Welcome to AIMEE and familiy who have joined the Centre. We hope you have a wonderful time at our Centre and please free to ask any questions you may have.
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DATES TO REMEMBER:
MONDAY 1st JULY – CANADA DAY (Centre closed)
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Please let us know of your plans during the coming months eg vacation etc so that we may plan accordingly. There is a board at the sign-in desk where you can put down the details.
This time of the year, children should bring in sunscreen ( remember also to apply sunscreen to your child BEFORE coming to the Centre) ,a hat and appropriate footwear for walking to and playing at the surrounding parks. We will be taking optimum advantage of the good weather we get and if all goes well we will endeavour to have a WATER DAY every Friday - so please leave some appropriate extra clothing at Centre for your child.
Infant Toddler
In June we learnt about bugs and insects which are seen around this time of the year , through songs and books and also by exploring nature first hand by going for nature walks and experiencing the woods around our Centre. We also celebrated Father’s Day by making cards and gifts for the fathers which we hope you enjoyed.
The children in the infant toddler room will be having a busy summer ahead of them doing some wonderful summer themed art and activities. We will continue our theme about ‘summer animals and surroundings. In addition we will celebrate Canada Day too.
If the weather continues to be good we will be spending more time outside in parks nearby , nature walks and of course water days whenever practical.
Daycare Montessori
In June we made crafts for Father’s Day which went home – we hope fathers appreciated the childrens’ hard work.
Congratulations to the class of 2019 !
Thank you to all the parents who attended and contributed to the Graduation, the children put a lot of
effort in the preparation and it was wonderful for you all to be there.
Pictures can be seen on our facebook page- thank you to all the parents for their
comments and feedback. Please keep your comments coming.
In addition to celebrating Canada Day , we will also continue to concentrate on Nature and learning by actively exploring the areas around the Centre – ‘AIR FRESH LEARNING’ (see below)
This summer the children will be busy with different
activities each day hiking, picnics , water days when practical.
Beyond our busy summer plans the children will also be making some fantastic
themed artwork that parents can check out on the walls of the classroom . Every
week the children will also be involved in an activity eg baking , science
activity, relating to ‘Air Fresh Learning’ as much as possible.
As we will be spending a lot of time outdoors to take advantage of the good weather, please dress your child appropriately and apply sun screen before coming to the Centre.
‘ WHY air fresh learning ?’ (extract continued from last month’s newsletter)
‘Air Fresh Learning ‘schools seek to motivate, engage and inspire children through positive outdoor learning experiences. Children learn new skills and then apply these as they navigate their own learning journeys and develop a deeper connection with nature. It takes a holistic approach to learning and the benefits are intellectual, physical, cognitive and emotional.
Research in Sweden concluded that pre-school children in an ‘Air Fresh Learning setting’ :
*Had enhanced social and team building skills
*Took fewer days off sick
*Were more able to concentrate
*Had enhanced co-ordination
*Could play independently, for longer and had enhanced self-esteem and confidence
*Were more resilient as they had the opportunity to take risks in a safe, natural environment
*Improved motor skills
*Enhanced language and communication skills
We are very fortunate in that we have such a rich and varied environment around the Centre. The children have lots of places where they can explore, get dirty and learn about plants and animals and how to care for them, thus setting the seeds for growth of environmental awareness and responsiveness.
Drawing on nineteenth century European pedagogical theories on the importance of outdoor learning, and more recently on Scandinavian principles of open-air, play-based education, the ethos has grown in popularity in the UK over the past two decades in parallel to growing concerns over "cotton wool kids" overly protected from risks and rarely exposed to nature.
“ We're trying to get away from the cotton wool culture and when we take risks we are learning. But the training is all about helping kids take risks that are reasonable."
(Thank you for your support in helping us explore this new venture this year)
Children thrive in healthy and happy environment. Our aim is to provide healthy and happy environment for children.Experiential education outdoors immerses students in their learning in ways that traditional education models can’t. With a holistic, learner-centered focus, students become invested in their education and foster a lifelong relationship with the land, their mentors and classmates, and the community. They are allowed and even encouraged, to push their own boundaries through supported risks, teaching them independence, resilience, and perseverance outside of four walls. Instead of stand-alone subjects taught in a vacuum, skills and lessons are woven together, becoming transferrable across environments and connecting students to the world around them. We draw inspiration from many educators: Maria Montessori, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ray Mears, Jon Young, Daniel Quinn, Nancy J. Turner, and research in Sweden which indicated positive outcomes like improved social skills, co-ordination and concentration. “We're trying to get away from the ‘cotton wool’ culture and when we take risks we are learning. But the training is all about helping kids take risks that are reasonable."
