22 Street Lane Nursery - December 2021 Newsletter

Newsletter December Play • Discovery • Growth

December Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, It’s the most wonderful time of the year here at 22 Street Lane Nursery, the tree is up, we are writing our letters to Santa and making our Christmas crafts. All we need to do now is wait patiently for the big man’s arrival! We have a very magical month planned for the children; we will be visiting various countries around the world to see how they celebrate Christmas and explore the real meaning of Christmas. We have lots of festive days to look forward to including our Christmas Jumper Day, our yummy Christmas Dinner and our festive Christmas Party! We also have some special visitors that will be stopping by the nursery to see the children, I wonder who that can be? Please note that the nursery will close on Friday 24th December at 12pm and we look forward to welcoming the children back on Tuesday 4th January. We hope that you all have a very merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous new year! To find out more, please read on…

December Newsletter STAFF NEWS

We would like to give a warm welcome to our new staff members who have joined or will be joining us throughout December.

Aaliyah-Lue McKenzie: Apprentice Practitioner, Ducklings Room I’m very excited to start my Level 3 Childcare Apprenticeship at 22 Street Lane Nursery following on from the completion of my Level 2 qualification. I’m eager to watch and assist in all the children’s individual development, helping them learn and blossom into their own little person. I have had a lot of experience with looking after young children in my personal life, and I honestly love taking care of my younger siblings and even care for the children of my family and friends. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to start my career path at 22 Street Lane, as I aspire to one day be a therapist, perhaps even one specialising in child therapy. Even after one day at the nursery, my passion for working with children has increased immensely! In my spare time, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends.

Ellie Worrall: Apprentice Practitioner, Chicklets Room I have always loved working in the care sector by either volunteering or working in various care roles since I was 16. With that past experience, I am ready and really looking forward to joining the team at 22 Street Lane Nursery and helping the children learn and grow every day! I love baking in my spare time, and I also really enjoy going out in my camper and walking in rural areas with my dogs and partner.

Mariya Khan: Qualified Practitioner, Cygnets Room After completing my BA in Childhood Practice and gaining over 8 years of nursery experience, I have moved down from Scotland to take on a new challenge at 22 Street Lane Nursery! I can't wait to join the team and help all the children develop and grow each and every day. I also love animals, music and exploring the outdoors!

December Newsletter NEWS

Chloe Powell Maternity Leave We will be saying goodbye to Chloe, our Duckling's Room Leader, who will be leaving to start her maternity leave on Wednesday 22nd December. We all wish you the best and can’t wait to hear about everything when the baby is born! We'd also like to congratulate Rose Seymour and Shannon Muscroft who have been promoted to Duckling's Room Leader and Deputy Room Leader respectively! Both Rose and Shannon are looking forward to the new challenge and we are confident that they will do a great job!

Congrats to Bec and Josie! We had some wonderful news recently that our Deputy Manager, Bec Boxall, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on November 15th, who has been named Josie!

Congratulations on a magical day Charlotte! We would like to say a big congratulations to Charlotte Baker, our Swans Room Leader, who tied the knot on Saturday 13th November! Everyone from your 22 Street Lane Nursery family wishes you all the happiness in your future. ❤

December Newsletter NEWS

Children in Need Pyjama Day Fun On Friday 19th November, the children were invited to come to the nursery in their pyjamas for a day filled with lots of fun messy play activities to help raise awareness for Children in Need. We even had a visit from a very special visitor too! Thank you to everyone who donated, we managed to raise a total of £132.84!

Around The World In 30 Days: Landmarks and Christmas

Throughout November the children explored famous different landmarks through various messy play activities, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal and The Great Wall of China! Throughout December everyone will be exploring how Christmas is celebrated around the world and the different traditions that each country has!

Diwali Festivities The children explored Diwali, the Festival of Light, by making rangoli patterns using colourful rice and other materials. The children also had the opportunity to create their own Diva lamps using salt dough, which they then decorated with lots of colourful paint.

