Weekly roundup - 9 February 2024

Gong Hei Fat Choy!!! Happy Lunar New Year!!!🎉🎉🎉

The children and staff have all been celebrating the Year of the Dragon ahead of the festivities tomorrow! We were very fortunate to have a visit from some parents who shared their knowledge and experience of life in Hong Kong which was exciting to hear about. Thank you to Grace and Angel who kindly gave up their time to talk with the Bumbles today which went down a treat! We also had a couple of visits from Mike Dodsworth who shared a story with the children and some parents using props and techniques to encourage interaction.

Mike is renowned for his wonderful ability to engage children and support their communication and literacy development. For more information about Mike's performances and how he can bring stories to life visit www.mikedodsworth.com.  Both rooms engaged in activities that supported their learning about the world. In Honeys, the children looked at a globe and talked about our planet. They made their own versions of planet Earth using tissue paper to represent the land, sea and vegetation. They used chopsticks and traditional Chinese bowls to share stir fried vegetables. The Bumbles looked at some Chinese writing and had a go at recreating this on the craft table and explored the signs of the zodiac. Many used their own handprints to help create a giant dragon which is displayed on the windows in the room. We shared lucky red envelopes, fortune cookies and chopsticks for those that wanted to take them home.

To add to the celebrations we have received our final copy of the OFTSED report which can be shared. We're proud to say that Springfield Bees has been judged as Outstanding in all areas!! You will have received a copy of the report by email which will also be available on the OFSTED website within the next eight days. One of the comments in the report states that "children are consistently the priority and are at the centre of every decision made". This sums up how the staff team and committee work together to create an inclusive environment that supports every child that attends. We are grateful that our families share our vision and understand our ethos of supporting children to learn and develop through play. Thank you to everyone that is, and has been, part of our setting and helped shape the experiences that our children receive everyday. 

Next week we continue with our theme of 'All around the World' and will be reading some traditional fictional stories to children and how these are similar around the world. We'll also be learning about Shrove Tuesday, eating pancakes for snack and talking about the people we love on Valentine's Day. 

Have a lovely weekend and do upload your pictures of any celebrations taking place!