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Edition 20

Directors NewsSparkwellWoodlandsSchool ClubLee MillChaddlewoodMike's Meal - Naan BreadMontessori Information - PracticalLifeParenting Advice - Choking riskfoodsStaff NewsDates for your diaryNovember News

This month has proved as busy as the last,although we have had team members self-isolating we have managed to remain openthroughout. Our teams are amazing, despitebeing tired from having to work not only theirown hours but covering for team memberswhen they are off. They are supporting ourfamilies and children every day, providing helpfor those families who are struggling andbringing joy and happiness to the children’slives. We are very thankful and appreciate allthey do, we are here to support them andunderstand the difficult decisions some arehaving to make due to the affects COVID ishaving in their lives. Financially this is a very challenging time forsome families you maybe able to receivesome help from Devon or Plymouth . Thenumber of people struggling with theirmental health has increased rapidly duringthis challenging time , help can be foundonline here through the NHS or locally atPlympton here For the next couple of weeks we are supporting the StJohn’s Church toybox appeal and our Lee Mill setting is adrop off point for good quality used toys. ThroughNovember our Woodlands setting had a collection forIvybridge foodbank and Chaddlewood had a foodcollection for the Shekinah Mission in Plymouth. Yourgenerosity means a lot at this difficult time. Registering for your child’s school primary place hasnow opened for children starting school in September2021, in both Plymouth and Devon. Please make sureyou do make three choices for your school placeensuring then that if you do not get your first choice youare happy with the second or third option. If you have not checked out the government childcarechoices page please take a look to ensure you arereceiving all the help you are allowed with your childcarecosts. If your child is turning two you may be entitled totwo year funding or if your child is turning three youmay be entitled to thirty hours of funding. You can alsoclaim tax credits to help pay for childcare costs.Tracey and Caroline

Claire introduced another celebration during circle time, Diwali also known as the festival of light. Weshared the story of Rama and Sita and, in simple terms, explained how Hindus celebrate the festival ofDiwali as it symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge overignorance". The children listened amazingly and this clearly stimulated their curiosity, continuing fantasticlearning throughout the morning exploring colours and shapes on a light box, investigating the pooja tray,Diya lamps and pictures of different customs that are encompassed within this celebration.To start November of with a ‘Bang’ we celebrated Bonfire night, the children had a wide range of activitiesplanned for them to explore. The under 2’s enjoyed sensory play with the coloured rice and paint bags.The over 2’s took part in streamer dancing, the streamers represented fireworks, they created their ownfirework noises after listening to fireworks on the IPod. Claire has been doing some circle times talking tothe over 2’s about bonfire night and firework safety, it has triggered lots of talk about colours, noises andwho has seen fireworks in recent weeks.CharlotteI would like to say hello and thank you to all the parents and children at Sparkwell, some of you I have metin my first month here and I do look forward to meeting more parents over the coming weeks. It has beena busy month for us all with lots of celebrations to learn about, the staff have planned numerous fun filledactivities for the children to participate in!Keep an eye out on Famly and Facebook to see some more pictures of what we have been upto throughout the month!

Once again another month has flown by, and we have achieved lots too! We have really enjoyed celebrating Diwali. We tasted lots of different indian foods at snack times, handcrafted a tea light holder and practiced henna on laminated hands using black paint and then Hayleyand Irina had henna applied to their hands while they were dressed in beautiful indian traditionalclothing. Firework safety is a topic we focused on too as we want to make sure the children are aware of thedangers with fireworks and fire in general too. One of my favourite tips to give out is when yourchildren are holding sparklers, stick it in the end of a big carrot for the children to hold on too. On the 11th of November we took part in the 2 minute silence to show our respects to all that fought inthe war. We are also very thankful for all the donations that have been given to us to help out theIvybridge food bank. We have so many exciting things planned for December and we can not wait to share them witheveryone Hannah

We have really embraced the weather this month, with lots of our games and activities reflecting thechange of seasons. We have enjoyed making leaf hedgehogs, leaf printing, finger print tree’s and appleprinting. Every age group has been very keen to take part in lots of arts and craft activities. We have also had lots of new games delivered, a favourite by far has been the magnetic building tiles, thechildren love constructing buildings and bridges with these and adding our toy dinosaurs or wild animalsinto the mixture. We now enter everyone’s favourite time of year, Christmas! Our planning is full of exciting activities andcraft to do over the course of the month and we look forward to celebrating with you. Please continue notifying us on the absence of your child(ren) at either breakfast or after school club onthe Famly app or a text/call on our mobile. If you don’t already have it, the number is: 07432672823. Ifyou have any questions about your bill or a change in sessions please emailadmin@littleorchardmontessori.co.ukThank you!Breakfast and After School ClubGemma

