Orchard Barns Stratford St Mary

Ever wondered what our staff get up to in their own time? Here's how they spent their bank holiday weekend.

Please share your bank holiday adventures below!

🌳🦆🌞Making the most of this sunshine! The toddlers have been on a morning walk through the village of Stratford St Mary, stopping to see some ducks, and have their snack. 🌞🦆🌳

🌱🌞🌳Having a nursery in the countryside helps children develop a love of nature and being outdoors!
This week, the babies went on a walk, felt the grass and found some pinecones. All rooms planted sunflower seeds, we can't wait to watch them grow! Pre-school have been finding and looking closely at bugs during their Forest School sessions with Janet.🌳🌞🌱

🔆🌿🌷Welcome to a brand new month at nursery! 🌷🌿🔆
This April, our children will be learning about Spring and the natural changes that happen at this time of year.
Our babies will enjoy sensory experiences inspired by nature, our toddlers will begin exploring the world around them through simple investigations, and our pre-school children will be building their knowledge of seasonal changes.
We’re looking forward to spending lots of time outdoors, observing changes in our environment and following the children’s interests. 🔆🌿🌷

🚓🚨👮Special visitor!
Today we had a visit from PC Niall from the Hadleigh Police team. The pre-school children were very excited to meet him and try on the Police uniform. Before Niall left, we stood outside to watch the police lights on his car and listen to the sirens!👮🚨🚓

💍💖🌺Paige is married!
Our lovely Pre-school room leader Paige and her husband Nathan got married in Japan yesterday. We wish them lots of happiness in their marriage and we are excited for their future together.🌺💖💍

📚👶📖Studies show that children who are read to frequently, I.e. before bed every day, hear and know roughly 1 million more words than their peers by the age of 5. This is why we have chosen to dress in our pyjamas to celebrate World Book Day 2026, to instil the importance of this simple routine for all children.

At Orchard Barns, Stratford St Mary, children are read to at nursery every single day, multiple times per day. We are happy to lend out books to children and their families, and we have a book swap with a mixture of books in the front of our driveway to encourage not only our families, but the community to read too!📖👶📚

🌼🌳This week, the children have been planting cucumber and sweet pea seeds with our gardener, Gerry. They have their own pot, which they independently filled with soil, and pushed the seed into. We are eager to watch the seeds begin sprouting shoots!🌳🌼

🩷🐼Today we remember Clair, whose birthday it is today. Clair touched the hearts of everyone who knew her. 🐼🩷

🥞😋🍴Pancake Day!🍴😋🥞
The children have enjoyed pancake activities across the nursery today. From exploring a sensory tray in babies, to making their own lemon pancakes in toddlers, to flipping pancakes in pre-school's home corner.

Our pre-school children have been creating self-portraits, using mirrors to observe, and paper and pencils to draw.
🎨🪞😊Self-portraits help build confidence, language skills, and a strong sense of identity!😊🪞🎨