Monday 7 December 2020

ADVENT CALENDAR 2020


Every day we are opening a new book on our Christmas Story Advent Calendar. Visit our web site to have a look...

ADVENT CALENDAR 2020

Friday 16 October 2020

Pasta

This week the children have really enjoyed playing with the pasta.  




Wednesday 30 September 2020

Our Hall


In these difficult times it is not easy to show parents around our setting. We have managed to section off an area at the back of the hall which allows people to see what we have but I thought it might also help to take a short video. (It does not show the outside area) 

Friday 25 September 2020

Flu Vacinations

This week, parents and carers of children in years 7 and below will receive a letter from the NHS reminding them that it is time for their child to receive their annual flu vaccination. The letter also provides details of where the vaccinations will take place and the need for parents and carers to provide consent before the vaccination can be administered.

QR Code

 From today we will be displaying a QR Code at the front door for visitors, parents and staff can scan on the new NHS Covid 19 App.



Monday 27 April 2020

Hello Baby Ducks

We are all really missing the children that can not be with us at the moment so the staff have made a little video to say hello from their homes to yours...


Thursday 23 April 2020

Learning at Home

Recently the Department of Eductaion gave some very simple guidelines on helping you children learn at home. We thought you might like to see the advise they have given...

How to help young children learn at home
You can help your child to learn through the little things you do with them, for example:
  • everyday conversations
  • make-believe play
  • games with numbers or letters
  • reading together
  • involving them in the things you are doing, such as household chores, and talking with them about it
Find ideas for new things you can try at Hungry Little Minds.

You do not need to set separate time or plan complicated activities dedicated to learning. These activities can be incorporated into everyday life and play.

You know your child best. Avoid forcing them into lengthy planned activities if they naturally respond better to a mix of shorter activities. This can stop them getting bored or frustrated and keep them active, interested and learning through things they enjoy.
Keeping a routine
Do not worry about trying to keep to the full routine that your child had in nursery or with their childcare provider. But children will feel more comfortable with a predictable routine, so try to make sure they:
  • get up and go to bed at the same time each day
  • have regular meal times
  • turn off any electronic devices, including the TV, at least an hour before bedtime
Keeping active
Young children should be active for at least 3 hours a day in total.

It is also good to get some fresh air every day. If you do not have a garden and are taking children outside to exercise, make sure you follow the rules on social distancing.

While inside, there are plenty of things you can do to keep children active, such as:
  • playing hide-and-seek
  • seeing who can do the most star jumps
  • making an obstacle course
  • playing music and having a dance-off
Television and using digital devices
There are lots of ways to help your child to learn such as reading together and make-believe play. You can also use what children have watched on television or the internet to help their learning. Talk with them about what they are watching or use their favourite TV characters in other games and activities.

Digital devices such as a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone can help some children learn. If your child does use them, try downloading some apps that will help them learn.

Set age-appropriate parental controls on any devices young children are using and supervise their use of websites and apps. See advice on keeping them safe online.

Try sharing things your child makes with your friends and family online and encourage others to do the same. Your child might enjoy seeing things they have made on the screen or seeing what other children have done.

You can also visit Hungry Little Minds for ideas of activities to do together without using a device.
Socialising while social distancing

Spending time with other children is important for your child’s development, but at the moment it is important they stay at home.

It will help them if everyone in the home talks with them through the day, responding to them and being led by the things they are interested in.

Visit Hungry Little Minds for more information about talking with your child.

If you can, try a video call with other children. Younger children may not have a conversation as you would, but they can share activities or show each other things they have made or like.

Try a call with other people that your child knows, such as grandparents.

Sit and do the call with them to help. Not all children will like it, so try again another time or have a call with family members while you are sitting down and eating a meal.

Try sitting with your child and looking at pictures of their friends or family. Talk about them and the things you have done together.

Tuesday 21 April 2020

What a lovely surprise

This morning when we opened up Baby Ducks we had received a very special delivery.

We were so please to find this in our letter box ...


We really miss all of our children and it was lovely to receive this special card. It really made a wonderful start to our day.



I hope that we will all be back to normal soon and that we can see everyone of our little Baby Ducks.

