor skills by peeling stickers and carefully applying them to cardboard tubes. The activity was really enjoyable, and we had the opportunity to demonstrate our new recorders to Mrs Hastilow, Head of Music who was very impressed.
‘Five Minutes Peace’ 10th October 2025 Nursery Our Bumblebees Pre-Schoolers explored the story Five Minutes’ Peace this week, learning about the importance of taking a moment to relax and enjoy some quiet time. Just like Mrs Large in the story, the children practiced empathy and self-care by giving the babies a gentle bath, discovering how calming routines can be. Whilst developing their fine motor skills and concentration, the children also understood the importance of caring for others through this fun activity. Well done everyone!
Butterflies Explore Their Emotions 10th October 2025 Nursery Our lower nursery children have been exploring emotions and colours through the story The Colour Monster! Inspired by the book, the children have been getting hands-on with paint to create their very own colourful monsters. We talked about how each colour can show a different feeling — like blue for sadness, yellow for happiness, and green for calm — and the children loved experimenting with mixing colours to see what new shades they could make. There were lots of smiles and giggles as we used our hands to paint, discovering how colours can blend just like our feelings sometimes.