We hope you enjoyed the Easter break and managed to get out and about to see the spring flowers and blossom growing all around. This term we will continue to look at the all the seeds and beans that we have planted in the spring term and start a topic on Toys. Please find the topic map that details possible learning experiences.

This is our topic map with possible coverage of the different areas of learning. We keep our plans flexible so we can respond to the children's ideas and interests.

We are excited and ready to welcome everyone back on Monday.
 

The team is delighted to welcome back all our families to nursery and reconnect with returning children. We know it’s possibly been difficult but we really appreciate all the fabulous opportunities you have given to support your children and that you have shared these with us on Tapestry, you have done a great job 👏, well done. As we move forward, please keep sharing your favourite activities and special events. The children really benefit from sharing their experiences in terms of wellbeing, confidence, and communication skills.

The nursery times return to 8.50am - 11.50am, and afternoon pick up time 2.50pm (and 3.20pm if you have paid for the extra time).

Please be respectful of bringing in unnecessary items from home to help keep the risk of contamination to a minimum and remember that we will provide all snacks and drinks.

Thank you for supporting us while we strive to strike a balance between ensuring everyone’s safety and creating exciting and challenging experiences which allow the children to thrive in our care.

If you have any questions, worries or concerns, do contact us on Tapestry or use the class email to let us know (nursery@leverstockgreen.herts.sch.uk) and one of the team will get back to you.

Georgina Wilson and the nursery team

Celebrating World Book Day

It’s World Book Day on Thursday 4th March. This is a great chance to promote reading in your child’s life. We want children to be enthusiastic and engage with books daily and begin to see themselves as readers. Spending 10/15 minutes each day can improve children’s life chances and future success, increase vocabulary, and enable them to access a full curriculum as they grow and develop. Sharing books with an adult increases their well being, adds to their imagination skills and ability to articulate their own ideas, and develops independence and confidence. 
 

 * We are setting the challenge to nursery and reception families to see if you can name all the book characters on the quiz. The answers will follow at the end of the week.

* We would also like you all to create a potato book character. Can you decorate a potato to look like your favourite book character? Please photograph and upload to Tapestry so we can print and create a display in our book corners and reading shed.

* To promote bedtime reading as part of your child’s daily routine each and everyday, we would like to invite you to stay in your pyjamas all day on Thursday. Whether you are a remote learner or at school, wear your pyjamas/onesies/comfy clothes and enjoy lots of favourite stories on this day. Dressing in pyjamas will make the day more memorable. Additional stories will be uploaded to Tapestry by staff members for you to share with your child. Read your favourites to your child, and get them to read/share a story with you too. Have fun!

Also on return to school, you will receive a book token to be able to pick up a new book for £1. These will be readily available at large Supermarkets.

Kung Hei Fat Choy, Happy New Year

We have been exploring the Lunar New Year. We have seen how Ian celebrates with his family and watched the dragons and lions and heard the drums and gongs used in the parades. We have made our own dragons, and lanterns and learned about the tradition of giving money envelopes 🧧. The significance of the colour red features in our story of the Nian, the fearsome beast and of course we have had fun with chopsticks 🥢 too.

Children generate a game using the CBeebies animated video of “Poppies” as a backdrop. After whole class discussion of the theme and the emotions they clearly understand some of the events and interpret the feelings pictured - happiness, fear, sadness and happiness again. They set up stepping stones to jump on being bouncy bunnies, then when the colour goes grey and the music changes “this is the scary bit, we got to hide from the explosions”, “we feel scared and sad”. Children hide and cower while a child re-enacts the battle and “saving the day” for all of us. Then when it’s safe, the children come out from hiding and bounce again and then link arms “it’s safe again now, we can be happy”. “The grey bit is really sad, we need to remember the soldiers”.

We also made and have displayed poppies.

Children have been in now for a few days and they have been coming in so well and managing confident a goodbye to their grown up. This is fantastic and parents must have been so positive about their child’s new start at school and prepared them so very well, thank you. Let’s cross our fingers it continues, although, it is quite normal to have a few hiccups; we will be ready to support your child when necessary.

One of our activities has been making faces using the loose parts. One child here has had fun making a face “he thinks nursery is so much fun, he loves it.....he really likes it outside on the new climbing....he really likes it inside too, it’s all his ‘fravourite’”!

We very much look forward to welcoming the new families for the Autumn term ahead. We have tried to meet all the children remotely and begin to get to know them and now we are raring to go! We will have a busy term ahead, please see the topic plan below of possible avenues of learning but we always follow the children’s interests and ideas. We go outside everyday so suitable clothing is essential with raincoat, wellies in the rain, and gloves and thicker coat when the weather gets colder.  Spare clothes are really helpful for if your child gets wet or has an accident.  Clothes can be kept in a drawstring bag on their named peg. There is no need to pack snacks or drinks, we will provide these for your child. Of course if you are with us all day bring a nut free packed lunch. Nursery times are 8.50am-11.50am or 8.50am- 2.50pm with an optional top up til 3.20pm. If you think you maybe late picking up your child please phone the office so they can get a message to us.

If you have any questions please speak to any member of the Nursery team. 

In the meantime share the photos below with your child to help them see what the nursery environment is like and hopefully they will spot something they like doing and working with. See you very soon.

Georgina Wilson and the nursery team

New Nursery Parents

Thank you for joining us for our remote nursery intake meeting. Here is the PowerPoint below covering the details talked about at the meeting. We will contact you very soon with a start date for your child and a small group online meeting to say hello to a few friends before starting in September. In the meantime if you have any questions or have any concerns please email the admin team and I will get back to you. We look forward to getting to know you all very soon.

Georgina Wilson

A message for any nursery families that are coming to us or staying with us in September.

I have attached a pdf story of a child starting school for you to share with your child. This will enable you to introduce the idea of going to nursery or school and possibly staying all day. This will help all children especially those that will be full time in September. Read the story and talk about it with your child. Doing this several times every now and again will help your child understand some of the experiences that will be ahead for them and help them cope emotionally for what could possibly be a challenge. It will be ‘welcome back’ to those families we know and for those that are new, we are looking forward to meeting you and beginning the process of getting to know you.
 

Georgina Wilson, Early Years Lead