22 Street Lane Nursery - March 2022 Newsletter

Newsletter March

Play • Discovery • Growth

March Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome to our March newsletter, and as always, a big welcome to our new families who have joined us recently. The children have had a very busy month with a lot to celebrate and fun-filled days themed around Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Mental Health and storytelling week! We will be kicking off March with Pancake Day, St David’s celebrations and World Book Day! Later on in March, we will be celebrating Comic Relief, Mother’s Day, the festival of colour ‘Holi’ and St Patrick's Day! With spring fast approaching, we look forward to the warmer months and lighter nights, as well as enjoying more outdoor activities. The children have already to started to plant various flowers and vegetables and are excited to watch them grow! To find out more, please read on...

March Newsletter STAFF NEWS

Staff Promotion - Charlotte England We would like to congratulate Charlotte who has been promoted to Third-in-Charge alongside Sophie. Charlotte will be working as part of the Management Team, as well as leading the Swans Room! Charlotte is looking forward to her new role and we are sure that she will be amazing!

Welcome Sukpreet! Sukpreet has recently joined the 22SLN team as a part of our Bank Staff, but she will be stepping up and joining the nursery as a full- time Qualified Practitioner from April. “I am a final year student studying BA (hons) Early Years. I've liked helping children in finding their own identities, and I find them to be quite motivating to work with. Throughout my work experience, working alongside children has always been a passion of mine, and I've always aspired to work in a child-focused sector. Working with 22 Street Lane, I believe they will provide me with additional expertise and will be able to progress further within the nursery. It's amazing to see children flourish in many areas as they mature and discover their own unique hobbies. I've always loved teaching and assisting children in reaching their greatest potential.”

Congratulations to Chloe & Millie We would like to say a huge congratulations to Chloe Fisher-Powell, our Ducklings Room Leader, who gave birth on Thursday 10th February to a beautiful baby girl named Millie! Both of them are back home after a healthy delivery and everyone from the nursery wishes them the best. ❤

March Newsletter NEWS

Around the World in 30 Days: Song and Dance Throughout March, we will be exploring ‘Song and Dance’ around the world. To tie in with St Patricks Day, we will be looking at traditional Irish dancing such as the ‘River Dance’ as well as exploring song and dance which is practiced in the ‘Holi Festival’. We will be listening to ‘National Anthems’ songs around the world as well as taking part in different dances such as Ballet from France, the Fandango of Spain, the tinkling dance of the Philippines and many more!

Chinese New Year Celebrations The children had lots of fun celebrating Chinese New Year! They had the opportunity to taste some delicious Chinese food and take part in some traditional ‘Dragon Dancing’. They made Chinese lanterns and explored the country of China and its customs and traditions. In the Ducklings Room, the children explored messy rice play, following a Chinese New Year tradition of filling up envelopes of rice to celebrate the coming of a New Year. Meanwhile, the Swans enjoyed exploring the tuff tray with rice and noodles, as well as making some traditional Chinese lanterns. The Swans have also enjoyed trying some traditional Chinese cuisine and ate their meal using chopsticks!

March Newsletter NEWS

Mental Health Week Activities The children took part in lots of mindfulness activities in support of Mental Health Week. They took part in music and bubble sessions and colouring activities. The older children also had a special yoga class where they practised their breathing and did lots of new yoga moves. Afterwards, they had the chance to make different faces using playdough, paint and lots of natural resources to show how they felt on different days. We then spoke about our emotions and what makes us feel happy and sad, scared and excited.

Valentine’s Day Fun! The children had lots of fun celebrating Valentine's Day! They made special cards for people that they love as well as sharing pictures of their loved ones at circle time. The younger children enjoyed a ‘Love Potion’ themed water tray and petal play! Other activities included decorating love hearts by sticking together different materials using glue sticks and painting them with cotton wool! Some of the Swans made cards for their friends and family and enjoyed a variety of messy play activities involving pasta, water, playdough and rose petals.

Artist of the Month: Pablo Picasso For our very first Artist of the Month we looked at the work of Pablo Picasso. The children have been learning and looking at lots of Picasso’s artwork and creating their own abstract paintings, as well as exploring Picasso inspired messy play! Throughout March, we will be looking at Vincent Van Gogh.

