News

Our huge oak tree

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:47:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was helping to decorate the leaves and acorns for our life size oak tree!

The children helped coat balloons in a plaster cast (very similar to paper mache!) and after they had dried they painted and decorated them. They used different shades of green to paint oak leaves. Finally after everything was attached to our huge oak tree they played ring games around the tree!

Area of learning: CD

Develop matters linked to this activity:

Enjoy joining in with dancing and ring games.
Work creatively on a large or small scale.

Age range: 30-50 months and 40-60 months.

Damson the cocker spaniel puppy visits the Pre-School

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:45:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was a visit to pre-school by Damson the cocker spaniel puppy! The children all had a chance to stroke, cuddle and feed Damson.

They looked at photos of her life, starting at 3 weeks old to 16 weeks old. Even the youngest children became confident enough to pet her and they all want her to come and visit again to show us how much she has grown!

Area of learning: PSED

Develop matters linked to this activity:

Seek and delight in new experiences.

Have a positive approach to activities and events.

Age range: 30-50 months

Thanks for the fundraising

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:49:00 GMT

Many thanks to all who have helped raise funds to buy our brand new storage trolley!!

Helping to make a huge caterpillar

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:43:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was helping to make a huge caterpillar by stuffing a long tube of net with scrunched up newspaper.

All week we have read and discussed the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and the children learned how it changed into a beautiful butterfly! The children became very familiar with the story and could tell us how the story progressed, they made our caterpillar look like the one in the illustrations and knew how the story ended.

Area of learning: CLL

Develop matters linked to this activity:

Listen to and join in with stories….

Suggest how the story might end.

Show interest in illustrations & print in books…

Age range: 30-50 months

Planting Sunflower Seeds

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:32:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was planting sunflower seeds in a tray to put out in our garden as they get bigger. They all took turns planting seeds in the cells and were keen to fill watering cans from the water tray to soak the seeds in.

They appeared very excited about whose plant would grow into the biggest sun flower! They discussed the seasons and that it would take time for the plants to grow in the future. They all stayed talking and discussing the activity at the table for a long period of time.

Area of learning: PSED

Develop matter linked to this activity: Display high levels of involvement in activities.

Age range: 40-60 months

Anyone for a fun-run? Sunday 29 April at 10.00am

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:30:00 GMT

We're organising a sponsored 5km fun run on Sunday 29 April at 10.00am to raise funds for the pre-school. It's about getting mums & dads who've maybe not done much fitness and exercise since having their kids back in shape whilst raising money to keep our pre-school going.

It's meant to be fun and not too serious, about building a sense of local community and doing something positive together. The Energie gym at Newport Pagnell has been massively supportive and given us some free get-in-shape training sessions. We're hoping to raise about £800-£1000 for the school through this event. We'll shortly be listing the web details so that you can donate on-line to this worthy cause.

Anyone wanting more information can contact Judith Prime by calling 01908 551694 or by emailing her at Judith.Prime@cms-cmck.com

Some mums at Energie gym in Newport Pagnell starting to get fit!

Next fundraising event...the kickabout cup on Saturday 31st March

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:35:00 GMT

We're organising a big, fun, football-themed family day out called The Stoke Goldington Kickabout Cup. After the success of the Wesley Cup (cricket cup) in the summer we're introducing a similar football tournament to help raise funds for the pre-school. The focus being on getting people out and about and having fun rather than being the next Rooney or Beckham.

This is going to take place on Saturday March 31st on the village recreation ground starting at 10.30am and running all day to 6pm.

We want 6-a-side teams to enter (each team must play a girl or an under 13 - kids' teams welcome!) we're looking for around 8 teams in all - 10 would be the maximum. The entry cost per team is £18 (only £3 a player), well worth it for the chance to win the inaugural cup (there will be an actual cup!). The games will be about 10 mins each (so no dads keel over!) and after a couple of leagues (like the champions league) building up to a semi-final and a final at the end of the day.

To keep the crowds (hopefully) entertained there'll be a bar, bbq, bouncy castle, penalty shootout booth, crossbar challenge, test your strength, football face-painting, cakes, stalls, lucky dip, big spot the ball (with MK DONS family tickets as prizes)...and most importantly...we'll run a Best-Looking Dog In The Village competition to be judged by a local expert of unquestionable character (as, let's be honest this is going to be where people REALLY get competitive).

There'll be lots more on the day, but the focus is on giving everyone a great day out, welcoming people from the area to our fine village, having a bit of fun and raising some much needed money for a very worthy cause in the process.

Anyone interested in entering a team can call Mark Prime on 01908 551 694 or email markjprime@googlemail.com

path of foot prints

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:30:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was creating a path of foot prints which we sorted into size order and then created a graph showing the smallest, medium sized and biggest feet in pre-school!

The children loved standing in a tray of coloured paint and walking along a paper path to leave lots of coloured foot prints! They then helped sort the prints into size order for our graph.

