Return to flip book view

Edition 8

December News Directors News Sparkwell Forest School Woodlands Ivy Town School Club Mike s Meal Turkey Noel Staff News Montessori Information Land Air and Water Dates for your diary Montessori Hour for non funded children

We have had a lovely time watching three very different nativity plays and joining in with three Christmas lunches The children are enthusiastic and so keen to share their experiences with us it s delightful When walking into the nurseries there has been a hive of activity with children creating small world play or making Christmas treasures to share at home As we look back over the last year it is amazing to see what has been achieved The links with our two closest primaries are stronger than ever as we meet up more and more to take part in joint activities Between the nurseries there has been new internal fences decking replacement a new playhouse and shed and a new covered outdoor area All the nurseries have raised money for a variety of charities including Children in Need NCT and Mental Health and food donations for the Shekinah Mission Our children at Ivy Town continue to regularly visit Ivydene nursing home developing strong friendships and genuinely enjoy each others company Our teams are stronger than ever and all demonstrate their love of working with children and We are reducing the amount of single use plastic passion to provide high quality care and education we use in our settings and recycling where possible If you have any items you think we maybe able to use we would be delighted Items we are currently sourcing are cardboard tubes wallpaper bangles beads wooden rings lidded tins and tubs We would like to wish all our families a Happy Christmas and wish you a wonderful New Year We are excited for the year to come with lots of brilliant plans to continue to develop the nurseries and school club even further Tracey and Caroline

Laura As our under 2 s are becoming older they are learning to develop skills they need to use each day One of the skills the have really enjoyed is using the practical life large pouring jugs This requires them to pour dry materials such as pasta or rice from one jug to another Once they develop this they will move onto more complex pouring using water and smaller jugs The under 2 s enjoy having these activities brought in to them to explore and use these skills when being supported to pour their drinks and drink from open cups and glasses The children in the over 2 s speak about being kind to others on a daily basis This month we have been discussing ways we can be nice to others and help each other Our children had lots of ideas from hugging a friend to sharing pencils and saying thank you In our classroom we have a kindness tree During the week if a member of staff notices a child helping their friend or being kind to someone they receive an apple on our tree to celebrate with everyone their kindness We would like to wish all of our families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you all in January We have also spread our kindness this week by making buns and delivering them to our neighbors to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Mary and Joseph

Vicki Thank you for a wonderful first term at Little Orchard Montessori It s been lovely seeing all of your children enjoy their time outside in the nursery garden for forest school sessions For the past couple of weeks we ve been looking at weaving techniques using sticks and wool We used a Y shaped stick and we had a go at tying a knot to secure the wool before we wrapped it around the stick Some children chose to connect some festive wool and pipe cleaners This week we made some little elves using wooden dolly pegs and a selection of festive wool s and washi tape to consolidate our connecting skills The children then drew a little face on I was so impressed with all of their creations every dolly peg elf was different It was extra cold this week so as an end of term treat I brought some hot chocolate in my special urn We decided to drink it all sat around the table inside I loved seeing the children drink from real tea cups and without prompting they went to wash their cups up afterwards It was lovely to chat about our morning together over a hot drink I had just enough time to read Ten little elves in the lovely cosy reading area before heading off Merry Christmas everyone and I can t wait to see you all in 2019

Hannah This month the baby room have been really enjoying sensory play We have had rice gloop and water play out The babies have enjoyed exploring the different textures Some did not like the feeling of the gloop but soon got around to playing with it after encouragement from the adults and the activities coming out more frequently The big room have really enjoyed the Imaginary play with the tufty trays and as Christmas approaches we have made them look festive This week it has been a train track set up in the snow with trees all around which the children have loved exploring Small world play is great as it allows the children to develop their imagination At one point this week snow had blocked the train line and a digger had to rescue the trains and passengers Paint has always been favourite activity here at Woodlands so this month we put together a table based on painting We put out festive colours and cookie cutters and allowed the children to do printing This activity helped the children s fine motor skills allowing them to develop strength in their hands and fingers Snow play The Woodlands team would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Hannah Breakfast and After School Club We ve had a super busy term to mark the end of a great year We have been focusing a lot on team games and activities that involve working together and communicating in order to complete the challenges While doing this we have noticed how lovely it is to see how well the older children and the younger children play and work together Within the patience and understanding they all have for each other unexpected friendships blossom which make breakfast and after school club such a lovely community to be a part of Spaghetti bridges is always a fun activity It involves creating bridges with the not so reliable resources of spaghetti and marshmallows It is messy but lots and lots of fun A favorite recipe baked was chocolate brownies We hope you have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year and we will see you all back in 2019 We would like to welcome all our new starters to school club We are delighted you have joined us Chocolate Brownie

