Welcome back and I hope you all had a lovely Easter break. What a first week back we have had! Firstly, we are so impressed with how well the children have settled back in, showing so much confidence and independence. Our new topic started this week and we are learning all about 'Lifecycles'. The animals in focus are the butterfly and the frog as well as learning about the lifecycle of a sunflower.
The children have really enjoyed planting their own sunflower seeds this week, it would be lovely to see how they are growing at home in the coming weeks. We have also been very lucky to have ZooLab visit on Tuesday and the children absolutely loved meeting a corn snake, a tarantula, a gecko and a rat. Everyone was very brave (staff included!) and asked some lovely questions.
We are currently looking into some other experiences for the children for the rest of the term. We also celebrated Eid, marking the end of Ramadan. The children made some lanterns, cards and decorated some mosques. We also learning about what Eid is on the big screen.
Next week we continue to look at the lifecycle of a butterfly as we make caterpillars with circles and butterflies using bow pasta. We will also be celebrating St. George's Day on Monday (it is actually this Sunday) as we make flags and crowns as well as explore a red and white rice tray. We will also decorate some dragons. Other activities include the silly soup rhyming game, a sensory lifecycle tuff tray and, weather permitting, lots of outdoor play.
The butterflies are starting to do more focused group times this term in preparation for school in September. You will see some more observations of these group times on Tapestry so you can see what they are getting up to.
You may have seen the exciting works taking place at the school house, we are so excited to have this project underway. The school house will accommodate 12 2 yr olds while we still use the preschool room for the 3 yr olds and rising 5's.
Reminders and dates for the diary:
- Please ensure all children have labelled coats/jackets, jumpers and sun hats as the weather is quite changeable this time of year.
- Now that we are outside much more, can i ask that children do not wear crocs to preschool as they can be a trip hazard. Some comfortable trainers or shoes will be more supportive for your child's feet.
- Sunday 23rd April: St George's Day
- Monday 1st May: Bank holiday - Preschool closed
- Friday 5th May: King Charles' coronation celebration picnic (details to follow)
- Saturday 6th May: King Charles' coronation
- Monday 8th May: Bank holiday - Preschool closed
