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Edition 18

September News Directors News Sparkwell Woodlands School Club Lee Mill Chaddlewood Mike s Meal Chicken Tikka Masala Montessori Information Red Rods Parenting Advice How big is a portion Staff News Dates for your diary

It has been a long time since our last news letter back in February and so much has happened since then COVID 19 has added its challenges this year we have had all the nurseries closed then we were able to open Woodland s for key worker families and then finally all the nurseries open It is lovely to see that the nurseries are such a hive of activity again You should all be very proud of your children who have settled so well in the nurseries even though you are only allowed to the gate or door We thank you for your support during this challenging time we know how frustrating it is to be asked to organise COVID tests when the system is not working well but we appreciate your patience during this time We also understand how frustrating it is waiting in the rain During lockdown we also had the additional challenge of having to move our Ivytown setting We are delighted with the Lee Mill setting despite the stress of decorating the building in two weeks the inside and outside areas are so large and spacious and having a carpark makes so much difference This month we are having new lino fitted in the entrance hall and the function room The function room will be able to be hired out to independent groups such as NCT Guides drama groups and for birthday parties etc In the long term we plan to provide catering options and takeway meals for our families We have both continued with our studies this month Caroline on the second year of her NCT degree and Tracey on the Early Years Initial Teacher Training We both feel it is important to continue to develop our own knowledge to ensure we are up to date Tracey and Caroline

Caroline We are delighted that everyone is back at nursery We have been so lucky with the glorious weather and are so glad that it has allowed us to spend so much of our time exploring our outdoor spaces We started September by exploring the seashore We made turtles out of egg boxes and enjoyed sharing the Tiny Turtle rhyme This month we are focusing on All About me It is a super opportunity for the children to learn about each other their likes dislikes family home environments and their own bodies We have body part puzzles dollies for dressing wooden people from around the world for exploring self portrait templates and lots of themed outdoor activities to explore We have also really enjoyed utilising the glorious outdoor spaces in this wonderful weather We have been picking pears from the Orchard digging in the muddy puddles and watering our plants

Hayley The woodlands team have enjoyed welcoming back the children after the summer holidays It has been lovely to see their smiling faces We have also welcomed the new children that have started with us they are settling in well and enjoying exploring the nursery During the holiday the children took an interest in mini beast and the Hungry Caterpillar so we decided to make a lovely display board with a large Hungry Caterpillar that the children painted They also made their own caterpillars using egg cartons We went on a very windy walk where we discussed how the cool wind feels on our skin and faces We also collected lots of natural objects and placed them in a tray to look at when we returned to nursery This months topic is All About Me The children have discussed with us their favourite things to do at nursery They have also made a house and used coloured sticky dots to represent who lives in their house with them We have also been investigating our finger prints using a ink pad and then comparing them and talking about how our finger prints are unique to each of us As we enter autumn and the chilly and wet days begin can the children please bring in their coats and wellingtons for lots of exciting outdoor play

Breakfast and After School Club Gemma What a busy start to the new term We have been greeted by so many new faces as well as children who we haven t seen since the beginning of the year I cannot believe how much everyone has grown Things are a little different to what they used to be moving from the hut into the school hall and learning and adjusting to the new rules regarding bubbling and keeping each other safe I am so happy with how accepting every child has been of the changes and how well they have adapted to them We are supplying each bubble with their own activities daily alongside an arts and craft box which is always a favourite We have a lot of very creative children Please can I remind everyone that if your child is going to be absent from either breakfast or after school club please log it on Famly via the app or give me a text on 07432672823 It s really great to be back

Briony What an amazing couple of months we have had We had the very exciting adventure of moving to Lee Mill which has been so much fun We now have a lovely big outside area that allows for so much exploring and physical play We have had a great time settling in and exploring our new environment We have been focussing on transport as it is very popular with our children We are so lucky to be situated in the centre of an Industrial Estate meaning we could go for a walk and see so many different types of transport We saw lorries cars tractors boats and even a helicopter flying over us It has been very exciting We have now moved onto seeds and bulbs We are going to be planting lots of winter flowers vegetables and herbs so we can watch them grow pick them and cook with them We have been very interested in Rocket the snail He has been out exploring the nursery and the children have drawn some fabulous portraits of him In the baby room we have been focussing on settling in with sensory play We have had lots of different scent play messy play and noisy play the babies have had a really great interest in this and it has helped them settle in so nicely Lenni will be going onto maternity leave soon and Gabi will be coming to be maternity cover Some of you may have met Gabi before as she did her placement with us whilst we were at Ivytown Gabi is a Montessori Teacher and has a large amount of experience in the childcare sector She has settled in really well already and the children love exploring new activities with her Hopefully you will all get to meet her soon

