Keep up-to-date with the latest news and images online at www.lancaster.ac.uk/pre-school

We would like to welcome all our new parents and children who have recently joined us.

We hope that you enjoy your time with us and would request that if you have any queries, questions or suggestions that you please speak to a member of staff.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival and the meaning of the festival is for families and friends to come together and wish each other peace and prosperity.

We will be celebrating Chinese New Year (the year of the Dog) at the Pre-School Centre with a visit from Zoolab for the Pre-School children on Wednesday 14^th February. The fun and interactive stories explain to the children about the animals in the Chinese Zodiac and there is also the opportunity to hold some of the animals.
We have many exciting activities planned with food tasting, making Dragons and much more. Please let a member of the team know if you could help us with any activity or story ideas relating to Chinese New Year.

Mary's Knitting

Fantastic performances yet again by our Nursery and Pre-School for the Christmas Performance of Mary's Knitting at the Nuffield Theatre. We would like to thank Lancasterarts.org for all their assistance.

Can we please request parents who ordered a copy of the DVD to please call into the office to collect their copy.

If you did not order a copy and wish to purchase one please advise the office as soon as possible as we have a limited number of spare copies.

Interactive Display Boards

This term in the Babyroom we welcome our babies old and new. We have been very busy revamping our display boards and in doing so have made many of them much more interactive for the babies to explore.

We have created a new family tree area, which celebrates our diverse families. The babies love the family leaves with their own special people on and enjoy sticking and pulling the leaves off the board.

The tree is made from real branches and with the addition of lights, the babies are drawn to the area. The area also incorporates different gender, age and cultures. This has encouraged the babies to pull to standing as they enjoy looking at the faces. As well as all the face pictures the babies can also see their own reflection with the addition of a mirror.

This area has proved a big hit with our babies. Could we please request parents to bring a family photo to add to our tree.

Messy Fun

The children in Creche 1 have enjoyed getting messy with paint. Why use tools when we can use our bodies! We covered the floor in paper and put the children in their vests.

Alongside the paint, we placed a variety of paintbrushes and rollers out that made different marks when the children moved them along the paper. A favourite was body painting and then making footprints along the paper.

The activity supported children's physical skills by encouraging gross motor movements and expressive arts and design. The children were very intrigued by the marks they were making. Even children who are normally hesitant at messy play thoroughly enjoyed this sensory tactile experience.

We encouraged social interaction and supported the children's eager interests to explore.

Promoting Independence

This term in Creche 2, we have been supporting both younger and older children within the room to develop their independence skills.

We have continued to use open top cups consistently which the children seem to really enjoy. Before snack and meal times we also promote self-care skills by allowing all children to wash and dry their hands in our low-level accessible sinks.

To further promote and support the children making individual choices we provided a selection of vegetables for them to create a ‘cracker face’. The children responded really well to expressing their likes and dislikes, we pulled a few funny faces too.

If you would like to purchase and read reviews of the Babycups we use, please click on the link below.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Babycup-Baby-Toddler-First-Cup/dp/B00GOXMWZ8

Physical Skills

In Nursery 1 we have been developing both our large physical skills and fine motor skills. Outside we set up an obstacle course to climb up, balance and jump off. Inside we used the large wooden blocks that are narrow to carefully balance along. We climbed up on the large soft play shapes and showed excellent co-ordination.

To develop our fine motor skills we have been rolling and squeezing rock cake dough mixture. This will help strength muscles to improve our grip when using pencil crayons.

Pre-School Stomp

Children in Nursery 2 have been getting out and about on a Pre-School stomp. At least twice a week we have put on our suits and wellies, then headed off out in to the garden for some stomping, jumping, running, skipping and exploring. It's been good fun and has been a great way to be active even when the weather hasn't been that nice.

The NHS recommends that children who can walk on their own should be physically active for at least 180 minutes a day. To help meet this target all the children in Nurseries and Pre-Schools are joining in with The Pre-School Stomp and getting out regularly, exercising and being active. We want to play our part in creating happy, healthy individuals.

Please see the link below for further information.
Physical activity benefits for babies and children (birth-5 years old): infographic

Superheroes

In Pre-School 1 we have been busy creating our own super-hero world. The children drew their own superheroes deciding on their super hero name and what special power that they had.

