March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries

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March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
March 2018

                       This edition will be focusing on planting and gardening, the
                     importance of reading to our children and Easter ideas to make
                                              and do at home.

We have welcomed new animals on the farm at Wilton. 4 baby lambs have been born and have been named by
the children and staff—Midnight, Dr Pepper, Little Reggie and Pistachio. 1 baby pigmy goat has also been born
named Pepper. The children have been lucky enough to meet the new arrivals soon after being born and as you
 can see from the photos, some children have been able to have a lovely cuddle with them too. The lambs and
              pigmy goat can be found in the yard in between the baby unit and the indoor barn.

                                                     Mother’s Day breakfast was carried out at Wilton on Satur-
                                                     day, 10th March where children and their Mummy’s took a
                                                   walk up to the woods to collect puzzle pieces and then back to
                                                     the farm to complete the puzzle and cook their breakfast of
                                                   sausages. Thank you to everyone who attended and to Jo, Ami
                                                    and Katherine for helping on the day. On Friday, 9th March,
                                                    Burcombe also held a Mother’s Day morning where the chil-
                                                            dren created various crafts for their Mummy’s.
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
All of our nurseries have wonderful outdoor
                              facilities and they all include a gardening area
                               for the children to explore and learn in. But
                                 what are the benefits? In the following
                             information, we hope to broaden your thoughts
                                       on your children getting dirty.
              Gardening with children can be fun, educational and refreshing but also be full of sensory benefits
              with all children engaging in sensory play. From birth, children learn about the world around them
                   using their senses and as they grow and develop, sensory experiences help them to make
              connections. The garden has endless opportunities for hands-on experiences to foster learning and
                   encourage children to process their world by touching, feeling, comparing and observing.

 If you are looking for an engaging outdoor activity that allows the whole family
    to participate, consider a family garden. From selecting your own vegetables
   and flowers, preparing the earth and planting, and finally harvesting, garden-
  ing can be a wonderful way to involve your children in healthy hobby you can
 all enjoy. Children are closer to the ground and they have an intimate relation-
   ship with the earth. Along with the fun of getting dirty, gardening helps chil-
    dren learn valuable lessons about patience as they wait for the vegetables to
   grow, responsibility as they see how necessary their care is to the garden, and
 even loss when flowers die at the end of a season. Children learn about nurtur-
    ing a life and what it takes to keep something alive. There is a huge value of
 exercise as children physically work in a garden and this then supports the fam-
 ilies to learn about working together and share. An important thing about gar-
  dening , especially with growing vegetables, is that children understand where
     food comes from. Children gain huge satisfaction when seeing food pulled
  from the ground or picked from a plant and helps them to make comparisons
     between what is seen in their garden and how it looks in the supermarket.

   ‘A 2010 study commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) found that children in schools that encouraged
gardening became more resilient, confident, eager to learn and have healthier life styles. It also found that gardening had a
 positive impact on children’s literacy and numeracy development and that it led to a more active, inquisitive approach to
                        learning and improved problem solving skills.’ (www.earlylearninghq.org.uk)

                                         Ensure your child has clothing appropriate to the weather conditions, especially
                                         wellies, waterproofs and warm clothes. Think about protection from the sun too
                                         with sun cream and hats. Gardening gloves could allow your child to take part in
                                         more gardening activities but this perhaps should be more about avoiding prick-
                                         les and scratches rather than stopping them getting dirty. Gardening is a good
                                         way to encourage those children (and parents/carers) who are worried about
                                         ‘messy’ play and getting dirty hands. Children can wear old shirts over their own
                                         clothes whilst gardening – they are often more flexible and comfy than plastic
                                         aprons which can be off putting to some children. Encourage your child to wash
                                         their hands when they are finished and always before eating and drinking.
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
These home learning packs have been advertised across all of
                                   our 6 nurseries and are encouraging parents to complete
                                   activities at home. The pack includes;

                                        All of the resources needed to grow your own beanstalk.

                                        Playdough recipe and playdough mat to create flowers
                                         for Jack’s Mummy’s garden.

                                        Pencil control maze activity sheets.

                                        Colouring activity.

                                        Cutting and ordering magic beans 1-10.

                                        Beanstalk game complete with spinner.

                                   We are looking forward to parents and children sending us
                                   their pictures of the beanstalks growing and hope that these
                                   will produce yummy beans for the family to eat.