What a lovely month we have had! We have celebrated lots of differentevents, starting with fireworks nights. We looked at how fireworks nightis celebrated all around the world, we explored lots of different coloursand sounds, we even got to watch some fireworks in the garden (Safelyof course). Then we moved onto Diwali, here we learnt all about the celebrationand religion, we lit lots of candles and looked at lots of patterns. Ourfavourite theme this month was lights and shadows! We had the blackout tent, with mirrors and torches, we have had the light box out andlooked at the effects of light and dark. Finally we celebratedThanksgiving, we discussed what we are thankful for and read lots ofbooks to explain the American tradition. We got to finish off this daywith a lovely Thanksgiving roast made by our cook Mike! It was lovely!The babies have been exploring sensory play alongside all these themes, we have discovered lots ofdifferent textures and tried many new foods. The babies have also really enjoyed learning Makaton,reading stories and dancing. Our new favourite thing is going in the garden and standing on the crispyleaves!Briony

This month we have enjoyed looking at many different celebrations some of which we celebrate such asBonfire night and Children in Need and then learning about others we don’t such as Diwali. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring small world trays to accompany stories or nurseryrhymes. Our children have always been keen to sing a song, but it is fantastic to see them choosing a trayof props and then singing away independently including carrying out the actions, there is always a friendeager to join in. Our artist this month has been Georgia O’Keeffe, we have learnt how she saw the beauty in in theindividual item such as a single flower. For Remembrance Day her painting of a poppy was recreated andrecently some of the older children drew landscapes using pastels inspired by O’Keeffe’s paintings of theNew Mexico landscapes.Although the weather has been wet, we have spent a lot oftime outside in the rain, we hung cd’s we decorated on ourtree to add a little sparkle and when the sun is shining theycreate beautiful rainbows. For Children in Need we had a very yellow day with a selectionof activities set up for the children to explore and as ourchildren love sensory play there was plenty or rice and paint.We are all looking forward to a few weeks now of Christmascelebrations of fun and laughter.We have tasted delicious Indian snacks including onion bhajis,poppadom’s and mango chutney and danced to Indian music withcolourful scarves. We also danced to Handel’s Royal firework musicto celebrate Bonfire night. The children were keen to share theirexperiences of fireworks eager to tell us what they sound and looklike. Tracey

Naan Bread / FlatbreadFinely chop the coriander and add to bowl with salt. Add the plain flour on top and then the yeast. Add in the yoghurt (if using oatgurt then add in lemon juice as well)and then the garlic. Begin to mix to combine ingredients and then add a small amount ofwater, enough to bring the dough together. Flour a surface and your hands and knead for 5-10 mins. The doughshould be a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl and put dough in bowl and leave to provesomewhere warm. Ideal proving is 28-35 Celsius. The dough will growbut it won’t rise as much as bread dough. I leave mine for 60-90 mins. When the dough is ready, the sizing is entirely up to you. Break off some dough and roll in to a smooth ball then using a rollingpin, roll the dough turning with each roll of the pin. Get a frying pan hot and use fry light, very lightly oil the pan and frythe breads like a pancake, turning when they begin to puff up or startto colour on the bottom.Take off the heat and enjoy!300 plain flour 1/2 pack dried yeast or 3.5 grams 7 grams salt 25 grams fresh chopped coriander 1tsp of lazy garlic 100 grams Greek yoghurt (or Greek style Oat yoghurt with juiceof half a lemon)Mike's MealsIngredientsMethod

