Time away from our day nursery in Rugby

Our Great dais Pre-School children from our day nursery in Rugby ventured off for an afternoon at our local park. The children enjoyed climbing up the steps, walking over the bridge and wizzing down the slide. Some children found some daisy's growing in between the grass; they decided to make a daisy chain of which they were very proud of. When the children arrived back at their day nursery in Rugby, which was only up the road the children were all very tired and eager for their tea.

Our Great dais Pre School children from their nursery in Rugby create the animal moves from the story 'Animal Bop'

The children from their nursery in Rugby enjoyed coming to nursery dressed as a jungle animal. A practitioner from our Great dais Pre-school used animal puppets to enhance the story 'Animal Bop' and bring it to life. The children listened to the story with increase attention and participated by taking it in turns to hold the puppets. After the story, our interactive light up dance which the children from their nursery in Rugby call 'Boogie dais' was all switched on ready for the children to show us their animal boogie moves. Children moved across the floor using the whole of their bodies to create intended movements, e.g. slithering across the floor like a snake.

A nursery in Rugby has a jungle

A bright and colourful jungle has been created at our nursery in Rugby by practitioners in Pre School minors. Children have been walking through their jungle listening for animals noises, one child said "I think I hear a snake hisss hisss". Practitioners have constructed a jeep from large cardboard boxes and with the help of the children they have painted it to look like a jeep. The jungle animals have enjoyed a bath in their pool of water and I even think the children may have joined them.

Developing gardening skills at our Rugby nursery

The babies from their nursery in Rugby have been developing early gardening skills; practitioners supported their key children through an enjoyable gardening experience. The little ones used their fine pincer grip to sprinkle the cress seeds onto their cotton wool; they enjoyed using the watering can to give their cress a little drink or two.

Our nursery in Rugby's St George's day celebrations

We're going to the zoo,zoo, zoo

Our Rugby childcare practitioners in Great dais Pre school organised a trip for the parents and the children to Twycross Zoo. The children had a fantastic day with their friends, they watched the monkeys swinging from the trees and the penguins enjoying a bath. Parents also joined us for the day, everyone explored the zoo and found many exciting animals to look at. The children climbed aboard the train ready with theirs peers ready for a train ride around the pet zoo.

Why things happen over a period of time ?

Over the next couple of weeks the children will also be looking closely at the life cycle of a butterfly, we will even be watching some real caterpillars spin their cocoon and turn into butterflies.

What is a schema ?

Schemas are described as patterns of behaviour, they are also repeated actions. Children may try out the same action on a variety of different objects or a wide variety of actions on one object. Children will come up with their own theories about how things work, they will continue to test out their theory.

Here are some examples of schemas

• Transporting-A child may carry a bag around from one place to another, he/she will carry objects in this bag and transport these around the room.
• Enveloping- A child may wrap a doll up in a blanket, wrap small presents up. They may also paint a picture and then paint over it completely.
• Enclosure/containing-A child may fill up empty containers , climb into large boxes, build enclosures with blocks.
• Positioning-A child may put things on their head, lie on the floor or under a table.

The children here at daisykins nursery in Rugby are displaying schemas frequently, practitioners within the nursery are able to identify these and provide the necessary next steps to help support the childs learning.

Our role play garden centre

Our Billy Bears adventures

Our Rugby childcare Practitoner Jess has created a going home bear called Billy. He has been on many adventures over the past couple of months, he has visited London, he's enjoyed a visited to a Toddlers grandparents house and he's also been to feed the ducks. Billly bear has a learning journey that parents record what Billy Bear has been up to. 

Our fine art paintings

Green Fingers

Rugby childcare practitioners Gail and Kaillee supported a group of Great dais Pre school children; they helped them plant some spring time flowers. The children used tools to fill their different size pots with compost; they enjoyed patting the compost down ready for planting. The practitioners talked to the children about what a plant needs to grow, the children understood they needed water and sunlight to grow. The children are very proud of their achievement, every day they come to their Rugby nursery they look to see if their flowers have grown.

Great dais supermarket is now officially open for business

Rugby childcare practitioners from Great dais Pre school have been working with the children to set up their supermarket, children decided what to have in the supermarket and where to put these on the shelves. The children made the their very own clay lollipops and crisp packets from coloured cellophane to sell and buy in their supermarket. 

Chinese New Year, Year of the dragon.

