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Parent News No. 7.
Poppies and Poppyfields Jan-Feb 2026 Nursery and After School Club Planning
Dear Families,
This term we are exploring ‘our world’ and our own lives. We will be incorporating our newly formed Climate Action Plan and activities to support this policy will be threaded throughout our long-term plans. These activities will be additional to Busy Bees Book Time, Dandelions, Fir-cones, Sunflowers and Pebbles structured sessions at Poppies and Dandelions and Pebbles at Poppyfields. We also incorporate current ideas, interests and needs of our children and support their self-initiated play, using language and introducing further challenges to enhance their development.
Week 1 Nursery
Nature tray snipping to create Animal World
Tweezers and bottle tops in foam
Bird count
Christmas holiday pictures
Snipping old Christmas cards
Threading pasta
Lacing activities
Week 1 Afterschool
Free art and craft
Making birds/ bird pictures
Threading/ necklace and bracelet making
Making puzzles from old Christmas cards
Ideas For Home
Invite children to cut old Christmas cards into pieces then put the picture back together like a puzzle.
Count the birds in the garden using a tally chart. Look up different types in books or on the internet. Talk about and compare features like wings, tail, beak and colours. Talk about what birds need when its cold and make fat toast to hang outside/ keep a bowl of water free from ice etc.
Week 2 Nursery
Rockets
Number rockets 0-5 and 0-10
Spaceships
Hanging Stars
Printed Rockets using shapes
Earth activity
Flags of the world
Michael Recycle
Creating bubbles
Week 2 Afterschool
Junk modelling spaceships and rockets including papier mache
Stars and constellations
Exploring the solar system
Flag making
Ideas for Home
Look at the sky at night and talk about the moon/stars. This can be extended by looking for constellations.
Look at packaging for the symbols for recycling and encourage children to sort into appropriate piles.
Week 3 Nursery
Name writing, recognition, formation etc
Large scale writing and graffiti sheets
Clay faces
Biscuits faces
Face collage
Plate faces
Self-portraits.
We are all Special; sharing similarities and differences between ourselves and others.
Week 3 Afterschool
Clay faces
Biscuit faces
Collage faces
Portrait painting
Table art (using wallpaper)
Ideas for home.
Look at baby photos of family members. Talk about ages and stages. Look at features, similarities and differences. Form faces using natural materials. Make a height chart and mark family members heights, comparing sizes.
Week 4 Nursery
Dinosaur scissor practice
Creating dinosaur worlds
Building dinosaur skeletons from ‘bones’ (white straws cut into pieces)
Fossil rubbings
Dinosaur maths game
Creating fantasy dinosaurs from playdough (with sequins, feathers, pipe cleaners added)
Paper plate dinosaurs
Size sorting dinosaurs ‘big, medium, small’
RSPB Bird Count- comparing these results to those from week one.
Week 4 Afterschool
Dinosaur art
Dinosaur collage from paper plates
Dinosaur skeletons
Pterodactyl gliders
Fantasy animals using craft
Ideas for home
Pretend to be dinosaurs and walk like they do! Talk about the sizes of dinosaurs. Re-count the birds in your own gardens or take part in the RSPB Bird Count.
Week 5 nursery
Winter landscape painting
Winter collage
Go Camping!
Polar Bears
Snowflakes
Ice painting
Igloos
Week 5 Afterschool
Winter collage
Favourite activities from the term
Snowflakes
Den building
Ideas for Home
Build dens with duvet covers. Use torches in the den! Look at animals that live in the snow; talk about their colours/ how they keep warm. Mix up pairs of gloves and encourage children to make pairs. Talk about why we need gloves and the difference between gloves and mittens.
Week 6 Nursery Chinese New Year 17th February (The Year of the Fire Horse)
Noodle painting
Dragon dancing
Dragon masks
Dragon symmetry painting
Chinese dancing and music
Treasure Hunt for letters
Name Art
Writing in different media with various tools
Using tweezers and chopsticks to collect and sort natural materials
Week 6 Afterschool
Chinese lanterns
Dragon masks
Dragon pictures
Draw horses
Folded paper fans
Name Art
Ideas for Home.
Dance to Chinese music! Try Chinese food! Try using chopsticks!
In addition to these activities, our individual group times will be as follows:
- Twinkl Phonics and Dandelions School Readiness Group. This programme helps children prepare for Reception Class by introducing phonics and numeracy sessions.
Storytime and Music Session Daily at 11.00 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.
Pebbles: Lift Off to Language plus nursery rhyme, rhyming stories, action songs and multi-cultural dancing.
Sunflowers: Lift Off to Language plus nursery rhyme, rhyming stories, action songs and multi-cultural dancing.
Fir cones: Lift Off to language plus rhymes, songs and stories.
