Autumn Chronicle 2024

As the seasons change, so do some of the children who come to play.   We now welcome those new children and their families. The changing season is a reminder that change is a natural part of life and that we should all embrace it together.

AUTUMN IS HERE!

The year seems to be flying by so quickly. After a summer filled with lots of wonderful adventures, we are all looking forward to Autumn and the unknown quests waiting to be discovered.

Autumn is filed with so many great sights for the children to explore, squelchy muddy puddles & lots of leaves offer a fantastic array of colours & textures for us to investigate with our hands & feet.   Not forgetting the conkers, acorns & cones to collect.

The children will be learning about the changing seasons.  Scavenger hunts with little paper bags are a great way to collect nature’s treasures – conkers, pinecones, leaves, acorns, twigs and other seed pods.

We will also be looking at hibernation, especially with the tortoises slowing down outside as they get ready for winter.  The children will also be helping to ensure that all our tortoises are safely tucked up in their beds for their long sleep until spring. 

EXCITING NEW ARRIVALS

Over the summer months, some of our tortoises laid eggs in the garden; the eggs were then carefully placed in the incubator. The children have been checking every day and on the 56th day, the first cracking appeared. Over the following week, the children were able to watch the 13 baby tortoises pop out of their shells.

FUNDING APPLICATIONS

Please note that all 15 & 30hr childcare funding applications for the Spring Term (namely from 1st Jan 2025) have to be applied for by me (on your behalf) on or just after the 25th Nov. I will need a parental code, along with a completed form and a copy of your child's birth certificate to enable this process to be completed. If you require a form, please let me know.

I always apply at the beginning of the portal window, as this gives me the greatest time to resolve any problems/questions that may occur. If these are not dealt with before the 6th December, then this will prevent your child's funding from being paid at the beginning of January.

FAVOURITE RECIPES

One of my favourite autumn dishes, has to be apple crumble.  A perfect way to use up the cooking apples collected from the apple trees at the end of the summer

INGREDIENTS

900g apples

5ozs soft brown or granulated sugar

8ozs plain flour

3ozs butter

1 tsp baking powder

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 180 C

2. Peel, core and slice the apples into even size pieces, sprinkle with 1/4tsp cinnamon or ground spice

3. Place the baking powder into the flour, add the butter and mix together until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add the sugar.

4. Sprinkle the crumble on the top of the apple and cook for about 40 mins until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble is golden brown

5. Serve with custard or cream

PLAYDOUGH RECIPE Awesome no-cook playdough

This is the foundation mix for all of my playdough recipes

You will need:

2 cups plain flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

1 to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)

Gel food colouring (optional) – Wilton Gel colours are best as they are more vibrant

Glycerine (helps with stretch and shine!)

Mix the flour, salt, vegetable oil, water, cream of tartar well together

Then add a few drops of glycerine and colouring if required.

And it is as simple as that.

Store in an air tight container, the playdough will keep for 6 months

SENSORY PLAYDOUGH SPOTLIGHT

Lavender (this is one of my absolute favourite scents from the garden)  I can’t walk past a lavender bush without running my hands through the leaves and flowers. And it is always nice to collect the lavender flowers at the end of the summer and use them inside.

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Gently stir in the oil.

Add the boiling water and stir vigorously until all lumps are gone and the consistency begins to come together.

Then knead the dough until it is no longer sticky.

I use pure natural lavender oil at the kneading stage and when finished, I then add the collected lavender heads/flowers from the garden.

JUST A FEW DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

27th Oct : Clocks go back

31st Oct : Start of Diwali

31st Oct : Halloween

5th Nov : Guy Fawkes Night

10th Nov : Remembrance Sunday

11th Nov : Remembrance Day

25th Nov: Funding Portal Opens

30th Nov: St Andrews Day

6th Dec: Funding Portal Closes

20th Dec: Breakup for Christmas

2nd Jan: Restart

AND FINALLY………

If you are celebrating something special like a birthday, a family event, a festival, or your child’s special WOW moment, and you would like to  share it with us, then please let me know.