Autumn Term 2022
Date: 31st Oct 2022 @ 10:55am
It feels like a lifetime ago that I was updating you with all our latest news. I'll be honest, I have been meaning to write this blog for a while (and the longer I have left it, the more there was to cram in... so I left it some more and so on!!!) Anyway, what have we been up to since our return after the long, hot summer break?
Term time started with the usual 'back to school', 'all about me' themes, making sure that children were able to settle in without too much stress. We made 'selfie' puppets, painted portraits, completed 'all about me' books, went on 'friendship' scavenger hunts and created some fabulous worry monsters to put any of our fears for the new school year at bay. We welcomed a new sports coach who has been delivering dodgeball every morning (which certainly helps diffuse our busy breakfast clubs) and football, multisport and tennis in afterschool.
We hadn't been back long when we received the sad news about our lovely Queen so spent some time remembering her (with a little help from Paddington Bear) and also participated in some flower crafts to show our respects.
One of the big changes this month has been in our activity planning. Now that we aren't quite so restricted by COVID and are regaining some of our independence, we have a 'Wish Board' where children are invited list all the things they would like to do in club (within reason!!) with it being up to us adults to facilitate. Wishes so far have ranged from a play station and loom bands to smores, baking and clay modelling and, up until now, we are doing quite well at keeping up with demand and slipping thes ideas into our club sessions where the planning states 'children's choice'.
Before the end of the month we were visited by Ofsted - special thanks here to the children for being SO amazingly well behaved and all the helpful feedback that you sent our way.
November started off with 'Space Week' before heading straight into everything Autumnal and leafy such as mask making, Autumn spiced play dough and harvest baskets. We also celebrated World Mental Health Day through a number of art and craft activities, a spot of journalling and through our positive behaviour board.
So, here we are at the end of October and, after a wonderfully spooky holiday club at Whitby Heath, we are looking forward to a November jam-packed with special days including Dia das Muertas, Bonfire Night, Odd Sock Day, Children in Need, Remembrance Day, Thanksgiving and St Andrew's Day.