We have had another settled week and have started our Forest School Sessions for the Sun and Moon groups! We are very lucky to have Sophie as our Forest School Level 3 Leader and she is supported by Eva and Louise C. We will pop some photos onto Tapestry for you to see of the two sessions.

The children have been really getting used to the new routines and are becoming independent and exploring all we have to offer.

Outside this week we have set up a fire station role play area which has been really fun, lots of conversations and dressing up and role play, making a pretend fire engine and using the hoses to put fires out! Our numbers have been a bit low this week due to a bit of a bug going around – we hope everyone gets better soon. We will have more new children starting next week so it will being to feel a bit busier around the pre-school which is really exciting.

Our AGM is coming up, we are a charity so we must run with a committee including a chair person so we really need all families to attend the AGM meeting, it is short only 30 mins or so and you will hear from the current chairperson and from me, giving a report on our last year at preschool with plans for the year ahead and then we form a committee. It is vital that parents volunteer for the committee otherwise there is a risk that if we cannot form one the pre-school could close so have a look at the lovely posters in the reception area or on our facebook page and chat to Mandy in the office if you have questions, it is great fun and a brilliant way to learn more about pre-school life.

Our circle times this week have continued with a focus on listening and attention skills, we are observing the children all the time, working out what they can do and what they know and what we can teach them over their time with us. Next week our circles will become really active and have a focus on physical development and health as well.

We will also be exploring maths games on the sun table, construction and fine motor skills and outside we will be playing with our mud kitchen and making a garage and a car wash! We would love donations of salt and plain flour and food colouring for our playdoh please!

We have had another wonderful week, practising for our graduation next week – we are hoping to perform two songs for you – one which has been a real favourite from our Disco Thursday and a good bye song – I am just hoping that the children join in as much as usual and it won’t just be me at the front dancing!!

We have all been learning all about the world and have covered that in so many brilliant ways this week during circle times.

Sun and Moon groups have been exploring henna tattoos, learning about different languages and songs and stories and how to say hello around the world. We have used google earth to choose someone to go on holiday and have made volcanoes, passports and flags!

The Star group have played instruments from around the world, listened to aboriginal music and aboriginal art, talked about animals from around the world and learnt about different flags and their colours and shapes.

Outside we have been promoting a sonic challenge week! Ending with face paints as a reward for taking part in and completing all of the challenges each day, incentives with stickers and a chart and the children have been amazing. We have little certificates for them and have been really proud of how they have taken part, persevered and completed each physical challenge – well done all!

Next week is our last week at pre-school apart from Monday 21st July and then Holiday Club opens on Tuesday 5th August and is open every Tuesday and Wednesday from 8am – 4.30pm for children aged 2-7 for 4 weeks. There a couple of spaces left at the end of the month so if you are interested please contact the office.

We look forward to having a really fun week to end our term and can’t believe how quickly the year has gone!

The sun has been shining and we have been playing with the water a lot to keep cool! Lots of changes on clothes and lots of water play planned for next week as well as the children absolutely love it. We have been washing all the bikes in our garage and the tractors, enjoying bike races outside and fixing the bikes and scooters too – looking at car manuals and magazines and making big bike ramps to cycle up and conquer!

We have also been playing some fete games to get us all excited ready for next Saturday! We have practised knocking skittles down, hoopla, hook a duck and face painting too.

Our sun table has been a mini beast learning zone, full of making new sets about each mini beast, we will pop the photos on facebook later but we have learnt about ants, spiders, slugs, snails, dragonflies, ladybirds and bees. Lots of new vocabulary and craft ideas and a lovely respite from the hot sun outside!

We have also had a jobs tray out and we have worked hard together to complete the big floor puzzles, great teamwork.

Our circles have been based on transition – moving to Sun and Moon for the stars and they started two weeks of Forest School sessions to familiarise them with the rules and experience which they will start in the Autumn! The Sun and Moon children will have their last forest school sessions on the 3rd (Moon) and 4th July (Sun) and 10th (Sun) and 11th July (Moon).

The Sun and Moon groups have been talking about school and which schools each child is going to, and the names are on our display board now with lots of info on our school transition section on Tapestry too. The children have drawn pictures of their schools, coloured in jumpers, practiced school skills, pen grip, lots of chatter, looking at the school uniform together and the schools on their websites, and also writing All About Me forms too.

Next week we will have another busy week – we think our caterpillars may emerge from their chrysallises over the weekend and that will mean we may have our Hungry Caterpillar Picnic Party towards the end of the week!

We are getting on well with our Pick your own Prize raffle totaliser! We are up to the yellow level of the rainbow – £308 raised so far, please buy lots more tickets to help us get to £1000! We would love people to make cakes please and deliver them to pre-school on Saturday am and donations of toys and prizes for the tombola please!  The fete opens at 11.30am and finishes at 2pm.