Forest schools seek to motivate, engage and inspire children through positive outdoor learning experiences.Children learn new skills and then apply these as they navigate their own learning journeys and develop a deeper connection with nature. It takes a holistic approach to learning and the benefits are intellectual, physical, cognitive and emotional.
Research in Sweden concluded that pre-school children in a forest school setting:
*Had enhanced social and team building skills
*Took fewer days off sick
*Were more able to concentrate
*Had enhanced co-ordination
*Could play independently, for longer and had enhanced self-esteem and confidence
*Were more resilient as they had the opportunity to take risks in a safe, natural environment
*Improved motor skills
*Enhanced language and communication skills
e are very fortunate at Bishops Down in that we have such a rich and varied environment. The children have lots of places where they can explore, get dirty and learn about plants and animals and how to care for them, thus setting the seeds for growth of environmental awareness and responsiveness. We have access to a woodland walk, a pond, growing gardens, outdoor classroom and a magical ancient woodland, managed by the Woodland Trust, on our doorstep.
The children will need to be appropriately dressed for the weather:
Every visit they will need trousers, long sleeve tops and wellies, trainers or walking boots.
If it is wet then children will need a waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers and wellies and for the colder months an additional warm jumper, scarf and hat. For sunny days a sun hat and sun cream will be needed.
The children should come to school in their forest clothes, but wearing school shoes. Their wellies should be in a bag, so that they can change out of them at the end of the session.
Drawing on nineteenth century European pedagogical theories on the importance of outdoor learning, and more recently on Scandinavian principles of open-air, play-based education, the ethos has grown in popularity in the UK over the past two decades in parallel to growing concerns over "cotton wool kids" overly protected from risks and rarely exposed to nature.
We're trying to get away from the cotton wool culture and when we take risks we are learning. But the training is all about helping kids take risks that are reasonable."
Children thrive in healthy and happy environment. Our aim is to provide healthy and happy environment for children.Experiential education outdoors immerses students in their learning in ways that traditional education models can’t. With a holistic, learner-centered focus, students become invested in their education and foster a lifelong relationship with the land, their mentors and classmates, and the community. They are allowed and even encouraged, to push their own boundaries through supported risks, teaching them independence, resilience, and perseverance outside of four walls. Instead of stand-alone subjects taught in a vacuum, skills and lessons are woven together, becoming transferrable across environments and connecting students to the world around them. We draw inspiration from many educators: Maria Montessori, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ray Mears, Jon Young, Daniel Quinn, Nancy J. Turner, and research in Sweden which indicated positive outcomes like improved social skills, co-ordination and concentration. “We're trying to get away from the ‘cotton wool’ culture and when we take risks we are learning. But the training is all about helping kids take risks that are reasonable."
We will continue to work on the following class rules at the outset and parents please help us by encouraging the same at home.
NOTE : REMINDERS TO ALL OUR PARENTS:
1. Please ensure your child has indoor shoes which they change into when they arrive at the Centre and which stay at the Centre when leaving.
2. Please have a change of clothes at the Centre , in case they are needed.
3. Please label all you food containers and let us know if any food needs to be heated (note also: as you are aware, ours is a ‘NUT-FREE’ Centre.)
4. Please arrive on time especially if your child is attending the Montessori – this helps keep disruption to the minimum.
5. Please inform us immediately if there are any changes eg address, telephone, contacts.
6. Please ensure you look at your child’s cubby when you are leaving and take home their work etc.
7. Please inform us as early as possible (by 9am – would be great) if your child is not attending the Centre that day.
8. May we also suggest that you drop-off your child and leave soon thereafter. This makes the transition much easier and conducive to a good start to the day, both for the staff and the children.
9. As is becoming common practice generally, the Centre is also moving towards a policy of NOT warming food using a microwave . We would like to request parents to provide food which does not require warming or alternatively provide warm food in thermos containers. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
