Once Upon A Time
The house from the story of Hansel and Gretel


Fairy tales is a topic we love doing with every new group. Not only do we believe that stories are vital in every culture- and, therefore, also a good opportunity to look at different traditions- but is such a vast topic that it simply covers every aspect of the curriculum.

It doesn’t take the children long to discover the magical language of fairy tales and they love joining in with the sayings and spells. They begin to be aware of the structure of stories and the main characters, which they incorporate into their complex role play, where their vocabulary reflects the breadth of their experiences.

Their imaginative play is bursting with ideas and extensions of Goldilocks, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and many more. We have dens and castles, forests and balls, all in one room in one day.



In the construction and art area, castles are being built out of a wide range of materials and there are a high number of dragons, wolves and princesses, on paintings and drawings.

Many fairy tales are a fantastic source for developing mathematical language and learning about sequences and sizes. How many beds were in the house of the bears? Were the bears huge, big and small….?

We will grow some magic beans, just like Jack and look at how plants grow. Spring is just around the corner. The evenings grow lighter and, as the magpies return to the tree outside our window to rebuild their nest, we celebrate the Spring festivals of Chinese New Year and Easter with lanterns and rats, chocolate nests, an Easter Egg hunt and a host of golden daffodils.
building castles