The children and practitioners at our nursery in Rugby celebrated Chinese New Year. As this year was the year of the dragon, a practitioner from Great dais Pre School helped the children design and create a large dragon. The dragon was made from recycled materials that were kindly donated from parents, the children made the mouth out of rolled up newspaper, the head from a large cardboard box and they decorated a curtain with painted handprints for the body. Great dais Pre Schooolers performed a unique dragon dance in boogie dais which was accomplished with traditional Chinese music. During the rest of week at nursery other activities and experiences were thoroughly enjoyed, especially the noodle play and the food tasting.

Early pretend play

Early pretend play is highly important for babies as it aids their learning and development. Our baby room at our nursery in Rugby is equipped with a range of different heuristic items, these items are ones that you may have in your kitchen cupboards at home eg wooden bowls,wooden spoons, pots and pans etc. At our nursery we ensure that we are offering children the same opportuities as they would get at home. Heuristic play gives the little ones the opportunity to explore the different materials and discover the objetcs using a variety of senses.

Our 'Sensory dais' room at our Outstanding Rugby nursery

A calm and stimulating sensory room has been created and designed by our very own Rugby childcare practitioners. Children are able to independently explore the envirnoment whilst being supported by practitioners. 'Sensory dais' is equipped with resources that will enhance the childrens senses.

Our Daisy and Zac book, Illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

"Santa's new boots" written and performed by Great dais Pre School at daisykins nursery in Rugby

The children and practitoners in Great dais Pre School at our nursery in Rugby created a new, exciting and unique interactive story about Santa's new boots. This story was acted out by Great dais Pre School for their relatives. All the children joined in singing christmas songs, and either playing the musical instruments or acting out apart of the story. Throughout Santas new boots humourus lines were repeated, these helped the children to learn them and join in. At the end of this performance a surprise visitor appreared, he had been listening to the fantastic singing and was very impressed

Daisykins Food Festival 2011 book is finally published, it shows pictures of when the BBC childrens' celebrity Katy Ashworth visited our 'Outstanding nursery in Rugby'

The daisykins food festival book shows what a fabulous week the children had, at our Day Nursery in Rugby.  Katy Ashworth from BBC 'Cbeebies' paid a special visit to our Outstanding Nursery.  She made banana bread with the children and sang nursery rhymes with the little ones, whilst playing her guitar.  The children also visited a local field owned by 'Mitchells Potato'.  This experience gave the children the opportunity to understand how potatoes grow, where they come from and how potatoes aren't all the same size.  Lots of daisykins parents kindly donated their time over the week.  They came in and baked with the children, which was a huge success and helped to take them on outings, like fruit picking.  The book is available in our reception to share with your little one or even to have a look at the pictures of when the BBC celebrity Katy Ashworth visited our 'Outstanding nursery in Rugby'.  Wow what a fabulous week.  It will be hard to top next year!

A local Nursery in Rugby held their own daisylmpics for Children in Need 2011

During the week, here at Daisykins day nursery in Rugby, the children completed our very own daisylmpics for Children in Need 2011. They crawled through tunnels, balanced hoops on their heads, walked along a beam, even the little ones joined in with this event.  This event gave the children the oportuntity to develop their gross motors skillls and their co-ordination skills, the little ones enjoyed using their upper body strength to crawl through the tunnel, when they reached the end of the tunnel each and everyone of them had big smiles on their faces.

Over the week at our 'Outstanding Nursery in Rugby', Great Dais Pre School completed a egg and spoon race for Children in Need 2011

A fun event was planned to help raise money for Children in Need 2011, at our Rugby Nursery. The children from Great Dais Pre School had so much fun trying to balance real eggs on their spoons.  The eggs were kindly donated by a parent, who keeps chickens at home.

Autumn Fun!

With Autumn bringing down the leaves, Diwali sending up the lights, Halloween making us go 'eep!' and Bonfire Night making us go 'ooo!' Daisykins has been keeping up with the season. Below is a little gallery of our pictures from the past weeks, do enjoy! 

After Our Food Festival

A very special celebrity visited daisykins day nursery in Rugby

Katy Ashworth from BBC 'Cbeebies' came to visit daisykins day nursery as part of the daisykins food festival 2011. Her arrival was met with great excitement and that was just the parents! The children took part in lots of activities with Katy including singing, story telling and maybe the odd bit of baking? A fantastic time was had by all and the smiles on everyones faces said it all.

Daisykins Food Festival - Sept 19 to Sept 25!

As part of the daisykins food festival 2011 we have been learning all about where our food comes from and where better to start than in a field! a field full of potatoes!

The children had a fantatsic time courtesy of Mitchell Potatoes digging in the soil to find buried treasure. 