Thursday 26 March 2020

Some more stories

Today we have two more stories for you, one is again read by Zoe which is "Dear Zoo" and the other is the story CD that the children love so much and one of Baby Ducks all time favourite stories "We all go travelling by". We hope you enjoy them.



We have had a couple of requests from some of the Baby Ducks that are at home and we will try to get these recorded as soon as possible.

Tuesday 24 March 2020

Story Time

Baby Ducks is currently still open but unfortunately not for all of our children. For those of you that have your children at home, we thought that it might be nice if you could share a familiar story with them.

We chose two of the Baby Ducks favourite stories and recorded them whilst reading to the children that are still coming in. We hope that all our Baby Ducks will enjoy listening and look forward to seeing them all when things return to normal.




If these prove to be of use, then we will try and add some more in the coming days. Let us know what you think. If you have any requests for stories let us know and we will see what we can do. We might have a go at some singing next time.

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Obstacle Course Day 2

Today we had to do the course indoors because it was raining. It was a bit smaller at just 10 meters but the children each completed it five times making a today for today of 500 meters.






.
This will make our total for the week 2120




Monday 9 March 2020

Obstacle Course

This year for Sport Relief the children are try to complete our longest obstacle course. Each day the children will compete our 20m obstacle course and we will add together what they all do to give us a total distance for the week. The first time we did this was in 2016 when we managed 2000 meters, then in 2018 we achieved just over 5000 meters, so this year our target is 6000 meters.

Today we have got a good start with 18 children completing our course two times each making a total of 720 meters this morning. After lunch the children had another go and this this time 15 of them completed it 3 times each making a further 900 meters. That is a very impressive 1620 meters on our first day.







Monday 10 February 2020

Advice from Public Health England

What is the coronavirus?
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has been spreading since it was first reported in December 2019.

Symptoms include fever and respiratory symptoms including coughing and shortness of breath. Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

If you develop these symptoms and have recently travelled to an area where the coronavirus is being widely reported or believe you may have come in contact with the virus then you should stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of the details linking you to the virus.

A case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Brighton & Hove?
An individual has tested positive and has been taken to a hospital where they are being well cared for.

Public Health England is the lead organisation responding to the situation. Public Health England is working with partner organisations to take measures to prevent any possible further spread of the virus.

Anyone who may have been in contact with the virus is currently being identified and will be contacted directly by Public Health England.

What should I do?
If you are feeling unwell and have not been contacted by Public Health England, then there is no need for concern.

You should continue to treat your symptoms as usual for seasonal flu or a common cold. If you feel unwell and do not know what you should do, then call NHS 111.

As always, if you have symptoms of a cold or flu, then there are measures you can take to bugs spreading:

· Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.

· Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

· Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Where can I find more information?

Wednesday 22 January 2020

Battery Recycling


Millions of batteries are thrown away each year even when they still have lots of useful life left in them and even if they are completely drained end up creating long-term contamination in landfill sites.

From this week we will have a battery recycling container available to all parent to use. It also has a handy battery testing facility to see if there is any life in them before you throw them away, If you batteries are completely drained simply put them into the pot and we will make sure the go to the correct recycling facility once the container is full.

Thursday 9 January 2020

Cleaning Drinking Cups and Bottles

Recently some of the parents have been asking about cleaning drinking bottles as some of them can be difficult to access.

Sistema who manufacture some of the most popular bottles recommend that after use you remove the cap from the bottle, extend the pop up sipper to the open position and put the top either in the dishwasher or hand wash and then place in water for five minutes with a sterilising solution.
Under normal use this should be sufficient to clean the cap. They do however have videos available detailing how to fully clean the bottles which I have included below.

Twist N Sip Bottle Cap Cleaning Instructions Video from Sistema Plastics on Vimeo.
Davina Bottle Cleaning Caps instructions from Sistema Plastics on Vimeo.
Wave and Gripper Bottle Cap Cleaning Instructions from Sistema Plastics on Vimeo.

Another popular brand is Munchkin, so I have included the video for cleaning their Miracle Cups.



It is recommended that plastic drink bottles that are continually in use should be replaced every 12 months.