Saplings Rural Nursery and Pre-School

13/10/2026

🎃🍂 Pumpkin Soup in the Badger Room! 🦡🥣

Our Preschool Badger Room had lots of fun making their very own pumpkin soup! The children loved scooping out the pumpkin, exploring its texture and smell, and carefully cutting the carrots with support from their practitioners. 🥕🎃

This hands-on activity supported the children’s fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and independence, while encouraging them to explore different textures, smells and ingredients. It also helped develop their communication and language skills as they talked about what they were doing, followed instructions and worked together as a team. 🧡

Most importantly, the children had the opportunity to learn through play, build confidence and discover how everyday ingredients can be turned into something delicious! 🍲✨

Well done, Badger Room! 🦡🧡

09/10/2026

Our beautifully kind Badgers took a special trip to the Church in Hadlow today to deliver their Harvest Festival donations this morning 💚🌾The children walked beautifully into the village, taking in the local surroundings and were warmly greeted by the Vicar who told them a little story about his vegetable garden and showed them his home grown, enormous butternut squash!

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

✨ Welcome to our Sensory Room ✨

Our sensory room is a calm, magical space where children can explore, discover and engage their senses in a safe and supportive environment. 💙🌈

Through lights, colours, textures, sounds and a variety of sensory resources, children can explore their senses, develop concentration and curiosity, build confidence and support their emotional regulation and wellbeing. 🧠💞

Sensory play is so much more than fun — it supports children’s communication, physical development, cognitive skills and emotional wellbeing, while giving them the freedom to explore and learn at their own pace. 🌱

We love creating spaces where every child feels safe, supported and free to explore, discover and grow. ✨

A little room full of big opportunities! 💙

02/10/2026

🌳🛝 A little walk, a lot of learning! 💛
Our little ones enjoyed a lovely walk to the local play park today! 👣✨ Getting out and about gives our babies the opportunity to explore the world around them, enjoy fresh air and experience new sights, sounds and textures.

Trips like this help support their physical development, confidence, curiosity and social skills, while encouraging them to explore their environment and enjoy being active outdoors. 🌿😊

Most importantly, we had lots of fun making memories together! 🥰🛝💫

EarlyYears

29/09/2026

🌿 WE’RE HIRING – PRESCHOOL ROOM LEADER! 🌿

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team at Saplings Rural Day Nursery & Preschool in Hadlow.

⭐ Preschool Room Leader
🕒 38 hours per week
📅 4 days per week
🌱 Leading our Preschool Room
💚 Supportive and friendly nursery team

We are looking for an enthusiastic, caring and confident practitioner who is ready to take the lead in our Preschool Room and help create a happy, engaging environment where our children can thrive.

If you are interested in joining the Saplings team or would like more information, we'd love to hear from you!

📧 Email: [email protected]

Please feel free to share with anyone who may be interested! 🌿

28/09/2026

🍂🧡 Autumn Sensory Play in Badger Room!🧡🍂

Our preschoolers have been exploring an autumn-inspired sensory tuff tray, filled with colourful, squishy textures and lots of opportunities to investigate! 🍁✨ Using spoons and cups, the children have been busy scooping, pouring, stirring and filling, while getting hands-on with the different textures.

Sensory play supports our preschoolers’ fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and concentration, while also encouraging curiosity, independence and imaginative play. It’s a wonderful way for children to explore through their senses, experiment with cause and effect, and develop confidence through play. 🥄👐

A lovely autumn afternoon of messy, hands-on learning!🍂❤️

24/09/2026

💛🍎 Gloop & Hidden Apples! 🍎💛
Our babies enjoyed a fun sensory apple hunt today! We used a simple mixture of cornflour and water, creating a fascinating gloop that feels more solid when pushed or squeezed, but becomes soft and runny, almost “melting” through little fingers when picked up. 👐✨

The babies were encouraged to move, scoop and squish the gloop to uncover the hidden apples underneath! 🍎👀

This activity supported:
💛 Sensory development through exploring texture and consistency
💪 Physical development by strengthening little hands and fingers
🧠 Problem-solving and curiosity as they searched for the hidden apples
👀 Hand-eye coordination through reaching, grasping and moving the gloop

A messy, magical experience full of exploring, discovering and learning through play! 💛✨

24/09/2026

Dear Parents & Carers.

From Tuesday 29th September, the access from the rear car park to the Nursery will be shut off to enable works to begin on our new building!

There will be a new access point, it will be the gate right next to the current one from the car park (pictures attached) and it brings you round into the corner of the new housing estate which leads you round to the right and to the front of the nursery.

Apologies again for all of the disruptions, but it will all be worth it in the end!

22/09/2026

🐰🍂 Bunny Room’s Big Outdoor Adventure! 🌿🐿️
Our Bunny Room little explorers enjoyed a lovely walk around the village! We spotted squirrels, played in the leaves, felt the grass beneath our feet and took in all the sights, sounds and textures nature had to offer. 🍃✨

These simple outdoor experiences are full of learning opportunities! 🌱 Our children were developing their sensory awareness, curiosity, physical skills and understanding of the natural world, while building confidence and enjoying time together in the fresh air.

From crunchy leaves to soft grass, every step brought a new texture, sound or discovery! 🐾💚