April 2022

We Are Cyclists - Developing Cycling Skills at Children's House

At Children's House we are so excited about the arrival of our balance bikes!
Having reflected on our provision we wanted to make sure children were developing skills such as balance, coordination, spatial awareness, control, perseverance and a sense of joy.
Balance bikes provide is with one way to develop these skills.
We want to ensure children develop positive cycling skills, behaviours and habits for LIFE.
At first children were introduced to the bikes and shared what they already knew: some knew the names of the parts of the bike - pedals, handlebars, seat, wheels, chain, tyres. 
Next they look at the helmets and we supported some children in learning how to fit their own helmets safely. 
Children had time to explore and try out the bikes - some children found it easy, others took a while longer. 
Over this term we will continue to expose children to time on the balance bikes to increase confidence and skills. 
After mastering the balance bikes, the pedal bikes (without stabilisers) are next!
Please speak to your key person if you want more information or head over to the new area on our website dedicated to cycling by clicking here!

Harvesting & Shopping for Healthy Sandwiches

Across the nursery we have been noticing signs of spring and growth: children have been learning about how to grow and what plants need to grow. 
In the Red and Main Building they have been growing cress from seeds.
The children have been observing the growth every day and got very excited when the cress grew to the top of the pots.
We decided we would make some delicious cress sandwiches.
Some children went shopping to buy brown bread (we are encouraging the children now to enjoy wholemeal bread only - try it at home, it is delicious!)
They collected money and walked to the shops, noticing all the things in the local environment and communicating about them. We were lucky that Judy helped by sharing the British Sign Language signs for things we could see. 
Children found the bread in the shop and paid for it, putting it in the bag, signing/saying "thank you" and walking back to school. 
Finally they were supported to wash their hands and make delicious cress sandwiches, harvesting the cress from their pots. Children used the knife safely, sustained concentration and shared them with their friends.

Signs of Spring

Children have been supported to observe the signs of spring: lots of green shoots and slightly warmer weather have meant our garden is very busy. 
Staff decided to take groups of children to visit our local park, Bob's Park.
Children were encouraged to look at their wonderful flowers and plants and to observe the birds.
Children enjoyed the walk there, talking about their local area: they showed a good knowledge of where they live and local landmarks. 
Children showed joy and enjoyed talking about the flora and fauna they saw in the park. 
They noticed birds and lots of insects.
The weather was so lovely that on some days they didn't even need to wear coats!
Local Walk to 'Bob's Park'

Exploring Seeds and Planting

At Children's House we follow the natural rhythms of the year: with the arrival of spring we support the children to learn about planting and growing.
This week children explored a range of seeds: observing them, handling them, smelling them and even tasting some of them. 
They explored seeds in fruits such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, mangos, strawberries and avocados.
Children noticed some of the seeds looked different.
Last month many children planted sunflower seeds and took them home and families have been reporting back how their sunflowers are growing.
In school we are growing cress seeds in a range of conditions to see whether we can decide exactly what plants need to grow.
Some of the cress has started to germinate and the children are being supported to return to the pots everyday and observe and talk about the changes. 
In the garden children helped to tidy: weeding the beds and sweeping the blossom which had fallen.
Some children have started planting and tending to beans. Many children knew that plants need water to grow and a bed.
Staff noticed that most children sustained concentration for long periods of time when working with their hands in the garden. They were happy and peaceful. 
We are going to be developing our garden area in the coming year and want to create areas to grow fruit, herbs and vegetables.

​Easter Parade

Thank you so much to all our families who worked so hard making Easter Bonnets with their children. 
The weather stayed fine and we were able to hold our annual Easter Bonnet Parade, along with singing.
The children looked fantastic and shared lots of talk about their creations.
Thank you to Tracy Smith from Tower Hamlets Educational Partnership who came to judge our hats.
Everyone was a winner!
The staff are extremely competitive and we would like to thank the parents for voting fairly and not being bribed!
Happy Easter if you are celebrating and enjoy time with your family and friends. 

Easter Egg Hunt

Children enjoyed a fabulous Easter Egg Hunt in the garden. 
During the week, children had been supported to make their own Easter baskets.
They had also heard the Easter Story and talked about signs of new life in Spring.
We noticed some daffodils growing in the garden too!
They used their basket to hold the egg they found.
While the children hunted, it suddenly started to snow and we were all very excited: sharing laughter and talk!

Raffle Draw

Some members of the School Council came to help count how many Easter Eggs we had as raffle prizes. There were 38!
Next the children picked raffle tickets from the basket.  Many of them could read the numbers very well. Thank you to the staff for donating them and to Tesco, Bromley-By-Bow for their generous donations as well. 
All children took a chocolate egg home from the hunt in the garden

Ramadan Mubarak

Many of our families, staff and local community are observing the Holy Month of Ramadan.
One of our wonderful Parent Governors, Ruhana, came into school and talked to the children about Ramadan.
Some children made Ramadan Lanterns to mark this special time.
Ramadan Mubarak if you are observing Ramadan.