Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services

We are very sorry for the late notice, but we have decided to cancel the Garden Time session tomorrow (Thursday 13th August) and offer refunds.

The forecast is that it will be particularly hot tomorrow and our options for providing shade are limited. ☀️

We are also aware that part of the attraction of coming to Lanterns is for active play! We have made this decision in the best interests of the children and also our volunteers. 🛝

We hope to see you at our next session on Wednesday 26th August. 😊

Thank you for your understanding,
Friends of Lanterns

✨ Looking for a new role in Early Years education? ✨

Lanterns Nursery School is growing! We have a range of exciting opportunities available to join our wonderful team, including roles for Early Years Practitioners and positions within our Lunchtime Team.

If you are passionate about working with young children and want to work in a supportive, vibrant environment, we’d love to hear from you.

🔗 Explore our current opportunities and apply today:
https://www.lanterns.hants.sch.uk/join-our-team

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Don’t forget to book your ticket for Friends of Lanterns Garden Time!

Garden Time 13th August 2026
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/garden-time-tickets-1992683096784

Garden Time 26th August 2026
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/garden-time-tickets-1992683386651

That’s a wrap on another fantastic year at Lanterns Nursery!

A huge thank you to all our families for being part of our community — your support means the world to us. 🥰

To our children leaving us for school, we are so proud of everything you’ve achieved and the wonderful little people you are becoming. We’ll miss you, but we know you’ll shine brightly in your next adventure. Wishing you all the confidence, joy, and curiosity as you take this exciting step. 🌟

Wishing everyone a bright, happy summer full of fun and family time. ☀️

See you in September! 🌈✨

💛 Celebrating Our First Year in the Baby Room! 💛

What an incredible first year it has been! As we reach the end of the academic year, we'd like to say a huge thank you to our wonderful team – Hayley, Kay, Rosie and Aimee – whose dedication, warmth and care have helped create a nurturing and homely environment where our babies can thrive.

Thank you also to all of our families for trusting us with your precious little ones and for being such valued partners in their journey. Our open-door approach and strong parent partnerships remain at the heart of everything we do.

This year, our babies have enjoyed adventures in the meadow, visits to the ball pool, exploring other classes, sensory play in the garden, treasure baskets, loose parts and so much more! 🌿🎨💦

We're also incredibly proud that our baby room was selected by Hampshire County Council Children's Services to contribute to training and professional development opportunities because of our supportive approach to breastfeeding families – a wonderful recognition of something we feel very passionate about.

Thank you for making our first year so special.

We wish all our families a happy and relaxing summer! ☀️

🌈🎨 Grasshoppers' Colourful Adventures! 🎨🌈

The Grasshoppers have thoroughly enjoyed exploring paint over the past few weeks! From mixing colours and discovering new shades to using our animal stampers, the children have embraced every opportunity to get creative.

They have loved exploring the paint in their own unique ways, expressing themselves freely and experimenting with different textures, patterns and colours. It has been a wonderful, colourful experience, and so rewarding to watch each child investigate and enjoy the activity in a way that suits them.

We have loved seeing their curiosity, creativity and confidence grow through their paint exploration. What an amazing and vibrant few weeks it has been! 🖌️✨🌈

🌟 Relax Kids in Butterflies Class 🌟

Every Tuesday, the children in Butterflies are excited to welcome Jules from Relax Kids Wi******er to Lanterns. Thanks to the generous funding from Friends of Lanterns, the children have the opportunity to take part in these wonderful sessions each week.

Through fun and engaging activities, Jules helps the children to build their confidence, develop relaxation techniques, and learn valuable self-regulation skills. The sessions encourage children to recognise and manage their feelings, develop resilience, and find ways to relax and feel calm on a busy day.

We have loved seeing the children embrace these activities and use the strategies they have learned to support their emotional wellbeing and confidence both in Lanterns and beyond.

A huge thank you to Friends of Lanterns for making these sessions possible! 💜
******er 🦋✨

🦋 Our Butterflies children have been busy exploring a brand new material this week – clay! 🐛✨

They have loved getting hands-on, squeezing, rolling and shaping it in so many different ways. Some children used tools like hammers, rolling pins, forks and chopsticks to see what patterns and marks they could make, while others enjoyed using their hands to mould their own creations.

There was lots of imaginative play too, with cakes, animals and even “chocolate” being made! The children showed great curiosity as they noticed how the clay felt different to playdough and explored ways to flatten it, cut it and even unstick it from trays.

A wonderful sensory experience full of creativity, exploration and problem-solving! 👐🎨

Friends of Lanterns Garden Time Bookings Open!

Garden Time 13th August 2026
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/garden-time-tickets-1992683096784

Garden Time 26th August 2026
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/garden-time-tickets-1992683386651

🫧 Bubble Fun in the Baby Room! 🫧

Our babies have been having a wonderful time exploring trays filled with bubbles this week! While it might look like simple fun, bubble play is packed with learning opportunities for our youngest children.

As babies touch, splash, pat and scoop the bubbles, they are developing their sensory awareness, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and early scientific thinking. Bubble play also encourages curiosity, communication and imaginative exploration as children notice how the bubbles move, disappear and change.

Would you like to try this at home? It's quick and easy:
🫧 Fill a shallow tray with water
🫧 Add a small amount of washing-up liquid
🫧 Whisk or stir to create lots of bubbles
🫧 Let your child explore by touching, patting, scooping or simply watching them float and pop

Remember to supervise closely and use only a small amount of washing-up liquid.
Sometimes the simplest activities create the biggest learning opportunities. Our babies were fascinated by the different textures, movements and sounds as they explored the bubbles together! 💙✨