December Newsletter The Curiosity Approach at 22 Street Lane

In this technological age, our society contains a multitude of distractions: iPads, computers, television and electronic toys. Together these can create an overabundance of sensory stimulation and a busy, hectic life that fills a child’s brain, overstimulated with that constant noise and endless activity. Do you wonder what the future of our littlest people looks like? We need to enhance their communication and literacy skills and develop their imagination in play through creating an environment of awe and wonder. The Curiosity Approach values time and space, and looks to empower children. Helping them to become the thinkers and doers of the future. Through uncluttered and beautiful environments, it is our aim to create a calm and tranquil environment in which children can be curious to investigate, discover and learn. To allow children time and space to tinker, explore and work at their own pace. Through a child-centred approach, we encourage the power of concentration in young children. We are passionate educators who are looking to empower our children for a successful and happy future through play, exploration and discovery. Setting them up with the skills for life!

Teaching our children through heart and soul is what we must aspire to do. Look closely at their faces, how incredible to witness such pure joy. There’s truly no better reward! “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” ~ Mia Hamm

Continuing our sharing of the A-Z of the Curiosity Approach, we are showcasing S & T this month:

Senses - “Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds and colours” – Loris Malaguzzi

Te Whāriki - Is New Zealand’s Early Childhood Curriculum and is underpinned by a vision for children who are competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit. We value Te Whāriki at The Curiosity Approach, particularly the well-being and belonging of the child.

December Newsletter

CHRISTMAS NEWS ROUNDUP

New government guidance surrounding face masks Following the latest government guidance, it is strongly recommended that face masks be worn in communal areas of the nursery. Please can we ask that all parents wear a mask when entering the building, unless you are medically exempt.

Thank you for all of your present donations We would like to thank all of the parents that donated a Christmas present during our collection drive to give to looked-after children in Leeds. We're sure that you will have made lots of boys and girls happy!

Christmas Party Day: Tuesday 24th December On Tuesday 21st December we will be holding our annual 22SLN Christmas party! The children are welcome to come to nursery in their party clothes.

Christmas Nursery Closure The nursery will close for Christmas on Friday 24th December at 12pm. If your child is not going to be attending nursery on Christmas Eve, please can you let us know so we can plan accordingly. We will be welcoming all our families back to the nursery on Tuesday 4th January 2022.

December Newsletter Christmas Jumper Day: Friday 10 th December

This festive season we are spreading the Christmas cheer with our annual Christmas Jumper Day. The children are invited to wear their best festive frocks, joyful jumpers and other seasonal styles on Friday 10th December, the more festive the better!

December Newsletter Swans Christmas Nativity: Thursday 16 th December

The Swans are going to be performing a very exciting rendition of the Nativity this year on Thursday 16th December at 10am at St Andrew’s Church, Roundhay, LS8 1DS. If your child DOES NOT attend nursery on a Thursday, then we kindly ask you to meet us at St Andrew’s Church at 9.45am for a 10am start. Children who DO attend nursery on a Thursday will be accompanied to and from the church by staff members. Please could we ask that you drop your child off at nursery by 9.00am latest on this day. Also, please let us know if your child is unable to attend on this date so we can plan alternative parts for our Nativity show.

December Newsletter

Dish of the Month

• 1kg sweet potatoes cut into chunks • 1 tbsp olive oil • 4 leeks sliced • 500g skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes • 2 tsp cornflour • 200ml of chicken stock • 1 tsp dried thyme • 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt Chicken & Leek Pie See our past selections on: 22streetlanenursery.co.uk/dish-of-the-month/ Ingredients

• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard • 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped • Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6 2. Steam or boil the sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Steaming will preserve more of the potatoes' antioxidant compounds. Whichever method you use, mash the potatoes once cooked. 3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan and add the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes. 4. Add the leeks to the pan and cook gently for around 3 minutes. 5. Put the cornflour into a small bowl or cup and add a little of the stock, mixing to a smooth paste. 6. Add the cornflour paste to the chicken, then gradually add the rest of the stock and the thyme to the pan and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the leeks have reduced and the liquid has thickened slightly. 7. Remove from the heat and stir in the yoghurt, mustard, parsley and pepper to taste. 8. Divide the chicken mix between 4 individual pie dishes. Cover the filling with the sweet potato

mash and use a fork to make sure it covers and seals the filling. 9. Place the dishes on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.

