Look at what we have been up to in…
Discoverers (0-1yrs)
During the month of April, we have been playing with a variety of fun learning activities which have engaged the children using their current interests. Currently we are having fun at the farm! Each child will be given the opportunity to create and decorate their own farm animal, enjoy fun circle times singing songs about the farm, read books and explore messy play sensory activities with ‘mud’ and farm animals. As Easter is now approaching, we will be getting ready by making decorations and getting in the Easter Spirit by doing a range of fun and exciting activities, including making Easter chicks, Easter eggs and enjoying the Easter egg hunt!
We are looking forward to lots of Easter Fun this April.
Explorers (1-2yrs)
The children and staff have had a very exciting few weeks with the Transport Topic. The children have picked up lots of new words and have extended their knowledge and language! We went on many fun trips around Fulham to see the different types of transport, these included big red buses, the boats on the river and we even saw a Police car Rally. The children enjoyed the different activities such as sticking Train tickets, painting red buses on the easel and pushing the Cars and trucks through the sensory textures. The children have also enjoyed using the construction block to make buses and trains.
Now spring is here, and Easter is just around the corner we have started painting our hands to make our very own Easter Chicks. We are using new materials to allow all the children to make their own choices, learn and explore whilst creating mini eggs, spring lambs flowers and bunny ears.
Inventors (2-3yrs)
Over the last few weeks, the children have enjoyed the weather getting warmer and have been really happy outside and going for lots of fun educational walks. Our theme ‘Spring’ was very
successful with all the children planting seeds, talking about flowers and enjoying stories about spring animals.
During the month of April we will be focusing on the theme ‘Transport’. This is a great theme for the children as they are really interested in the many different methods of transport around our nursery and always point out the big red buses on the walk! We will be going to the riverside to look at the boats, taking a trip to the train station and even going on an actual bus ride to talk to the driver! This will give the children a wide experience and extend their knowledge and language as well as having lots of fun! We will also be learning the colours of the different tube trains, buses and boats and continue our learning back at Nursery by painting and drawing pictures of everything we have seen.
We will also be celebrating Easter with many activities, including making Easter chicks, sticking and gluing to make Easter cards and hanging up our eggs on the tree. Happy Easter Inventors!!
Little Einstein’s (3-5yrs)
The little Einstein’s room have been very busy over the last few weeks , enjoying their topic about ‘spring’. During Circle Time the children have been answering questions about spring and understanding the world we live in. By going out for walks and seeing the flowers, the children have been able to widen their knowledge about the change of the season. To extend their learning further, the children planted sunflower seeds and have been watering them daily.
By understanding that we need to take care of living things, the children have developed an interest in looking after plants, the fish and even each other during their time at Pre-school. During art time the children have created wonderful spring lambs and flowers and even put on a puppet show about ‘why do plants grow?’
Over the next week, the children will be learning all about ‘Easter.’ This is links very well to spring and we have planned many different activities to engage the children and get the children thinking! We will be making Easter eggs, Easter cards and of course an Easter Bunny. During ‘Circle time’ we have been talking about what Easter means, why do we receive eggs and we have been developing our
personal social and emotional development by caring and looking after baby chicks and rabbits (not real ones) which the children have put in a nest in our messy area.
During focus time, we have been counting eggs, sorting egg sizes and investigating rolling the eggs using different slopes and heights. The children are so excited about the Easter egg hunt and we are sure they will all have a great time finding their surprises which we will hide prior to the outing!
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Millies House Blog - August
Millie’s House Chef
We are
pleased to inform you that as of Monday the 5th August we will have
a full time Chef starting with us at Millie’s House. Pat has been working as a
chef for the company for the past 3 years and has gained a level 3
qualification in catering. Pat’s menus are always enjoyed by the children
(staff too!!!) Pat implements a sugar and salt free diet, and as she has also
worked as a Childcare practitioner she recognises that some children can be
quite fussy so hides the vegetables in many ways!! Pat will ensure all
children’s dietary requirements are followed, and will also be happy to talk
through the meals with you. Please feel free to pop to the kitchen when you are
next at the nursery to say ‘hello’.
Ofsted
We are
pleased to inform you all that we have had our Ofsted inspection. I have
attached the Link below to enable you all to have a read.
We are
really pleased with the result and we were just two points away from outstanding!!!
We have made changes to the nursery following the guidance given by Ofsted.
These changes are:
·
We
have ordered a range of equipment and resources to support the children’s
understanding of diversity and cultural back grounds. These include a range of
dressing up items, books, posters and dancing music.
·
We
have also ordered new items for our garden; these include chalk boards, mirrors
and new play equipment. We will continue to go out each day and use the outdoor
environment to support the 7 areas of learning.
·
We are also awaiting delivery of a Millie’s
House Bus. This bus will allow 8-10 children to travel out on trips to a range
of fun environments such as Battersea Park, Museums and other child friendly
areas. We will ensure you will be given prior notice for any planned trips
along with permission slips.
