Mother Hubbards Ongar, oct/nov newslettter

Mother Hubbards Newsletter

 October and November 2014

Welcome to our first newsletter of the new school year. This term we would like to welcome all of the new children who started with us at the beginning of September and their parents. We hope you are all very happy here at Mother Hubbards.

                             

Happy Birthday

We have lots of birthdays in October and November. Happy birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday.

Children are more than welcome to celebrate their birthday with us in the centre and parents may send in a cake and some treats if they wish.

Congratulation’s,

To Cian in our playschoo room on the birth of his baby sister Erin, and our area Manager Catherine on the birth of her baby girl Lucy.

Reminders

·         When entering the baby room and wobbler rooms, can all parents /Guardians wear shoe covers that are provided outside these rooms.

·         The cold weather is starting to come upon us so can all parents please ensure their child has a suitable coat to wear while playing outside.

·         Can parents please make sure your child has spare clothes in the crèche and also make sure they are labelled?

·         After school children are encouraged to bring in a change of clothes so they can change out of their uniforms. Please remember to label all of your child’s belongings!

·         We would like to stress that we close at 6.30pm sharp and that parents must be here to collect their children no later than this. Late collection has a knock on affect to staff members who have commitments outside the working hours.

Fundraisers

A big thank you to everybody who took part in our Cheerio’s Child line Breakfast morning. Cheerios Childline Breakfast together was held on 10^th October. We all had lots of fun eating our yummy Cheerios with our friends.

On Friday 3^rd October staff and children wore pink and took park in pink themed games and activities to raise awareness of the Irish Cancer Society’s Paint it Pink Day. Thank you for all your donations

.

Halloween games and recipes
Brain digging

You will need:

§  a big bowl of cooked spaghetti

§  some Ping-Pong balls or similar

§  some small bags of sweets

Get the kids to dig in amongst some bits of 'brain' to find a trick or treat! Cook up a big pan of spaghetti, leave to cool for a moment and then turn into a big bowl. In amongst the pasta hide some Ping-Pong balls or similar. Three balls have 'treat' written on them, and three have 'trick' written on them. Each child gets a turn to dig inside the 'brains' and pull out a ball. If they choose a trick ball they have to do a forfeit (something silly, like run around the garden twice, or do a silly impression), but if they pick a treat they get a small prize, such as a small bag of sweets. Pretty yucky!!!!!!!!

Make your own toffee/chocolate apples

You will need

Selection of apples, ready pierced with sticks Toffee apples

Bowls filled with melted toffee/chocolate, hundreds and thousands, chocolate strands or other things to stick on the apples

Greaseproof paper to cool the apples on.

This is a nice easy one and the children can take their handiwork home at the end of the party (if they can hold off eating them!) Each child takes an apple and dips it into the toffee and then rolls their apple into their preferred sweeties! Yummmmy

It's easy to make your own toffee mixture or you can melt down shop-bought toffee sweets. Be sure that the mixture is not boiling hot when the children are making their toffee apples.

Each child is given a straw cut in half. (Shorter straws are easier to suck and hold the marshmallow) They then have to race to see who can suck up a marshmallow the fastest. Once a child scores a marshmallow they can eat it, and sit out to let another child have a turn if they cannot all fit around the basin at one time. Keep rotating until all the kids have had one or two marshmallows.

Banana Ghosts.

Ingredients

200g bar white chocolate, broken into chunks.

4 medium-large, ripe bananas

85g desiccated coconut (you won’t use it all)

Handful dark chocolate drops    

Method

In a small bowl, gently melt the chocolate either in the microwave – in short bursts on high or over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water). Set aside for a moment while you get the bananas ready.

Peel the bananas, cut in half, and push a lolly stick into the middle of each piece. Spread the coconut out in a shallow bowl. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment, and make sure there is room for the tray in the freezer.

Using a pastry brush, coat a banana half in chocolate, letting excess drip away. Sprinkle with plenty of the coconut until coated, then set it on the prepared sheet.Now add two chocolate eyes and a mouth, and if you like, cut a few little eyebrows from the chocolate drops too. Freeze the lollies for at least 4 hrs, and up to a week.

