Willows Pre-School Hammersmith

There has been lots of growth happening this week at Willows! Our apple tree is doing amazingly, with 3 juicy apples on the tree, the children have been watching their progress and drawing the apples at various stages. Our tomato plant has some flowers too! Hopefully with the newly found sunshine, some tomatoes will start appearing and grow big and red like one of our toddlers have! They brought them in to proudly show their friends. Not to mention our wonderful herbs and sunflowers growing in the baby room!

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Some of the pre-schoolers went on an Uber boat today! They set off from Putney Pier and sailed down to Battersea Power Station. They had an amazing time!

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What do you do on a rainy day?
Here at Willows Hammersmith, we decided to make the most of the rain and make some paper boats! We decorated them (after lots of help from our teachers when folding and making our boats) and took them outside to watch them float in the rather large puddle in the playground! We even tried to make them move without using our hands. By blowing them and creating waves by jumping in the puddle. Great fun!

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What a wacky day it has been! Thank you to all the children and staff who made an effort for Crazy Hair Day today, you looked amazing!

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Hammersmith Crazy Hair Day - Willows Pre-School Here at Willows Pre-School, we encourage the children to be creative wherever possible and express themselves in a fun, and healthy way and today is one of...

We have been enjoying our recent topic of ‘People Who Help Us’. The children have been reading lots of books about a range of different professions and how they help us. They have also been doing a range of activities and art relating to this topic. The children even had a visit from our local police department!

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Developing Social Skills at Nursery - Willows Pre-School Developing social skills at an early age in children is vital in teaching them how to communicate with other children and adults. This in turn helps them develop the skills they need to form relationships and communicate, later in life.

The Role / Importance of a Key Person - Willows Pre-School The role/Importance of a key person By Noon One of the main policies for each nursery is to provide each child with a key person. A key person's role is to cater to each child’s specific needs and personal development. Having a key person enables the parents to build a rapport with the nursery and

The pre-schoolers and toddlers have had some amazing trips to Mayfield Lavender Fields recently! Enjoying the beautiful flowers, wildlife and quirky objects in and around the fields!

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Hammersmith visits the Lavender Fields - Willows Pre-School Our children have been very lucky to visit Mayfield Lavender Fields! In small groups, the children went onto the school bus and ventured out to the fields. Along the way, they talked about the various things they might see in the fields and what they would like to do when they get there.

We had an amazing time at our Sports Day on Saturday morning! The children did an amazing job (and the parents during the tug of war!) Thank you to everyone who attended the event and stayed for a picnic afterwards.

https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/hammersmith-sports-day-2023/

Hammersmith Sports Day 2023! - Willows Pre-School At Willows we really value the children's development. We believe that involving the parents can help the children fulfill their learning potential. This is why every summer we organise Sports Day, where the children have the chance to play and participate in different races, that reflect the variet...

Through the spectrum - Willows Pre-School Through the spectrum Written by Christopher Byers “Raising awareness of Autism and the role a SENCO has in supporting children with additional needs”. Autism is a neurological condition that affects an individual’s communication, social interaction, and behavior. It is a lifelong condition tha...

We are Coronation ready! We have been making lots of artwork relating to King Charles 3rd as well as having our own party in the beautiful sunshine. We hope you all enjoy the coronation and the bank holiday weekend!

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Goodbye Ducklings

Today we said goodbye to our ducklings! They were taken to their forever home after a wonderful first week in the world with us. They children got to see the eggs hatching as well as see the ducklings learn to swim! It’s been a fantastic experience for our Willows family. Next, watching our caterpillars grow into butterflies!

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New Life at Willows, Hammersmith Nursery 🐣🐣🐣

We can all agree that animals and children are often a great combination and can benefit both the animal (species dependent) and the child in a range of ways.

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New Life at Willows, Hammersmith Nursery - Willows Pre-School We can all agree that animals and children are often a great combination and can benefit both the animal (species dependent) and the child in a range of ways.

This week we have continued looking at the topic of growth! The Pre-Schoolers and toddlers have been learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly as well as having some trips to The National History Museum! The babies are learning about spring and Easter.

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Last Friday we invited the mummies to join us for a morning filled with arts, crafts and baking! As you can see from the pictures, we had an amazing time. Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

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Bring Mummy to School Day - Willows Pre-School Each year for mothers day we invite the mothers to come into the nursery and spend a morning with their children. They join us to take part in a few themed...

Today we were very lucky to be visited by an author! Junean Harrison came to read her lovely book The Snowflake and the Star. The children listened wonderfully and enjoyed engaging with the characters.

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Happy Holi everyone! The weather wasn’t great for celebrating Holi outdoors (we had planned to wear white t shirts and throw powdered paint at each other’s clothes) but we still had lots of fun inside!

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Happy Holi! - Willows Pre-School At Willows we value multiculturalism as London becomes more and more diverse and we realise there is a need to incorporate activities that reflect that.

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Happy World Book Day! We had a spooktacular day today! Making crafts and reading our favourite stories from home.

World Book Day! - Willows Pre-School Today is World Book Day! World Book Day is a whole day dedicated to stories around the world and is currently celebrated in 100 countries! To celebrate stories.

