Dear Parents and Carers of our Worcester Park and Kingston Nurseries,
First off, we would like to thank all the Parents and Carers who donated money for our Children in Need fundraising Pyjama event on Friday 16th November, 2017. It was lovely to see so many of the children and team in their pyjamas!
In the end, we raised a total £75.00.
The children have enjoyed being creative throughout November, creating sparkly firework paintings and making fantastic poppies which we made into a wreathe. The children also enjoyed learning about thanksgiving and St Andrew’s Day.
As we enter into the festive month of December the children will take part in exciting Christmas activities. They will also be celebrating Saint Nicholas’ Day, Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice and – of course – we will enjoy ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ to raise money for the charity ‘Save the Children’.
December activities
Hanukkah
To celebrate Hanukkah the children will be making their own menorah candles using fabrics, birthday candles and handprints. They will also be making their own ‘wish stars’.
Winter Solstice
In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, they experience the longest day and the shortest night. Our practitioners will demonstrate the Winter Solstice to the children using torches to shine on the globe while it slowly spins to represent light and darkness. The children will then be creating their own light and dark world pictures.
Christmas Jumper Day
The ITV ‘Text SANTA’ charity has now teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support, Make a Wish Foundation and Save the Children to make Christmas Jumper Day bigger and better! This special day is celebrated and encouraged to 'make the world better with a sweater'. We would like the children and team to wear a Christmas jumper or decorate a jumper to wear to nursery and bring a £1.00 donation for the charities.
Christmas Celebrations
Throughout December, the children will be taking part in Christmas festivities, including creative arts and crafts. We will be learning about special Christmas dates and what celebrations happen during Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Children have a very exciting month to look forward to.
They will be making 'Wish Lists' to send to Father Christmas through our magical North Pole post box, getting messy creating 'Tip Toe' and 'Thumb' Christmas tree cards, exploring with 'snow dough' and making salt dough decorations to put on their Christmas tree. We will also be making our own stockings and 'Santa stop here' door hangers for the children to place on their bedroom doors on Christmas Eve for Father Christmas!
We will be making our own nativity scene and looking at the story of baby Jesus. There will be lots of Christmas cheer, glitter and excitement over December.
Parent Partnership – Reminders and Notable Dates:
Stars Christmas Party – Sunday 3rd December, 2017, 1.30pm – 5.30pm
Please speak to your Nursery Manager for further information on the party venue. We are looking forward to seeing you all there!
Reminders
Lost Property
The lost property box will be left out in the childcare rooms each evening over December. Please check the lost property box to retrieve any of your child’s/children’s clothes or items. Please can we also ask parents to check their children’s bags and clothes for any items that do not belong to them and return them to your Room Leader.
Christmas Closure and Opening Dates
We close for the Christmas break on Friday 22nd December, 2017 at 4.00pm.
We re-open for the New Year on Tuesday 2nd January, 2018 at 7.30am.
We hope you enjoy the Christmas holidays, and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!
Things to try at home over Christmas
- Visit Chessington Garden Centre to meet Father Christmas and the Reindeers – it’s definitely worth a visit!
- Use cotton wool and buttons to make snowman pictures
- Create a Christmas tree using masking tape, and encourage a ‘balance’ game
- Create a paper plate Christmas tree (cut a spiral shape into a paper plate, pull it to release and decorate with ball ball decorations and stars
