October

October brings a kaleidoscope of colour and a feast for the senses as we enjoyed crunchy leaves, earthy smells, golden sunshine, and the occasional wellie-squelching puddle! For both the children and Practitioners, it’s a perfect season for hands-on exploration and joyful discovery.

We’ve been delighted to welcome ten new children and their families into the Stepping Stones family. It’s been heart warming to see them settling in so confidently, building relationships, developing independence, and embracing new routines. Our upcoming Parent coffee morning, complete with copious cake and cheerful chatter, will give families a lovely opportunity to connect, and hopefully sow the seeds of some lasting friendships.

To support our new starters, we’ve continued exploring the topic ‘All About Me.’ a rich and meaningful way to help children develop a strong sense of self. Through creative and play based activities, they’ve been learning about their own unique interests, abilities, and family backgrounds, while celebrating similarities and differences with others.

Our Autumn scavenger hunts have been a highlight as the children paired up with new friends, ticking off their ‘treasure lists’ as they explored the world around them. These walks support communication and language development, social interaction, and a growing appreciation of our environment.

Some favourite activities included creating funny faces from our scavenger bags using conkers, moss, acorns and leaves collected on our walks. There were some wonderfully wonky expressions and leafy hairstyles! The children also loved baking and decorating gingerbread people, giving them plenty of personality with icing and lots and lots of sprinkles!

Over in the tuft tray, cotton wool pads and pipettes provided the perfect setup for creating funny faces and experimenting with colour mixing in an engaging way to strengthen fine motor control while encouraging early scientific thinking.

Behind the scenes, it’s a busy term for our staff and committee. Updates to the EYFS statutory framework, changes to the Ofsted inspection process, and the introduction of the Governments increased funded hours are keeping us all on our toes.

As a not-for-profit nursery run by a dedicated team and supportive committee, we’re always keen to welcome new volunteers. If you’d like to be part of shaping a high-quality, nurturing environment for local children and families, please do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.