Have a Happy Hallloween!!!!

Reminder to all parents that you can join our Facebook and Twitter pages and receive this monthly newsletter and other information, just go our website www.motherhubbardschildcare.ie and follow the links

No 6 the Avenue

Ongar Village D.15                                     Phone: 01 8260055                          

Dublin 15                       E-Mail:  ongar@motherhubbardschildc

mother Hubbards Navan, October /November newsletter

Mother Hubbards Newsletter

October/November 2014

Welcome to our first newsletter of the new school year. We would like to welcome all the new children who started with us since September and their parents.  We hope you all will be very happy here at Mother Hubbards.  

Happy Birthday

We have lots of birthdays in October and November.

Happy birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday.

Children are more than welcome to celebrate their birthday with us in the centre and parents may send in a cake and some treats if they wish.

Cakes/buns must be shop bought and unopened in the original packaging due to HACCP guidelines. Also, please do not send in hard sweets or nuts that children could easily choke on.

Fundraising

·        On Friday 3^rd October staff and children wore pink and took park in pink themed games and activities to raise awareness of the Irish Cancer Society’s Paint it Pink Day. Thank you for all your donations, a total of €60 was raised.

·        Cheerios Childline Breakfast Together Week was held on Thursday 9^th October.  Well done to everyone who participated. A total of €62 was raised, if you haven’t sent in your donation it’s not too late yet.

Reminders

·        Please remember to close the front door when you are leaving to ensure the safety of all children.

·        If you have not already brought in a spare set of clothes for your child please do so as soon as possible. It is very important that we have them in case of accidents. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings and school bags to prevent mix up.

·        Just a reminder that the ECCE Montessori session runs from 9am until 12pm. Please ensure children are not dropped off before 9am and are collected at 12pm. All children must be accompanied to the room by an adult and may only be collected by a parent or an adult who has been named on the booking form. If someone is collecting your child who is not named on the booking form, please let us know in advance.

·        Outdoor Play forms a large part of our curriculum and has significant importance in a child’s holistic development.  We try to incorporate outdoor play as often as possible and children should be well enough to go outside if they are attending crèche.  We cannot allow children to stay inside unaccompanied whilst others are outside playing and there would be no space for them in other groups due to staff/child ratios.  Please send coats/scarves/hats etc with your children and we will ensure they wear them when going outside.

·        Children are encouraged to bring healthy lunches. Chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks are discouraged and we would appreciate your co-operation on this.

·        Halloween Mid Term for ECCE children runs from October 27^th to 31^st inclusive.  ECCE will be closed during this week and will re-open on Monday November 3^rd.  Wishing you and your family a very Happy Halloween J

Topic of the Month

Aistear

Aistear is the early childhood curriculum framework for all children from birth to six years in Ireland. It is available online and parents can easily implement various aspects of it in the home. When planning the curriculum the staff ensure the activities encompass Aistear.

If you would like to learn more about Aistear, you can do so by accessing their website

http://www.ncca.biz/Aistear/

Mother Hubbard’s,

56 Blackcastle Demense,

Slane Road,

Navan

Co. Meath

046-9059967

March/April Newsletter 2014

Mother Hubbards Newsletter

March/April 2014

 

Happy Birthday

This month we would like to wish the following children a very big Happy Birthday:

 

·         Emma who turned 4

·         Saoirse who turned 1

·         Ethan who turned 2

·         Lily who turned 7

·         Ella who turned 9

·         Monica turned 6

·         Hasir who turned 5

·         Ella who turned 2

·         Paddy who turned 2

·         Erin who turned 6

·         Caleb who turned 3

·         Lorcan who will be 1

·         Alex who will be 10

·         Gabi who will be 3

·         Jake who will be 3

 

Welcome

We would like to welcome Ronan and Eve. Ronan has joined the toddler room and Eve is in the playschool room. Abigail to the toddler Room. We hope you all settle in very well!