Practical life is the first area of the Montessori classroom children are introduced to.Children are naturally curious and want to participate in the activities of daily life theysee all around them. Maria Montessori developed the practical life exercises to givechildren the opportunity to practice those skills, gain independence, and become fullyfunctional members of their community.Practical life exercises play an important role in a child's social, emotional, andacademic development, providing a foundation for confidence and success.These activities help children develop their motor skills, refining both large and smallmuscle coordination. A child may repeat a particular exercise over and over, perfectingher movements and developing concentration. The hand and brain have to work together to learn and these exercises involve bothThere are three areas to the practical life exercises;Pouring (dry then wet; jugs; funnels etc.)Transferring (spoon, sponge, tweezers etc.)Opening and Closing (Bottles, boxes, nuts etc.)Threading (different sized beads)Cutting (How to carry scissors, cutting exercises) Sewing (Strips with holes, cardboard shapes withholes etc.)Folding (table mats, tea towels,gloves and socks) Cooking Skills (weighing, measuring, stirring etc.)Exercises that develop fine motor skills andconcentrationMontessori InformationPractical lifeDressing FramesNose WipingCoughingWashing HandsCleaning FaceBrushing hairPutting on owncoat/shoesBrushing teethUse of toiletCare of selfDustingSweepingPolishingUnsing clothes pegsCare of indoorplantsGardeningCare oftheenvironment

How to prep choking riskHow to prep choking riskfoodsfoodsChunks of AppleOlivesCherry TomatoesRaw CarrotMini EggsMarshmallowsBoiled SweetsPopcornGummy sweetsHard CheeseBlueberriesLarge SeedsChoking risk foods Whole nutsWhole GrapesDried FruitsSausagesLarge BeansApple - Grate or mash Olives - QuarterCherry Tomatoes - QuarterRaw Carrot - Boil sticks or grateHard Cheese - GrateBlueberries - Chop or squishLarge Seeds - Mill SeedsNuts - Grind or use nut butterGrapes - QuarterDried fruit - Chop or puréeSausages - Cut lengthways Beans - Mash or sliceHow to prep...Mini EggsMarshmallowsBoiled SweetsPopcornGummy sweetsAvoid

Staff NewsEmmy is leaving our Sparkwell setting due to personal reasons but we hope she will be returning verysoon! We are very excited to welcome Sophie to Sparkwell and Becky to Lee Mill! Sophie is an experienced Level3 practitioner and will be working with the Under 2's. Becky is joining Lee Mill as a level 3 apprentice. She isan experienced play worker wanting to pursue a career in early years. We are also excited to welcomeKate and Leanne! Kate will be joining our Sparkwell setting, preparing their lunch and helping maintain aclean environment. Leanne will be joining our company as Bank Staff. She will be working in all nurserieswhen needed, covering staff sickness and holiday. We cannot wait for you to meet them all!Chloe has passed her level 3 NVQ. Well done, we know how much hard work it was! We have had some very productive staff meetings this month, discussing planning, looking at the practicallife area of the Montessori classroom and discussing safeguarding scenarios. On the 10th November at 10:35am, Lenni gave birth to her baby boy, Finley. We wish her the biggestcongratulations, we can't wait to meet him! I studied BTEC Childcare at college and then started mychildcare career in another nursery as a nursery nursebefore applying for a job at Little Orchard MontessoriNurseries. I have worked at Little Orchard Woodlands for five yearsnow! I started working in the main classroom beforemoving to the baby room, where I am now room leader.When I started at Little Orchard I had no experience ofthe Montessori way of teaching but have loved learningall about it and implementing it in my way of teaching. I really enjoy working in the baby room where I give thebabies the support they need to take their first steps inlearning. Outside of work I enjoy taking my dog for walks in thecountryside with my family. In the summer months I loveto go to the beach where I go Paddle-boarding in thesea. Featured staff member - Lauren

Autumn Term 3rd September-18th DecemberHalf term - Monday 26th October Spring Term 4th January-1st April Half term - Monday 15th February Bank Holiday 2nd April and 5th AprilSummer 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 21stDecember. 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; £6.95Jumper; £8.95Dates For Your DiariesLee Mill - Briony: ivytown@littleorchardmontessori.co.uk Tel: 01752 893498Term Dates for Devon/PlymouthContact DetailsJumper/ T Shirt PurchasesPlease contact managers direct regarding changes to sessions, extra days andholiday notice:Sparkwell- Charlotte: sparkwell@littleorchardmontessori.co.uk  Tel: 01752 837883Woodlands -Hannah:woodlands@littleorchardmontessori.co.uk Tel: 01752 658567Director Caroline:caroline.lucas@littleorchardmontessori.co.ukZara:Invoice queries:admin@littleorchardmontessori.co.uk Tel:07549066082Chaddlewood - Jayne/Flora : chaddlewood@littleorchardmontessori.co.uk Tel: 01752 202193