Starting this week, September 19^th, daisykins will be hosting our Food Festival in Rugby! This huge event will include a celebrity visit with Katy Ashworth from the brilliant Cbeebies program 'I Can Cook', many local business, garden visits and a week of fun-filled activities and exciting food! It's our aim to make this not only the biggest daisykins event ever, but also to inform, educate and have fun with the stars of our Festival; The little ones of daisykins nursery, Rugby!

Katy Ashworth, singer, actress, cook and presenter of Cbeebies show 'I Can Cook' is a much loved figure in children's television. Her program, airing every Monday at five on the digital channel, combines teaching youngsters how to cook with where food comes from, how ingredients are formed and the joy of song. The food is often as alternative as the format with notable dishes including grape pizza! So we thought who better to invite to our Food Festival than Katy? And who more gracious to accept! Katy will be coming down this Wednesday morning to daisykins to woo us all with her culinary skills. The website for 'I Can Cook' is below and you can watch her show on BBC iPlayer at any time.

Many of our parents have leapt at the chance to pitch in with our Food Festival. Some have even brought in their local businesses and workplaces, which is hugely appreciated! Mitchell's Potatoes Ltd, the family run business who've been trading since 1883 and are the number one supplier to Fish and Chips shops around the country, have joined in and we will be visiting their farm this week. Martin's Fruit and Veg, the grocery shop based in Kingsway, Dunchurch, will be very generously letting the little ones visit and sample some free wares! The Jolly Good Pud company, who can be found in Rugby Market every Friday, next to Thomson Estate Agents, are coming in the show the sweeter side of healthy eating, with vegetable cakes, from carrot to courgette.

The children are also visiting parent's gardens to try home baked apple crumble and have an explore, as well as other visits and contributions around the Rugby area. A huge thank-you to all parents who rose to the challenge and got involved, big or small, as it will make this week extra special! The fun is going in inside daisykins as well as out! An entire week of food based fun for each our rooms has been planned (check out our email newsletter for more). A little taster of what we'll be up to includes our guess the vegetable competition, decorating cup cakes and each day having a different colour theme for food! Here's our week's menu;

Monday we'll be having Purple and Orange Mash...

Tuesday it'll be Pink Custard...

Wednesday will be Purple Whip...

Thursday we'll serve up Orange and Green Pasta...

and for a treat on Friday, Traffic Light Jelly!

This is going to be an amazing week for daisykins and all our little daisies. Best of all, all these festivals extras are free for parents, but spare a thought and a penny for Macmillan, Age Concern and the Salvation Army, our charities for the Festival. We hope to make the Food Festival a success that we can repeat year after year! Keep an eye on our Facebook for more information (link below) and ask inside to subscribe to our Email Newsletter if you haven't already.

Our Facebook;

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daisykins/109624212444899

“I Can Cook” website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/icancook/

“I Can Cook” on iPlayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ncxrf

July 2011

October 2010

An Exciting Addition to our Team

Daisykins™ day nursery and great dais pre-school are delighted to announce a new addition to our team, Veronica Pereira.  Veronica will be working closely with the nursery manager Pam Simpkins and our other practitioners to help further develop the management team, the children’s educational programme, further enhance our Parents as Partners initiative, and be involved in new and innovative ideas to move daisykins™ forward.

Veronica’s background for the last 20 years has been in the children’s industry; 16 of those years, as general manager, then managing director of Tumble Tots (UK) Limited, the leading children’s active physical play programme. At Tumble Tots, she took pride in the programme that gave children the opportunity to reach their full potential, building their confidence and self-esteem along the way. More than a million children benefited from the programme in the UK. After leaving Tumble Tots two and a half years ago, Veronica carried on working with other children’s organisations, helping them reach their mission.  Each organisation excelled in developing different skills that children need, from drama, music and dance to communication and active play. But all focused on giving children the best start in life.

“I am thrilled to be working with daisykins™ day nursery and great dais pre-school who also share the ethos of putting children first, and giving them that invaluable start in life. I am privileged to be working with a team that is fully dedicated and committed to giving daisykins children excellence in care and early education. My role is to ensure that we continue to excel in our provision of care and most importantly to ensure that children and parents / carers are happy with the service we offer so that we continue to work towards our vision of being one of the top private nurseries and pre-school settings in the UK. We will strive to further develop, improve and excel in all we offer so that children will leave daisykins, confident in their abilities academically and socially. We will prepare children, not just for school, but for life. Early on in my career in the children’s industry, an educational child psychologist said to me that the most important gift a parent or carer can give a child is confidence. How very true this is. Confident children grow to be confident adults who take on any challenge thrown at them and welcome new experiences every step of the way. At daisykins our activities supporting the curriculum are geared at developing confident and happy children who will always look forward to their next new experience with excitement and eagerness”. Veronica Pereira.