Autumn continues to showcase a special sensory experience of rich activities for our children to discover as we watch in wonder as the seasonal changes develop before our eyes. Through watching leaves change in their colour and texture, the abundance of open-ended sensory play offers a richness of opportunities for children to explore the diverse textures, sounds and colours of this wonderful time of year whilst developing their curiosity and creativity. Surprises were uncovered as we scavenger hunted in the grounds of the Church Centre, finding a cornucopia of autumnal treasures such as acorns and conkers, crispy leaves and pinecones and winged sycamore seeds ‘spinning like roundabouts,’ to fill up our baskets. The children’s faces, full of anticipation, as they let their imagination take them on a journey of creative play, using the different textures, shapes and sounds of their Autumnal treasure baskets to create funny faces or dinosaur habitats. Leaf printing and stick men, counting, sorting and grouping conkers, hedgehog pine cones and painted decorations in preparation for Christmas!
Our visit to the Harvest Festival encapsulated our first term back, as we delighted in the beams of sunlight shining through the windows, highlighting the polished apples on the pillars and the embers of colour on display of produce to celebrate Harvest. Singing our favourite song ‘Picking up Conkers’ to a congregation of friends from the community was a very special morning. A great big thank you to Gill Evans and the team from Noah’s story box for making the Harvest Festival service such a wonderful experience for all of us.
Yesterday, we recognised World Mental Health Day 2024, ‘Mental Health at Work’ – as a nursery team with an ‘open door policy’, we are fortunate to be in a position to speak to parents throughout the week. This not only supports parents and carers but will inevitably have a positive impact on the children which is why we are delighted to be working with ‘The Smallest Things’, a registered charity supporting the needs of premature babies and their families following neonatal intensive care. The charity, run entirely by volunteers who have had premature babies themselves, is dedicated to making the world a better place for premature babies and their families. With two children from every classroom born prematurely, we are grateful for the opportunity to develop our own understanding and practice, educating us, as practitioners to offer the right support to families and a better understanding of how children born prematurely can develop, learn and grow, as they begin their journey at Stepping Stones. For more information on ‘The Smallest Things,’ please visit: www.thesmallestthings.org/who-we-are-1
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