Dear Parents
As you will see below, all the children in Nursery have thoroughly enjoyed exploring, decorating and playing with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes! It is lovely seeing the children thoroughly relishing being so messy and creative! Surprisingly, not all children enjoy getting their fingers dirty so it is a joy to see the delight of the children!
Foals 1
Foals 1 have been exploring autumn this week. We have used potato prints, pumpkins and paints to create different marks and practise our fine motor skills. The babies enjoyed this sensory experience and had lots of fun getting very messy.
Foals 2
We have been busy exploring different mark making activities; we used potatoes cut into autumnal shapes for printing and stamping using glorious autumnal colours.
We put paper and paint in a salad spinner. The children took turns turning the handle and had great delight at the pattern they made.
We spread paint all over a large sheet of paper and covered it in clingfilm. The children then moved around the table, freely pushing and ‘smudging’ the paint into the paper. The children really enjoyed all the different painting styles.
On Halloween, the children dressed up, carved pumpkins and had pumpkin sensory play!
Yearlings
In Yearlings, we’ve been exploring all things autumnal, such as carving pumpkins, making leaf hedgehogs and sensory play with the inside of pumpkins.
Ponies 1
Ponies 1 have had a great half term holiday! We have visited the Memorial Gardens and explored all the play equipment there. We have also enjoyed exploring Diwali and Halloween activities such as painting candle pots, mark making in the coloured rice, creating spider hand prints and pumpkin stamping and carving.
Ponies 2
Ponies 2 have been finding out all about Diwali this week. We have watched a short video explaining how a Hindu family prepare and celebrate the festival, and then went on to create our own giant Rangoli patterns outside. We loved creating different shapes and lines using coloured chalk.
Later in the week, we got ready for Halloween by carving a pumpkin ‘head’. With a little adult help, the children scooped, pulled and scraped the seeds and pulp out before creating a face. They were all excited to see the face light up as it got darker outside.
In our new role play area, we have a hospital, where the children are looking after each other and pretending to be doctors, nurses and surgeons. They are also learning about their own bodies, and are relishing the opportunity to build a skeleton to learn about their bones.
Just a couple of things to remember: please check your child’s art folder regularly which is situated by the door, for all their wonderful masterpieces. Also, please can all children have a spare full set of nursery clothes in case of accidents. Thank you.
Nursery Uniform
If your child comes to Nursery wearing Wellington boots, please could you ensure that they also have suitable shoes with them for indoor use.
As the weather grows colder, please could you ensure that your child has a Nursery coat, hat and gloves (all labelled with their name) with them at all times. Thank you.
Nursery Christmas Nativity
We are delighted to announce that this year, we will be holding two Nursery Christmas Nativity plays. These will take place in the Performing Arts Centre on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd December at 3.00pm. On Monday 2nd December, children from Foals 1, Ponies 1 and Ponies 2 will take part and on Tuesday 3rd December, children from Foals 2, Yearlings and Ponies 2 will perform. You will shortly receive your invitation, which also lets you know the part your child will play. Please note that, due to the limited space in the Performing Arts Centre, an absolute maximum of two tickets per family will be available. The doors to the Performing Arts Centre will open at 2.45pm on each day and mulled wine and mince pies will be served in the foyer.
Please note that there will be no space for pushchairs inside the foyer and, unfortunately, parking will not be available on site. Many thanks for your understanding.
Reception Information Evening – Tuesday 12th November
Just a reminder that if you have a child who will be starting Reception in September 2020 or 2021, you are warmly invited to attend our Reception Information Evening on Tuesday 12th November at 6.00pm in the Performing Arts Centre. Our Reception teacher, Mrs Katie Sanders, will be present together with our specialist subject teachers, to discuss all aspects of life in Reception at Fairstead House and to answer any questions you may have. Please do contact Saskia Ouwendijk on registrar@fairsteadhouse.co.uk if you have any queries regarding this event. I look forwards to seeing you there – it promises to be a most informative evening!
With my best wishes and looking forwards to a full and festive time ahead,
Lynda Brereton