March Newsletter NEWS

Yummy Shrove Tuesday Celebrations To celebrate Pancake Day, Chris cooked up some yummy pancakes which the children then added their favourite toppings to, before enjoying as their snack after lunch! The children also read through the book 'The Run Away Pancake' and took part in lots of different themed activities, such as pancake races in the garden and making pancakes out of playdough. The older children even put their culinary skills to good use by chopping up different fruits, like strawberries and bananas, to add to their pancakes as a topping!

St David’s Day Activities To celebrate St David’s Day, we explored the country of Wales and different Welsh customs, such as daffodils and castles! Some of the children got crafty by using a variety of different resources such as egg cartons, leaves from the baby garden and yellow paint mixed with glue to make daffodils. Chris also made a delicious leek and potato meal for high tea and a Welsh rarebit for a snack.

Swans Bedtime Story Evening We would like to thank all the parents and children that attended our bedtime story evening. The Swans children were able to be joined by their mummies and daddies for this special evening session, where they snuggled up under blankets and enjoyed some of their favourite books. It was so lovely to welcome you into the setting and share some of the children’s favourite stories with you all.

March Newsletter NEWS

World Book Day: Thursday 3rd March We will be celebrating World Book Day and the magic of lots of different stories on Thursday 3rd March. The children are invited to dress as their favourite book characters and bring their favourite book along with them to the nursery. Each room will also be arranging their own fun activities to celebrate the day!

St Patrick's Day: Thursday 17th March The children are invited to wear green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. We will be exploring all things green, shamrocks and leprechauns! The children will be transported to an Irish setting to learn about Irish customs and traditions. They’ll also get to enjoy a traditional St Patrick’s Day lunch of Irish stew, which we’re sure will be super yummy!

Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day: Friday 18rd March On Friday 18th March we will be supporting Red Nose Day with a Crazy Hair Day. The crazier the hair the better! We know that we have some very creative parents, so we’re looking forward to seeing some funky hairstyles. Should you take part in our Crazy Hair Day, please could we ask that you kindly make a donation towards this very worthwhile fundraiser. Donations can be left at the reception or with your room leader.

March Newsletter Holi Colour Festival: Friday 18th March

What is Holi? - Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates spring, love, and new life. Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun. It's a colourful festival, with dancing, singing and throwing of powder paint and coloured water. Holi is also known as the 'Festival of Colours'. To mark this occasion, the children are invited to wear bright coloured clothes, the brighter the better!

March Newsletter Mother’s Day Tea Party: Monday 21 st March - Friday 1 st April

We would like to invite all of our lovely mummies to our Mother's Day Tea Party which will be held over two sessions for each room at 3-4pm. Due to space in the room, we can only accommodate a limited number of mummies depending on the session, details of this and the dates for each room can be found to the right. Spaces will be offered on a first come, first served basis. If you’d like to attend, please speak to Alex or Shosh at the Reception Desk who will book your slot in for you and advise which spaces are remaining.

Tuesday 22nd March 10 Mummies Wednesday 30th March 9 Mummies

Chicklets

Friday 25th March Monday 28th March

12 Mummies 11 Mummies

Ducklings

Thursday 24th March 11 Mummies Tuesday 29th March 10 Mummies 23 Mummies Thursday 31st March 22 Mummies Wednesday 23rd March 24 Mummies Friday 1st April 23 Mummies Monday 21st March

Goslings

Cygnets

Swans

March 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 Y & Z this month:

Young Inquisitive Minds - “Children are such curious creatures. They explore, question, and wonder, and by doing so, learn. From the moment of birth, likely even before, humans are drawn to new things. When we are curious about something new, we want to explore it. And while exploring we discover” - Dr Bruce Perry

Zen - The principles of Zen as used in the art of Japanese garden designs can be seen in many of the environments inspired by Reggio Emilia, Steiner and Te Whāriki. These 7 principles overlap and intertwine into aesthetically pleasing play spaces for young children. A place that promotes opportunities for conversations, communication, well-being and mindfulness in children and adults.

March Newsletter

Is My Child Hearing Me?

