This blog is my last!!

From next week the Blog will be written by Louise Waring who is taking over from me as Pre School Leader on Monday 20th April – I will still be working for two weeks to support her and my last real day will be the 1st May.

I have been here at pre-school since July 2014 which is nearly 12 years! I have written a weekly blog for the whole of that time which means I have written over 400! Each time feels like a new story, a new week and every time I add the photos I smile and feel joy at the children’s faces, enjoying all we plan and work hard to deliver – exciting experiences and activities, warmth and care and a really amazing journey with us. Many families may not know that I grew up in Cullompton and went to St. Andrews and then to the brand new Willowbank School, I was in the very first class there so going back over the last 12 years to both schools to take children on visits has been very special. I will miss being around in the town, saying hi to past parents and children, although seeing some of the first children I have taught now choose GCSE’s does make me feel old!

I will miss so many things about pre-school life and leaving on the 1st will be a tough day! I know the team here will continue to be incredible and I wish all of the children and families a really happy Summer Term and onward journey to primary school or the sun and moon groups!

Our week started really quietly with two small sun and moon groups due to a few different illnesses, this allowed us to head out of a couple of impromptu trips on Monday morning and the photos are on our Tapestry app for you to see! Andrea took a group to the library and I took a group out to walk to the fire station and then to the Waldronds for a picnic snack and a wander back through our town. We took some great photos in the launderette and the children loved running around in the gardens in the Spring sunshine. We also had a trip for the Moons on Wednesday to St Andrew’s Church to learn about Easter and thank you to the two family members who came to help hold hands for the walk!

Our launderette in the Sun room has been busy! Lots of good skills have been learnt and there has been some very careful ironing! Lots of folding clothes and washing and drying and we have also used the proper washing machine and hung up wet washing too.

Our natural world trays have been full of interesting conversation starting objects, we have drawn new things to put in them, learnt about habitats and read books, we have collected natural items for them from our garden and taken a photo of each one and those are on facebook.

Circle times in the Star room have had a focus on learning about colour – they have explored colour trays, mixed food colouring, learnt the rainbow song, played with coloured scarves and read Grandpa’s handkerchief story which is based on colour too!

The Sun and Moon groups have been learning about jobs – dressing up, matching jobs and vehicles, talking about jobs their parents do, listening to siren sounds and looking at videos on kids Tube of emergency vehicles, learning new vocabulary and talking about what they would like to be when they grow up.

Outside has been a circus playground! Loads of exciting games to learn – splat the rat, balloon juggling, stilt walking, flaming hoops, a tight rope on the floor and skittles.

We have also filled our digging area with some trucks and diggers and spades, pretend roads and planks and buckets and spades!

Next week we are continuing with some work on jobs and will be creating a fire station in the Sun room during free flow, the circles will be learning about Easter and incorporating maths as well. We have our Easter craft mornings next week too on Monday and Wednesday and we finish our Spring Term on Thursday 2nd April!

Thank you all for your support and I wish you, your children, Louise W and the team a very happy, joyful and safe future at Cullompton Pre School – Amelia

We have had a change in focus this week with our planning and we have re organised ourselves a bit to offer lots of great activities around pre-school with a focus on learning really good play skills in our continuous provision areas. This is a vital approach that we use in Early Years to support children to build skills and to explore and to support the development of independent learning which is child led. We have set out thoughtful areas and designed the activities and environment to support fostering independence and this allows children in the future to engage with familiar materials, learning opportunities and activities at their own pace.

The sun room has had playdough, painting and pens and paper – all with adults supporting, encouraging and teaching. Outside we have had small world play and sand play and we have also had puzzles and understanding the world boxes as additional activities. The staff have not written any observations this week to ensure that they are all full present and in the moment with the children, listening, modelling language, wondering together how to make something or to be able to follow a new idea. The interactions have been very good, the atmosphere has been calm and the children have been engaged so we are going to continue this next week as well with more painting ideas, a collage table and very basic role play, with water outside and construction too.

We are also really looking forward to welcoming grandparents in on Tuesday morning!

Our circles last week had a really active theme to support gross motor skills with some very imaginative ideas from our brilliant group leaders! Ball balancing games, skiing and curling, moving around a spider’s web, parachute games, maypole dancing, yoga moves, musical statues, stilts and hula hoop ball games, Sticky Kids CD moves, over and under hula hoops, animal movements and ribbon dancing! We are now ready to have a go at fine motor skills to see where we still need some practice or strength building work!

Next week is the last week before half term where normal sessions are closed – we are open for Holiday Club on Tuesday and Wednesday so please call the office to book in if you would like to! We take siblings as well as long as they are under 8 years old.