22 Street Lane Nursery - November 2023 Newsletter

Newsletter November

Play • Discovery • Growth

November Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, Autumn is most definitely a magical time for children, and we have been exploring the season in so many ways. We have enjoyed autumnal trips to Roundhay Park, and collecting the many natural treasures such as conkers, pinecones and colourful leaves. The children have taken part in lots of different creative activities, and we have loved seeing the autumnal home learning activities that you have shared. The children then had a spooky time celebrating Halloween, where they had the opportunity to explore lots of messy play activities, carve pumpkins, dress up and listen to spooky stories. It was lovely to see so many parents attend our Halloween Stay and Play sessions and take part in our pumpkin competition. We hope that you had as much fun as the children! We have lots of exciting things planned for the children throughout November, so to find out more, please read on...

November Newsletter Bonfire Night: Sunday 5th November

We must be super careful and cautious around the fire and fireworks! Check out our top tips to ensure your bonfire celebrations are fun and free from danger:

• Children should watch firework displays from a safe distance, well away from any fireworks and bonfires. • The area surrounding the display should be cordoned off, and any children nearby should always be supervised. • If anyone suffers with heart problems, bronchitis or asthma, it might be best to enjoy the display from indoors. • Turn the lights off to best enjoy the magical colours and lights! • Sparklers should not be given to children under 5 years old, and adults should never hold a baby whilst using a sparkler. • Any fires should be lit well away from any wooden, or other flammable material, building, shed or fences where children may be playing. • Sparklers should be kept well away from other people and held at arm’s length. • After use, sparklers should be placed into a bucket of cold water. • Ensure gloves are worn whilst holding a sparkler or stick a carrot into the end of the stick to form a protective grip that is easier for children to hold.

November Newsletter STAFF NEWS

Welcome to Alisha Hussain! We would like to give a warm welcome to Alisha, who has recently joined our Goslings as our Apprentice Practitioner. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to join 22 Street Lane Nursery for my apprenticeship. I am looking forward to gaining new experiences and knowledge whilst working with the staff and children. I’m a very active person and I enjoy going to the gym in my spare time. I also enjoy spending time with my nephews, going out for long walks and also travelling to new places.”

Welcome to Becki Barnes! We would like to welcome to Becki Barnes, who is joining our team as a Qualified Practitioner and will be working on a Monday and Friday. Becki will be predominately working in our Swans Room, however, she will also be supporting other rooms where needed. With over 14 years of dedicated experience working with children, my passion for nurturing young minds and creating a safe, engaging environment has only grown stronger. I started off working in a nursery and my journey continued as a private nanny, where I had the privilege of caring for and shaping the lives of many families.

During this time, I honed my skills in fostering early childhood development, building strong connections with children, and providing the love and support necessary for their growth. Now, as a parent of two young children myself, I bring a unique perspective and firsthand knowledge of the joys and challenges of early childhood. I can't wait to contribute my expertise, passion, and commitment to helping every child in our care flourish and reach their full potential.

Important Reminder - Nursery Closure We wanted to give everyone a final reminder that the nursery is closed on Friday 3rd November for our Staff Training Day, we thank you for your support.

November Newsletter NEWS

Country of the Month - India Throughout November, we will be celebrating the country of India. The children will be exploring Indian traditions, such as the Tilak, the Bindi and will get the chance to wear a Sari. Oli and Kim will be cooking up an Indian feast for the children, which will include curries, bhajis and Chapais! We will also be learning about the Taj Mahal and creating our own version of the building through junk modelling!

Parents Evening We will be hosting our Parents Evening later this month, where parents are invited to come along to Nursery for a face-to-face chat with your child’s Key Person about their development and how they have settled into their new rooms. If you are unable to attend an appointment on the date below, you can also arrange a telephone call with your child’s Key Person instead for a time that suits you. Please keep a look-out on Tapestry to book your appointment. Chicklets, Goslings & Swans: Monday 13th November Ducklings & Cygnets: Wednesday 22nd November Please note that we can only allocate 10 minutes per family.

November Newsletter Halloween Celebrations

The children have had a spooktacular time celebrating Halloween! They took part in lots of Halloween inspired activities such as messy play, exploring pumpkins and Halloween arts and crafts. The children had so much fun at our Halloween Party, and it was lovely to see the children dressed up in their favourite costumes. The children danced to spooky music and played lots of games! The children enjoyed a Halloween inspired menu which included spooky porridge, mummy chicken sausage, brain jelly and roasted pumpkin soup. We also wanted to give a massive 'thank you' to all the parents who came to our Halloween Stay and Play sessions, we hope that you had as much fun as we did!

November Newsletter NEWS

Pumpkin Decoration Competition! We wanted to say a massive ‘well done’ to all the children (and parents!) that took part In our pumpkin competition. All the pumpkins were fantastic, and you should all be very proud of yourselves! The winners have been chosen for each room and all the pumpkins looked fantastic in the reception and in front of the nursery over the week.

