Let's celebrate World Book Day

Parents and grandparents have been invited to come and read their favourite children's story to a small group of children.

Christmas concert

Wow!
We had over 60 people attend our concert and help raise funds towards equipment for the nursery. The children practised singing throughout the term. They sang 12 songs and we even got the parents to join in with "head, shoulders, knees and toes....".

Family picnic day

We held a family picnic day for all our families. It was great to see so many families attending and help us raise money for the outdoor weather suits. The children made cakes, pinned the nose on the teddy and went on a teddy bear hunt. There were raffle prizes too!

School leavers party 'Pirates & Princesses'

A great turn out for our themed dress up day with some fantastic outfits! We wish them all the best in their first year at school.

Some Great News

We are really proud to say....
That we have been recognised as one of the top 40 high quality settings in Essex! We would like to thank all our staff for their great work and could not have achieved this without parental support!
Staff training this term has included: safeguarding, outdoor play focusing on recycled materials and working with children who have English as a second language.

Sports Day 2013

The children took part in various activities including balancing bean bags on their heads, throwing and catching activities, an obstacle course, hula hooping and of course some running races. We also included a parent race at the end! All of the children received a medal and a certificate. Thanks again to all the spectators that came along and took part.

Summer Fete

The rain held off for our Teddy Tombola and "Guess the name of the Rhinoceros". We raised a healthy £140.00 for the nursery which we are putting towards buying new equipment for the children. Thankyou for your support, it was great to see so many families attend.

Nursery leavers trip to Barleylands

This year we took the children to a local farm. We based the trip on the story "The Little Red Hen Makes Pizza". The children made pizza from the very beginning to the end seeing it develop from flour to dough to adding the toppings and putting it in the oven. We also went on a tractor ride and had an opportunity to feed some of the animals. Some of the parents joined us as well to take part in the fun!

Dads week

We value dads at Meadgate Nursery and understand that it is important for dads to be involved in their child's learning and development. To celebrate Fathers Day we held a 'dads week' which involved the children's dads taking some time away from work or other commitments and to come and spend some time and play and to take part in some of the exciting activities we plan for the children.

We loved that we had two dads who came and brought their packed lunch to have with their child. We had several who came to read a story and to play in our redeveloped garden. It was great for the children to have male role models within the setting and we hope to make this an annual event.

Meadgate in the snow

January brought us snow and an opportunity to have fun over the weekend building snowmen, throwing snowballs and riding on sledges. The nursery had a new visitor - a snowman built by our very own Isabella!

Christmas party & concert

Wow! this year’s concert continued to be a big success with more than 50 parents and relatives turning up to hear the children sing…..A big thank you for your continued support. The children sang a range of Christmas and nursery rhymes to their families and considering the young age of the children they sang beautifully.

The children also took part in our Christmas party which was organised by our Parent rep who helped decorate, supply the food and take photo of the children with Father Christmas . The children enjoyed meeting the special visitor, playing with the snow machine and joining in with lots of party games and food.

Cooking activities

At Meadgate Nursery we have been able to introduce the children to a range of fruit and vegetables and cooking activities this term. We have produced our own fruit and vegetable garden where the children have seen the produce grow from a seed to the food on their plates.

As part of involving parents in their children’s learning we invited parents to come in and cook with their child. The first part of the session involved parents listening to a talk by an experienced practitioner about the importance of healthy eating and portion control. Parents were also given ideas of low cost healthy meals that they could provide and were also given a chance to ask any questions. The second part of the session involved parents and their children making iced biscuits and a special food mat which the children could take home and use. Many parents attended and commented on how they particularly found the session useful and allowed them to spend time with their child.

Children in Need

We raised over £90.00 for Children in need this year. The children dressed up in spots on the day and participated in lots of spotty and teddy bear activities. The children also purchased special children in need bracelets to help show their support.

Showcase of children's work at local library

For the autumn term period, Meadgate Nursery was given the opportunity to showcase a montage of children's work at Great Baddow library. The display was on show in the entrance lobby throughout the whole term enabling all visitors to see what a wonderfully creative group of children we have!

Fun with the firemen

As part of our fire safety week we were able to have Chelmsford Fire Fighters visit. The children got to look inside the fire engine, try on hats and even use the water hoses. They also sang London's Burning to thank the firemen for their visit

Diamond Jubilee celebrations

Meadgate Nursery proudly celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in style by holding their own street party. The children enjoyed eating cakes and jelly. They made their own crowns and dressed up in red white and blue.

A special guest at Christmas time

At the end of the term the children celebrated Christmas with a party which included a special visitor - Father Christmas!

Tiny Mites Music comes to Meadgate

Tiny Mites came to Meadgate Nursery last term where the children got to sing, dance, move to different music and meet the Tiny Mite characters. The children enjoyed the session so much that we are now going to introduce the class to the children at the end of every term.

Tiny Mites Music is one of the UK’s leading providers of music, movement and drama classes for babies, toddlers and pre-school children. The  fun filled music based programmes is designed to encourage children’s natural curiosity and imagination and maximise their potential in a playful, safe and encouraging environment, during their most formative years from 6 months to 6 years of age.

Musical fun with guest violinist

To support our topic on Music we invited a Violinist to come and play to the children. The children were able to listen and observe and sing along to some of our favourite songs such as Jingle bells and Twinkle Twinkle Little star. The children also got to experience what it is like to play the Violin and identify the different parts needed to play. The children danced, sang and listened to the different sounds made. The children enjoyed this so much that we have arranged another session again this term.

Grandparents Week

Last term the Grandparents got to come in and play! After recognising that a high number of Grandparents are now providing childcare support to the parents we wanted to get to know them and give them an insight into what the children get up to at nursery. The children listened to stories, played with their favourite toys and enjoyed their grandparents also having lunch with them.