Our new starters have settled in well and have enjoyed our activities. We started off the year with a bear turn-taking activity, giving the children the chance to share what they’d done over the holidays. We also had plenty of free play activities such as playdough and a well-stocked kitchen.
In the maths area, we started with counting and sequencing by size using the counting bears and number fans. But as the term got underway, some of the children showed an interest in numerals and shapes, so our latest maths activity challenges them to form shapes from pipe cleaners. This is great for coordination and strengthening hand muscle, as is our colour-matching peg activity, where they clip each peg to its matching colour spot on a disc.
Our Books of the Week so far have been the much-loved ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson and ‘Someone Bigger’ by Jonathan Emmett, which reminds us that even if we’re small, we still have something to offer!
We are still hoping for our visit from the Oral Health Educator, but this is Covid-dependent. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to activities based around the themes of Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day and the Winter Olympics. We’ll also be talking about emotions and being kind during Children’s Mental Health Week, with the help of ‘The Colour Monster’ book. Finally:
COVID-19 MEASURES: To keep everyone safe, we are still asking that all parents and carers queue outside rather than in the foyer and wear a face mask.
COMMITTEE AND EMAIL CHANGES: We’ve welcomed Helen Lumb as our Acting Chairperson and have a new email address for any committee enquiries: buckdenpreschoolcommittee@gmail.com For financial matters, please continue to contact our Treasurer, Debs, at: buckdenpreschooltreasury@gmail.com
JOB VACANCY: We are seeking a cleaner to work for 1.5-2 hrs every Friday afternoon after Preschool closes (term-time only). They will supplement the daily cleaning carried out by staff, cleaning high-use areas every week and other areas monthly.
A DBS check will be required. For further details, please contact the committee at buckdenpreschoolcommittee@gmail.com.