PEOPLE AND PLACES
- Big and little toddle
Children at Little Oaks Nursery at Oakwood School, Chichester, bravedthe rain to complete Barnardo's Big Toddle. The children followed thetoddle route through the school grounds with the kindergarten andreception class pupils hot on their heels.
Safety lessons
Road safety was among the top topics for children at Kapers Day Nurseryin Blackpool when community police officers came to visit. They learnedabout the importance of wearing seat belts in the car, using their carseats correctly and safety on the road. The children were also remindedabout not talking to strangers, and for fun they got to try on policejackets and helmets and take a close look at the policewalkie-talkies.
Pink as Peppa
Staff, parents and children from Just Learning nursery in Huntingdontook part in Peppa Pig's Challenge to raise money for baby charityTommy's. They dressed up as the popular children's character to dance to'Peppa Pig's Bing Bong Song', raising more than 190 to help fundmedical research into pregnancy problems.
Little Acorns nursery in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, also took part in thePeppa challenge, decorating masks, playing balloon games and gettingmessy with pink playdough.
Another outstanding
Staff at Tiny Toes Nursery in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, managed byBright Horizons, have been celebrating being rated outstanding in theirrecent Ofsted inspection. It is the third Bright Horizons setting tohave received an outstanding grade since September 2008.
Choice childminder
Christine Baker of Barnsley (pictured, left), is the first localchildminder to receive an outstanding Ofsted rating. A specialpresentation was held last month by Barnsley Choices, part of BarnsleyMetropolitan Borough Council, where Early Childhood Strategy ManagerNina Sleight said, 'We are so proud of Christine and she is an exampleto all childcare practitioners in Barnsley. We hope this is the first ofmany outstanding outcomes'.
- Published poets
Children from Step By Step Nursery in Glasgow were proud of theirunderstanding of poetry and rhyme when they entered Forward Press' MyFirst Poem competition. Nine of the children's poems have been chosen tobe published in the My First Poem book.
- Fire and cakes
To mark National Firefighters Day on 4 May, children from ImagineCo-operative Nursery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford welcomed avisit from Slade Fire Station crew. While children explored the fireengine and tried on hats and coats, the crew enjoyed eating thenursery's homemade cakes.
IN STOCK
Free dvd offer
Ten lucky Nursery World readers can win copies of CITV children's TVseries 'Captain Mack' on DVD from Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment. 'Captain Mack: Super Galactic Amazer Gazer' is aimed at children aged twoto seven and comprises eight 11-minute episodes and bonus features,including games.
For a chance to win a copy of the DVD and a special Captain Mack bag,send your name, address and contact details on the back of a postcard orenvelope marked 'Captain Mack' to: Nursery World Magazine, 174Hammersmith Road, London, W6 7JP, before 18 June.
- Get into Gardening
Fifi and the Flowertots will be making their debut at the Hampton CourtPalace Flower Show on 11-12 July to encourage children to get intogardening.
The Fifi Zone will invite children to compile a shopping list andcollect all the fruit and vegetables from Poppy's market stall, planttheir own Forget Me Not seeds and decorate flower pots. There will alsobe a chance to meet Fifi and have photos taken with her. For detailsvisit www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt.
Photo of the week - A lively May Day was celebrated in traditional formby children at Good as Gold Childcare Centre in Rossendale, Lancashire.They took turns dancing around the maypole and enjoyed a May Day parade,the crowning of a May Queen and Morris dancing. The purpose of the eventwas to teach the children about England's heritage.
