NEWS

This week marks the celebration of ‘National T-Levels Week’ 19th – 23rd October. T Levels are equivalent to three A Levels and take two years to complete. They are excellent for students to regularly attend college tutorials and to accompany their academic learning with regular hands on experience. This year we are joined by Tanzin and Neave. They are currently in their second year studying Level 3 Early Years Education and Childcare at North Devon College, Barnstaple.

Cooking, Story bears, scavenger hunts, games, dancing, quiet moments, den building and running races are just some of the fun things we have been enjoying recently. Our little Ladybirds and Butterflies have been enjoying all things harvest and the farm. Lots of fun singing farm and animal songs, books, sensory tray and paintings. Dragonflies have been enjoying their recent regular story 'Tabby McTat' by Sara Puttock. They have been out exploring the garden, enjoying the bikes

* Visit this link to see our reel - https://www.facebook.com/reel/1649538426793487 We are so grateful to Kim from Torrington Dental Practice for visiting Kindergarten. Kim discussed why it is so important to keep our mouths healthy. The children were given a special pen to mark 'plaque' on the model mouth. They were then encouraged to use a toothbrush to effectively remove the plaque and a UV torch to check. Another exciting game was to sort the foodstuff into baskets that ar

https://www.facebook.com/reel/960912390420714 Children attending Forest School have been learning about berries. We have been talking about the berries we enjoy eating such as blackberries, strawberries and rasberries. We have also discussed foraging in the wild and the importance to check to see if they are edible or to be left for the wildlife to enjoy. This is an important part of Forest School as we believe in empowerment and awareness of the natural world. We had trem

Carrot cake was on the menu this week in the Hedgehogs Bakery. The children mixed the ingredients together and loved watching Emma's electric grater. The children chose either acorn or pumpkin shaped moulds for the mixture to bake in. Liz put them in the oven and the smell of mixed spice was delicious!

National Eary Years SENDCo Day is dedicated to professionals who help ensure every child receives the support they need to thrive. This year, it falls on Friday 9th October. Best Practice Network is the organisation that is proud to have established the annual day which recognises the ‘extraordinary contribution Early Years SENCOs make to children, families, colleagues and settings across England.’ (https://www.bestpracticenet.co.uk/EYSENCO-day) At St Michael’s Nursery,

Back in the Spring, the Green Fingers Gardening Club spent many weeks planning, preparing and planting seeds for the summer crops. Our Runner Beans took a little while to get going this year thanks to the extreme heat. One of our families kindly donated some small Runner Bean plants and these took to the ground and grew tall and strong producing beautiful rosy red flowers. We learnt all about pollinators and how they have an important job to land on each flower to help turn t

We've had an amazing summer and really made the most of our large garden, playground, summerhouses and extensive forest school area. We have nurtured plants, saplings and vegetables through many a heatwave, enjoyed walks out in the community, sang songs, acted out stories, dressed up, took part in science experiments, danced, built towers, dug holes, climbed trees and enjoyed picnics. Some of our favourite things in Forest School has been the older children learning to whittl

Back in April, the Green Fingers Gardening Club planted sunflower seeds. We have been looking after them and nurturing them through some of the hottest weather that we have experienced in our gardening club. Over the summer, yellow petals have glinted and emerged from their sleepy bud to be greeted with overjoyed cries of "there's a sunflower!" The children have really enjoyed watching them open, they have measured them, watched pollinators excitedly land on them, drawn and p

During Summer term, the Kindergarten children that are leaving for school, enjoy plenty of opportunities as part of our 'Life Skills' programme. Most recently, Kim from Torrington Dental Practice visited us to talk to the children about effective brushing techniques. Kim started the session discussing why it is important to brush your teeth regularly. She discussed different food groups and showed pictures of teeth that hadn’t been brushed. The children were keen to tell