As both a parent of two children and with many years of experience assessing young children’s hearing, I know how difficult it can be to know if your child is not ‘hearing’ or not ‘listening’. The importance of good hearing during childhood is key to language development, social development, and learning. Thankfully, most permanent hearing loss that is present when babies are born, is detected with the new-born hearing screening programme, with only a very small number of children developing a permanent hearing loss during their childhood. There are, however, a high proportion of children who develop intermittent, often fluctuating hearing loss, often known as ‘glue ear’. This can usually be detected with a children’s hearing test. What is glue ear? Glue ear is essentially when the small middle ear space (usually filled with air), which contains the three tiny middle ear bones, gets filled with a sticky, mucus type fluid. This restricts the movement of the eardrum and the middle ear bones and effectively reduces the amount of sound which is transmitted to the cochlea in the inner ear. This can give rise to a fluctuating hearing loss of between 0 and 40 dB (decibels) which can have a huge impact on a child’s ability to hear. Often, it can clear up naturally. Some common things to look out for with your child if they are experiencing glue ear are: • Their behaviour deteriorates • They say ‘what’ or ‘pardon’ more frequently • They appear more tired and unsettled than usual • Their speech becomes unclear • They often appear that they are not listening • They struggle to hear the TV or turn it up/sit close • Their teachers notice they are struggling with following instructions • They don’t hear well at a distance

Treatment for glue ear Glue ear is common and is not something to be unduly concerned about if it is short lived. If, however, it persists for more than 3 months, it can become problematic. If it persists, there are several strategies which can help. At THE HEARING SPACE, Paul, our Clinical Audiologist has many years of experience working with children with glue ear. Often working with Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) colleagues, or simply monitoring hearing levels and providing advice and support when required, you will be given the most appropriate advice for your child if a hearing loss is detected.

Paul worked as a Principal Paediatric Audiologist in the NHS before becoming a lecturer at the University of Leeds, where he taught audiology for 10 years. He has recently set up an independent audiology practice in North Leeds, offering adult and child assessments, earwax removal and the latest hearing device technology. THE HEARING SPACE If you have any concerns about your child’s hearing, our paediatric audiologist has a wealth of experience and can carry out hearing assessments in the home. For more information, contact Paul Shaw at THE HEARING SPACE: T: 0113 8730444

E: hello@thehearingspace.co.uk W: www.thehearingspace.co.uk

March Newsletter COVID-19 Update and FAQs: February 2022 Following on from the Government's announcement on Monday 21st February advising that self-isolation would no longer be a legal requirement for those who test positive, we have taken this opportunity to review the restrictions that we have maintained to date and would like to update you on the forthcoming changes. 1. How will drop off and collection arrangements change? Parents will continue to drop off and collect from the doors to the rooms.

Whilst these arrangements were originally introduced to reduce the risk of Covid spreading, we have found that it to be much less disruptive to the children in the rooms if parents remain at the door. Consequently, we intend to maintain these arrangements going forward. 2. Will you continue to notify parents of positive cases? We will no longer communicate with parents/carers regarding individual Covid cases. However, in the event of an outbreak of Covid, or any other infectious illness we will notify parents via Tapestry. 3. When will my child need to self isolate? There is currently no legal requirement for your child to isolate whether they, or a member of your household have tested positive. We will follow government guidance in the event of any future variants altering this advice. 4. Will I have to wear a mask in the setting? No – we will no longer request that masks are worn in the setting. Equally, staff will no longer be required to wear visors when speaking with parents, although they may choose to wear them if it makes them feel more comfortable. 5. Will staff continue to do lateral flow tests? No. In line with government guidance the requirement to take twice weekly lateral flow tests has ceased with immediate effect. 6. Will I have to test my child for Covid-19? Should your child present with a high temperature or other symptoms of Covid-19 we will contact you to arrange collection. We would ask that you do not bring your child to nursery whilst they are unwell, however we will not be requesting proof of a negative test prior to your child’s return. 7. Will I be charged if my child is absent due to a positive Covid-19 test? From 24th February 2022, our normal terms and conditions will be applicable to any period of absence from the nursery. This includes absences resulting from Covid-19 and as such full fees will be payable. 8. When will the next review be? The Management team will continue to review any government guidance issued in respect of EYFS. We reserve the right to implement previous measures at any point should the need arise.

