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35. Summer 22 Newsletter – healthy

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022

Healthy

Healthy- At Privett Montessori, all of the staff and children returned to the nursery after the Easter Break. When we returned, the children told us what fun they had during their time off. We then started the term talking about healthy eating and we discussed why it’s important to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. Something that we did was read lots of entertaining books in the book area about fruits and vegetables.

We also watched a short video called How to be Healthy and to reinforce this we then created some healthy eating plates in the craft area and made some healthy wraps filled with hummus and lots of yummy vegetables, which we hope your child enjoyed eating at home! healthy eating habits at privett montessori week

London

For the last few weeks before the half term, we learnt about London and we looked at some photographs of famous London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, The Tower Bridge and Big Ben. To tie in with the Queen’s Jubilee we looked at some photographs of the Queen and the Royal Family. Finally, we decorated some crowns and had a celebration snack which consisted of healthy fruit kebabs and delicately salted popcorn, freshly made from Miss Paula’s popcorn maker.

After half term, we started talking about ‘People Who Help Us’, and we all worked together to make a fire engine, firefighter helmets, an ambulance and police hats, which the children greatly enjoyed playing with in the garden.

Strawberry

This term, we had a nursery trip to Durleigh Marsh Farm, where we enjoyed a morning of strawberry picking followed by a visit to the coffee shop and play area. The children loved picking the strawberries and of course had great fun sampling a few of them.

Want to see more on the strawberry adventure with more pictures, please click the following “Strawberry Adventure” Facebook link

Strawberry adventure

Dinosaurs

Our next topic was Dinosaurs, which the children were very excited to learn about! Some of the things that we looked at were lots of different dinosaur names, such as a T-Rex which is also known as a Tyrannosaurus-Rex, and about how some dinosaurs ate meat and some ate plants. We also did lots of fun activities. Some of the activities that we did were sorting out dinosaurs, learning a dinosaur stomp song and reading a variety of dinosaur books.

Something that we cannot forget to mention is the Privett Montessori Sports Day! The children had an absolute blast and loved every minute of it! Something extra special that the children liked doing in the lead up for Sports Day was making some amazing salt dough medal which they then received at the end of our brilliant day, finalising with our traditional picknick!

Finally, to bring a close to out newsletter we wish the very best of luck to all of the older children going on to a new school and new adventures. We are sad to say goodbye to them but we know that they have bright futures ahead of them!

From all of the staff members at Privett Montessori, we hope you all enjoy the summer holidays and to those returning in September we start back on Monday 5^th September! Happy Holidays!

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34. The great Arctic and Zodiac – Spring 22 Newsletter

Wednesday, May 4th, 2022

Arctic

Arctic – During the Spring term at Privett Montessori, the children covered a variety of different subjects and greatly enjoyed learning the names of many Arctic animals at circle time. For our subject ‘The Artic’, one of the children’s favourite activities was looking at photographs of Arctic animals and sharing which one was their favourite.

Two of the animals which were popular among children were the polar bears and the walruses. In the book area we read lots of books about the Arctic, with some of them being information books and others fictional stories. We also learned a song called “The Frost is in the air” which the children loved singing.

Children playing with ice as part of an Arctic topic

In the craft area, the children painted some snow pictures, and then created some polar bear collages. The children also practiced their cutting skills by snipping and crafting what turned out to be very some very beautiful snowflakes. Outside, we were extremely lucky as the weather matched our theme so we left bowls of water outside overnight.

The next day, the children were very delighted to go out into the garden and find that the water they had left out had turned into ice! They then had even more fun breaking the ice into pieces. In the classroom we made our own Arctic play area with snow, ice water and Arctic animals and even found some lost cars in the ice. We also as it was so cold, fed the birds outside and gave them bird seed.

For our cooking activity, the children learned how to make fresh orange juice, which they enjoyed squeezing to extract the juice. We then drank the orange juice with our fruit at snack time.

