22 Street Lane Nursery - April 2026 Newsletter

Nursery Newsletter April 2026 Play • Discovery • Growth

April Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome to our April Newsletter, and as always, a warm welcome to our families who have recently joined us. Things are looking brighter with the warmer days ahead, the beautiful spring flowers and some sunshine these past few weeks. We’re also looking forward to longer days now that the clocks have changed! The children at 22 Street Lane have had a very busy March, including celebrating Holi, World Book Day, World Wildlife Day, International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Red Nose Day, Global Recycling Day, World Down Syndrome Day, and Eid Al Fitr. We have lots to look forward to throughout April, starting with Vaisakhi festivities, followed by Passover, our annual Easter Bonnet Parade and Egg Hunt, Earth Day, and St. George’s Day. To find out more, please read on...

April Newsletter STAFF NEWS Welcome to Shannon and Lucy! A warm welcome to Shannon and Lucy, who have both recently joined our bank staff team! They will be working across all of the rooms and are looking forward to getting to know everyone! “Hello, my name is Shannon, and I’m a Level 3 qualified Early Years Practitioner who is passionate about helping children learn, grow and feel confident during their early years. I love being creative and enjoy planning fun activities such as arts and crafts, messy play and imaginative games that help children explore and express themselves. Creating a warm, safe and happy environment is really important to me, and I enjoy building positive relationships with both children and their families. It’s wonderful to watch children develop new skills, confidence and independence through play every day.” “Hi, I’m Lucy, and supporting children and seeing them reach new milestones and develop their personality has always been a passion of mine. As a result, I have worked with children of various ages on both placement and in my time as a classroom assistant for a local tutoring company. As a first-year Psychology student at the University of Leeds, I am interested in understanding each child’s individual needs and take pride in working hard to recognise and support them. I am very excited to join the 22 Street Lane Nursery team!”

Amina - Maternity Leave As you may already be aware, Amina has now gone on maternity leave. She will be greatly missed by both the children and the team, but we wish her all the best and look forward to hearing her news very soon!

April Newsletter

STAFF NEWS

Welcome Joanne! We’re excited to welcome Joanne, who will be joining us as Deputy Manager from the week commencing 20th April. She’ll be working 3 days a week until September, and then 5 days a week from September onwards. You may see her around a little earlier, as she’ll be spending a few days with us during the Easter Holidays to begin to get to know the setting. “After gaining my degree in BA(HONS) Primary Education with QTS in 2011, I spent my career as a teacher and leader in a variety of primary schools around Leeds, primarily in Early Years but also with experience teaching children in KS1 and KS2. This has enabled me to work with children and families from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures, and children with additional needs.

As an experienced primary school teacher, I understand the importance of early education and giving all children the foundations to succeed. Having many years of experience as a teacher has given me a passion for ensuring learning is enticing and that achievement is high. I look forward to bringing my educational background to 22 Street Lane and helping children to thrive! In my spare time, I love finding exciting activities to do with my 4-year-old son, painting and drawing, and exploring the world.”

Alongside this: • Shosh will continue working 5 days a week as the Nursery Manager.

• Alex will continue in her role as the Early Years Strategic Manager, working 2 days a week. • Charlotte will remain part of the Management Team as Assistant Deputy Manager, and will be working 3 days a week. We’re really looking forward to having Joanne join the team, and we know she’s excited to meet you all soon.

April Newsletter NEWS

Country of the Month, April 2026: England Throughout March, we learnt all about Ireland as the Country of the Month. The children enjoyed a delicious Irish feast for St. Patrick’s Day, had a great time playing some traditional Irish instruments, designed their very own Shamrocks, and even gave some Irish dancing a go! Throughout April, we will be celebrating England as it is St. George’s Day towards the end of the month. The children will be learning lots of facts all about our country, as well as creating their own versions of the flag and eating lots of traditional British foods. We look forward to sharing on Tapestry some of what we get up to!

World Wildlife Day: Tuesday 3rd March Everyone enjoyed celebrating World Wildlife Day, where we focused on the importance of looking after living creatures and protecting the endangered species. The children designed their own animal pictures using a range of materials, as well as creating bird feeders to place in the outdoor area along with other handmade animal habitats. Lots of the rooms also went on outings to Roundhay Park and observed some of the natural wildlife.

April Newsletter NEWS

Fun on World Book Day: Thursday 5th March The children and staff had lots of fun celebrating World Book Day. Everyone came dressed up as their favourite characters and loved taking part in lots of fun and exciting activities relating to their favourite books too!