Area of learning: PSRN

Develop matter linked to this activity: Order two or three items by length or height.

Age range: 40-60 months

Creating the props for Jack and the Beanstalk!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:57:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was creating the props for Jack and the Beanstalk! First they listened to the story. Then they used a range of resources to build a HUGE giant, a life-size Jack, a chicken and her golden eggs and the leaves with numbers on to attach to our beanstalk that grew taller each day!

Area of learning: CLL

Develop matter linked to this activity: Begin to be aware of the way stories are structured.

Age range: 30-50 months

Building Rapunzel’s tower!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:55:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week building Rapunzel’s tower!
The children used boxes and junk modelling resources to build a tower that nearly reached the ceiling! They had adult support to do this and were able to find solutions to enable them to reach up high to put the top boxes on. The children also had the chance to retell and act out the story.

Area of learning: PSRN

Develop matter linked to this activity: Describe solutions to practical problems, drawing on experience, talking about own ideas methods and choices.

Age range: 40-60 months

Acting out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:51:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was acting out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in our home corner. The children helped set up the cottage with large, medium & small bowls, chairs and beds and pretended to be characters from the story! They used lots of size and descriptive language.

Area of learning: PSRN

Develop matter linked to this activity: Begin to categorise objects according to properties such as shape or size.

Age range: 22-36 months

Christmas Party!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:47:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was our Christmas Party!
Everyone joined in with party games such as Musical Statues, Musical Bumps and Musical Chairs. The children all wore their favourite party clothes and danced and sang to the music. Afterwards, the children sat down to a fabulous party lunch and then Santa arrived with presents for all!

Area of learning: PD

Develop matter linked to this activity: Negotiate space successfully when playing racing and chasing games with other children, adjusting speed or changing direction to suit obstacles.

Age range: 30-50 months

Making snowmen out of old plastic bottles!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:45:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was making snowmen out of old plastic bottles! The children had adult support to use a variety of media to construct and decorate a seasonal snow man. They chose different fabrics and resources such as pipe cleaners, buttons and pasta and discussed the texture of the different materials. They used words to describe how things felt such as soft, hard, fluffy, shiny, sparkly and hard.

Area of learning: CD

Develop matter linked to this activity: Begin to be interested in and describe the texture of things.

Age range: 30-50 months

Creating a Christmas picture

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:41:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was creating a Christmas picture for our display board! They painted their hands & did prints to make the green Christmas tree& then helped stick them in place.

They drew around one of the children on a large sheet of paper on the floor with adult support to make the outline of Santa. They then helped tear, screw up and glue in place different colour crepe paper to decorate him. Lots of fun had by all!

Area of learning: CD

Develop matter linked to this activity: Create constructions, collages, paintings & drawings.

Age range: 40-60 months

Creating pre-school’s very own Christmas post box!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:58:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was creating pre-school’s very own Christmas post box! The children chose a large box and with adult support cut a slit for the cards to be posted through and painted it bright red. When it had dried they decorated it with seasonal snow and frost! The box will be used for posting our Christmas cards in and those all important letters to Santa!

Area of learning: CD

Develop matter linked to this activity: Create 3D structures

Age range: 30-50 months.

Fund raising for Children in Need!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:41:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was joining in with fund raising for Children in Need! Lots of the children helped raise some money for the charity by coming to pre-school wearing spots, they brought their teddies and made spotty bandages for them to wear and took part in some Pudsey Bear activities such as colouring Pudsey activity sheets. We discussed raising money for children who aren’t as lucky as we are in our setting. The day helped strengthen the children’s sense of belonging too.

Area of learning: PSED

Develop matter linked to this activity: Show a strong sense of self as a member of different communities such as their family or setting.

Age range: 22-36 months.

Making and baking fruit and cheese scones!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:44:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was making and baking fruit and cheese scones! The children listened carefully to instructions and grated the cheese, mixed & measured the ingredients and rolled out the dough. They were encouraged to work independently, be aware of the risks of the equipment they were using and discussed health & hygiene in the kitchen. The best bit of course, was eating the yummy scones!

Area of learning: PSED

Develop matter linked to this activity: Seek to do things for themselves knowing an adult is close by, ready to support and help if necessary.

Age range: 22-36 months.

Autumn Fun at Stoke Goldington Pre School

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:48:00 GMT

The Children at Stoke Pre-School have been having a brilliant time celebrating the beautiful season of Autumn. They have been out and about collecting lots of items for a fantastic Autumn display full of hedgehogs and a beautiful tree made with hand print leaves. At the time of print we are looking forward to our sponsored Autumn Walk, where the children will be out collecting points by spotting objects and answering questions based on the Autumn theme. The parents of the child who collects the most money will receive a coveted Brown’s cut and finish voucher so I’m sure the competition will be stiff! Huge thanks to Brown’s for such a great prize! The proceeds will all go towards a new storage unit for the Pre-School.