Staff
We have been
carrying out interviews over the past few weeks to find staff to join our team.
I can now announce that we have employed two new lovely girls to start with us.
Leanne will
be joining out pre-school team from the 19th August. Leanne has a level
3 qualification in childcare and has previous experience in working at one of
our other nurseries. We chose Leanne has she shows strong ambition, love for children
and is very dedicated to working with children.
Danielle will
be joining our toddler room in September. Danielle has previously worked at a
setting in Wimbledon, where she gained her level 3 qualification. Danielle is
really excited to share her ideas and enthusiasm with us all at Millie’s House
We look
forward to welcoming them to the team at Millie’s House.
Extra Curriculum Sessions
Over the
past few weeks we have been inviting outside agencies to come along to Millie’s
House and hold some taster sessions. This has allowed us to see which
activities the children have enjoyed the most and has helped us in our
decision.
Extra Curriculum
sessions that will be held at Millie’s House are as follows;
Monday: Rhythm and Rhyme
Rhythm and Rhyme will encourage the children
to learn through a range of activities which include, puppets, songs, dance, music
parachute play, instruments, bubbles and balls.
Almost 90% of the brain develops in the first
five years.
Neuro imaging shows that singing involves
large swathes of both sides of the brain and uses and develops both sides of
the brain.
Babies and young children love to bounce,
laugh and clap through rhythm and rhyme, the best kind of learning is taking
place and it is active and fun!
The programme links with the national ‘early
years foundation stage’ framework, which celebrates the development of young
children, recognising that babies are competent learners from birth.
Sessions have been designed to accelerate
babies’ learning in this vital early stage of life
Baby’s brains are built for music. They
pick out high and low sounds before they recognize words and more often than
not try to sing before they can speak. The repetition of tunes and words
forge new pathways in their brains.
At rhythm and rhyme we will start with a few
songs that encourage baby’s natural impulse to communicate and experiment with
their voices.
Tuesday: Calm Child
Yoga
Calm child classes bring
stories to life through specially developed moves inspired by yoga. Combining
fun with exercise children will go on wild adventures where they may roar like
a lion, fly like a bird or blast into outer space!
All children can do yoga to their own ability. Children do not need to
be fast, have good hand to eye co-ordination or be physically fit. Children are
encouraged to be vocal during a class and express their emotions physically.
Through creative visualisation techniques we help children believe they are
unique and special. Balancing postures help children to focus their mind and
concentration techniques keep the mind in one place instead of letting it
wander.
There is a big emphasis on children having fun in a yoga class
as we take children on wild adventures and encourage them to use their creative
imagination.
Gabby will be our yoga instructor.
Wednesday: Spanish
with Maria
Maria our
Deputy Manager will be taking groups of children to learn Spanish.
Maria has
been teaching children Spanish for many years and runs her own class each
Saturday.
Maria will
start with children under the age of two and will encourage Spanish words
through songs, books and play. Maria will then move to the older children when
the lesson will become more structured and Spanish will be taught through a
range of activities.
Maria will
provide an information sheet each month to highlight the songs and words that have been taught each session.
This will allow you as parents to encourage Spanish at home and maybe pick up
some words yourself.
Thursday: Teddy Tennis
Teddy Tennis works by
combining music, pictures and teddy bear stories into a learning adventure that
children love.
Combining music and
pictures into the learning process produces amazing results.
Sound and sight are two of the key human senses and this dual stimulation
produces a ‘total’ learning package rolled into one.
Teddy Tennis speeds up
the learning process, inspires a love of sport, teaches the essential tennis
skills, enhances co-ordination, improves confidence and self-esteem, builds
communication skills and team work, lays the foundations for listening and learning,
teaches the concept of sportsmanship & fair play and introduces the basic English
language skills.
For more information
on teddy tennis please follow this link;
All these extra-Curricular session are included in
you Millie’s House nursery fees so you will not incur any additional charges.
Fruit and Vegetables
We will now
be encouraging fruit and vegetables of the month. This will allow the children
to recognise, taste and explore the different fruits and vegetables. We will
encourage up to 5 different types each month and through a range of activities
the children will soon learn how they grow, how to prepare them, what they
taste like, which part of the world they are from and their colour, shape and
size.
As well as
talking about them and eating them we will also carry out fun activities such
as creative play (potato printing, black berry printing on paper), visits to
the local grocer, cooking and baking. We will also provide the fruit for the
children to play with in the role play area.
We also hope
that by supporting their knowledge this will minimise any fussy eaters and
allow them to become excited over new foods.
Events
We would
like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for joining us and taking part
on our afternoon tea. It was a delight to meet all the new parents and
children.
Teddy
Bears Picnic 22nd August
We would
like to invite all our families along to a teddy bears picnic on the green
opposite to Millie’s House. This will be another opportunity for families to
come together and to share a fun time together. We would like all children to bring
a teddy bear on that day and we will provide the picnic. We do hope the weather will be kind to us.