Briony This month we have loved the independence of cutting up the fruit to make our own smoothies All ages have taken part in this activity which involves quite a lot of different skills The fruit is cut in halves quarters and then chopped There are discussions about the fruit being used the children help to press the button and then watch as the fruit is transformed into a delicious drink which we share Another ativity that has excited us this term is paint We love the way the colours mix and how the paint feels in our hands We have made some really beautiful paintings with the brightest and darkest colours To support this interest we have painted in a variety of ways One of our favourites is painting on a large sheets of paper stuck on the floor We would be grateful for any rolls of wall paper you no longer need so we can have great long expanse to paint on We are also looking forward to doing lots of science experiments in the new year to see what we can learn about the world around us We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Fruit Smoothy

Mike s Meals Turkey Noel Ingredients Cooking oil Table spoon or two of cornflour Water Two onions finely chopped 1kg diced turkey 3 tea spoons of Sage Pinch of salt Stock Cube Half a dozen chipolata sausages cooked and cut in to three or four pieces Milk cream Method Put a pot on the stove turn the stove on and get the pot hot Add in some cooking oil and wait 30 seconds for the oil to get hot Add in the onions and sweat for a minute Then add in the turkey breast and brown off After four to five minutes sprinkle in the sage and salt and give it a good mix Then just cover the contents of the pan with some hot water preferably boiling from the kettle Once the main pot of turkey comes to the boil turn down to a simmer and leave until the meat starts to become tender Add in the cooked sausages and bring to a boil Adjust the consistency to your own liking with more water you could dissolve a veg or chicken Oxo Add in milk or runny cream for a richer finish Bring back to the boil and serve with boiled potatoes and some side veg

Staff News This month we would like to welcome Jessica back to our Woodlands team after working abroad for a while Jessica is re joining the school club team and is looking forward to the spring term All the team have been working through their safeguarding training including prevent duty to ensure they are confident in their roles Hannah Briony Tracey and Caroline attended training in Tiverton on the importance of play in early years The day had numerous early years speakers and short courses all of which were inspirational and provided lots of ideas on how we can enrich our early years provision even further This month we had our Christmas staff night out in Plymouth There were thirty in our party the largest group we have had yet I think it is safe to say a good night was had by all It s lovely to have a night where we can relax and socialise together Featured staff member Briony I joined Little Orchards in October 2016 for the first time I was based in Ivytown and loved meeting the children and the team I worked in the baby room and made some fantastic bonds with the children and families In April 2017 I decided that I wanted to leave childcare to go and work in a motorcycle shop After 3 months and a few visits from the children I realised that I missed working with children and couldn t think of a better nursery to return to In July 2017 I covered at all 3 nurseries and got to meet all the children families and staff It was lovely to work with everyone Then in August I was based in Ivybridge as deputy manager and then became SENCO Special Educational Needs Coordinating Officer Since becoming SENCO I have learnt so much The children have taught me unbelievable things Currently I am managing the Ivy Town setting whilst covering maternity leave I have learnt more since starting at Little Orchards than I had in 8 years I have learnt all about SEN and about Montessori I really love the Montessori ethos and can see the difference it makes to a child s development I couldn t ask for a better job and role I have the greatest bond with all my key children and seeing them develop is the greatest gift I enjoy coming to work daily as no two days are the same I really can t wait to see what the new year has to bring

Montessori Information Cultural Land Air and Water Activities In the Cultural area of our nurseries we have our land water and air activities These activities are an early introduction to geography We initially look at the land air and water globe which enables the child to see and feel the raised land in the blue water The land is made of sand so it really is a sensorial experience In the garden we fill one small pot of soil another with water and in the third we attempt to catch some air We talk about how the land is what we are standing on and what we live on and that air is all around us even though we can not feel it We chat about the water in our oceans and seas and what lives in the water A current favourite activity at Woodlands is sorting objects according to whether they belong in the air on land or in the water Montessori activities always start in the concrete and involve the hands as we believe the hands and mind work together to learn Follow on activities involve sorting pictures instead of objects Ideas for home Why not point out what you can see in the air on the land or in the water Grow fruit vegetables and plants and notice how some grow beneath the land and some grow on top When playing in mud or sand why not make lakes islands mountains You could add boats bridges or small world animals

Dates For Your Diaries Term Dates Nurseries reopen the 2nd January Spring Term 7th January 5th April Half Term 18th February Easter Bank Holiday 19th and 22nd April Summer Term 23rd April 19th July May Bank Holiday 6th and 27th May Half Term 27th May Summer Bank Holiday August 26th We are closed for all Bank Holidays and for approx a week at Christmas 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 Laura sparkwell littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 837883 Woodlands Hannah woodlands littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 658567 Ivy Town Briony ivytown littleorchardmontessori co uk Tel 893498 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