Children during craft time making an blue arctic landscape

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33. Happy Craft – December 2021 Newsletter

Friday, December 31st, 2021

Craft

What a year it has been! December has flown by in haze of crafts, books, glitter and Christmas songs. In the last month of the term, we had the children design their own Christmas cards (the theme being baubles) with buttons and string. What a crafty bunch!

We also had a small post box to send letters and cards to Santa and each other which proved to be a very popular and fun activity!

Craft: Pre-school children making their own Christmas cards Craft: Creative painting by two children by mixing prime colours

Another project was with Miss Paula who helped the children fold a square piece of paper, cut it and then open it and watch as it magically transformed into a star! The children had a great time decorating them and were in awe of the finished result.

In the craft area the children made some decorations from clay and painted them. We cut lots of snow flakes and these also turned out to be beautiful decorations.

As part of the Montessori theme understanding of the world, we explained the meaning of christmas by together decorating the Christmas tree — The children in Privett Montessori thoroughly enjoyed decorating the Christmas tree together

During the last week of term, we baked some Gingerbread men and enjoyed our Christmas party, where we played musical chairs, musical statues and pin the red nose on Rudolf. And as a special little treat the older children sit down and watch a lovely Christmas film with delicious popcorn!

To find our Gingerbread man recipe, hit the Gingerbread men recipe button. Fun to try at home!

Gingerbread men recipe

The younger children enjoyed a special Christmas snack consisting of banana and strawberries in the shape of a Christmas stocking. Then Miss Veronica prepared a delicious lunch of small sandwiches, sausage and cucumber kebabs in the shape of a Christmas tree and of course no party is complete without jelly!

Just a reminder that we start back on January 4^th 2022.

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Backed ginger biscuits straight from the oven as a cooking activity

32. Great Fireworks – November 2021 Newsletter

Sunday, December 5th, 2021

Fireworks

Fireworks: November was a fun filled month. We started off by talking about what we did during the half term holiday in circle time. The children energetically described Bonfire Night and all the wonderful fireworks that they had seen. We used the opportunity to also explain the importance of fire safety and separately created multiple firework pictures in the craft area.

The next week we discussed hibernation and we learnt how some animals sleep during the winter. We read a story about a hedgehog called Hodge and how he sleeps through the cold winter and we learnt a song called ‘I’m a little hedgehog’.

During the second half of November, we had a road safety week. We discussed how important it is to listen to a grown up when walking, to use the path and how to cross the road safely. In the craft area we made a big set of traffic lights which we used outside when riding the bikes and driving the cars.

Pre-school playing outside on their scooters on the morning on the fireworks display At the start of the last week of November we enjoyed the snow and in the afternoon we had a very exciting visit to Petersfield Library where Hermoine, the librarian read some stories to the children and then they participated in a hedgehog craft activity. We borrowed some books, which we have been enjoying at circle time and also learnt about Diwali.

We even had a special Diwali lunch prepared by one of the parents – a big thank you! The delicious lunch that all of us enjoyed consisted of coconut rice, lentil and aubergine curry and chapatis. Even some treats for the teachers to enjoy at home. Alongside this the children made some candle holders from clay and some lanterns to take home.

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celebrating Diwali by having lunch with the children with specially prepared food — The children are celebrating Diwali with some traditional food, made by one of the very kind parents

Cooked coconut rice and naan bread to celebrate Diwali

31. Delicious Apple October 2021 Newsletter

Monday, October 25th, 2021

Apple

October has been a fun packed month. We started learning about apples and we discussed some language around apples, such as sweet, sour, crunchy, peel and apple seeds. The helper of the day chopped up lots of them at snack time and discovered the seeds inside. This led to a discussion about the life cycle of the apple tree, which the children also drew. In the book area we also read lots of books about Autumn, Trees and Fruit. the cycle of the apple tree drawn by a 3 year old

At group time the children told us what fruit they like to eat best and if they had any fruit trees in their gardens. We collected a few small apples from the field and used these for some apple printing in the craft area. Miss Veronica also brought in apples from her garden, which were called “Golden Gelicious”

We have also been learning about Autumn and the children learned a special Autumn song called “Leaves are Falling”. We discussed what changes take place during the Autumn, Miss Veronica told the children about the large courgettes growing in her garden and she bought some in for the children to look at. We decided to use some of the courgette to make a courgette loaf cake and even the children who said “I don’t like courgette” agreed that the cake was delicious!

