February/March 2016
A
Did you know?
What we’ve been up too...
Elephants are the only mammals
that can’t jump.
Welcome back to Pre-school! We hope that you all had a good
Christmas and New Year and enjoyed the time with family and friends.
No piece of paper can be folded
in half more than seven times.
Apologies for the delay in this month’s newsletter but unfortunately
illness affects adults as well as children at this time of year!
An average yawn lasts about 6
seconds.
The children have already been extremely busy once again and have
enjoyed a variety of activities and especially enjoyed our critical
thinking week; This involved removing all our toys and resources and
replacing them with other items such as paper, boxes, tape, cups,
straws and sellotape.
This Month in History...
Prince Charles and Lady Diana
Spencer announced their
engagement – 24th Feb 1981
Shergar was kidnapped - 8th Feb
1983
Torvill and Dean won Gold – 14th
Feb 1984
We have also had a rainbow week whereby the children listened to the
‘Rainbow of Friends’ story and each coloured a section of our Pre-school
rainbow. The children learnt that friends are different in a variety of
ways and that uniqueness should be celebrated!
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.threemilestone-preschool.com
Ist episode of Eastenders was
aired – 19th Feb 1985
Sky TV was launched – 6th Feb
1989
Reminders
Book bags
Please bring your child’s book
bags to every session as we use
them for sending home artwork,
pictures and notes etc. Please
check these on a daily basis as
we do send letters which require
your attention. If your child
brings in one of their own
possessions can you please
encourage them to ask to put it
in ‘the blue box’ so that it doesn’t
get lost!
5 a day for the brain!
We know that your child’s body grows better when you give them good
food but did you know that your child’s brain grows better when you do
five simple things that feed that growing brain?
Respond~Cuddle~Relax~Play~Talk
For example, my brain grows better when you play with me.
When you play counting games, or singing games or action games, my
brain builds connections that help me to make sense of the world
around me and to have fun.
As I get older, playing with me and helping me to play on my own or
with other children builds connections in my brain that make it possible
for me to think and plan, to make sense of the world around me and to
develop social skills.
And whenever I smile and you smile back at me I feel happy. Happiness
fills my body with chemicals that help my brain to grow".
For more information please visit www.fivetothrive.org.uk
Transition
The importance of play and the facts
After Easter we shall begin the process of
transition; Our morning group to Primary
School and our afternoon group to morning
sessions. As part of this process we
encourage the children to become more
independent in completing simple tasks for
themselves such as putting on their coats
and finding their own names. Can we
therefore ask you to support us by
dropping your children in the foyer and
encouraging your child to enter the setting
independently.
Did you know children have an instinctive desire to play. It
is inborn into them; they are primed ready to play and
explore their environment. Play is not just something
children do to pass the time, it is critical for children in their
early years to develop their language, physical, cognitive,
emotional and social development. Play is not a waste of
time and at Threemilestone Pre-school we understand the
importance of this and how it underpins the support we
give to children.
Parking
As a matter of courtesy to the local
residents of Threemilestone, we would ask
that you kindly consider where you park
your car when dropping off and collecting
your children.
Nipper’s Nutrition/Dental Health
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Most children will have all their
milk teeth by two-and-a-half.
Parents should be brushing their
child’s teeth for about 2 minutes,
twice a day. This should be
carried out with a baby toothbrush
and a smear of fluoride
toothpaste.
Parents should be reminded to
avoid giving their child too many
sweet foods and sugary or acidic
drinks, including fruit juices,
cordials and ‘smoothies’.
NHS dental care for children is
free!
POTTY AND TOILET TRAINING
Children will learn potty training at different
times and it is best to begin when they
show signs of readiness.
Signs that they are ready to begin potty
training include that they know when they
have a dirty nappy, they know when they
are passing urine and may be able to tell
an adult, and that the gap between wetting
is at least an hour.
Accidents are bound to happen but keep
calm and don’t let potty training become a
battle or a source of anxiety for your child
or yourselves.
We are more than happy to support your
efforts at Pre-school to ensure continuity
and approach.
Please go to eric.org.uk for more
information.
Play can be categorised into five types; these are physical,
creative, sensory, imaginative and heuristic. The focus of
this newsletter is looking at physical play. Physical play
involves using large and small movements, such as rolling,
clapping hands, running, climbing and throwing and
catching, threading beads and using scissors. Some of the
benefits of play are:
PHYSICAL - Supports children’s gross motor skills (balance,
body co ordination, muscle strength, agility, spatial
awareness) and fine motor skills (hand eye coordination,
dexterity and manipulative skills)
COGNITIVE - Helps children to explore and learn from the
environment and learn how to take risks safely.
LANGUAGE - Negotiate and talk about their ideas.
EMOTIONAL - Gives children confidence as they increasingly
become skilful and builds self esteem.
SOCIAL - Encourages children to play together cooperatively,
share and take turns.
HEALTH - It is good for building a child’s appetite and helps
them to sleep.
Here are some ideas that you could do at home:
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Obstacle courses in the garden using household
objects
Catching and throwing a ball
Playing chase
Doing jigsaw puzzles
Emptying and filling containers with sand or water
Mark making in the garden with chalks
Dancing to the radio
Shaving foam or ‘Gloop’ on a tray
Simple yoga poses such as being a tree!
If you have any physical activities that your child enjoys
and we could incorporate into our planning we would be
grateful if you would share them with us.
In the next newsletter we shall be focussing on creative
play. In the meantime you are invited to our physical ‘Stay
and Play’ Day for both morning and afternoon groups on
Monday 14th March. More details to follow in due course via
book bag post!
DIARY DATES
6th March ~ Mother’s Day
14th Match ~ Stay & Play Day (Both Sessions)
24th March ~ Last Day of Term
11th April ~ First Day of Summer Term