April Newsletter NEWS

International Women’s Day: Friday 6th March To celebrate International Women’s Day, the children learned about some of the remarkable achievements made by women throughout history. We shared the story Going on a Plane, which helped the children discover that girls can grow up to fly planes, just like the pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart. They also learned about Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space. The children explored a space-themed tuff tray filled with tin foil, a rocket, and a “cereal planet,” sparking lots of imaginative play and conversation. Inspired by Serena Williams and her incredible collection of awards, the children created their own medals. They loved painting them, adding colourful tissue paper, and proudly attaching the ribbons.

Holi Colour Festival Celebrations: Wednesday 4th March The children enjoyed learning about Holi, the Festival of Colour. We had lots of fun exploring some wonderful and very colourful tuff trays containing coloured materials, shredded paper, rice, paint and pasta! The children also enjoyed participating in some large-scale mark-making using paintbrushes, tissue paper and large pieces of paper.

April Newsletter NEWS

St Patrick’s Day: Tuesday 17th March We enjoyed celebrating St Patrick’s Day with the children! We explored Irish traditions, looked at the colour green, and took part in fun activities such as shamrock crafts, rainbow play, and dancing to lively Irish music. The children loved learning about the celebration and joining in with the festive spirit throughout the day.

Global Recycling Day: Wednesday 18th March For Global Recycling Day, the children looked at ways we can help to look after our planet. Everyone also enjoyed taking part in lots of junk modelling and using a range of recycled materials to create some fantastic creations!

Red Nose Day: Friday 20th March The children took part in lots of activities linked to Red Nose Day, exploring themed tuff trays and creating their very own red noses using paint, pom-poms and even play-dough. The children also wore their favourite silly clothes - it was great to see all of your outfits! Thank you so much for all of your generous donations. We raised a total of £115 for Comic Relief.

April Newsletter NEWS

World Down Syndrome Day: Friday 20th March The children all came into the nursery wearing their craziest, funkiest socks - linked to the campaign “lots of socks” to end the stereotypes often linked with people who have Down’s Syndrome. The children enjoyed learning all about the wonderful campaign, designing their own socks using a range of paints, colours and materials and exploring themed tuff trays. The children also looked at a range of books celebrating inclusivity and uniqueness, such as ‘All Are Welcome’ and ‘Completely Toby’.

Eid Al Fitr: Friday 20th March This month, we learned about and celebrated Eid with the children. We talked about kindness, sharing, and the importance of spending time with family and friends during this special festival. The children enjoyed creating colourful moon and star crafts, exploring traditional patterns, and tasting some delicious treats. Some of the Swans also had their very own henna designs! It was a lovely opportunity for everyone to come together and learn about the different celebrations within our community.

April Newsletter NEWS

Mother’s Day Stay and Play Sessions Thank you to all of our lovely mummies and other special people who attended our Mother’s Day Stay and Play Sessions last month. We hope that you all had as much fun as we did!

April Newsletter NEWS

Car Park Renovation: Temporary Closure in April We wanted to let all families know that our car park will be undergoing renovation soon, including the addition of a new planting area to enhance our outdoor environment. During this work, the car park will need to be closed for a couple of days at points throughout April. We will share the exact closure dates as soon as they are confirmed. In the meantime, please plan for alternative parking or additional time during drop-off and collection on those days. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation while we make these improvements.

Showcasing our new Summer Menu! As the warmer months are quickly approaching, we would like to share our summer menu with everyone. We’ve tried to include as many of your suggestions as we can. We hope that you like it! See the full menu on our website: www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk/healthy-eating/summer-menu/

Allotment Update We are pleased to share that our allotment space is now full, and we are finally starting to see the sun! We have planted rhubarb, garlic, onions, potatoes and lettuce As we look forward to warmer weather, during June we hope to harvest the garlic and onions we have planted, and will then be planting some tomatoes, carrots, wild rocket, radish, beetroot and courgette. The children will be helping along the way, and we look forward to sharing some further updates throughout the summer!

April Newsletter NEWS Passover: Wednesday 1st - Thursday 9th April Passover is a Jewish festival lasting eight days, which is linked to the biblical story of the Jewish people escaping from slavery in Egypt. During Passover, families will hold a ‘seder’ night on the first and sometimes second night of Passover. A seder night is a religious service set around a dinner table, where people eat, pray, sing, and read stories from a ‘Haggadah’ book. Traditional foods are also eaten during the festival, including Matzah, gefilte fish and chicken soup.

