Casterton Nursery and Preschool

Trying to find something to do this morning, why not join us for our Open Morning. Come and see what our amazing Nursery can offer your family..

A huge thank you to The Reading Doctor Rutland for delivering such an insightful and engaging parent workshop on Listening and Attention. The session provided a wealth of valuable information, practical strategies, and simple activities that families can use to support children’s communication, focus, and learning at home.

We would also like to thank all of the parents and grandparents who took the time to attend and participate. Your involvement and support make such a positive difference to our children’s development and success. It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm, discussion, and shared learning throughout the session.

Scaffolding children’s learning is a key part of our role in the nursery.

Through carefully planned interactions, modelling, and well-timed support, we help children build on what they already know and can do. By extending their thinking, asking purposeful questions, and providing the right level of challenge, we support them to develop confidence, independence, and new skills.

Today is a big day for our lovely Preschool families as you find out which schools your children will be attending in September.

We’re thinking of you all and wishing you lots of excitement and happiness for this next chapter 💛

In light of the latest UK government guidance regarding screen time for children under five, we would like to gently promote a balanced approach at home. The recommendations advise limiting screen usage, particularly for younger children, while encouraging more opportunities for real-world play, interaction, and communication.

At nursery, we witness daily how vital this is. Children learn most effectively through hands-on experiences, engaging in conversation, exploration, reading, and playing together. These interactions foster language development, confidence, and social skills in ways that screens simply cannot replicate.

However, this is not about eliminating screens altogether; rather, it's about utilising them mindfully. Simple adjustments, such as selecting high-quality content, watching together, and establishing screen-free times (like before bed), can significantly impact children’s development.

By collaborating, we can help children cultivate healthy habits that will provide them with the best possible start

https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s/

Happy Mother's Day to all our amazing families.

WOW! We have had the best day celebrating everything books, reading, and storytelling. Children of all ages immersed themselves in a wonderful environment filled with books and stories, dressing up as their favourite characters or coming in their cosy pyjamas.

Throughout the week, parents have joined us to enjoy stories with their children, making it a truly special celebration of reading. Our amazing Principal read The Gruffalo to our preschool children, which they absolutely loved. They were also lucky enough to visit Mrs Miller (our Geography Teacher) in her classroom to listen to The Whale Who Wanted More.

Throughout the year we invite our families to borrow from our Lending Library, making it easy to continue the adventure of reading at home.

www.castertonchildcarecentre.co.uk

What a treat this week! The Principal of the College, Mr. Smith, came to visit and read The Gruffalo to our children for our World Book Day reading week. From the very first page, they were spellbound, giggling, gasping, and completely caught up in the adventure. His storytelling had everyone hanging on every word, and the children couldn’t get enough!

We're very much looking forward to World Book Day tomorrow, when we have other teachers from the College reading to the children.

www.castertonchildcarecentre.co.uk

We are well into our Storytelling Week and the children have absolutely loved the invitations to play that the staff have thoughtfully created. It has been wonderful to see them re-enacting some of the traditional stories we enjoy sharing together, bringing the characters and adventures to life through their own creativity and imagination.

What's your favourite story to tell?