NEWS

Tuesday 17th March was St. Patrick's Day. A fun opportunity to discover colours, repeated patterns, matching, science, rainbows, stories, nature, shamrock, makaton and messy play. Our little Ladybirds and Butterflies had fun with the colourful soft play and shamrock printing with pappers and green paint were on offer for sensory exploration. In Dragonflies, the children were also invited to make shamrock printed pictures and explored the discovery table with lots of picture

Kim, from Torrington Dental Practice, visits us regualrly to teach us all about oral hygiene. Kim makes the sessions fun and always starts with a chat about how we should brush our teeth, when to brush our teeth and how often. The children were shown photos of unbrushed teeth and they noticed black they were. Kim talked to the children about the different foods and how it's okay to have the occasional treat as long as you look after your teeth and gums. She talked about h

Happy yellow daffodils are springing up all over the place at the moment. They bring us such joy and happiness. Our babies have been out on a walk enjoying the beautiful yellow daffodils bobbing about in the breeze. They have also explored the dragon themed sensory table where they enjoy pouring and mixing the red grains.

On Thursday 5 th March, we celebrated World Book Day. It was a fantastic day full of excited children and staff ready to share stories and celebrate the wonderful world of books. We had a wonderful day full of fun, laughter and there was also book binding, bookmark crafts, making Paddington Bear's favourite marmalade sandwiches and story sensory bottles to explore and enjoy. Some children in Kindergarten enjoyed a story time at Waterstones bookshop in Barnstaple. Thank you

We enjoyed delicious pancakes for our pudding last Tuesday. Some children squeezed their own piece of lemon on their pancake. "Yummy!" In Forest School, we enjoyed pancakes around the campfire. Perfect on a chilly day in the woods!

Story Bears was such fun on Monday with lots of friendship songs, dancing, catching balloons, playing musical instruments and of course the bubble machine!

A big part of our ethos here at St. Michael's is well being and mindfulness. From the babies right through to kindergarten, the children enjoy a wide range of experiences to support their curiosity, awe, wonder, social and emotional development. Treasure baskets, a variety of instrumental music, puppets, gardening, snipping herbs, talking about what we love about our life, making calming down jars, building a bug hotel, snacks in the garden and playing with clay are all thing

It is National Apprenticeship Week and as always, it’s a moment for us to celebrate and highlight our wonderful apprentices. Apprenticeships are an ideal way to study while earning a wage and also having day to day advice and learning from our qualified and experienced staff. Nursery Manager Sarah Sexon is proud to offer apprenticeships and has seen many stay in our team who have grown into new and exciting roles from accounts, to team leaders to SEN champions and key worke

We recently blogged about the importance of keeping the Christmas spirit going through into January and we have been looking at plans for the year ahead. The Ladybirds and Butterflies are crafting towards a new display board for the ‘New Year’. There has been much chatter and excitement with the lead up to the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch next week. Our 0-2 years group really enjoy their elivated position overlooking our large garden and enjoy bird watching. By late afternoo

Vegetable curry was the dish of the day during Hedgehogs cookery session this week. For many children starting in Dragonflies this year, this was their very first cookery session with Emma Hedge. They began looking at the vegetables and noticing the size, weight, colour and texture. They named the ingredients; carrots, sweet potato, peppers, leeks and broccoli. Then under adult guidance they used the child safety knives to chop the vegetables safely. Emma noted that they