We like to share some of the things that the children have been doing at nursery in our News and Events pages. We hope that you enjoy reading our stories and looking at the pictures. The children really love seeing their pictures published too!
In June we held a forest school stay and play session for all of our children and families which we will be doing termly. Children listened to Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man story, made mud pies and had a picnic.
Our deputy manager, Charlie, was invited by Bristol University to present to students in their first year of their Early Childhood Studies degree that Charlie recently completed herself. She shared our journey of using the space in the front garden and taking it from an unloved and unutilised space to winning the Gold Bristol in Bloom award. She focussed on why she undertook the challenge and what the children learned from the project. We are proud to have Charlie representing Once Upon a Time at such a prestigious institution.
Once Upon a Time has been invited to take part in a major new study of boys' early years development. Our focus is the promotion of literacy in the setting and home learning. we have introduced Book Bears to take home along with many other changes in the setting that have enhanced children's literacy skills. Our findings will be posted on Bristol Early Years Research website (https://bristolearlyyearsresearch.org.uk/) for other settings to learn from.
Led by Toni and Charlie who have shown hugely impressive levels of subject knowledge, application and, most importantly, dedication to delivering the practices they believe in, our nursery was showcased in a video interview which was shown on the big screen at the annual Nursery World Conference in London in February 2018, at which Toni and Charlie represented us in person.
We are committed to delivering top quality childcare and we value collaborative working with the council, other settings and the children and familes who attend Once Upon a Time.
With a gold medal score of 86% we are absolutely delighted to have won a gold medal in this year's Bristol in Bloom competition.
The judged comments read as follows:
Once Upon a Time Day Nursery & Pre-school ~ 86% Gold
An outstanding start to this first-year entry, this small space was used to its best advantage and to its fullest extent; it is a pleasure for neighbours and passers-by to see.
The enthusiasm and commitment to outdoor learning, led by Charlie, was an inspiration. The evident involvement from the community and parents and the affirmations of the effect the gardening has on the children were highlights of the excellent garden portfolio.
Every attribute of the garden was well thought out and innovative, the use of up-cycled and recycled materials was great to see. The level of maintenance, quality of plants (sown from seed) and visual learning aids that were hung in the trees all enhanced the learning experience.
A most enjoyable first visit.
This achievement is testament to the selfless work of our wonderful team who have created something truly special for the children to enjoy. Charlie saw potential in the outdoor space in the nursery and had lofty ambitions from day one. Well she proved any doubters wrong like she always does! For our little nursery to win such a prestigous award is something truly special and we are so proud and grateful for Charlie's hard work and determination. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the help of our children and familes who helped with planting, donations of gardening equipment and some rather small but certainly green fingered helpers!
Charlie has been making the most of the nice weather by givinbg the front of the nursery a well needed revamp! It's lovely to have a safe front garden for children and families to walk through as they come in to nursery so it's only right that we make it look great! Thanks Charlie, and thanks to everyone who helped too!
Each week we go to Patron House, a local specialist residential care home for the elderly with a focus on dementia. From the moment we started going we have had the most incredible, heart warming experiences and to witness the bond between the residents and our children is something that we could never describe. The children love sitting with the residents, playing with them and hearing their stories. The skills they learn and develop though thi process - such as patience, clear communication and empathy - are some of life's most important and will stand the children in good stead for the future. We hope to continue this special relationship for years to come.
We have made many new friends and have received great feedback on the behaviour, conduct, attitude and most importantly happiness of our children!
Kirsty and Toni have been busy spending their weekends making improvements to the garden! The children now have lots of exciting new areas to explore ensuring that there are lots of opportunities to learn outdoors. These areas include a dinosaur park, a mud kitchen, a writing area and a water area! We have also made a potion making station and some sensory tyres full of herbs for smelling and tasting. Spike and Gizmo, the nursery's resident Guinea pigs, have moved outside for the warmer months and are also enjoying their new surroundings! There are still lots of exciting things to come and the children have loved exploring it so far! Watch this space……………
We are delighted to announce that Toni has been promoted to the role of manager and will formally assume her position at the start of Lorraine's maternity leave on 18th March. Since joining us as Cubs leader she has transformed the room into somewhere we are truly proud to offer to our families and she has it running fantastically well. We hope Toni can take this focus and drive to the next level in her new role.
Toni has over 10 years of experience working in day nurseries and is working on her level 5 qualification. She will work closely with Kirsty to lead the nursery and we are confident that the two of them will make a great team!
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