Owl Babies - A Great Story for Settling-In

We always like to use the story Owl Babies at this time of the year because it is a helpful and reassuring story for those children who are starting nursery and learning to let their mummy, daddy, auntie, uncle, grandparent or other carer go for the first time. The baby owls in the story want their mother to come back. Little Bill keeps repeating, "I want my mummy!" Of course she does come back and all three babies are delighted to see her. We read the story together including using props and then we made our own owls using paper plates and collage materials. Some children also did mark making based on the story. Revisiting stories in this way helps children to really take on board new ideas, remember the key events in the story, and feel connected to the characters. We like to display children's work to help them take pride in their achievements and appreciate each other's learning. By adding the characters from the story with their names this helps the children to make connections and start to recognise print.