The children will be learning all about Passover and will have the chance to make their own Matzah crackers, listen to some Israeli music, and design their very own seder plate. We will also be trying some traditional foods too.

Vaisakhi Festival Celebrations: Tuesday 14th April This festival marks the Sikh New Year and Harvest Festival and is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs alike. The colourful and energetic celebrations involve singing and dancing, chanting hymns and processions throughout the town. The traditional Bhangra folk dance is becoming more and more popular. The children will be listening to traditional folk music and may also give some traditional dancing a go. If any families have any clothing, decorations, traditional meals or photographs they would like to share with us, we would love to see them and help support the celebrations.

April Newsletter NEWS

Earth Day Festivities: Wednesday 22nd April In support of World Earth Day, we will be teaching the children about the importance of looking after our world, such as reducing plastic and recycling. Cygnets and Swans will also have a special visit from Zoo Lab, and meet some endangered species!

Easter Bonnet Parade and Egg Hunt: Thursday 2nd April On Thursday 2nd April, we will be holding our annual Easter Bonnet Parade and Egg Hunt. The children are welcome to bring their decorated bonnets from Monday 30th March to Thursday 2nd April. We hope you will get creative with your children to produce some masterpieces and we’re looking forward to the children showing us their works of art.

April Newsletter Easter Bank Holiday Closures: Friday 3rd - Monday 6th April Please remember that the nursery will be closed on Friday 3rd April (Good Friday) and Monday 26th April (Easter Monday). We hope that everyone has a lovely four-day weekend with their families! Will we be reopening on Tuesday 7th April and are looking forward to the children return to the nursery.

April Newsletter

We will be celebrating St George’s Day at nursery with lots of red coloured themed activities as well as looking at our national English emblems and the story of St. George slaying the dragon. Oli will be cooking some traditional English dishes for us to try and the children are welcome to wear red and white to celebrate with us. St George’s Day: Thursday 23rd April

April Newsletter

Dish of the Month

Beef, Black Bean and Vegetable Tacos

See our past selections on: 22streetlanenursery.co.uk/dish-of-the-month/

Ingredients • 500g of diced beef, • 1 bunch of spring onions, • A selection of washed & prepped vegetables, • 1 diced red chilli, • 3 avocados, • 3 limes, • 100ml of light soy sauce, • 1 litre of good quality beef stock, • 2 tins of black beans, washed and rinsed, • 1 pack of tacos, • 1 bunch of coriander, • 15g of Chinese 5 spice, • 10g crispy onions

Method 1. Slowly fry off your diced beef on a medium heat, adding some light seasoning of salt, pepper and the Chinese 5 spice in a medium sized pan. 2. Wash and prep your chosen vegetables and add them to the pan, ensuring it’s on a low heat and that they get a nice caramelisation. 3. Add the soy sauce, beef stock and beans and leave them to gently simmer. Cook until extremely soft on the stove or alternatively add to a small tray and transfer to the oven for 2/3 hours on a low heat, around 140°C, or in a slow cooker. 4. Cut the avocado in half and mash it in a mixing bowl with the juice of 1 lime. Add some finely diced coriander and fresh chilli. Season to taste. 5. Following the cooking instructions of the packaging, cook some rice and start to arrange your tacos. We choose to garnish ours with some crispy onions, more fresh limes, coriander and spring.

April Newsletter

Chicklets Room News

The children began March with lots of excitement as they celebrated World Book Day, diving into stories through playful, hands-on activities. They listened to their favourite tales and brought them to life in wonderful ways. The Gingerbread Man was a big hit, especially when the children helped bake their own biscuits - filling the room with delicious smells and happy faces. Another much loved story was We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, which inspired a fantastic sensory tray filled with textures like swishy grass and squelchy mud for the babies to explore. We were also delighted to welcome our mummies into nursery for a Mother’s Day Stay and Play. It was a heart-warming session filled with activities, including seed planting and decorating picture frames with photos of their mummies, creating lovely keepsakes to treasure. Thank you to all who joined us; we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! The Chicklets continued their month of celebration by taking part in Eid themed activities. They explored a colourful rice sensory tray, scooping, pouring, and feeling different textures while learning about new materials and cultural traditions. It was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the children to diverse celebrations in a warm and inclusive way. We also celebrated Red Nose Day and World Down Syndrome Day!