To celebrate Harvest Festival the parents were treated to a wonderful mini performance by the children who had been working hard learning words and actions to lots of Autumn songs. The children then donated bags of food to go towards the Milton Keynes Food Bank, a charity aimed at helping vulnerable people in the MK area. The Reverend Janet Lawrence came to talk to us all about Harvest, and to thank the children for their donations and explain why they are so important.

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Making Smoothies

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:08:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was making smoothies for snack time! We discussed healthy practise in the kitchen, chopped fruit with knives and finally mixed the ingredients in Teresa’s smoothie maker! There was lots of laughter and discussion about variations in noise, sound and speed and how the ingredients changed in the mixer.

Area of learning: CD

Development matter linked to this activity: Explore and learn how sound can be changed.

Age range: 30-50 months.

Creating Hand and Foot Prints

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:14:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was creating hand and foot prints with paint for our ‘All about Me’ booklets. They selected their favourite colours and described the texture of the paint on their skin eg. Cold, wet, gooey, fun, messy! They also enjoyed independently washing hands and feet afterwards!

Area of learning: PD

Development matter linked to this activity: Show emerging autonomy in self-care.

Age range: 22-36 months.

Back to School!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:09:00 GMT

We’ve now been back a few weeks and Autumn term is in full swing at Pre-school. This term the children are looking at the themes ‘Myself’ and Autumn and have been busy with lots of activities. They have been out collecting items for their fantastic autumn display and bringing in photos to add to their ‘All about Me’ booklets. We’d like to particularly welcome Tom, Isabella, Mia, Charlie and Lily who are new to pre-school this term, we hope you have settled in well and have been having lots of fun!

Looking back, the term started with our annual AGM meeting on 8th September where the committee positions were re-elected for the coming year. The positions for this year are as follows: Chairperson- Kate Kemish, Treasurer- Samara King, Secretary- Piper O’Donnell, Parent’s Help Coordinator- Hannah Sceats, Website and Marketing- Sarah & Matt McAuliffe, Fruit and Snack Coordinator- Naomi Brock, Admissions Secretary- Louise Manning, Fundraising Officer- Mark Prime, Committee Members- Annie Lovell and Samantha Dancy. The meetings are a relaxed affair where issues surrounding pre-school are discussed, so it’s a great way to keep in touch and meet other parents if you’re ever available to come along.

Life Sized Scarecrow

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:09:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was creating a life sized scarecrow for our display board! They drew around one of the children on a large piece of card on the floor. They then chose materials from a variety of resources to help decorate the shape of the scarecrow and had adult support to cut the shape out, before attaching it to the display board.

Area of learning: CD

Develop matter linked to this activity: Understand that they can use lines to enclose a space and then begin to use these shapes to represent objects.

Age range: 30-50 months.

Baking Stuffed Potato Skins

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:09:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was baking stuffed potato skins. We used home grown potatoes and the children helped prepare the ingredients, grating cheese, chopping spring onions & ham and spreading the butter. The potatoes were then baked and taken home for lunch!

Area of learning: PD
Develop matter linked to this activity:
Show an awareness of healthy practices with regard to eating, sleeping & hygiene.
Age range: 30-50 months.

Planting Daffodils

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:10:00 GMT

The children’s favourite activity this week was planting daffodils ready to flower in the spring. The children were first given the opportunity to draw a picture or write their name on a label which they then attached to their pot. They put compost in the pot, followed by a bulb and filled the pot with more compost before watering it in. We discussed the seasons and what bulbs needed to grow healthily and changes to plants throughout the year.

Area of learning: KUW
Develop matter linked to this activity:
Develop an understanding of growth, decay and changes over time.
Age range: 30-50 months.

Summer Holiday 2011

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:10:00 GMT

Be sure to check out all the diary dates. Look on the right hand side of this page and scroll down till you come to Events and Term Dates. Have fun this summer.

News

Our huge oak tree

Damson the cocker spaniel puppy visits the Pre-School

Thanks for the fundraising

Helping to make a huge caterpillar

Planting Sunflower Seeds

Anyone for a fun-run? Sunday 29 April at 10.00am

Next fundraising event...the kickabout cup on Saturday 31st March

path of foot prints

Creating the props for Jack and the Beanstalk!

Building Rapunzel’s tower!

Acting out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Christmas Party!

Making snowmen out of old plastic bottles!

Creating a Christmas picture

Creating pre-school’s very own Christmas post box!

Fund raising for Children in Need!

Making and baking fruit and cheese scones!

Autumn Fun at Stoke Goldington Pre School

Sponsored Autumn Watch

Making Smoothies

Creating Hand and Foot Prints

Back to School!

Life Sized Scarecrow

Baking Stuffed Potato Skins

Planting Daffodils

Summer Holiday 2011