Wokingham Newsletter News from the Nursery: kids This month we welcome: kids We are celebrating the birthdays of: Babies and Toddlers:

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1 News from the Nursery: We are all delighted at the news that kidsunlimited has become part of Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Our nursery is joining an organisation which shares our passion and vision for creating environments where all the children can flourish and become confident, creative, lifelong learners. We are excited by this opportunity to build upon our own knowledge and resources in the nursery, by combining the best of both companies, sharing our experiences and our plans for further enhancing your child s time at nursery. This month we welcome: Maggie, Archie, Myra and Jessica. We hope that you will soon feel happy and settled with us here at kidsunlimited. We are celebrating the birthdays of: Bertie, Lucas, Sullivan, Emily, Brody and Felix. We wish you all a very happy birthday and the very best for your upcoming celebrations. Please be assured that you and your child will continue to enjoy the same strong relationships with your child s Key Person, the team, and me. Should you have any questions do please come and speak to me or me at the nursery if this is more convenient for you. As most of you are aware we have recently had our Ofsted inspection, and are please to announce that we were judged to be GOOD! We were pleased with the very positive report, and encourage you to read it as the inspector was very complimentary about the setting. Our full report is available at reception, or on the Ofsted website. Children s news: Our new guinea pigs are proving to be very popular with all ages and have been named Dandelion and Cabbage these names were chosen by the children. All the rooms are taking turns to care for the animals. Babies and Toddlers: We are now working on an Animal theme this will tie in with our farm visit later this month. If you have any photographs of pets or animals from home, please bring them into the nursery to decorate our room they will be greatly appreciated. Little Thinkers: The children are now working on the theme of Space and Space Travel (mainly due to some of the children P a g e 1

2 still wishing to continue with the travelling topic.) We thought we would use this key interest to extend their knowledge and understanding and introduce new vocabulary! With this in mind, please can you donate any kitchen roll tubes and (microwaved) toilet roll tubes to transform into rockets! Many thanks. Preschool: We will be working on the theme of food and nutrition. The children will be trying a wide variety of foods, smelling exotic spices and learning about how our body uses food. We will also explain what our body does with waste food so please be prepared for some interesting discussions! Staff News: We are pleased to announce that we have found a new Room Supervisor for Preschool Charlotte Cronin. She comes from a solid Preschool background and has lots of experience specifically with this age group. We have a very rigorous vetting and induction procedure so are now waiting to verify her start date as we wait for her references, CRB and induction timetable. We are pleased to announce that Sophie, Kate and Natasha have now started the Room Supervisor Development Program (RSDP) which entails going up to London on a monthly basis. The training helps develop their skills with regard to detailed child development, team leadership, monitoring and tracking staff, and performance and parent partnership enhancement. We are sure that these courses will help and support them in their important roles with staff and children alike. Congratulations to Alec (from Tumblers Room) who has now become the proud father of baby Carter. Carter was born on Saturday 4 th weighing in at 7lb, 14oz. We wish all the best to Alec and his new family. P a g e 2

3 Our English and Maths courses are going well with Bracknell College, (who are coming in weekly) and the girls are enjoying the courses specifically designed to enable them to enrol for their foundation degrees. Val (our chef) is off up to London on Thursday to the chef s cluster meeting. She will be discussing the menus and recipes and finding out about our new summer menu which is to be rolled out in the upcoming weeks. We will notify you of any changes to foods or recipes etc in our next newsletter. forms are still available at reception if you would like to fill one in.) Important Dates for your Diaries: Thursday 23 rd May Farm Visit - We have a mobile farm coming to visit, with ponies, goats, piglets, chickens and other petting animals. The children and staff are all very excited indeed! Kendra and I are also out and about in the coming month attending Management clusters, SEN update training and child protection updates in line with local authority and company procedures. This will ensure that your child receives the best possible care and support if needed and that we are fully aware with any legislation and training covering these areas. Staff Feedback for Appraisals We thank all of you who have completed the staff feedback forms in preparation for the staff appraisals in the upcoming months. It is always lovely to hear from parents where we can improve and to have praise on what we are doing well. Some of the comments are really lovely Thank you (Feedback June rd Recycle week - We will be holding lots of recycling activities and talks throughout the week. Wednesday 19 th June Nursery Photographer - Little Urchins will be here to take back in time photographs. Costumes will be provided, and prints available in colour, sepia and black & white. (no obligation to purchase.) July 3 7 th July Henley Regatta Week - We will be emulating the rowing nearby by having row the boat sessions and competitions in the garden. P a g e 3

