Weekly roundup - 17 April 2026

🌼 We hope you all had a wonderful Easter break. The children have been very excited to return to preschool and have enjoyed sharing their experiences with us.

🐞 This week, we have begun exploring our new topic of Minibeasts, which will continue over the next two weeks. We have been reading The Hungry Caterpillar, and our Bumbles group have also been looking at a non-fiction book all about bugs.

🦋 The children have taken part in a range of engaging activities, including making caterpillars using different materials, exploring minibeasts in jelly and soil, and going on bug hunts both indoors and outdoors using magnifying glasses. They have also enjoyed playing with sponge butterflies, creating their own caterpillar and butterfly crafts, and even building a bug hotel.

📚 On Monday, during our staff training session, we refreshed our inclusion training. We also welcomed Anthony Seaman from The PE Train, who delivered an informative session on physical development and why it is so important in the Early Years.

🏃‍♂️ Did you know?

Pre-school children should spend at least 180 minutes (3 hours) each day taking part in a variety of physical activities, spread throughout the day, including active and outdoor play—the more, the better! Of this, at least 60 minutes (1 hour) should be moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

🔗 For more information on supporting your child’s physical development, please visit: www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-children-under-five-years

🎒 We kindly ask that parents of children who will be starting school in September inform staff which school their child will be attending. We have a meeting scheduled with several schools and reception teachers next Thursday to support a smooth transition. We have also included a poster from Mace Playce with dates of their meet ups.

Reminders

⏰ Please note that our sessions run from 9:00am–12:00pm and 12:00pm–3:00pm. We have a short time at the end of each session to clean, so we kindly ask that children are collected promptly.

👕 Please ensure your child has spare clothes and appropriate changing items, such as baby wipes.

🧸 Please be aware that any toys or items brought into preschool may be misplaced. If this does happen, we will of course do our best to locate the item.