                                                                           Ideas for gardening with
                                                                             your children at home;
                                                                           small world tyres, sweet
                                                                          pea wigwams, sensory beds,
                                                                            free standing gardening
                                                                          box, wellie boots filled with
                                                                          plants, growing seeds in ice
                                                                             cream cones and tray.
                      Plants that are ideal for growing with small children;
Plants—Primrose, Wild Strawberry, Bellflower, Pansy, Geranium, Lambs ear, Lavender, Forget-me-not.

    Herbs—Spearmint, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, lavender, Sage, Oregano, Coriander, Tarragon.

                  Seeds—Runner beans, radish, Sweet pea, Marigold, Lettuce, Cornflower.

               Fruit and vegetables—Runner beans, Strawberry, Radish, Lettuce, Courgette,
                                Carrot, Potato, Spinach, Beetroot.

                                Happy gardening!
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
Feature article this month—the importance of reading to our children
      We all know that reading to our children is important. But did you know that early years children who are read to every day have many
      advantages and benefits. Not only does reading enhance a child’s vocabulary, and to help them understand how to read and write, but
                   reading aloud to children also helps them to understand different topics about the world and every day life.

            Below are some benefits and advantages that highlight the importance of reading.

1.    Reading to young children sets them up to succeed—The more you read to your children, the more knowledge they absorb, and knowledge is
      important in all aspects of life. There have been many studies that show reading to babies and toddlers gives them a head start and helps to
      prepare them for school later down the line. Reading with your children gives them the skills needed for when they start to read themselves. It
      is important that children learn to follow words across the page from left to right, and turn pages which are pre-reading skills that benefit chil-
      dren and help them to become readers later on.

2.    2. Reading develops language skills—While you may speak with your children every day, the vocabulary you use is often limited and re-
      petitive. Reading books ensures that your child is exposed to vocabulary on different topics, which means they hear words or phrases which
      they may not hear otherwise in their day to day lives. The more words they know, the better. For children who speak more than one language,
      reading is an easy way to help their language skills and is important to develop their fluency.

                    3. Exposure to reading exercises your child’s brain—Reading to young children affects their brain
                    activity and may just give them that boost they need to support and promote their early reading skills.
                    Research shows that specific areas of the brain are affected when young children have reading expo-
                    sure at home from an early age. These areas are critical for a child’s language development.

                    4. Reading enhances a child’s concentration—While you may think it is useless reading to a toddler
                    who wants to constantly turn pages, swap books, or throw them around altogether, reading with your
                    little one is extremely important at this age. By consistently reading to your child every day, your child
                    will learn to concentrate and sit still for longer periods of time, which can help later on when they go to
                    school.

                    5. Reading together encourages a thirst for knowledge—Reading to your children leads to questions
                    about the book and the information within. It gives you a chance to speak about what is happening and
                    use this as a learning experience. It may also develop an interest in different cultures or languages.
                    There is nothing better than seeing a child who loves to learn.
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
6. A range of books teaches children about different topics—Providing your child with different types of books on different topics, or even in
different languages for bilingual children, gives them a wide range of information for them to learn. There are informative books on topics
such as different animals, places or objects etc, and there are also different books to help teach children about important life skills such as
sharing, being kind, and diversity.

7. Reading develops a child’s imagination and creativity—One of the great benefits of reading with children is watching their growing
imagination. When we really engage in a book we imagine what the characters are doing, we imagine the setting as reality,. Seeing the
excitement on a child's eyes when they know what is going to be on the next page, or having them guess what is going to happen is one of the
most amazing things to experience.

8. Reading books with children helps to develop empathy—When a child puts themselves into the story it helps them to develop empathy.
They identify with characters, and they feel what they are feeling. Children begin to understand and relate to emotions.

9. Books are a form of entertainment—With so much technology these days, it is difficult not to get caught up in all the hype of it all. Video
games, smart phones and apps are popular among children. However, reading a good book that your child is interested in can be just as
entertaining. With all of the negative affects of screen time, or letting them flick through pages alone, is definitely a better option.

10. Reading together helps to create a bond—There’s nothing better than cuddling up to your little one and reading a book or a bedtime
story together,. Spending time with one another, reading and talking, can bring parents closer to their children. For parents who work, or have
a busy lifestyle, relaxing with your child and simply enjoying each others company while reading can be a great way for you both to wind
down, relax and bond.

