This week in nursery, the children have experienced provocations. Provocations provoke thoughts, discussions, questions, interests, creativity and ideas. They can also expand on a thought, project, idea and interest. Provocations can be as simple as a photo of a rock sculpture next to some pebbles or as elaborate as a table with an assortment of recycled materials next to a book on robots and resources to make upcycled robots. Often though, provocations are simple and displayed beautifully to provoke interest. This is an aspect taken from the Reggio Emilio approach. Provocations can come in many forms. In nursery, we have seen lovely plates with dolly pegs and buttons, perfume bottles and beautiful shells. Some of the pupils have been using the dolly pegs as people, they have been attaching them together and others have been making patterns with the pegs and buttons. The perfume bottles have provided much discussion about the shape and size of the bottles, swapping lids and using them in various other roleplay activities. Ultimately, the intention of provocations is to provide an invitation for children to explore and express themselves. It should be open-ended and provide a means for expression where possible. The pupils can also take a bedtime story from the selection in the cloakroom. You can take them as frequently as your child wants. There are red and blue book bags available in the cloakroom to carry the books in too. We hope everyone has a lovely half term holiday