Pear Tree Nursery

What an amazing and eventful day we had on our Reception Leavers Trip to Trentham!

Although the weather was not on our side, in true Pear Tree style we were not deterred. As one of our favourite sayings goes, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!” We embraced every type of weather and every new experience, creating lots of opportunities for exploration, learning, and wonderful discussions throughout the day.

Despite the rain and hail showers, the children showed great determination and resilience. They took part in the barefoot walk, enjoyed a go on the zip wire, and spent several hours exploring Trentham’s many play areas and parks.

We enjoyed a lovely leavers’ lunch under the gazebo overlooking the lake, where we tucked into a selection of delicious homemade treats, lovingly prepared by Dawn and Teresa.

We would like to say how incredibly proud we are of all the children and how well they behaved throughout the day. Visitors at the centre commented on what a wonderful group of children they were, which was lovely to hear.

It has been such a pleasure to be part of the children’s journey during their time with us at Pear Tree. While we will be sad to see them leave over the coming months as they prepare for their next adventure, we feel incredibly privileged to have shared such valuable time with them and to have made so many special memories together.

The trip was a great success and a wonderful way to celebrate and conclude their time with us. We wish all of our leavers the very best for the future and hope they have lots of fun as they begin school in September.

As part of Mental Health Week, we have been taking part in a range of calming and mindful activities to support the children’s emotional wellbeing and encourage relaxation, creativity, and self-expression.

One of our favourite activities was mindful painting. The children spread out around a large rectangular piece of paper on the floor while listening to calming classical music. They were encouraged to breathe in time with the beat, listen carefully to the different instruments, and move their brushes freely to express themselves. This was a wonderfully calming and relaxing activity, helping the children to focus, unwind, and enjoy being creative in a peaceful environment. Perhaps you might like to try a smaller version of this mindful activity at home together.

We also enjoyed a special session in the garden where we practised yoga and relaxation. We paused our play to slow down, lying on the grass with our eyes closed while listening to the soothing sounds of nature around us. Gradually, we opened our eyes and quietly watched the bubbles floating in the sky above. Once we felt calm and relaxed, we stood up and took part in some simple yoga movements, feeling our muscles stretch and strengthen. We focused carefully on our breathing, taking deep breaths in and letting them out slowly.

Later in the day, we explored the book The Colour Monster, discussing the different feelings and emotions we might experience. As we read, we talked about the green monster, which represented calmness and peace.

At Quarry House we enjoyed a calming play dough therapy session where we made our own fresh scented playdough. The children loved stretching, rolling, squeezing, and pulling the dough, finding the activity both soothing and engaging. Vanilla, orange, and lavender were particularly popular scents, helping to create a relaxing and enjoyable sensory experience. This activity gave the children an opportunity to express themselves creatively, unwind, and explore different textures and smells through their play.

Our younger children continued exploring calming and mindful activities together. We enjoyed listening to gentle nature sounds on Alexa while relaxing quietly on the cushions. During our circle time, we played soothing music and used sensory popping toys, helping the children to feel calm, focused, and relaxed.

When the weather brightened, we took this activity outdoors into our garden area. The children loved lying down and looking up at the trees, watching the leaves gently sway from side to side in the breeze. They listened carefully to the different sounds around them in our environment, noticing birds, wind, and other natural sounds. It was a wonderfully peaceful and relaxing experience that encouraged mindfulness, calmness, and an appreciation of the world around us.

Celebrating Sir David Attenborough's 100th Birthday

To celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, we enjoyed a range of fun and educational activities throughout the day. The children watched short clips from his broadcasts featuring a sloth and a gorilla, read a fascinating book about his life, and went on their own mini safari to explore and discover different animals. We also listened to and identified a variety of animal sounds, danced along to "If Animals Danced, and shared the story "Dear Zoo.

The children, learned lots of interesting facts about animals and nature. One memorable discovery was learning that sloths come down to the bottom of their trees to poo!

We encourage you to continue the learning at home by watching some of Sir David Attenborough’s wonderful clips and exploring animal-themed activities together.

Happy 100th Birthday, Sir David Attenborough!