I will send
out details to confirm timings of this event.
We look
forward to hearing your feedback and welcome any new ideas you would like to
share with us.
Monday, 13 May 2013
The Team at Millie’s House would just like to say a big
thank you to you all for making our Open Day on Saturday a huge success! We were
delighted to meet so many new families, some of whom we have met again this
morning and are looking forward to settling your little ones in with us over
the next few weeks.
If any of you would like to make an appointment to have
another look around when the little ones are here playing and learning then
please call Laura the Nursery Manager on 020 7731 0440.We look forward to updating you on our adventures and what we have been learning this week at the end of the week!
Laura Standen - Nursery Manager, Millie's House Nursery and Pre-School
laura@millieshouse.net
020 7731 0440
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
We are delighted to be opening the doors of Millie’s House
Nursery and Pre-School this coming Saturday 11th May 2013 from 10.00a.m
until 2.00p.m. We have had a fantastic response from you all eager to book your
tour and are very much looking forward to meeting with you.
If you would like to make an appointment to view Millie’s
House on Saturday, please contact Laura on 020 7731 0440 or pop along and see
us on the day! We are pleased to be offering no Registration Fee for all
families who enrol on Saturday and are very excited to offer a free taster session of Amanda's Action Club held by Amanda herself between 1030 and 1130 a.m.
We look forward to welcoming you to Millie’s House Nursery
and Pre-School!
Laura Standen – Nursery Manager, Millie’s House Nursery and
Pre-School
020 7731 0440laura@millieshouse.net
Monday, 22 April 2013
Wow what a busy
couple of weeks we have all had here at Millie’s House!!
We have been
welcoming lots of new families on tours around the nursery and are now busy
preparing for our Open Day on Saturday 11th May 2013 from 10 o’clock
until 2 o’clock. If you would like to view the nursery on this day please
contact Laura on the nursery details below for an appointment or if you are passing
by please feel free to pop in and see us!Over the last couple of weeks the children have been exploring the local environment with daily walks to the park, the local library and to the pond to feed the ducks. The trip to see the ducks sparked a particular interest in animals and on their return to the nursery they continued to learn about fish, birds, dogs, cat and rabbits. Extending the children’s learning further, the team took them out the next day for an adventure to the local pet shop where they learnt about all sorts of different creatures! Please do have a look at the wonderful photographs of your inquisitive little ones peering into the tanks and also at their animal collages made out of lots of different materials!
Our daily walks not only give us a little fresh air and exercise, promoting our health and wellbeing, they also enable us to explore and learn about the world around us!
‘Understanding the world:
The world
Positive Relationships:
Arouse awareness of
features of the environment in the setting and immediate local area, e.g. make
visits to shops or a park.
Enabling environments:
Use the local area for
exploring both the built and the natural environment’
(Development
Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, EYFS)
Please do not forget, if you would like your child to play a starring role on Wednesday 24th April in photographs for our prospectus and website, to complete a written permission form. Please see Laura for further details.
We wish you all a fantastic week ahead!
Laura and the
Team at Millie’s HouseThursday, 28 March 2013
The children have been having lots of fun this week with Easter activities galore! They have been very busy making Easter crafts and dressing up as Easter bunnies and chicks! If you have a moment take a look at the pictures they are very cute!
We have been focusing on ‘Messy play’ this week as the children have shown a great interest in the art areas. In each of these areas we have provided a range of accessible tools and resources for all children to play with. As an Adult-Led activity the Early Years Practitioners have been supporting the younger children with exploring ‘Crazy foam’ encouraging them to enjoy this sensory and physical experience. This activity promotes the area of ‘Physical Development’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2012.
'8-20 months – Enjoys the sensory experience of making marks in damp sand,
paste or paint.
What adults can do – Show babies different ways to make marks in dough or
paint by swirling, poking or patting it.
What adults could provide – Use gloop (cornflour and water) in small trays so
that babies can enjoy putting fingers into it and lifting them out.'
Development matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
‘ Speaking – Vocabulary develops as children experiment with words to articulate experience. Children must experience water with all their senses before they can describe its wetness, coolness, reflections, drops, ripples, and splashing sounds’.
It also promotes:
‘Mathematics – Shape, space and measure – Children learn about space, volume,
weight, and measure while dipping and pouring.’
Play and the revised EYFS, Community Playthings with Anne O’Connor
Laura
Standen – Nursery Manager, Millie’s House Nursery and Pre-School
020
7731 0440
Monday, 25 March 2013
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for
making such a huge effort to brave the horrendous weather on Saturday and pay
us a visit for coffee and cake! Thank you to Joyce in the office for the delicious
cupcakes they were amazing! I hope you all enjoyed your tour of Millie's House, it was great to meet some new families.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and we will catch up
with you on Thursday this week, to let you know what exciting things we have
been up to!
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