Here at Hammersmith Nursery, the babies sang the song "Five currant buns" during circle time to encourage them to count, also showing them number flash cards. They also did a painting activity, each child was given a choice of which paper, paint and ball they wanted. The tray was moved around creating patterns. They loved the activity.

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In the baby room, the babies enjoyed their circle time singing songs and reading the book "The very Hungry Caterpillar". They also had some water play with fish and sponges. And we had a really nice activity colouring and counting how many fruits the Caterpillar ate.

https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/hammersmith-nursery/

Are you looking to work as a Nursery Teacher!

Willows Pre-school is looking for a Nursery Teacher for our Wimbledon Nursery, Colliers Wood Nursery and Hammersmith Nursery. The new teacher will bring with them enthusiasm, passion, and a profound understanding of how children learn. They will be responsible for a key group, guiding the children through the EYFS curriculum and be given opportunities to progress within the nursery.

Find out more and Apply Today at https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/career/pre-school-nursery-teacher-position/

The importance of block play
Children have played with blocks for many years and we all definitely have some memories from our childhood when we built and created with wooden blocks. There are so many educational benefits of block play in early childhood and nobody ever thinks about how important those benefits are or how playing with blocks helps a child’s development.

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The importance of block play - Willows Pre-School Children have played with blocks for many years and we all definitely have some memories from our childhood when we built and created with wooden blocks.

Some of the children have been on a trip to Chinatown this week! Looking for rabbits (this year’s lunar animal) and looking at all the beautiful decorations, foods, and colours. They looked at a range of different menus and looked at all of the foods they recognise, have tried, and would like to try one day.

https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/chinatown/

Our babies have been learning about the colour blue this week! They have been looking at a range of different blue objects, creating some beautiful blue artwork, and reading stories about blue things such as whales, fish, and other wonderful creatures! I wonder which colour they will learn about next..?

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https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/chinese-new-year-2023/

Gong hei fat choy! Or happy lunar new year! Chinese New Year, of the Spring Festival, signifies the start of the new year, beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice, this year that is January 22nd, and ending on the full moon.

Chinese New Year 2023 - Willows Pre-School Gong hei fat choy! Or happy lunar new year! Chinese New Year, of the Spring Festival, signifies the start of the new year, beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice, this year that is January 22nd, and ending on the full moon. It is often celebrated with family and friends, special....

After reading Little Red Riding Hood, the babies have been focussing on the colour red! They have brought in some things from home that are red to show their friends. As well as creating a range of red artwork and looking at objects that are typically red, like post boxes and hearts, they have also tried a variety of red fruits and vegetables.

https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/hammersmith-nursery/

At Willows we try to Incorporate Physical Activity as much as possible, both with planned physical activities and free play. The children are encouraged to do activities that involve all the skills that are desired, depending on their age group.

Read more at https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/incorporating-exercise-into-everyday-learning/

Incorporating Exercise into Everyday Learning - Willows Pre-School At Willows we try to incorporate Physical Activity as much as possible, both with planned physical activities and free play. The children are encouraged...

Dealing with ’Picky Eaters’ - Willows Pre-School It’s normal for children to be fussy eaters – that is, to not like the taste, shape, colour, or texture of particular foods. In fact, this all happens because fussy eating is part of children’s development. Up to a third of children around the age of two could be described as fussy eaters.

Here at Willows Pre-School, Hammersmith Nursery, we have been making a Christmas tree using fruits.

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This morning we woke up to a blanket of snow! When we got to Willows this morning, we were so excited to play in the snow we couldn’t wait until playtime. We wrapped up in hats scarves, and gloves and raced outside to build snowmen and make snow angels. The whole school came together to join in the fun and make the most of the snowy weather.

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Pre-Schoolers at Willows Pre-School Hammersmith showed off all their hard work with their nativity play! They amazed us all with their wonderful singing, groovy dance moves and lovely loud lines. We are so proud of them! They also surprised their loved ones with some homemade treats (gingerbread cookies) to decorate at home and a lovely letter to Father Christmas.

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Today the children have been getting festive by making gingerbread! They measured out their ingredients before mixing them and refrigerating them. They watched their friend's Festive Sing-Along then cut and baked their gingerbread men, ready to take home and decorate tomorrow!

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How messy play is used in the EYFS
We encourage messy play throughout the setting developing it in each room.

https://www.willowspreschool.org.uk/how-messy-play-is-used-in-the-eyfs/

How messy play is used in the EYFS - Hammersmith Nursery We encourage messy play throughout the setting developing it in each room, In the Baby Room, we use messy play to develop their exploration through different...

🎄🎄The pre-schooler’s have written a letter to Father Christmas! They walked to the post box and posted their letter to him, We hope he writes back soon! Until then, we will keep preparing for Christmas!

🎄🎄 It’s the start of December and we got festive here at Willows! The tree is up and decorated by our wonderful children, the carols are on and the Christmas preparations are well and truly underway!

Nutrition, Exercise & Gratitude – A reminder - Willows Parents Community As a parent, you want your child to be happy and healthy. You also want them to do well in school and reach their full potential. Good nutrition is essential...

The concept of Embedded learning at Willows - Willows Parent Community Embedded learning most simply describes learning while doing. The concept of Embedded Learning is consistency and recapping; creating ways for learners to im...