Dandelions: Lift Off to Language plus short stories, rhymes and action songs, puppets to make up stories, multi-cultural dancing, counting songs, birthday stories, counting ages, making up stories in small groups, listening to peer’s ideas, constructing homes using tools and multi-cultural dancing.
(Children are grouped according to age, ability and needs)
There will also be forest school activities, yoga, sports and dance sessions interwoven within planned activities.
If you have any ideas, you would like us to add to our planning, please let us know.
Kind regards,
Joanne and The Team
Poppies Monthly News No. 4 October/November 2025
Nursery and Breakfast/Afterschool Club
Supporting learning.
Nursery families are invited to email their keyworker via our Admin team with any achievements, ideas, or areas they would like us to include in our planning next term. Your keyworkers plan individual ‘next steps’ based on their observations at nursery and will be pleased to add your comments to your child’s Learning Journey. In addition to this, we have an over-arching plan which incorporates experiences and activities for every child which ensures their learning, development and cultural capital are enhanced. Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for future success. It is about giving them the best possible start to their early education by including a wide variety of enriching experiences and opportunities and developing children’s wonder of the world in which they live.
If at any time you would like a chat with your keyworker or a member of our Senior Management Team, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Getting to know us…
Each month we will be introducing our staff team and their role/qualifications, for families to become familiar with who’s who. We will start with our current Senior Management Team, which consists of the following:
Joanne: Manager/Owner. BA Degree in Childhood Studies, Early Years Professional Status, Safeguarding Trainer, Designated Safeguarding Lead, SENCO, Health & Safety, Paediatric First Aid, Well-being Lead, overall responsibility for the group. 35 years’ experience working in school, out of hours and nursery settings.
Karen: Deputy Manager, Level 4 Childcare & development, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Health & Safety, SENCO, PANCO, Paediatric First Aid. 25 years’ experience working in school and nursery settings.
Nikki: Deputy Manager, Level 3 Childcare and Development, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Paediatric First Aid, Administration. 19 years’ experience working in nursery settings.
Wendy: Supervisor, Level 3 Childcare & Development, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Paediatric First Aid. Lead. 25 years’ experience in school and nursery settings.
Nicky: Supervisor, NNEB (Level 3), Health & Safety, Paediatric First Aid. 38 years’ experience working in hospital, school and nursery settings.
Jess W: Supervisor, Level 3 Childcare & Development, Paediatric First Aid, Communication Support. 8 Years experience working in nursery settings.
Claire: Supervisor, Level 3 Childcare & Development, SENCO, Paediatric First Aid. 5 years’ experience working in nursery settings.
Charlotte: BA (Hons) Degree Performing Arts, Qualified Teacher Status, Dance and Yoga Leader, Administration. 18 years’ experience working in school and nursery settings.
Please let us know if you have any questions about our provision, or any ideas you would like us to consider.
Breakfast/After School Club
Our After School Team provide an environment where children can get ready for their school day and then relax afterwards. We monitor their well-being and include them in planning activities they would like to explore during their time with us. We work in close partnership with the Lower School to ensure children’s needs are met as these are ‘shared’ children who may be spending much of their waking day on the school site. If you would like your child to complete any homework during their time with us, please email Admin and we can arrange the time and support for this. If you have anything you would like us to add to our provision, please also email Admin with your ideas.
Novembers Policy Overview: ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy’
Within our nursery and After School provision, socially acceptable behaviour is encouraged, praised, and supported. Unacceptable behaviour will be explained to the child at an age-appropriate level, with a more suitable alternative offered. We maintain the ‘action’ to be unacceptable, not the child, which ensures the child’s self-esteem is not diminished. We believe in positive management and encourage all children to behave responsibly, consider their actions and the effect they may have on others. Children’s understanding of kindness and empathy towards their peers, others and the environment is always supported, at age-appropriate levels.
Children share in forming golden rules and staff fully support maintaining them. Families will be involved and share behavioural strategies to support their child should the need arise. Our partnership with families is key, to ensure consistent messages/boundaries for children in need of extra support. Families’ views are welcomed, and partnership is key to supporting children.
Our ‘Values’ programme also promotes acceptable behaviour and develops children’s awareness of positive and invaluable attitudes and life skills. This enhances the environment by creating a safe, secure, and fair place in which children will be fully supported to develop confidence, self-esteem and social skills which ultimately supports their learning.
Nursery Reminders: Tea Towel orders and Photographer
Please ensure all tea towel orders are in this week!
Photographer is at Poppies, on Tuesday 11th November.
Photographer is at Poppyfields, on Wednesday 12th November.
For children attending on these days, we will ensure their photograph is taken during the session. Parents with children who are not attending these sessions are invited to bring their children in.
IMPORTANT.
If you would like to do this, please let the Admin team know you will be coming so we can ensure the photographer knows how many families will be attending. You may bring siblings for family shots if you would like. The photographer is the same as last year as she had an amazing way with children and created very natural and beautiful portraits. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Kind regards,
Joanne and The Team