According to www.madeformums.com, these are the top 10 books for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers;

                  Babies                                          Toddlers                                        Pre-school
  ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’—Eric              ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’—Michael             ‘The Gruffalo’—Julia Donaldson & Axel
               Carle                                    Rosen & Helen Oxenbury                                    Scheffler
‘Is it bedtime Wiggle Pig?’ - Mick Inkpen       ‘Room on the Broom’—Julia Donaldson &              ‘Where the Wild Things Are’—Maurice
                                                            Axel Scheffler                                       Sendak
‘Each Peach Pear Plum’— Janet & Allan
              Ahlberg                                    ‘Dear Zoo’—Rod Campbell                        ‘Winnie-The-Pooh’—A.A.Milne
  ‘Guess How Much I Love You’—Sam               ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’—Judith Kerr            ‘I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato’—
       McBratney & Anita Jeram                                                                                  Lauren Child
                                                 ‘Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy’—
     ‘Peepo!’ - Janet & Allan Ahlberg                          Lynley Dodd                            ‘The Jolly Postman’—Janet & Allan
                                                                                                                   Ahlberg
       ‘Maisy’s Bus’—Lucy Cousins               ‘The Tale Of Peter Rabbit’—Beatrix Potter
                                                                                                     ‘A Magic Faraway Tree’—Enid Blyton
‘That’s Not My Dinosaur’—Fiona Watt &                 ‘The Cat In The Hat’—Dr Seuss
             Rachel Wells                                                                               ‘No Matter What’—Debi Gliori
                                                 ‘Owl Babies’—Martin Waddell & Patrick
 ‘The Baby’s Catalogue’—Janet & Allan                          Benson                                  ‘Green Eggs and Ham’—Dr Seuss
               Ahlberg
                                                    ‘Alfie Gets in First’—Shirley Hughes                   ‘Dogger’—Shirley Hughes
        ‘Where’s Spot?’ - Eric Hill
                                                        ‘Peace At Last’—Jill Murphy                  ‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’—Judith Kerr
       ‘Peek-A-Boo’—Jan Ormerod
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
Children and staff across sites dressed up as their favourite book characters. I’m sure you
             agree that everyone made a wonderful effort and look amazing.

                                                                    ‘The books transported
                                                                    her into new worlds and
                                                                       introduced her to
                                                                   amazing people who lived
                                                                         exciting lives’.
                                                                    (Matilda by Roald Dahl)
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
So what has been going on in and around our nurseries?........
Semley—Some of Semley children have enjoyed visiting a lambing farm as part of our
Spring fun. They had lots of fun feeding the lambs and the children even watched a lamb
being born. We have also been making links with our wonderful community. Our local dairy
farm representative came to visit, telling the children all about the cows and how their milk
is produced. Many children took a trip to the local dairy and bought some creamy fresh
farm milk from their dispenser! In consequence our children are having great fun exploring
'down on the farm'.

City—The preschool class choose to do a topic about Jack and the Beanstalk after sever-
al of them watched the pantomime at Christmas. The children have enjoyed creating a dis-
play and retelling the story through art, role play and puppets. We have also grown our own
magic beans and the children are fascinated that they are all growing at different rates
and they are very proud of them. The Butterfly class have been learning about people who
help us and they have created their own display depicting a house on fire with all the emer-
gency service vehicles around it. The Role play corner has been turned into a vets where
they have enjoyed making their animals better. We are hoping to have visits from the fire
and police but unfortunately these got cancelled due to other events ! The Dragonfly class
have enjoyed the story of the Gruffalo and they have made a lovely display using lots of
different media. The children love the story and one parent has even told us that their
child can retell the story back to them. We have also taken the story outside and we found
sticks to make our own log house. The Baby room have been making a display of under the
sea and they have enjoyed lots of sensory activities. All the classrooms have celebrated,
Pancake Day, Valentine's Day, St. David's Day, Mother's Day, St Patrick's Day and Chinese
New Year and we even tried some Chinese food.