Reminders

·         Can all parents please ensure that they supervise their children once they are picked up in the evenings as an accident may occur if a child is left un-attended.

·         If your child is not attending crèche for any reason can you please phone the crèche and let the staff know.

·         We are closed on Good Friday the 18^th April and also on Easter Monday 21^st April.

·         The will also be no sessional Montessori from the 14^th of april until the 25^th of april. They will resume on Monday the 28^th of april

National Pyjama Day

I am delighted to tell you that we raised a massive €718 for the irish hospice foundation. During pyjama day we had lots of fun! The children made buns and had teddy bear picnics. We really enjoyed pyjama day.

 

Breakfast Time

As you know breakfast time is the most important meal of the day. We would like the children to have a very healthy breakfast therefore we hope to take Rice krispies and corn flakes off our menu. We hope to offer readybrek, weetabix and porridge for breakfast. From time to time we will also offer the children shreddies for breakfast.

 

 

Parking

If you haven’t already got your parents permit please make sure to ask any of the staff for one. Once you have this permit you will not be clamped if you are parking in the crèche spaces.

 

What we have been up to

 

Baby Room: The baby room have been busy with their Easter crafts and enjoying relaxing baby massage.

 

Toddler Room: We have been learning about zoo animals, practising jigsaws and also learning colours.

 

Playschool room: We are learning about the caterpillar, we have read the crunching munching caterpillar and are also doing some caterpillar crafts.

 

Pre-Montessori: This month we have been learning in the community. We played a fun game where we matched up the people with heir equipment and also played dressed up.

 

Montessori Room: The children have been learning about space and the planets, they have also been learning how to tell the time.

 

Afterschool Room: During our mid-term, we had a movie premier and we all got the opportunity to walk on the red carpet. Our teachers were the photographers so we will have some photos of our event displayed on the wall outside our room!

 

Afterschool 2014

Can you please let irene or Ciara know if your child is staying on for afterschool in September and also confirm which school they will be attending.

 

Below is a informative article on helping children when they are starting school:

 

Going to School

As the local schools are offering places for September, we thought this article might be of interest to parents.

Some Tips & resources to help your child
 settle in and thrive in school

 Knowing Your Child is Ready for School

·         Communication: Your child should be able to understand others and to be understood.

·         Learning skills: Your child should be able to concentrate on a simple task, and to pay attention to people around them.

·         Physical skills: Your child should have some dressing skills and be able to use the bathroom. They should also be comfortable with fine motor skills like holding a pencil or crayon.

·         Social skills: Your child should be able to play with and, importantly, share with others. Also, it is important that your child can respond to instructions or correction by the teacher.

·         Emotional skills: It is helpful if your child is comfortable being away from you for relatively short periods of time. If a child is confident that their parent will return they are more likely to settle in a new environment.

Helping Your Child Adjust to School

In helping your child to adjust, it is beneficial if parents have a positive and relaxed attitude towards school. Some key things to remember include:

·         Visit the school with your child before the first day. As mentioned earlier, many schools have scheduled open days to facilitate this.

·         Involve your child in preparations like buying uniforms, etc. Let them help pick out things like school bags, pencil cases and lunchboxes.

·         Talk with your child about what they are looking forward to about school and what worries they may have, and try to answer any questions they have. 

·         Parents should try to take their child to school for the first few days of school. Alternatively, arrange for a familiar person to do it so that the child has a link to their home environment. 

·         Going with friends or an older brother or sister (if there is one) can also help.

·         Familiarise yourself with school policies, for example those relating to uniforms, lunches and discipline. This will aid your understanding of the guidelines that influence your child's school day.

How to Talk to Your Child about School

As was mentioned above, talking to your child about school can help them to adjust. This continues to be important throughout their school lives.

·         Talk with your child regularly about school. While this is important in itself, it also means that if a problem arises your child is used to talking about school matters.

·         Remember to listen to what your child tells you. All parents lead busy lives, and sometimes it is easy to be distracted when your child is talking to you.