A child is using a hand mixer make a cake mixture to bake cake

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30. September 2021 Newsletter- happy new faces

Sunday, October 10th, 2021

New faces

We started September by welcoming some lovely new faces, both children and staff. We are lucky to be joined by Miss Paula for a few mornings each week as a member of staff. We started off setting everyone back in to the nursery routine and the children shared stories about their summer holidays. We played outside in the garden and had some great news as we finally were able to use our sandpit again as Covid 19 restriction were eased. Our – new face – stone dove also got lots of love and attention and crates were emptied to comfortably sit in by the younger ones as the new happy faces picture reveals!

Happy new face: a 2 year old making himself at home by relaxing in a crate

A 2 year old playing in the created outside sandpit — A 2 year old playing in the sandpit with a sand and a bucket

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29. July newsletter – sport is fun

Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

Sport

We have been very busy learning about a variety of different sports. The children shared with us the sporting activities their families took part in. What a sporty bunch you are! Apparently, some are Footballers, Cricketers, Horse Riders, Runners, Cyclists and some even practice Yoga and Pilates. We discussed why it is important to exercise and eat healthy foods. We also read books about this topic and talked about our upcoming sportsday and did lots of exercises outside.

Pre-school children having fun at Privett Montessori sports day

Sport: The egg and spoon race at Privett Montessori nursery School

The children all worked very hard practising for sports day, and we were eventually blessed with a lovely sunny day. They participated and performed at their very best, enjoying each moment. After all their hard work, the children sat down with their parents and enjoyed a scrumptious picnic.

For those children moving on to a new school, we had lots of conversations about the schools they are moving on to and the things to look forward to. We also had a few visits from reception teachers and the children enjoyed the ‘transition sessions’ to their future schools.

Finally, we say farewell to those children moving on to primary school, as they start on their next learning adventure. We hope you will have relaxing, safe and fun packed summer holiday with all your friends and family. We would like to give our gratitude for all the lovely presents and cards we have been given for the end of the summer term.

We will open once again for a new school year on Monday 6^thSeptember.

Please see our Dates & Fees

28. June 2021 – Great jobs

Sunday, July 4th, 2021

Jobs

We started off in June learning about people’s jobs. Who are helping us and so, we learnt about a variety of occupations or jobs. We, discussed how some people are police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers. The children got very involved and listed many different jobs. They even knew the job of friends and family. This resulted in fun and humorous responses.

In the craft area, we made police and fire fighter helmets and painted a large box which we turned into a fire engine, complete with ladder and hose!

4 children in a made shift fire truck trying to be a fireman or firewoman as a their jobs

We, watched a short educational video called, “I can help you”. This taught us, who can help in emergency situations. We also used our library and read a variety of books relating to our topic, which really helped us to better understand.

The dressing up area also gave support; the children dressed up as surgeons, nurses, firefighters and police officers. As we continued learning about people who help us, the children were encouraged to help each other, some of the older children helped their younger friends to put on their shoes or zip up their coats.

Jobs: A child dressed up as a nurse

Outside, we had lots of fun in the sun with a paddling pool; lots of splashing fun and smiles all around. We also enjoyed our nature walks and picked wildflowers as well as strawberries from our garden

With the Montessori equipment, for those children able to count confidently to 10, we introduced numbers 11-15 using the Seguin Board whilst some children continued using the number rods.

