December was a busy month for our nursery. The children learned about various celebrations that happen over the festive period. We also held fundraisers for NSPCC and Macmillan Cancer Support.
From the week beginning Monday 2 January, we will welcome 2017 by making greeting cards for family and friends. We will also celebrate Chinese New Year, making our own decorations, and the children will learn about the art of storytelling and different reading methods through National Storytelling Week and World Braille Day.
What’s more, we’ll be celebrating the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti, which marks the start of the sun’s journey into the Northern Hemisphere. We will also learn about world history with special days set aside for Martin Luther King Jr Day, Indian Republic Day and Australia Day.
We wish you a Happy New Year and hope the January blues don’t bite too hard.
Coming up in January
- New Year – Monday 2 January, 2017. New Year's Day is a UK public holiday marking the start of the year in the Gregorian calendar. To start the year in style, the children will make New Year’s greeting cards for family and friends.
- World Braille Day – Wednesday 4 January, 2017. World Braille Day celebrates the birth of Louis Braille. Our Pre-Schooler’s will learn about braille, its inventor and the nature of sight impairment. We will use the braille alphabet to understand how blind people learn to read and write.
- Makar Sankranti – Saturday 14 January, 2017. Makar Sankranti is a Hindu festival celebrated in India and Nepal. Devotees take a dip in holy water, offering prayers to the sun. Celebrations include kite flying, sharing sweet treats and sending cards to friends and family. The children will celebrate Makar Sankranti on Friday 13 January by making their own kites using lolly sticks, ribbon and materials.
- Martin Luther King Jr Day – Monday 16 January, 2017. Martin Luther King Jr Day honours the figurehead of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. As a Baptist minister, he advanced the cause of civil rights through non-violent disobedience. He successfully protested racial discrimination in America and is a celebrated symbol of peace and truth. To celebrate this special day, the children will learn the history of Martin Luther King Jr. They will discuss what they want to do or be when they grow up, and will also make ‘peace wreathes’ together, to create a large peace symbol.
- National Storytelling Week – Saturday 28 January – Saturday 4 February, 2017. National Storytelling Week takes place in storytelling clubs, theatres, museums, schools, hospitals, spoken word venues and care homes. During the week of 30 January, the children will be making visual story cards. We will discuss story characters and story endings and ask that the children bring their favourite book from home to read at story time to their peers. During this week, your child can come to nursery dressed as their favourite character from a story.
- Chinese New Year – Saturday 28 January, 2017. Chinese New Year celebrations run until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month. Traditionally, the festival is a time to honour deities and ancestors so it’s tradition to clean the house to sweep away ill fortune. Red is the colour of New Year, as it’s a symbol of good luck and prosperity. The children will be celebrating Chinese New Year on Friday 27 January 2017. As it’s the year of the rooster, the children will create their own roosters and make bright red lanterns and decorations.
Partnership with Parents
Indian Republic Day and Australia Day – Thursday 26 January, 2017
To join in national celebrations in India and Australia, we invite all parents to our ‘Celebration Tea Party’ at 15:45-16:45. We will have a selection of foods from each country and will be making our own Australian hats and Indian flags.
Please email your nursery setting if you would like to attend by Wednesday 18 January 2017. Please note that there is a maximum of 2 guests per child.
Reminders
Lost Property
We will leave the lost property box out in the childcare rooms each evening over January. Please check the box to retrieve any of your child’s/children’s clothes or items. Can parents please check their children’s bags and clothes for items that don’t belong to them and return them to your Room Leader.
Dropping Your Child to Nursery
Please may I remind Parents/Carers to ensure they are taking their child or children into the childcare rooms in the morning, and are putting their bags and coats away in their cupboard or on their peg.
Christmas Closure and Opening Dates
We close for the Christmas break on Friday 23 December, 2016 at 4.00pm.
We re-open for the New Year on Tuesday 3 January, 2017 at 7.30am.