March Newsletter

Dish of the Month

Apple Crumble

• 6 large, sweet dessert apples, approx. 800g/1lb/12oz, peeled and chopped • 200g/7oz frozen mixed berries • 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest • 1 tbsp cornflour • 1 tsp ground ginger • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • 3 tbsp honey • Pinch of grated nutmeg For the crumble topping: • 75g/2¾oz porridge oats • 75g/2¾oz walnuts, chopped • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • 2 tbsp honey • 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted if solid See our past selections on: 22streetlanenursery.co.uk/dish-of-the-month/ Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly spray a baking dish or pie dish with cooking spray. 2. Peel, core and cut the apples into small diced pieces and place in a bowl with the berries, orange zest, cornflour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. 3. Mix well and spoon into the prepared dish. Press down gently with a spatula to create an even layer. 4. To make the crumble topping, mix together the oats, nuts and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the honey and coconut oil. 5. Stir until fully combined. Crumble the topping over the fruit mixture to cover in an even layer. 6. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the topping is lightly golden. Leave to cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.

March Newsletter Chicklets Room News

Throughout February we have introduced some new resources into the Chicklets Room which the children have been enjoying exploring. The first item was the Wobble Board, which challenges the children's physical development. The Chicklets have had fun exploring the Wobble Board and showing us the different ways they can use it, such as climbing, sliding down and rocking it. The second item is a baby massage sensory basket, which allows them to enjoy using the different objects like brushes to brush their hair. They especially liked using the personal head massager! The Chicklets have all shown a strong interest in music this month. They have enjoyed taking part in 'Shake, Rattle & Boogie' sessions where they are all starting to learn different dance routines while learning which instruments are going to come next in the song. We also had a bubble disco in the room this month, where the children enjoyed waving the sensory fabrics to the music and popping all the bubbles from the bubble machine. Some of our children have started to point to their facial features too. We have been very busy exploring different forms of messy play this month. We have been painting our own Valentine’s Day cards to send home and have been enjoying exploring the colours of Pablo Picasso’s work. We have also really enjoyed the sand play, where the children have been scooping up the sand and putting it into the different sized containers.

CHICKLETS ROOM

March Newsletter

Ducklings Room News

The Ducklings have had a very fun February and have been learning about lots of new things. We started the month celebrating Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger. The Ducklings used their fine motor skills to scoop up red rice to carefully coordinate their eye and hand movement to fully fill up the traditional red envelopes, which symbolize good luck and prosperity in China. We enjoyed Storytelling Week, reading and sharing stories together brought in by the children from home. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was a favourite story, the children took it in turns to match smiley caterpillar faces to the fruit in the book, with one sticker going to each piece of fruit, This helped with the understanding of the early concept of 1:1 correspondence in mathematics. Valentine’s Day was filled with pink and red rose petals and the Ducklings enjoyed themed messy play activities and making crafts and cards for their dearest loved ones to take home. The Ducklings also took part in many activities to promote Mental Health Week, such as body art painting, instrument pattern sessions, yoga and bubble discos. The Ducklings got really involved with our 'Artist of the Month' celebrations and had a go at using lots of bright colours and pattern printing materials to design their very own mini Pablo Picasso pieces of art, we definitely have some mini artists in the making. Next month we look forward to Mother’s Day Celebrations and joining in with a massive Easter Egg Hunt in the big garden.