For our fun science topic, we sprouted Alfalfa seeds and hopefully you enjoyed trying them with your child at home. We also decorated a worry jar which they can shake and watch as the glitter settles.

During the last two weeks we learnt about dinosaurs, we learnt many dinosaur names, we learnt how some dinosaurs were carnivores and some were herbivores. The children designed their own dinosaurs from clay. In the play tray we had a variety of dinosaurs for imaginative small world play.

We, read lots of books about dinosaurs and learnt a song about dinosaurs called The Dinosaur Stomp.

For those children moving on to school, they practiced getting changed for PE, finding their own PE bag and putting on their shorts and t-shirts, then the tricky part …….remembering where they left their clothes and putting them back on. We, furthermore have been practicing taking jumpers on and off a very useful skill before starting school.

We lastly, finished the month with a very successful Free Play & Stay session for some of the new children joining us in September, resulting in positive feedback and we will therefore definitely do it again.

27. May 2021 – good dental health

Sunday, June 6th, 2021

Dental Health

Dental: We have explored a variety of topics during May and one of them was learning about the importance of good dental hygiene. During circle time, we discussed the importance of brushing our teeth regularly and the children learnt a song called “Brush brush, brush your teeth.”

In line with our healthy eating topic from April, we continued to identify which foods are good for our teeth and leads to good dental health. We also learned about what foods are bad for our teeth and lead to sad dental health. The children also had the opportunity to participate in a matching game to reinforce this concept.

In the practical life area, the children practiced squeezing a little toothpaste on to a toothbrush and brushing the teeth in a plastic mouth. At circle time some of the children shared their experiences of visiting the dentist and of course getting a sticker afterwards for good dental health.

We, have also been practicing our grace and courtesy, the children have been practicing how to ask for something if someone else is using it. They have been encouraged to say something as:

Can I help you with that?
Can I work with you and of course?
Yes please/No thank you

For the last two weeks our topic was recycling. The children watched a short video called Reuse, reduce recycle and learnt a song about recycling.

In the book area, we read lots of information books about reducing waste and recycling and discussed what we should do with rubbish so it does not end up in the oceans harming the wildlife.

In the craft area, we used lots of recycled items to make some model robots and discussed how we can re-use cardboard and paper for drawing and other activities such as painting and model making. We also made some bags from old newspapers. We secured them with staples, which the children used unaided but under supervision. We also made our own Recycling Center. The children really enjoyed this and practiced sorting tins, paper and cardboard, plastic and glass into groups.

During our nature walks we discovered that the grass and flowers in the meadow had really grown a lot. It moreover is actually quite nice to lay in as one of the pictures reveals. We also picked a few flowers and took them home with us to show our parents how beautiful these flowers are. We also found that our beetroot seeds had grown into plants, so we now planned them outside.

Two children walking in the meadow at Fawley Farm Two 3-year old Picking meadow flowers at Fawley Farm a child laying down in the meadow enjoying herself at Fawley Farm 4 children with Privett Montessori manager and owner Veronica van Ingen, planting strawberries in a flower bed

At snack time, we discussed how we reuse the fruit and vegetable peelings by putting them in the compost bin and that over time they turn into compost and we can use it on the garden.

In our cooking activity, we made some simple flat breads that hopefully the children enjoyed eating at home. Notwithstanding, the carrot juice was a hit as children loved making and above all drinking it, resulting in many smiling faces and empty cups.

Want to know the carrot juice recipe? Click the Read more button Read more

Finally on Thursday afternoon we had a very special visitor. Nightingale, a 2-week-old baby goat came in for a run around in our garden with the children. Nightingale, is currently being hand reared. One of our parents is looking after little nightingale. Nightingale, enjoyed being stroked by the children and running around freely in the garden. She seemed to enjoy herself and was even seen nibbling at some of the plants in the garden.

We by the way hope all have a safe and relaxing half term.

Let’s hope in particular that we can swap our raincoats for sun hats and enjoy some sunshine at last!