We also designed our own junk model superhero who is now flying in our book corner and we cast a vote to decide his name. The name with the most votes was Captain 1.

The children decided we needed some superhero rules, so as a group we thought of the rules that best applied to our room. To re-inforce our tidy up rule we now have superhero medals for the people who use their superhero powers to tidy up the best.

We also brought to life 'Super Tato' from the books Adele bought for us. We have really been enjoying reading them, the next story on the agenda is 'The Evil Pea'.

Weather Fascination

This month in Pre-School 2 the children have been fascinated by all the different types of weather we have been experiencing. On one particular day there was a very heavy hailstone shower, we opened the door so we could watch and listen to the hail hitting the ground.

The children described that hail as looking like snow and wanted to touch it, so we scooped some up from outside and put it in a tray.

The children enjoyed looking and touching the hail saying it was very cold. They watched as changed form as it melted into water.

We discussed in a group how hailstones happen and how they are different from snow because hail is a small hard lump of ice, but snow is much softer.

Exploring ICT

Pre-School 3 have been exploring ICT equipment over the past few weeks using the CD player to listen to stories, the I-pad and the interactive screen.

We also went outdoors to use the remote control car and spider. The children had great fun exploring all these different experiences, encouraging the development of new skills, extend their own thinking of how to solve problems, working together, sharing and taking turns.

The children will be learning over the next few weeks that not all technology is all about computers, iPads and interactive screens but also involves equipment such as tv remote controls, telephones, programmable toys and others that may have parts to press, lift and activate to make sounds.

You will be able to find some of these around Pre-School 3 over the coming weeks.

Digby the Dog - Children's Survey

If your child attends the Nursery or Pre-School rooms, you will receive via the post a questionnaire from Digby the dog.

Digby will be asking the children many questions to let him know how they feel about Pre-School.
This information from the children is very important as it helps us to understand how happy they are and what we can do to make it even better.

Can we please request that you return your completed questionnaire as soon as possible.

Healthy Breakfast

We will be holding a Healthy Breakfast morning on Thursday 15th March, between 7:45am and 8:45am. It's always a lovely morning when the staff prepare and serve a variety of healthy choices to the children and their families prior to the start of our session.

Nursery Parent Workshop

Thank You

I would just like to say to everyone at Pre-School thank you so much for all my lovely gifts, cards and kind words that I received during my last week working at the Pre-School Centre.

It was quite an emotional time for me but was made easier by all the staff and children.

I would also like to thank all the parents and children in Pre-School 1 for my lovely gifts. I loved the quotes from the children in my framed picture and I will look forward to my spa treatment and afternoon tea. Thanks for organising it Stacey.

I already miss everyone but I look forward to helping out now and again in Pre-School 1.
Thank you again.
Diane

Pre-School Drop-Off

Can we please request that all parents accessing the drop off car park please ensure that they access it in the appropriate way as per the diagram below. This is to ensure the safety of all using it.

Early Years Funding

Parents undertaking their initial application for extended funding (30 hours) are able to do so 14 weeks prior to their child's 3^rd birthday.
https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/par/app/extendedentitlement
Parents issued with their unique 11 digit codes are required to revalidate the code every 3 months. This requirement for revalidation begins from the date you were issued the code not the date you start accessing the code.

Term & Closure Dates:

The Pre-School Centre will be closed from 5:30pm on Wednesday 28th March, re-opening on Thursday 5th April 2018 for Easter.

Term Dates:-
2^nd January until 28^th March 2018
5^th April until 24^th August 2018

Undergraduate Terms:-
15^th January until 23^rd March 2018
23^rd April until 29^th June 2018

Invoice Dates

2^nd January until 26^th January - 4 weeks
29^th January until 23^rd February - 4 weeks
26^th February until 28^th March - 4 weeks & 3 days

Door Cards

Can we please remind all parents/carers to use their door entry card/library card to gain access to the Centre.
If you have misplaced either of your cards, can you please advise the office immediately and a replacement door card is available to purchase at a cost of £5.00.

Parent Reminders

Can we please remind all parents that if your child attends a full day or the afternoon session can you please send a piece of fruit with your child for fruit time.

Pre-school Feedback Forms