Little Acorns Montessori

The great duck escape! Explore the beautiful outdoors in the sunshine this weekend and track down all the quackers! 🤭

The adventure begins! 🦆

Can you help us track down 8 duck families who've escaped from the lake?

Available every day, grab a £4 trail sheet from reception and get ready to count the ducklings for a delicious chocolate Easter Egg reward! 🥚

“The child does not follow the law of the least effort, but a law directly contrary. He uses an immense amount of energy over an unsubstantial end, and he spends, not only driving energy, but intensive energy in the exact ex*****on of every detail. ” Maria Montessori
"A periscope" by our school aged Acorns 🥰

"The children love to do these things [practical life activities] for themselves and they learn to be careful and precise in their movements. This is both education of movement, because there is a refinement of muscular co-ordination when the work is carefully done, and education through movement, because these activities involve judgement and will, self-discipline, and an appreciation of orderliness" Maria Montessori

A place of natural beauty and serenity, to sit quietly, calmly, outdoors, listening to the river gurgle along, the birds chirping and soak up the sun's rays while spotting blue t**s, great t**s, chaffinches and nuthatches nesting... then squelch and squerch through the mud and balance along fallen logs exploring off the beaten track

A little wander of our favourite place to check on the frogs and their frogspawn ready for our annual springtime life cycle topic 🐸

Our study of castles this winter has been a real labour of love. Our Little Acorns have constructed swords, shields and their very own papier-mache castle, both Princes and Princesses have rescued animals from the clutches of dragons! We have learned of battlements, arrow slits, parapets, drawbridges, portcullis and dungeons; the vocabulary is endless!
To celebrate the warmer weather approaching, we have visited a beautiful relic of our Great British history where they witnessed first-hand how people lived, the view they shared and the intricate details used to construct these enormous edifices. They spotted triangles, rectangles, rhombuses and diamonds throughout the site along with exquisite architecture and stunning frescoes!

To those who may not know, the National Trust is working with the English Heritage to create another incredible trail of wonderful places; our gang are proudly attending as many as we can before it ends, will you be a too?!

This is the testimony of the awarding body following the grading of Distinction awarded to Grace at the conclusion of her apprenticeship; it couldn't be more precise in describing the hard work and dedication she has put in during her time here and we couldn't be more proud to count her as one of us. Congratulations Grace, we think you're phenomenal too 🥰

"Your strengths in planning, observation, and assessment were particularly noteworthy. You provided a wealth of examples that illustrated your proficiency in
delivering both adult-led and child-initiated activities, which effectively promote children’s development. Your innovative approach to embedding literacy and
mathematics within creative activities was commendable, as was your capacity to create enabling environments tailored to varying age groups. Furthermore, your
excellent understanding of transitions and parent partnerships, coupled with the strategies you employ to support children during these periods, reflects your
holistic approach to practice. You concluded with insightful examples of your commitment to professional development, evidencing a reflective and proactive
attitude.
Overall, your performance exemplifies the qualities expected of a practitioner awarded a distinction."

Our Tiny Town Sheffield World Book Day adventure!

🎶Here comes the sun...🎶
What a beautiful morning spotting the signs of spring. Our Little Acorns have spied pigeons busy nesting🪹, robins chirping, budding deep purple crocuses, tiny ladybirds🐞 emerging from their winter's sleep, blooming white snowdrops with beautiful sunny centres🌱, rare black irises, droplets of water collecting in the leaves of sprouting tulips🌷, fiery reds and orange delicate flowers on a spiky bush, soft velvety magnolia buds🌳, spongy moss growing in the damp shadows of tall trees🌲 and friendly tall and proud daffodils! Along with a sprinkling of number recognition, letter recognition, 2D and 3D shapes 🥰

Ikea: A wonderful place for measurements, number recognition, sensory exploration, social interaction, role play and more!
Before Christmas we went in search of some real crockery to take another step away from plastic usage and towards confident independence once they had moved on from their bamboo plates.
We had lunch in the cafe where they chose their own meals, collated their own cutlery, poured their own drinks and wiped each others faces clean before clearing away their plates and glasses just as they do here.

Then each child had a number to spot(which ended up being any and all numbers they could find!)

They made themselves comfortable on a sofa display and clinked "cheers, Merry Christmas!" with their champagne flutes before continuing the hunt for napkins and trays for our shelf work.

Identified all their body parts and inspected each others differences in the mirrors and then stroked the fluffy cushions, rough welcome mats, gnarly rugs, lumpy vases, prickly cacti, corrugated prints and any other surface they could discover that wasn't perfectly smooth and shiny! Finally we passed through the floristry area where they chose new flowers for their vases, scented candles for their votives and on to the glorious warehouse for trolley balancing and locating the final pieces to build more storage units.

Throughout the whole visit they took care of each other, showed respect for all of the furniture and furnishings and other customers around us.
The more we visit the ordinary everyday, the more skills they scaffold on which behaviours belong in which environments. They chat happily and quietly over lunches, they run and shout and squeal in the woods and they explore calmly and carefully in places such as this.
Our pride knows no bounds 🥰

Ooh who wants to become a ?! I'm in! 🤚

Ready for an adventure? The Welbeck Estate is taking part in Rebel Rangers, a brand-new family trail spanning Nottinghamshire AND Derbyshire! This February half term through to Easter, you can join this family challenge and be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes, including a £1,000 Center Parcs voucher!

Rebel Rangers is an interactive trail designed for families with children aged 5–14, encouraging you to explore some of the region’s most iconic days out, heritage sites and green spaces while uncovering fascinating stories from the past.

How Does It Work? Simply register at www.rebelrangers.com, visit participating attractions across the three districts, at each location visit the website to unlock fun facts and complete challenges, and collect digital badges as you go. You can pick up your Rebel Rangers passport and official starter pack from the Harley Gallery.

If you visit all six venues and complete the full trail, you’ll become an official Rebel Ranger and be entered into a prize draw!