December Newsletter Chicklets Room News The Chicklets have had a very busy month playing, exploring, and learning.

The children have shown a huge interest in messy play, however, the children also love to explore using their sense of taste. So we have been offering edible alternatives for our large-scale activities and the children loved exploring edible mud using food colouring, rice and cornflour gloop all mixed together. We also used various cereals crumbled up to manipulate the texture of sand too. We have also been providing tools to offer emptying and filling when exploring messy activities to improve control of our children's hand movements, therefore, helping them be able to use their spoons during meal times. We have been on lots of walks to Roundhay Park this month. The babies have enjoyed going in the double buggies to the park and spotting the different animals in the park. We went to visit the swans, where we stopped and had some snacks! Whilst in the park we also spotted lots of transport vehicles and when spotting the bus drive by, we all joined in singing 'The Wheels on the Bus'. The Chicklets are continuing to grow and develop new skills every day. Our biggest challenge has been physical development, however, our children never give up and have continued to persevere through everyday challenges. The climbing frame has supported the children and has been a real favourite. It has helped build sturdiness and confidence for the children. Encouraging the children to stand with support and take independent steps.

CHICKLETS ROOM

December Newsletter

Ducklings Room News

We've had another lovely month in the Ducklings Room, time is flying by because we’re having so much fun! We started the month with Diwali celebrations and the Ducklings enjoyed dancing to the festive music, listening to stories about the celebration, making diva lamps and joining in with Diwali sensory play. We followed that up by celebrating Bonfire Night by making some creatively colourful firework pictures. In the second week of November, the Ducklings were busy making poppies for Remembrance Day, using their fine motor skills to spread the glue with glue sticks, sticking on red tissue paper and adding some red and black paint. The Ducklings helped gather sticks outside that we used as stalks. The Ducklings have shown a strong interest in The song ‘Old MacDonald’ and have been vocalizing the farm animal noises in the sensory Old MacDonald messy play tray. This month the Ducklings have been on some lovely autumn walks to Roundhay Park to feed the swans and ducks, search for squirrels in the fairy woodlands and bring back leaves and sticks to add to our indoor nature play. The Ducklings also had a lot of fun at our Children in Need pyjama party, where we danced to our favourite songs and explored a flour-based Pudsey Bear messy play activity. Next month we will be focusing on many opportunities for floor playtime activities and toddler yoga to help develop the children’s large core muscles.

DUCKLINGS ROOM

December Newsletter Goslings Room News

The Goslings have had a very busy November celebrating a range of events and festivals. We started the month with Bonfire Night where the children showed their excitement in watching the bright colours of the fireworks and listening to the sounds they make. We created our own fireworks by using actions, sounds and creating lots of colour in activities. Many of the Goslings have started to show their interest in identifying colours so mixing different colours in foam using a range of mark-making tools was definitely a favourite. This month we have also celebrated Diwali, Remembrance Day and Children in Need where the Goslings have certainly shown their creative side by making a range of crafts to take home as well as display in the Nursery. The Goslings love painting and in particular, when they could design their own diva lamps for Diwali, we explored how the candle that was placed in the diva lamp was a celebration of light. We worked well together as a team to create a large-scale poppy for Remembrance Day, firstly exploring the poppy and then discussing what colours would be needed to make our own. The Goslings were thoroughly engaged in Pudsey Bear’s Tea Party for Children in Need where they could fill up the teapots with rice and flour using their fine motor skills. We also demonstrated these skills in baking Pudsey Bear biscuits which the children enjoyed helping to mix the ingredients, roll out of the dough and using the biscuit cutter. Please keep a lookout on Tapestry for the Home Learning Challenge that will be set by the Goslings Team for you and your child to enjoy at home.