CHICKLETS ROOM

April Newsletter

Ducklings Room News

What a busy month we have had in the Ducklings Room! For World Wildlife Day, we set out a bug-themed tuff tray for the Ducklings to explore as we read our ‘Animal Homes’ book, where we discussed where the different animals live. When we explored the garden, the Ducklings did such a great job at ticking off our wildlife check list. We found objects such as trees, bushes, spider webs, birds and worms! On Global Recycling Day, we spread awareness around protecting our environment and spoke about what we can do to help. We spent some time ‘litter picking’, and the Ducklings recycled items such as: cardboard boxes, milk cartons, bottle lids and cling film into the correct recycling bins. Finally, we rounded out the month with World Down Syndrome Day, Red Nose Day and Eid Al Fitr! We celebrated all three events in one day, which made it a very busy and fun-filled Friday! We started off the day with a colour-themed tray; we spoke about including all our friends in activities and how we can be kind. For Red Nose Day, we explored a red painting tray where we created our own red noses, and we got super messy! Lastly, for Eid, we celebrated by setting out a star and moon-themed shiny tray. We spoke about the different types of moons and where we see them. We can’t wait for some more fun in April, where we will be celebrating Easter, going on lots of walks to the park and exploring springtime in Nursery!

DUCKLINGS ROOM

April Newsletter

Goslings Room News

March has been a busy and exciting month in the Goslings Room, filled with lots of celebrations and opportunities for learning through play. World Book Day was fantastic, with the Goslings dressing up as their favourite characters. We made bookmarks and enjoyed story activities linked to ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ and ‘Pom Pom the Panda’, bringing stories to life through play. Our Mother’s Day Stay and Play was a big success! The children loved having their Mummies join them for a tea party, planting sunflower seeds, and making magical potions together. For St. Patrick’s Day, the children dressed in green, sang Irish songs, explored instruments, and made shamrock sun catchers using tissue paper and glue. We also celebrated Eid and the Iranian New Year, with the children taking part in themed creative activities, enjoying music, and sharing photos from their celebrations at home. We have enjoyed lots of role play, especially pretending to go shopping. To extend this interest, we took the Goslings on a trip to the real shops to buy fruit, which they really enjoyed. We have also celebrated lots of our friends turning two this month, with plenty of singing, birthday wishes and mini discos, bringing lots of smiles and excitement to the room.

GOSLINGS ROOM

April Newsletter

Cygnets Room News

The Cygnets have enjoyed another wonderfully busy month in March, filled with exciting activities linked to different celebrations and festivals. World Recycling Day helped the children learn about the importance of caring for our environment. They enthusiastically joined in with our “Recycling or Rubbish” sorting activity and worked together in the tuff tray to remove rubbish using litter pickers, helping to “save” the sea animals and developing teamwork at the same time. It was a joy to welcome all our lovely Mums for our Mother’s Day Stay and Play sessions. The children loved sharing special activities, including a fun yoga session with Bella, giving them a chance to show their mums what they’ve been learning in Dance Lab. They were so proud to hand over their handmade cards and the floral soap gifts they had created. Looking ahead to April, we are excited for even more learning and fun. The children will be busy preparing for our Easter Bonnet Parade in the garden, designing and decorating their own hats. We will also be marking Earth Day, continuing to deepen the children’s understanding of how to care for our world. As part of this, we are thrilled to welcome a special visit from Zoo Lab, where the children will meet and learn about a range of endangered species in an interactive and memorable way.

CYGNETS ROOM

April Newsletter

Swans Room News

This month has been full of fun and excitement as we explored a variety of special celebrations! For World Book Day, we enjoyed a range of activities inspired by our favourite stories. The children loved exploring a “Tiger Who Came to Tea” themed tuff tray and painting of their favourite characters. Towards the end of March, we began our Easter celebrations with a very special delivery - eggs that hatched into adorable chicks! The children have been fascinated watching the chicks hatch and have shown great care in looking after them. Everyone was very excited to have the opportunity to gently hold the chicks. This experience has also supported our learning about the life cycle of a chicken, alongside a range of Easter-themed crafts and activities. The Swans have also been busy gardeners this month. The children explored the mud kitchen in the garden, filling pots with soil and using their senses to investigate the texture and smell of the compost. We planted cress seeds and talked about what plants need to grow, with the children sharing ideas such as sunlight, water, and soil. We also planted grass and wildflower seeds in tyres, which we are excited to watch grow. Next month, we will continue celebrating Easter and caring for our chicks. We will also be continuing to plant in the big garden. We will be adding some herbs for the children to use whilst cooking, as well as lots more beautiful flowers.

