New beginnings
As first weeks of term go this has certainly been one of the best we can remember. We have been very impressed with how well the new children have settled into the nursery and grateful for how much parents have helped us by making quick drop offs. For our younger children the focus of the first few weeks is to help them feel safe and secure in the nursery environment, for them to develop the confidence to explore the different activities and learning opportunities on offer. Group leaders try to make every effort to keep you updated with how your child is doing through Famly and in person at collection time, but please do feel that you can contact us at any time if you have any questions about your child or the nursery. The best way to speak us during a session is by calling or messaging the nursery mobiles, as the landline is fixed so is only answered when someone is in the office.
Going into the second week of term do expect some tears on arrival but be reassured that this is completely normal and doesn’t last long. Parents of anxious children should follow these top tips to help their child settle quickly:
1. Don’t be early. Park your car and come straight into nursery, drop off your child and make a swift getaway. If you arrive early and wait in the car or outside in the car park your child is likely to become anxious and tearful. It will then take much longer for them to calm down after you have left.
2. If your child was tearful coming into nursery last week then aim to arrive 10 or 15 minutes into the session. By this time the other children in the group have settled and your anxious child will be walking into a calm room.
3. Until your child is settled at nursery it is better to refrain from …(talking about it too much before the beginning of the session.
4. Please refrain from coming into the classrooms and drop off your child from the hallway. This will not only help your child settle more quickly but causes less disruption and upset to the other children in the group.
5. Be confident, even if you are feeling anxious inside. The saying goes that you have to fake it to make it, and that applies to helping your child settle into nursery. Children can pick up on our emotions, so when you put on a brave face your child is likely to feed off your positive and confident energy.
Our preschool children were excited to return and be reunited with their friends after the Summer break. It is lovely to see how much they have grown and matured over the 7 week holiday and we can already see a difference in their play and how they cooperate with each other. The preschoolers have been learning their new routine with a daily assembly and slightly more structure in the art room and classroom. They have also taken part in their first circle time sessions where they are encouraged to speak in front of their peers and also listen to each other when it is not their turn.
On Wednesday morning the preschool children had their first cooking session of the year. Just like the Great British Bake Off, this week was bread week and the children kneaded, squeezed, stretched and squashed their dough to make some delicious white rolls. There would have been no complaints from Paul Hollywood as they were all baked to perfection, much to delight of the hungry children!
Everyone will have been signed up to Famly, our online nursery management software, and over the year the teachers will be recording their observations and uploading photos to track the children’s progress. If you have been unable to log in or are having any difficulties with it please let us know. You are able to download the app for your mobile or tablet which is a more convenient way of viewing your child’s journal.
For new parents we recommend you check out our meet the staff page to familiarise yourself with the different people you may see around at Kinder Lodge and Sandpit House. As well as Famly we will use this blog as a way to keep you informed of what has been happening in the past week. We also regularly post updates on our Facebook page and Instagram so please like us by clicking the following links if you have not done so already:
Finally, our supply of newspaper is running low as we use it in the Artroom when using paint or glue. If you have any unwanted newspapers at home then please bring them in for us to use.
See you in the next blog!
Roberto & Gabriella