4 Wednesday July 10 th Teddy Bears Picnic - Children are asked to bring in their favourite teddy/toy to share their outdoor picnic. Parent to Parent Notices (NEW!!) Tuesday 16 th July Toddle-Waddle - Weather permitting, we will be having a Baby and Toddler Toddle-Waddle with sports activities and a picnic with parents. (In the event of bad weather this will be postponed.) Thursday 18 th July Sport s Day - Sports Day for 2-3 s and Preschool (weather permitting.) More details to follow nearer the time. This is our new space on the newsletter where parents can put up notices and communicate with other parents. We will accept notices regarding get-togethers, ideas, offers, items for sale and even advertisements. (subject to space and approval.) NOTE: kidsunlimited does not guarantee or endorse any service, item or offer listed in this section. Preschool parents are planning a day out together on Saturday 27 th May at Beale Park. This includes getting a group discount rate of only 5.00 entry. They plan to meet at the entrance at 11am please see Mel (Lauren s Mum) for more details if interested. Accountancy Offer A Mum here at nursery is looking for voluntary accountancy work! Could your firm/business do with an extra (free) hand whilst our mum refreshes her skills prior to re-joining the job market? Please see me (Annie) for more details if interested. Life Insurance Offer One of our parents works for an insurance firm which offers great life insurance offers for young families. Full details of the firm can be found in the parent room or ring Simon Moran for further details: P a g e 4

5 kidsunlimited Music: Over the past few months children and staff in our nurseries have been discovering their hidden talents in the field of music. Whilst songs, rhymes and musical instruments are part of daily life in our nurseries we have recently extended our musical horizons. In addition to improving creativity, developing musical awareness cultivates many skills that will continue to be useful for children throughout their lives. We plan our music to link with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance and you will see references to this within the planning map in your child s room at nursery. Music supports children s Personal, Social and Emotional development by increasing their concentration, patience and self-confidence. Communication and language is aided by an increased awareness of rhythm and rhyme, pitch and tone, whilst small muscle development is supported by coordination of the fingers, hands, arms, lips, cheeks, and facial muscles, in addition to body and mind responses to sound. Since the beginning of the year each of our nurseries have appointed two members of staff as music coordinators who attended training to enable them to lead the rest of their nursery in its musical development. The training has helped staff to plan music sessions that meet the needs of all children in our three main age groups: babies, toddlers and pre-school. As part of the training each nursery received a complete ku:music kit, including instruments, a group garland, and a variety of new songs and rhymes for each age group. To see a selection of the songs we sing together please visit: How does music help children develop? There is a wealth of research which supports the benefits of music for children in their early years. At a very basic level music encourages children to experiment with and explore sound. They can express different emotions through using different rhythms or volumes and moving to music helps children to learn about timing, which in turn supports language development which has its own unique rhythm. Music has proven to provide many more benefits to children and adults than simple entertainment. Much research currently is being undertaken to learn the effects of music on the mind and body, yet we now know from findings of several of the most prestigious researchers in the field that it can have very positive effects on child development. Paul Borgese- Parents Choice award winning author and music performer P a g e 5

6 Mud, mud, glorious mud! Many kidsunlimited nurseries are creating mud kitchens for the children to enjoy. This outdoor experience enables a wealth of learning opportunities for the children who use them. Here s just a few! Personal, Social and Emotional development: Our babies can explore the feel and texture of the mud and will express themselves through gurgles, giggles or repeated actions as they realise they have caused the mud to move or splat! We see the older children grow in confidence as they add resources to their muddy play such as pots, pans and sticks and realise they can create different effects! This allows them the opportunity to share, and respect the feelings of their friends who may not like to get quite so muddy! Communication and Language: Babies observe, mimic and respond to other s actions and use simple words whilst playing in the mud. Babies will shuffle, use sounds or single words, point with hands or gaze at objects to make requests. Playing in a mud kitchen encourages the most amazing conversations between the children. They may recall a real life muddy event, they will use imaginative words to describe the muddy textures and sounds, and it is the perfect opportunity to make up stories, songs and rhymes before, during or after their muddy experience! Physical development: Babies will use their hands or other objects to make marks in the mud or throw objects to plop into the mud. The consistency of the mud can be changed by adding sand or water, creating different opportunities to develop their fine motor skills (small movements of the hands, wrists, fingers and toes). The older children will experiment with different ways of manipulating the mud such as making marks in the mud, pouring, scooping, carrying, rolling tyres over it and splashing. Older children love to draw pictures or write letters in the mud. We allow them a range of tools to do this with such as sticks, spades, stones, shells and cones. So, next time your child wants to jump in that muddy puddle, don t think of it as dirt to be avoided but a wellrounded learning opportunity with wonderful benefits for all! To read the full article about the other benefits of mud play please visit I hope you enjoyed our newsletter! Best Wishes, Annie Annie Roque Nursery Manager P a g e 6