Remembrance Sunday: W/C Monday 6th November Remembrance Sunday is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. We remember the Armed Forces and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth. The children will be creating their own poppies for Remembrance Day, which will be displayed in Reception for you all to see as a sign of respect.

Nursery Rhyme Week: W/C Monday 20th November During this week, we will be taking part in Nursery Rhyme Week and lots of rhyme inspired activities. Did you know? • Nursery rhymes and children’s songs boost vocabulary and language development • They help children to develop literacy skills • They provide a fun way to support early numeracy skills • Nursery rhymes help children to develop social, physical and emotional skills.

November Newsletter Diwali Celebrations: W/C Monday 13th November

Diwali is the Indian festival of lights, usually lasting five days and celebrated during the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika between mid-October and mid-November). Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". We will be celebrating Diwali for the whole week starting Monday 13th October by lighting up the nursery, sampling lots of delicious Indian treats and creating colourful rangoli patterns.

November Newsletter Children in Need: Friday 17th November

On Friday 17th November, we will be supporting Children in Need by inviting the children to come to the nursery in their pyjamas! Children in Need make it their mission to help ensure every child in the UK is safe, happy, secure and has the opportunities they need to reach their potential. They fund over 3,900 local charities and projects which directly support children and young people in communities right across the UK.

November Newsletter

Dish of the Month

Vegetable Noodle Broth (Vegan)

• 1 pack of rice noodles • 1 small tin of sweetcorn • 1 small handful of peas • 1 white onion • 2 cloves of garlic • 10ml of soy sauce or teriyaki • 5ml of Henderson’s relish • 50g sliced white cabbage • 50g diced celery • 50g thinly sliced leeks • 1 bay leaf • 5g Chinese 5 spice • A few fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme • 2 vegetable stock cubes • Salt and pepper See our past selections on: 22streetlanenursery.co.uk/dish-of-the-month/ Ingredients

Method

1. Finely dice your white onion and garlic, then sauté them on a low heat and add your garden herbs. 2. Once your onions and garlic have some nice colour, add your other washed vegetables. Start to soften, making sure your soup pan doesn’t catch. Add some salt and pepper and 5 spice. 3. Follow the instructions for your vegetable stock and boil and add your broth to the pan, making sure your vegetables are fully submerged. 4. Simmer until all vegetables are fully cooked, taste to check your seasoning and remember we will finish the dish with soy sauce. Add your rice noodles and sweetcorn and peas to the broth and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Finish your broth with your teriyaki or soy sauce drizzle and enjoy. 5. This dish also works if you want to add shredded chicken breast or roast shredded duck.

November Newsletter Chicklets Room News

May we start with a big welcome to all the new Chicklets who have joined us so far this month! We have been super busy meeting new friends and helping them to settle into the Chicklets Room. The Chicklets have loved exploring the baby massage toys and continued their interest in books as a way to settle in the room. As part of our Home Learning Challenge, we have been able to share some of our favourite books from home too. We sent home our autumn home learning bags and the Chicklets took part in autumn walks at home. They then brought us lots of autumn treasures to explore at nursery. We enjoyed digging into lots of leaves, pinecones and pumpkins, and we even went on our own autumnal walk to Roundhay Park! Some of our parents also joined us for a fun Halloween Stay and Play session. We enjoyed sharing some Halloween stories and exploring lots of different messy play activities involving bugs and pumpkins. We look forward to continuing welcoming the new Chicklets and parents to the room this November. We can’t wait to learn all about your interests and help you grow throughout your time here!

CHICKLETS ROOM

November Newsletter

Ducklings Room News

We would like to say a massive 'thank you' to everyone who took part in our Autumn Home Learning Task, and we have loved using all your autumn treasures in our set-ups throughout October and seeing all your lovely pictures. Keep your eyes peeled for our November challenge! The Ducklings have also been going out on lots of lovely autumn walks. We have enjoyed trips to Roundhay Park, where we saw lots of swans, cygnets, geese, and ducks. We got to feed them all and the children really enjoyed it! They loved saying words such as “quack, quack” along with the ducks. The Ducklings have also been getting into the Halloween spirit with lots of different messy tray activities. We explored red spaghetti with some hidden mini-bugs. The children loved digging, using their fine motor skills to go through the spaghetti to find all the hidden mini-beasts. The Ducklings have been celebrating Durga Puja. We enjoyed looking at the different cultural patterns and using our mark-making skills to create Bengali patterns. Durga is the name of the Goddess and Puja meaning the act of worship. Durga Puja happens to be one of the most famous festivals of the region. It celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura. This is a festival of joy and happiness, and a reminder that no matter what happens, good always wins over evil. The festival epitomizes the victory of good over evil, and is also part of a Harvest Festival celebrating the goddess as the motherly power behind all life and creation.