In our Orchard room, the children have been thoroughly enjoying their Little Athletes sessions. Sam, our instructor, has been working closely with the children to plan a variety of fun, exciting, and engaging activities that encourage active learning through play.
Little Athletes is a specialist physical activity provider for Early Years settings. Their mission is to help build healthier, happier lives for young children by encouraging movement, confidence, and social development through enjoyable activities.
The programme places a strong emphasis on supporting early learning skills, including letter and number recognition, colour and shape identification, alongside physical development.
Encouraging children to engage in physical activity from an early age is incredibly important. It supports physical development, builds confidence, strengthens relationships, and introduces key skills such as teamwork and cooperation. Physical development is one of the seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage and plays a vital role in helping children develop movement, coordination, body awareness, health, and self-care skills.
Early childhood is a period of rapid physical and psychological growth, making it the perfect time to establish healthy habits and positive attitudes towards exercise. Providing children with regular opportunities for physical activity supports not only their physical well-being, but also their personal and social development. Through activities such as Little Athletes, children learn valuable skills including turn-taking, interacting with others, building self-confidence, and developing positive relationships with their peers.

We are delighted to share that we raised a fantastic £800 while taking part in the Storython for Peterpan Centre , who provide a vital and much-needed service for children with additional needs.
We are incredibly proud to be an inclusive nursery, always going above and beyond to support every child in reaching their full potential.
We would like to say a huge thank you to our current families for their support in helping us raise these funds.
We have supported many families who have accessed the services provided by Peter Pan, and we work in partnership with them to ensure consistency and that children’s needs are met.

Feedback from a parent last year who we supported alongside PeterPan Centre:

As ***** finishes his time at nursery, we find ourselves filled with gratitude, emotion and deep appreciation for everything you have done for him and for us as a family. Jayne, your leadership and dedication has been nothing short of extraordinary. You've gone above and beyond to ensure that ***** was not just included, but truly valued and celebrated for who he is. The way the nursery has been adapted to meet his individual needs is something simply that wouldn't have happened elsewhere, its a reflection of your heart, your vision and your unwavering belief in inclusion. It takes someone special to lead with such compassion and commitment. To the entire team at Pear Tree you have made a genuine difference in ***** life. Over the past 4.5 years, you've cared for him, supported him, celebrated him and embraced him even through the challenges. You never gave up, never looked the other way, and never treated him as anything less than important and part of the Pear Tree family. You ensured that ***** was included in every activity, every moment, and every experience. That simple but powerful act of inclusion has helped him develop new skills, and most importantly, feel safe and loved. What you've done for ***** has also supported us in ways we'll never forget. You've given us peace of mind, encouragement and the priceless gift of knowing our son was understood and accepted every single day. We truly believe that if every nursery was like Pear Tree, the world would be a very different, and much better place. You've shown what's possible when kindness, understanding and dedication come together. From the bottom of our hearts thank you. You have helped shape ***** early years in the most beautiful way and the difference you have made will stay with us forever.

This week is National Gardening Week
Gardening offers many wonderful benefits and learning opportunities for children. It provides first-hand experiences with nature, helping them to understand how plants grow and what they need to thrive. It also encourages children to care for living things, supporting their sense of responsibility and nurturing skills.
The children have thoroughly enjoyed getting involved, using tools, exploring soil, and planting seeds. It has been lovely to see their enthusiasm and curiosity as they take part.

As part of International Dance Day, Jas brought in a variety of exciting dance resources from her dance school. While in the garden, the children were delighted to meet Tamzin from The Academy for Performing Arts.

The children engaged enthusiastically when it was their turn, showing great confidence and enjoyment through their movements. They listened carefully to Tamzin and Jas as they demonstrated how to use the equipment safely, and waited patiently while watching their friends have a turn.

It was wonderful to see so many smiles and such positive participation from everyone. Well done to all the children!

As we officially step into Spring, we wanted our children to experience the beauty of new life. What better way to do this than through their love of animals. We were very fortunate to have a visit from a local farm, who brought us some special baby animals to meet. Among them were 2-week-old chicks, rabbits, and a baby goat called Woody.

Following today's school allocation announcements, we kindly ask that you inform us of the school your child has been offered.

Sharing this information is important as it allows us to support your child effectively during the period of transition. By knowing their next school, we can help prepare them emotionally and practically, ensure any relevent information is shared with the new setting, and provide continuity in their learning and development. It also enables us to coordinate with the receiving school where needed, so your child feels confident and settled as they move on.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us make this transition as smooth as possible for your child.

We hope you're enjoying the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, and the treats that come with it. We do however want to share some guidance on Chocolate Egg Safety, and give you a polite reminder that choking can happen at any time. Below is safety tips from the Child Accident Prevention Trust.
Many Thanks Team 🍐 🌳 xx