Tracey We are so happy to be back at Chaddlewood welcoming our returning families and lots of new families Over the summer months we continued to look after the plants and vegetables we planted before lockdown and have now begun to harvest the tomatoes potatoes and beans It was very exciting to taste the food we had grown Each month at Chaddlewood we have a focussed artist and composer that we learn about For September we are looking at pictures of art by Dale Chihuly who works with glass and listening to Johannes Brahms The older children have created art pieces inspired by Chihuly such as PVA sun catchers tissue paper stuck to sticky back plastic to create stained glass windows and we are about to embark on a plastic bottle sculpture coffee filter coloured cups and large broom painting We have eaten apple strudel and are going to attempt to cook pretzels for our snack inspired by Brahms country of origin Germany The babies have enjoyed exploring their outside area which has had the wall re painted the decking stained and is going to have a new fence fitted The babies have been thoroughly enjoying water play and needing complete changes of clothing They are also enjoying imaginary play recreating their experiences at nursery such as feeding a baby doll Next month we are looking forward to exploring Autumn colours and all the treasures it brings

Mike s Meals Chicken Tikka Masala Ingredients 1 tablespoon Cooking oil plus more for frying 1 whole bulb of garlic peeled and finely chopped 2 teaspoons of Cumin 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala 1 teaspoon of Salt 4 chicken breasts cut into pieces 2 onions red or white 2 tablespoons of Flour plain or corn 1kg Passata 300grams approx Yoghurt Sugar to taste Lemon Juice of 2 freshly squeezed lemons Method Mix together the half of the garlic tablespoon of oil then all of the cumin garam masala and salt Cut the chicken in to the desired sized pieces mix in a bowl with the spice blend Lay the chicken on a baking tray and cook in a pre heated oven 175c for 20 minutes Put a large pan on the stove and allow it to heat Add in some oil and when hot sweat off the onions and the rest of the garlic for 3 4 minutes Add in plain or corn flour mix well with the onions and leave to cook for a couple minutes Add in the passata some yoghurt sugar and lemon juice mix well bring to the boil then simmer and taste Once the chicken is ready take it out of the oven and add to the pot of sauce mixing well Bring back to the boil altogether Taste and serve

Montessori Information Red Rods The Montessori red rods introduce a child to the concept of length The rods only differ in length and begin with the smallest which is 10cm and increase by 10 cm until finally a metre long With the red rods the child is exploring visual discrimination and muscle memory when feeling the length As the child carries the rods and builds with them they learn that the 10cm rod is smaller than the one metre rod The child carefully carries the rods to a floor mat and places them randomly They are then shown how to compare the rods and build the stair from the smallest to the largest rod Once shown how to build the stair with the rods the child is free to choose them whenever they wish and create all sorts of constructions the only limit is their imaginations A favourite extension of the red rods is creating the maze Once the maze has been built the children take it in turns to walk the maze and back again This is quite a challenge but to increase it further the children can try and balance a bean bag on their head or a glass of water and not spill it It s usually very funny and involves lots of laughter

Staff News Lennie at Lee Mill is shortly about to go on Maternity leave and we wish her all the best Gabbi has joined the Lee Mill team to cover Lennie s maternity leave Gabbi is a Montessori and an Early years teacher who completed some of her placement at our Ivy Town setting and we are delighted that she has decided to join us for a while At Sparkwell Victoria has joined the team She is also a Montessori and Early years teacher we are so fortunate to have such a highly qualified team Jaz has also joined the team as their new apprentice Woodlands has had Laura and Ellie join the team Laura is based at school club and Ellie is the teams new apprentice Sadly Gemma H will be leaving us in October to have a change of career We wish Gemma all the best and thank her for her time with us At the weekend numerous team members updated their first aid training at the Lee Mill setting the first training session to take place there Featured staff member Jayne I started in my childcare career when I was seventeen so I have been doing this for many years During those years I have gained my NVQ level 2 and 3 qualifications in childcare as well as a foundation degree in early years I have been working for Little Orchard Montessori for the last twelve months after the company took over from my previous setting and introduced their Montessori philosophy of teaching Montessori is based around the child developing their own sense of self and expanding their life skills As the role of a teacher I am here to guide them on their wonderful journey and encourage them to explore the world around them as well as provide lots of opportunities for them to experience In my spare time I enjoy baking and making jewellery

Dates For Your Diaries Term Dates for Devon Plymouth Autumn Term 3rd September 18th December Half term Monday 26th October Spring Term 4th January 1st April Half term Monday 15th February Bank Holiday 2nd April and 5th April Summer Term 19 April 27th July Chaddlewood 16th July Half Term Monday 31st May Bank Holiday 3rd May and 31st May We are closed for all Bank Holidays and for approx a week at Christmas Stretched funding at Chaddlewood does not cover the weeks beginning 21st December Contact Details Director Caroline caroline lucas littleorchardmontessori co uk Zara Invoice queries admin littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 07549066082 Please contact managers direct regarding changes to sessions extra days and holiday notice Sparkwell Charlotte sparkwell littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 01752 837883 Woodlands Hannah woodlands littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 01752 658567 Ivy Town Briony ivytown littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 01752 893498 Chaddlewood Jayne Flora chaddlewood littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 01752 202193 Jumper T Shirt Purchases Would you like to order a jumper or T shirt for your child in purple with our logo on Please let us know via email or message on Famly T Shirt 6 95 Jumper 8 95