The Heatons Preschool and Day Nursery- Heaton Moor Road

This week we have enjoyed introducing, and learning all about The World Cup. We have explored activities around football, flags and teamwork.

The younger children have enjoyed scoring goals using big gross motor movements, whilst the older children have been keen to explore different countries by looking at flags and patterns and understanding the concept of a competition.

The children are feeling optimistic about Englands participation and believe we are set to be “winners”

Let’s see what the future holds ! ⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

We’ve all been there – digging out that half empty bottle of sunscreen from the back of the cupboard! ☀️☀️☀️

⭐️ It's worth checking the symbol on the back of the bottle, the number reflects how long to continue using the cream from the moment it's opened, which in this case is 12 months (12M), after this period the cream will not be as effective.

💡TIP - It's a good idea to use a Sharpie to write the date you opened a bottle on the back to keep yourself safe.

One of our parents is hosting a fundraising event this Saturday, 30th May, to raise funds for Coppafeel, a great charity that raises awareness for breast cancer.

If you can, they would love for anyone to show their support whether this is donating to the fundraising page or going along to the event below. There are lots of exciting activities going on there such as an acapella swing and pop choir, a bake sale and a raffle.

Please see the poster attached for more details.

To support raising funds, they are also taking part in a 5 day trek along the Jurassic Coast, covering around 100km, so any donations big or small would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/amy-mcvey-40

✨Why “Destructive Play” Isn’t Destructive Development ✨

When kids pull things apart, crash blocks, dig holes or squash dough, it might look chaotic — but this messy, noisy play is rich learning. 🧠❤️

📌 What is Destructive Play?
It’s play where children explore by taking things apart, testing materials, knocking down structures and experimenting with cause & effect. It’s not “naughty” — it’s essential play-based learning. 🎲

🔍 WHY IT MATTERS
Children learn by doing, testing and exploring:
✔️ Cause & Effect + Problem-Solving
✔️ Motor Skills & Coordination
✔️ Emotional Regulation & Confidence
✔️ Language & Social Skills

🧒 Examples of What It Might Look Like by Age:
👶 0-2 years
• Tearing paper
• Pushing blocks off a table
• Squishing play dough or mud to feel texture
This builds sensory awareness and early hand–eye coordination.
👦 3-5 years
• Building towers then knocking them down
• Digging pits in the garden
• Pouring and mixing water/sand
This supports problem-solving, spatial thinking and experimentation.
👧 6+ years
• Taking apart old gadgets (safely) to see how they work
• Creating destruction-based games with rules
This deepens planning, sequencing and creative thinking.

🛡 How Adults Can Support It
✔ Offer safe materials to explore (sticks, cardboard, sand, mud)
✔ Set clear boundaries (what can be pulled apart vs what can’t)
✔ Stay calm — messy play is okay and meaningful
✔ Talk with children about what they notice and why it happened
Learn More & Get Involved!

🌏 Play Australia — national advocacy for play & risky play principles: https://www.playaustralia.org.au/ �
Play Australia
📘 Early Childhood Australia Statement on Play: https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/.../eca.../ �
👶 Aussie Childcare Network Play Principles & Sensory Experiences: https://aussiechildcarenetwork.com.au/ �
playaustralia.org.au
🌟 Bottom Line:
Destructive or messy play isn’t chaos — it’s powerful learning in action. Let kids explore, experiment and play their way. 👣💡

We have been very busy this week celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week! The children in all rooms have enjoyed a range of activities focusing and promoting their wellbeing including a friendship potion tray, learning about self- care, reading 'The Colour Monster', and having their own spa day!

Helping children to recognise their feelings builds strong foundations for later in life, helps them to feel safe and supported whilst strengthening security and attachments.

Mental Health Awareness also includes our lovely staff so we have provided some well-deserved treats for them to take away!

Well done to Laura and the Rhythm and Rhyme team!🥳

𝗪𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗜𝗧! 🥳

I’m really proud to share that Rhythm & Rhyme has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Children’s Activity Providers in the UK 🏆

Being a small independent business can sometimes feel like your swimming in a vast sea of big franchise fishies 🐠🐟🐳🫍 so to receive this recognition really means a lot!

Entries for ‘Top 100 Children’s Activity Providers’ were assessed by expert judges, focussing on five key areas:

⭐Activity benefits
⭐Safeguarding
⭐Inclusivity
⭐Community impact
⭐Business achievements

Thank you to every family who has supported Rhythm & Rhyme, attended classes, recommended us to friends and trusted us to be part of your little one’s early years journey.

A huge thank you to our amazing trio of session leaders Nikki, Becky & Channi who pour heart & soul into what they do 🩷🩷🩷

And thank you to for an amazing day!

Also a big shout out to the amazing small business community around us too. There is so much power in supporting and celebrating one another.

We will be celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week next week, taking place between the 11th and 17th May, with the theme this year being ‘Action’.
To help raise awareness, we are encouraging everyone to dress up in green 💚 We will also be doing lots of activities to promote and develop the children and staff’s wellbeing!

Duck Update!

We now have two little ducks hatched from last week who are thriving at nursery after a fun weekend at Katie's house. The children have enjoyed meeting and getting to know them and excited to see how much they are growing each day!

The children named them Nugget and Pippin and they have provided the children with lots of lovely learning opportunities and hours of observation for the children. The children throughout the rooms have loved meeting them and it will be a lot quieter when the farmer comes to take them back to the farm on Thursday.

Recently, we have been focusing on strengthening the children's physical development through a range of fun and engaging activities across all the rooms.

In the Moor Room, the children have been developing their balance, coordination and confidence using the wooden jungle gym, exploring balloon arches and enjoying barefoot sessions to support their sensory awareness and movement skills.

In the Mersey Room, the children have been taking part in different and exciting obstacle courses, helping to build strength, spatial awareness, and problem- solving skills while having lots of fun.

The Chapel Room have been strengthening their fine motor skills by using pegs to pick up cotton wool balls, as well as practising gross motor skills and balance using stilts.

In the Norris Room, we have been using different tools with playdough, helping to develop hand strength, control, and creativity through sensory play.

Physical development is such an important part of early learning, encouraging children to be active and healthy. It's lovely to see their confidence grow as they try new things and celebrate their achievements!