DUCKLINGS ROOM

November Newsletter Goslings Room News

What a wonderful autumnal October the Goslings have had! We have been very busy with walks to Roundhay Park and the local shops, collecting conkers, pinecones, and different kind of autumn leaves. The Goslings have also enjoyed getting messy and exploring textures such as shaving foam and paint, alongside getting ready for Halloween. We have been making playdough together and the Goslings have been so helpful with mixing together the ingredients. We also have been baking together and making our own pitta pizzas by adding cheese, peppers and tomatoes. The Goslings have also enjoyed lots of role play lately, such as having tea parties and putting babies to bed. Everyone is also getting very good at their fine motor skills and using different types of crayons. When Halloween arrived at the nursery, we all enjoyed some spooky Halloween set-ups with exciting activities such as coloured pasta and spaghetti with cornflour and cloud dough. We also enjoyed our Halloween Stay and Play with parents coming to spend time with our Goslings and enjoyed some exciting activities together. We are looking forward to lots more fun next month!

GOSLINGS ROOM

November Newsletter Cygnets Room News

What a wonderful fun-filled month the Cygnets have had! We have been continuing our autumn-themed activities using all the natural materials the children collected for their Home Learning Activity. We have made autumn wreaths and natural magic wands. We used conkers to mark make with, as well as leaf printing. In the Cygnets Room throughout October, we have also been busy taking part in lots of baking activities - we made squirrel biscuits, a banana loaf and mini pizzas. The Cygnets children have loved learning Makaton with Mel and Noodle the Dog. The children’s favourite songs are “Walking through the Jngle” and “I can sing a Rainbow”. As the children show a big interest towards this, we have been learning some Makaton at group time, and have been focusing on colours, feelings, and animals. I wonder if your child can teach you any Makaton at home? We have also been taking part in lots of fun Halloween activities. Lots of the children have been pumpkin picking with their families at the weekend, so we decided to follow this interest further by having lots of pumpkin-inspired activities, such as painting pumpkins, pumpkin playdough and exploring the inside of a pumpkin. We then welcomed all the parents to come and join us for a Halloween Stay and Play session! The children loved showing their mummies and daddies around the Cygnets Room, as well as exploring lots of spooky activities. Some of the children have also been helping Oli to plant some garlic in the allotment in the big garden ready for next year.

CYGNETS ROOM

Swans Room News November Newsletter

We have been very busy this October and had lots of fun. We carried on learning about the signs of autumn. Lots of families went on an autumn walk and collected lots of items which we used to make investigation tuff trays. The children were so proud of their tuff trays and spoke about what they had found and seen on their walks. We also read the story ‘leaf man’ which follows the journey of a leaf man finding lots of other leaf animals and objects. The children then went off to make their own leaf man picture and did a great job. October was also Black History Month, where we learnt about influential people of colour and celebrated our differences. We then read the story ‘We are all Different’ and spoke about our physical differences, but how we are all a team in the Swans Room and respect each other. We also learnt about Martin Luther King Jr’s dream and what our kindness dreams could be in the Swans Room. The children shared lots of ideas including “giving cuddles”, “playing with people”, “making people smile” and “help people”. Additionally, we have been pumpkin mad in Swans! We have been using pumpkins and squash to practice our woodwork skills. We used real screws and screwdrivers to twist into the pumpkins, so we know how to use them later in the year when we use wood. We got so good at it, we even made pumpkin faces. It was very funny. We also learnt about the lifecycle of a pumpkin and learnt a super song about it. The children also explored the different size squash by measuring them with rulers and using scales to weigh them. What a fabulous month we have had! We’re looking forward to another lovely month of learning and fun.

SWANS ROOM

November Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Thursday 2 nd November Bonfire Night Celebrations Friday 3 rd November Team Training Day, Nursery CLOSED

W/C Monday 6 th November Remembrance Sunday Activities W/C Monday 13 th November Diwali Celebrations Monday 13 th November Chicklets, Goslings and Swans Parents Evening Wednesday 22 nd November Ducklings and Cygnets Parents Evening

November Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read

Car Park Please can we kindly ask that parents ensure they are only parking in a single car parking bay. As you are aware, we have very limited space, and it is very busy a peak times. Thank you for your support. 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. 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. Winter Clothing With the cold months ahead, please can you ensure that your child has appropriate clothing labelled with their name to play outside. Children can play out and explore in all weathers, but a warm coat, waterproof trousers, hats, gloves and scarves would be most suitable for Winter. Could we please suggest that your child have 2-piece outdoor waterproofs if they are toilet trained, as it can be tricky for them to get them on and off.

CONTACT US 0333 043 22 22

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