SWANS ROOM

April Newsletter

2026 Events Calendar *Dates subject to change - Please check the website for the latest calendar

Weds 1st - Thurs 9th

Passover Celebrations

Thursday 2nd

Easter Bonnet and Egg Hunt

Good Friday, Nursery Closed

Friday 3rd

April

Easter Monday, Nursery Closed

Monday 6th

Tuesday 14th

Vaisakhi Festival Celebrations

Wednesday 22nd

Earth Day

Thursday 23rd

St George's Day

Early Bank Holiday, Nursery Closed

Monday 4th

W/C Monday 4th

National Walking Month

W/C Monday 11th

Mental Health Awareness Week

W/C Monday 18th

Grandparents Stay & Play

May

W/C Monday 18th

National 'Share a Story' Month

Wednesday 20th

World Bee Day

Spring Bank Holiday, Nursery Closed

Monday 25th

Wednesday 27th

Eid Al Adha

April Newsletter

2026 Events Calendar *Dates subject to change - Please check the website for the latest calendar

W/C Monday 1st

National Children’s Gardening Week

Friday 5th

Team Training Day, Nursery Closed

W/C Monday 8th

Healthy Eating & G reat Big Green Week

Tuesday 9th

Bicycle Day - Bring your bike to Nursery Day!

June

W/C Monday 15th

Father’s Day Stay & Play

Monday 15th

Parents Evening - Chicklets, Goslings, Swans

W/C Monday 15th

National Picnic Week

Wednesday 24th

Parents Evening - Ducklings & Cygnets

W/C Monday 29th (TBC)

Beach Party Week

Thursday 9th (TBC)

Swans Graduation

July

Friday 31st

Yorkshire Day Celebrations

WC Monday 24th

Carnival Week

August

Summer Bank Holiday, Nursery Closed

Monday 31st

W/C Monday 7th

Rosh Hashanah

September

Friday 25th

Mid-Autumn Festival

Friday 25th

Macmillan Bake Sale

April Newsletter

2026 Events Calendar *Dates subject to change - Please check the website for the latest calendar

W/C Monday 5th

Black History Month

Friday 9th

World Mental Health Day

W/C Monday 19th & Monday 26th

October

Halloween Stay & Play

Team Training Day, Nursery Closed

Tuesday 27th

Friday 30th

Halloween Fancy Dress Day

W/C Monday 2nd

Diwali Celebrations

Thursday 5th

Bonfire Celebrations

Friday 6th

Remembrance Sunday

Monday 9th

Parents Evening - Chicklets, Goslings, Swans

Friday 13th

World Kindness Day

November

W/C Monday 16th

Road Safety Week

TBC

World Nursery Rhymes Week

Wednesday 18th

Parents Evening - Ducklings & Cygnets

Friday 20th

Children in Need

Thursday 26th

Thanksgiving

W/C Monday 7th

Chanukah

Thursday 10th

Christmas Jumper Day

TBC

Swans Christmas Nativity

December

W/C Monday 14th

Christmas Party Week

Tuesday 15th

22SLN Christmas Dinner Day

Christmas Eve, Nursery Closes at 12pm

Thursday 24th

April Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read Notice - Glass Door We would like to remind parents to close the glass door behind them for the safety of the children. Please make sure you don’t let anyone in behind you. Absence Please note that we are unable to swap days or offer an alternative day if your child is absent from nursery. We are now extremely busy, and it is impossible for us to do this for all children. This is stated in our terms and conditions. Thank you for your co-operation. Labels in Clothing To avoid items being lost, please can you ensure that your child’s uniform is clearly labelled including their coats, hats, scarves and wellies. If your child brings gloves to nursery, we strongly advise for these to be attached and threaded through their coat to avoid any gloves going missing. Weather Appropriate Clothing With the cooler months upon us, please can you ensure that your child has appropriate clothing for colder and wetter weather, including coats, hats, scarves, gloves and wellies when appropriate. Tax-Free Childcare Tax-free childcare accounts are also available and can lead to savings of up to £2000 per child per year. These accounts can also be used alongside funding. For more information, please visit: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk Drop Off and Collection Can we kindly remind you that we open at 7.30 am and close at 6.00 pm and any parents who pick up after this time will be charged a late fee.

CONTACT US 0333 043 22 22

www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk info@22streetlanenursery.co.uk