DUCKLINGS ROOM

March Newsletter Goslings Room News

What a fun filled February the Goslings have had this month! We started off by focusing on Children’s Mental Health Week where the children have enjoyed participating in mindfulness activities, such as doing yoga every day and learning different kinds of stretches we can do. The Goslings also enjoyed learning about emotions. We learnt about different kind of expressions using stories and picture books. For Valentine’s Day, the Goslings enjoyed doing lots of inspired activities, such as making Valentine’s Day cards for our loved ones! As Pablo Picasso was our inspiration for Artist of the Month, the Goslings really enjoyed bringing out their artistic skills by using different kinds of colours and cotton pads with sticks in order to create beautiful art. Alongside this, we have also enjoyed doing different kinds of sensory play in order to inspire our Goslings, such as shaving foam with paint and cornflour with conditioner to create sandy texture. Lastly, we would like to thank all parents for participating in our monthly Home Learning Challenge, the Goslings enjoyed sharing their favourite bedtime stories and Tapestry posts with their friends. Our March Home Learning Challenge will be to share a fine motor skills activity on Tapestry! Fine motor skills are those that involve the development of the small hand muscles. We enjoy fine motor skills activities in order to increase dexterity and prep their hands for larger tasks as they get older, this could be anything such as completing their favourite jigsaws puzzle!

GOSLINGS ROOM

March Newsletter Cygnets Room News

The Cygnets have been very busy throughout February. At the beginning of the month, we celebrated Chinese New Year by making a large scale tiger head to celebrate the Year of the Tiger and learning how to use chopsticks. The children have taken part in lots of wonderful Valentine's Day activities too, such as exploring the colours red and pink through playdough and lots of tuff trays. They also made some beautiful Valentine's cards for their loved ones. The Cygnets have also been exploring our Artist of the Month ‘Pablo Picasso’. We have enjoyed exploring the different shapes and colours on Picasso’s artwork and then having a go at making their own beautiful artwork inspired by some of his artwork. We definitely have some mini Picasso’s amongst us! The children have also been taking part in cookery classes, and so far we have made vegetable spring rolls, cheese straws and homemade crusty bread! The Cygnets have had the opportunity to take part in lots of lovely classes this month, such as Pyjama Drama, Rugby Tots and Ruby Dance, which they love taking part in and are gaining lots of new skills every week. Throughout March we will be introducing 'Curious Cygnets'. There will be 2 sessions running on consecutive weeks. Curious Cygnets will be a fantastic opportunity for the Cygnets to explore and learn further in the outdoor areas that we are lucky enough to have access to, while also developing some fantastic life-skills.

CYGNETS ROOM

March Newsletter

Swans Room News

The Swans have had great fun taking part in lots of exciting activities and have been very interested in drawing and learning all about our Artist of the Month, Pablo Picasso. The Swans have enjoyed looking at Picasso’s work and have been inspired by the different shapes and colours to create their own abstract artwork. The Swans also celebrated National Storytelling Week, bringing in and sharing some of their favourite stories. The Swans children were so excited to come back to nursery in their pyjamas for a bedtime story. The children enjoyed some of their favourite stories as well as snuggling up with their mummies and daddies and enjoying some yummy warm cocoa. We recently implemented ‘The Helper of the Day’, giving the Swans the opportunity to help their friends, as well as helping to set up for mealtimes. The idea behind this is to encourage the children with their independence, but also to reward the children for their kind and caring behaviour towards all of their friends. The Swans will be continuing their extra-curricular activities such as Forest School, French Classes, Rugby Tots, Pyjama Drama and Scientots. The children have been learning lots of fun facts and have been very excited to take part in all the extra activities. Throughout March, we will be introducing a new Yoga class too! The Swans have also been practising lots of fine motor skills, we have been threading to make our own pasta bracelets, utilising our cutting skills in the playdough, and training our pencil control in the salt trays. The Swans have enjoyed making lots of fun, creative pictures with a range of materials and colours.

SWANS ROOM

March Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Thursday 3 rd March World Book Day Thursday 17 th March St. Patrick’s Day Friday 18 th March Holi Colour Festival

W/C Monday 21 st March Mothering Sunday Tea Party Friday 15 th April Good Friday, Nursery CLOSED Monday 18 th April Easter Monday, Nursery CLOSED

March 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. COVID-19 Guidance Following on from the Government's announcement on Monday 21st February advising that self-isolation would no longer be a legal requirement for those who test positive, we have taken this opportunity to review the restrictions that we have maintained to date and would like to update you on the forthcoming changes. You can see our latest FAQs here: https://www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk/wp- content/uploads/2022/02/COVID-19-FAQ-Parents-Feb-22.pdf

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.

March Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read

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. 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.

CONTACT US 0333 043 22 22

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