GOSLINGS ROOM

December Newsletter Cygnets Room News

The Cygnets have had a fun-filled month. The Cygnets have shown a great interest in cooking in the Roleplay Area, so this month we have followed this interest by doing lots of baking. The Cygnets took it in turns to add the ingredients to a bowl before mixing them all together. We have made some delicious banana and oat cookies, as well as cheese and pepper muffins. The Cygnets then enjoyed these for their snack and even took the cookies home to share with their families! To celebrate Diwali, the Cygnets made their own tea light holder out of clay. The Cygnets did an amazing job at moulding the clay into the correct shape before adding flower petals to decorate them. Once the Cygnets completed these they took them home so they could light the tea light and watch it glow. On Remembrance Day the Cygnets focused on activities revolving around poppies and exploring the colours red, black, and green. The Cygnets loved making their own poppies out of playdough and paint, and even took part in a one-minute silence in the garden! All the Cygnet children love taking part in Rugby Tots and one of their favourite games to play is to balance very carefully on one foot as they use the other to flip the coloured cones the correct way up. After the Cygnets complete this, Coach James asks the Cygnets to kick the cone as far away as possible. We also love taking part in challenging obstacle courses, where the Cygnets have to go in and out of the cones as well as jumping over hurdles.

CYGNETS ROOM

Swans Room News December Newsletter

The Swans have been very busy throughout November and have enjoyed learning about lots of exciting new things. We have focused on ’Around the World in 30 Days’ exploring landmarks, the children have really enjoyed learning lots about different buildings and some of the wonders of the world. The children have shared lots of pictures of different places they have been with their families and what they enjoyed most about the different places they had visited. The children paid tribute to Remembrance Day, making their own poppy pictures using a variety of paints, chalks and playdough. The Swans even made their very own poppy wreath which we hung in the reception. We spoke with the children about the importance of the day and why we wear poppies. We explained that poppies were in the fields where the soldiers went to help and therefore, we wear poppies to remember. We also celebrated Diwali and discussed with the children why it is celebrated, we even made our very own Diva lamps using clay and lots of sparkly resources. The children took part in some traditional dancing and we also dressed up in some traditional clothing. The Swans had so much fun celebrating Bonfire Night and enjoyed creating their firework artwork using chalks and pastels. We spoke to the children about firework safety and even watched some fireworks displays on the screen and spoke about their beautiful colours. In preparation for the Christmas season, the children have also been practising hard for our Nativity Play and they can’t wait to perform it for all the parents on Thursday 16th December!

SWANS ROOM

December Newsletter Upcoming Events

Friday 10 th December Christmas Jumper Day

Thursday 16 th December Swans Christmas Play/Concert Tuesday 21 st December 22SLN Christmas Dinner/Party Friday 24 th December Nursery Closing at 12pm for Christmas Tuesday 4 th January (2022) Nursery RE-OPENS for the New Year!

December Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read

Car Park As you are aware, there are double yellow lines outside the nursery which have been put there for the safety of the children. Please can we ask that parents do not park on them, and also be mindful when parking on Park Lane that you do not park over the driveways of the residents there. Many of them are Key Workers who need immediate access from their homes when called out. There have been a few vehicles obstructing their driveways recently. 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. We are also encouraging parents to wear facemasks when entering the building. High Temperatures and Fevers Please can we kindly remind parents that children cannot attend nursery if they have a high temperature (37.6 ° C). If a child develops a temperature whilst at nursery, parents will be called to collect them, as supported by our policies and procedures. Due to the guidance from National Health England, children who have a high temperature or a cough will be asked to have a Covid-19 test with a negative result required before returning to the setting. HMRC Additional Funding Code (3- & 4-year-olds - 30 hours) If you are eligible and in receipt of additional 3- & 4-year-old funding, look out for a prompt every three months from HMRC to reconfirm your details so that your eligibility can be re-assessed. If you do not do this, please note that we are unable to claim the funding on your behalf. 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.

CONTACT US 0333 043 22 22

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