Newsletter February/March 2018Welcome back to Pre-school, we are looking forward to a term

filled with fun and learning!

Learning and Development

Our version of ‘In the Moment Planning’ goes from strength to strength; below is a snap shot of some inspiring planning moments from last term.

Most children love to play with water. Providing water play at Pre-school during the winter months can be quite a challenge, the trick is not to provide too much all at once!

Sharon laid out a few tea sets and pots of water on a table. This sparked conversations about the taste of tea and how it is made. Real tea was made, children helped to prepare their own, adding milk and tasting, some children wanted to add sugar!

Going on a train journey

Tickets were made for the journey! Discussions were had about where the train would take us. Children wanted to go through a tunnel, this was very exciting as we thought about how we could make one – what a great imaginative adventure and can you spot the tunnel?

Jack and the BeanstalkPam’s observation of where one child’s interest led to……

“Cal was the beginning of the giant! He wanted to listen to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk on the CD player.”

I stood back and watched him listening, as he did so I casually put a few appropriate props in front of him.

Outdoor Learning

We are very proud of how our outdoor learning has developed over the past few years. The staff, mainly Sharon and Sandra have gained a lot of experience in this area and this reflects in the quality of our teaching outdoors. One of the wonderful aspects of outdoor learning is witnessing how a child can become more confident in their abilities and within their peer group, learning new skills and having a sense of pride in their

Jack and the BeanstalkPam’s observation of where one child’s interest led to……

“Cal was the beginning of the giant! He wanted to listen to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk on the CD player.”

I stood back and watched him listening, as he did so I casually put a few appropriate props in front of him.

Discussions were encouraged, questions were explored around make believe……. ‘Are giants Real’……?!

Children learned a new skill as they painted the giant, printing with a sponge to cover a large area, keeping within lines and separating colour. They listened and followed the story using props of their own choice. Opportunities arose to introduce size comparisons and vocabulary relating to size, ‘huge’, ‘gigantic’, ‘enormous’, ‘massive’, ‘tall’, ‘short’, ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’.

Pam commented: I’ll see if the children take it up again after half term. It may lead to growing and making our own beanstalk and other traditional tales. I think there are several children who would also enjoy telling the story themselves using the props, then extending this by introducing drama. It was so lovely to be able to go along with the children’s interest and see their enthusiasm and delight.Look out for the giant in the room this term, maybe a large beanstalk will appear too!

achievements. Some children find ‘their voice’, demonstrate early leadership skills as they experience a great sense of freedom in our picturesque woods with their Pre-school friends. This term with the warmer weather approaching outdoor activities will be paramount in our planning. Our use of the school’s Forest Area has proved beneficial, giving children the opportunity to play and explore a natural area which we lack at Pre-school. We are very grateful to the Primary School for allowing us to use this on a regular basis. It is a great example of how the Pre-school and Primary school are working together for the benefit of all the Early Years children.

Our woodwork area will be up and running this term. It has been thoroughly risk assessed (including the use of equipment) and is in a fenced off area. If you would like to find out more about woodwork in the Early Years Foundation Stage please open the woodwork document attached to this newsletter email.

The joy of playing in the woods, rolling down

the steep bank!

Exploring the school Forest School area.

Working together to move large

branches!

Huge THANK YOU’s to:Simon (Lillian’s Daddy) and Rob (Martha’s Daddy) for assembling our new storage shed over half term. The ride-on vehicles are now stored away which has freed up the space for the Woodwork area.

Sam (Steph’s hubby) and Steph (Staff member!) for making the necessary adaptions to the woodwork bench so that the children can use it.

Kirsty and David (Lewi’s parents) for donating the picket fencing for the woodwork area.

Towards the end of this term we will be learning our Easter songs that we will be singing at the Easter Bonnet Parade/Egg Hunt in the Manor house gardens during the Thursday am session, 29th March (Last day of term, we finish at 12noon), we will send out more information nearer the time. All children are invited to take part, it is a traditional event where our Early Years community (Toddler group, Pre-school & the Primary School Reception Class) have the opportunity to celebrate together.

Polite requests/reminders Pick up times: The lunch time changes are working very well, it is less hectic for the children, staff and parents, creating a calmer environment for all!Please be prompt when collecting your child at lunchtime – 12noon and home time 3pm. Please telephone ahead to let us know if you are going to be late so we can warn your child as it can be distressing for some children if they are not collected on time. Also we may need to adjust timings of staff lunch breaks accordingly so that we are working within the correct adult/child ratios. If we have not had a phone call to inform us of late pick-up, 10 minutes after pick-up time we will attempt to contact you via the phone numbers you have supplied us with. If unsuccessful we will attempt to get in touch with your child’s listed emergency contact person. We do require you to let us know if someone other than yourself will be collecting your child. If someone is collecting your child who is not authorised by you on your child’s registration forms please ensure you inform us of their full name, contact phone number and relationship to your child, they will also need to know your child’s unique password, thank you.

Glovers Yard:Please be vigilant of vehicles driving in and reversing in and out of Glovers Yard when you drop off and collect your child. To a child it is almost part of their ‘Pre-school’ and no doubt feels like part of their ‘safe’ environment!Please do not allow your child to scoot/ride tricycles and run around the parked cars in Glovers Yard. Pre-school respects the property of other yard users and wishes to maintain continuing good relations with our neighbours! Thank you

Outdoor Clothing:Please ensure your child has suitable clothing for all types of outdoor play, this includes Woodland Wanderers and trips to the Primary school, it’s very muddy in the woods, on the school field and in the school forest area. Wellies are a must, please make sure a cosy pair of socks are worn with wellies because little feet get cold very quickly! Gloves are also very essential, please make sure you name them because they often go walkabouts! We do have a few spare essentials, lots of hats but very few gloves…!

Important Dates for your diary:Thursday 29th March – Easter Bonnet Parade, Manor Gardens, Time to be advised.Thursday 29th March – term ends at 12pm there is no afternoon session in line with Stonesfield Primary SchoolCommunication information:Pre-School Tel: 01993 898370Zena Rozee (Pre-School administrator) Tel: 01993 898012 Email: stonesfieldpsad@outlook.com

WEBSITE: www.stonesfieldpreschool.co.uk

Email address: Please feel free to email us for non-urgent communication: stonesfieldps@outlook.com