Wilton—Barn 1 have been looking at authors and artists with a focus on one per week.
One of the children's favourites was Nick Sharratt who wrote
books such as ‘Shark in the Park’, ‘You Choose’ and ‘What’s in the
                          Witches Kitchen?’. The children have
                          completed various crafts and cooking
                          activities to support the children’s
                          learning and knowledge of the books.
                          Julie is also contacting Nick Sharratt
                          via email to let him know how much the
                          children have enjoyed learning and read-
                          ing his stories and to send pictures of
                          the children’s learning. Fingers crossed
                          he replies and will no doubt be compli-
                          menting the children on their efforts.
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
Bemerton
The children in the Owl class had
the pleasure of being invited to
Salisbury Cathedral and joining
other schools and nursery’s to sing
the song ‘Morning has broken’. The
children and staff have worked hard
                            to learn
                            the words and actions and they had
                            enormous fun participating in the
                            workshops put on, including making
                            a sun catcher and joining in with a
                            story time. The children were
                            exceptionally well behaved and were
                            a credit to the nursery and their
                            families.

Corsham
We are thrilled to announce that our
Corsham site had their latest Ofsted in-
spection on 31st January where they main-
tained their rating of ‘Outstanding’. Some of
the comments made by the inspector includ-
ed ‘team is highly experienced and shows
commitment to maintaining the quality of the
provision to benefit children, their families
and the local community’ and ‘children be-
have exceptionally well, with a strong under-
standing of fairness and confidently negoti-
ate taking turns with their friends’. A parent
kindly made these delicious cupcakes and
iced them beautifully to celebrate the re-
port with the staff and children.

                                                 Burcombe
                                                 This week we have been exploring space and
                                                 the planets.
                                                 We’ve enjoyed
                                                 watching a shuttle
                                                 launch, Major Tim
                                                 Peake’s space walk
                                                 on the Internation-
                                                 al Space Station
                                                 and have sung along
                                                 to the ‘Planet Song’
                                                 on YouTube. Most
                                                 of all we have en-
joyed playing in our role play space ship and space rocket that
blasts off into space every day. We are busy making papier-mache
planets, aliens in spaceships, counting on our dot to dot moon pic-
tures and squishing and squeezing our sensory galaxy bags.
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
Use lollypop sticks and glue
                           together. Paint yellow and
                          add the details to make this
                             fun and cheerful spring

                        Planting cress is great fun
                        for children of all ages as
                         it grows quickly. Sprinkle
                        the cress seeds on damp
                        cotton wool inside empty
                            egg shells and keep
                                 watered.

                                                       Using everyday
                                                  breakfast food, you can
                                                  create a fun bunny face
                                                   to entice your child to
                                                   eat this healthy meal.
                                                      Scotch pancakes,
                                                   apple, blueberries and
                                                     raspberries can be
                                                      placed on a plate.

                                     Easter ideas                                         Handprints can be used to make
                                                                                          lots of fun crafts with your chil-
                                                                                            dren and these bunny prints
                                                                                           make lovely Easter cards for
                               Rice krispie or cornflake cakes are quick and easy to make
                                                                                                 family and friends.
                               and just require melting chocolate and syrup together and
                              adding the cereal. Make sure you put the eggs in the middle
                                   when the chocolate is still warm to help them set.

                                  All Easter
                                bunnies love
                               to eat carrots!
                               This footprint
                                craft is fun if
                                you can keep
                                 your child’s
                                foot still long                                           A fork dipped in paint can create
                                  enough to                                               this adorable chick, dragging the
                                    print!.                                               paint to make him as big or small
                                                                                                     as required.
  Hot cross buns can be                                        Small world trays are great sensory
 quite time consuming to                                        exploratory activities for children
 make so try following an                                         of all ages. This one has been
easy chocolate chip cookie                                         created by filling a tray with
                                                                   shredded paper and adding
recipe and piping an icing
                                                                 different coloured eggs for the
      cross on top.
                                                               children to sort. Don’t forget to add
                                                                 the chickens that have laid the
                                                                               eggs!
March 2018 - South Hills Nurseries
Dates for City parents
              Easter Bunny will be visiting us on Monday 26th
                                   March

The Owl room are having an Easter Celebration on Friday 23rd March at 2pm for all
         the children who participate in Jo Machin’s lessons on a Friday
On the 29th March we will be having an Easter Bonnet parade and if you could all
make an Easter bonnet with your children at home and then we will do a parade at
    2pm in the hall. There will be a prize for the best bonnet in each room.

                                Bemerton parents
   Each child has been given an Easter egg to decorate at home. There will be a
              prize of an Easter egg which will be drawn from a hat.
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