·         Find an appropriate time and place to talk to your child. This should not be a formal time, but can be at mealtimes when the family is discussing their day, when a child has brought an art project home from school, or even on the way home from school.

·         Always ask your child about their experiences in school in a casual and relaxed way. This can be difficult, particularly if you are worried about a problem or incident. Remember, the way you react to your child in this type of situation may affect whether they will come to you with their concerns again.

·         However, while it is important to be relaxed, never dismiss concerns that your child may share.

How to Approach Your Child's School

Parents have many reasons to contact their child's school, ranging from getting information on school events to dealing with possible difficulties. Teachers and school staff are always willing to speak with parents, but keeping a few things in mind can help the process.

·         While teachers are always willing to speak with parents, it is important to remember to find the right time to do this. The start of the school day can be very busy, so try to arrange a good time with the teacher.

·         Be sure to attend any parent-teacher meetings the school organises. This gives both parents and teachers a chance to talk about a child's progress.

·         If you do need to talk with the teacher about a problem your child is having remember to be calm and to communicate your concerns clearly. Listen to what the teacher has to say and work together to find the best way to tackle the problem. 

·         Attending school events, such as sports days and Christmas concerts, can also be very important. Not only do children enjoy the chance to share their achievements with their parents, but these events also provide the parents with a useful means of strengthening their relationship with their child's teacher, as well as getting to know other staff including teachers your child may have in the future and the school principal.

 

Ongar Village                             Phone: 01 8260055

Ongar                                      

Dublin 15     

E-Mail: ongar@motherhubbardschildcare.ie

Slane rd Feb/March newsletter 2014

Mother Hubbards Newsletter

February/March 2014

 

Fundraisers

National Pyjama Day will be held on Friday 7^th March. This is an annual event organised by Early Childhood Ireland. Children and staff are invited to wear their pyjamas to Mother Hubbards on this day and make a small contribution.  All money raised on Pyjama Day is donated to the Irish Hospice Foundation Homecare for Children Programme. This is always a very successful event and the children and staff have great fun. Permission slips and further information will be sent home nearer the date.

ECCE Bookings September 2014

 We are now taking bookings for this coming September for our ECCE class.  Children born between 2^nd February 2010 and 30^th June 2011 will be entitled to this free preschool year. If you have any children or have any friends with children who fall into this age bracket, please contact us to book a place.

 

 

New Soup on our Menu

Leek and Potato Soup

 

Serves 6 children.

 

Ingredients

3 leeks

1 onion

40g butter or splash of oil

350g (when peeled)

1 vegetable stock cube

1 bay leaf

Black pepper

300ml milk

 

Method

·         Peel potatoes and chop into small chunks

·         Trim the leeks and cut them into thin slices

·         Peel and chop the onion

·         Put 600ml of boiling water into stock cube to dissolve

·         Gentle heat the butter/oil and add the onion and leeks. Cover the pot and cook gentle for 8-10minutes

·         Then add the potatoes, stock, bay leave and pinch of pepper to the pot

·         Bring to the boil, then turn down and cover the pot with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and soft.

·          

·         Take off heat and remove bay leave

·         Blend the soup, put back on the heat on a gentle heat and stir in the milk

 

Amounts may vary according to the amount of children.

 

Interesting Article

Parents often ask, what is the ‘right’ age to send their child to school at.  It is often a difficult question to answer as all children are different. Below is a link to an article which was published recently in the Irish Independent that you may find to be an interesting read.

 

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/teachers-acting-as-babysitters-for-children-being-sent-to-school-too-soon-29945719.html

Reminders

 

·        We’d like to remind all parents to please send coats/scarves/hats etc with your children and we will ensure they wear them when going outside to play.

·        Sessional Montessori will also close Friday 14^th March at 12.00pm for the March Mid Term Break and re open Wednesday 19th March at 9.00am.

·        If you have any news/suggestions you would like to appear in our next newsletter, please let us know.

 

Mother Hubbard’s,

56 Blackcastle Demesne

Slane road

Co. Meath

046-9059967