The Queen of Hearts Nursery School

Hello, Hello, Hello...

2012-01-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

As part of our 'My World' topic, one of our parents, PC Paul Bertram, visited the nursery in his police car. The children were able to sit behind the wheel of the police car, lights flashing and sirens blaring! Adele, who works in forensics, also visited and the children had great fun having their foot and fingerprints taken. As a sign of our appreciation, what better than some 'Heroes' chocolates for the people who help us. Thank you!

Err, have you got this in a smaller size please?

New Project Topics 2/3 Year Side

2012-01-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

W/c 9 & 16 January - My World
W/c 23 & 30 January - Colours of the World
W/c 6 & 13 February - Music & The Arts
W/c 20 & 27 February - World Stories

New Project Topics 3/4 Year Side

2012-01-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

W/c 9 & 16 January - Around the World
W/c 23 & 30 January - Festivals & Chinese New Year
W/c 6 & 13 February - Communication, Language & Literacy
W/c 20 & 27 February - Music & The Arts

OAP Christmas Dinner Singalong 4th & 5th January

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday afternoon children and staff had a lovely afternoon entertaining members of the local community at their annual Christmas dinner. They sang songs from their Christmas concert 'Humph the Grumpy Camel' amongst others. The children sang with gusto - it was great to extend their Christmas festivities for longer! We will be visiting again tomorrow afternoon so watch this space for more photos...

Christmas Cake Recipe

2011-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

Our children have been busy making Christmas cakes to take home as part of their Christmas activities. We thought you may like to share the recipe we used (minus the nuts & brandy!) to make at home.

Ingredients:

225g/8oz plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
200t/7oz butter
200g/7oz dark brown sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
1 tbsp marmalade
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
800g/13/4lb mixed dried fruits
100g/31/2oz chopped mixed peel
150g/5oz glace cherries, halved
100g/31/2oz blanched almonds, chopped
brandy

To decorate:

200g/7oz marzipan
1-2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
royal icing
3 free-range egg whites
600g/1lb 5oz icing sugar, sieved
11/2 tsp liquid gelatine - optional
1tbsp lemon juice

Preparation method:

1. Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Grease a 20cm/8inch round or an 18cm/7inch square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.

2. Sieve the flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl.

3. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the sugar, treacle, marmalade and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

4. Mix the eggs a little at a time into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last amount.

5. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed and then mix in the dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries and the almonds.

6. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre.

7. Bake in the oven for 3 hours and then test with a skewer. If not ready bake for up to another hour testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.

9. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

10. Once cool, make a few holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tbsp of brandy. Let the brandy soak into the cake.

11. Store the cake wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin or plastic container, holes side up.

12. OPTIONAL: For a rich and moist cake, spoon over a few tablespoons of brandy every week until you are ready to ice and decorate your cake.

13. To decorate the cake, place the cake on a foil board or cake plate.

14. Dust your hands and the work surface with a little icing sugar and knead the marzipan until soft.

15. Roll out half the marzipan to fit the top of the cake and roll out the rest in strips to fit around the sides of the cake.

16. Brush the cake all over with the warmed apricot jam and then place the marzipan on top and around the cake.

17. Cover the cake with a clean tea towel and then leave in a cool place for at least a day.

18. To make the icing, lightly whisk the egg whites adding the sugar at intervals. Beat well until the icing reaches soft peaks. Add the glycerine if using and the lemon juice.

19 Spread icing all over the cake either flat iced using a clean ruler or by forming soft peaks. Decorate with Christmas ornaments.

20. Or just buy one from Marks & Spencer (or other good stores) and sit back, open a bottle of wine/port and enjoy!

Happy Christmas to you all and a very prosperous New Year x

Christmas Concert 2011

2011-12-12T03:59:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all our pre-school children who gave fantastic performances of 'Humph! The Grumpy Camel' last week. Thank you parents, grandparents & friends for your constant support and confidence in us. Please contact the office if you would like to order a dvd and haven't placed your order yet. Here are a few magic moments from the concerts we would like to share with you...

Christmas Topics 2-3 & 3-4 year side

2011-11-28T02:34:00.000-08:00

W/c 14 November - Preparing for Christmas
W/c 21 November - Giving & Receiving
W/c 28 November - Winter Weather
W/c 5 December - Nativity
W/c 12 December - Christmas Fun & Games
W/c 19 December - Christmas Characters

Children In Need Friday 18th November 2011

2011-11-21T01:59:00.000-08:00

A huge well done to all our children & staff who made our 'spotty day' a resounding success! The staff baked themselves into a frenzy with an amazing array of cakes and thank you to our parents who contributed also. Special thanks are due to Mrs Hollwey who baked an incredible 'Pudsey' bear cake which was won as part of a 'pick a spot' competition. The children loved our 'spotty' dress up theme and we really appreciate the effort everyone went to. Total amount raised was £233.26. Well done everyone!

Raffle prizes to be claimed!!

2011-11-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who supported the 'Autumn Bonanza' shopping evening. The stalls were wonderful, as always, and a fabulous time was had by all.

We now have a few unclaimed raffle prizes. If you hold any of the following winning numbers please call in to nursery with your ticket to claim your prize:

Pink 276-280
Yellow 11-15 - claimed
Pink 146-150
Blue 256-260
Pink 26-30
Pink 101-105 - claimed
Blue 271-275
Pink 211-215

Thank you again to all the local traders who kindly donated raffle prizes.

Autumn Bonanza Shopping Night Wednesday 9th November 7.30pm

2011-11-07T03:06:00.001-08:00

Just to remind everyone that our shopping evening is this Wednesday - tickets are on sale in the office. Entrance is £1 and includes wine and nibbles. This is always a really busy event - Mrs Parker opens her house for the evening to parents and friends to enjoy stress free shopping in the run up to Christmas.

This year we have over 20 stalls - selling high quality gifts - including 'Twisted Silver' Jewellery, toys, books, cards & wrapping paper, Christmas planters, bird boxes & plants, garden accessories, hand embroidered gifts, vintage and upcycled gifts, children's clothes, pottery, cookware, mosiacs and more!

Tickets are also available on the door.

We look forward to seeing you all!

Halloween Fun!

2011-11-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

We had a spooktastic time on Halloween dressing up in the nursery with lots of ghosts, fairies, vampires, witches, skeletons, cats and goblins hopping and scampering around! The 3-4 children in the afternoon were invited to Waterstones in Kettering for a fun-packed hour of halloween activities and stories. Mrs Parker and the staff accompanied them and this culminated in a fancy dress competition and 'monster' face pulling! Well done to the children (and staff) who made a fantastic effort with their wonderful costumes. I wish it could be Halloween every day...

Harvest Festival

2011-10-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all our parents for your kind donations to our Harvest appeal. We donated some of the boxes to local elderly residents and took a big box across to the Baptist church for delivery to St Jude's Community drop in centre, which is a support centre for the homeless.

Autumn Topics 2-3 years

2011-10-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

W/c 3 October - Autumn
W/c 10 October - Animals
W/c 17 October - Harvest
W/c 24 October - Diwali
W/c 31 October - Halloween
W/c 7 November - Bonfire night

Autumn Topics 3-4 years

2011-10-14T08:58:00.002-07:00

W/c 3 October - Harvest
W/c 10 October - Autumn & Autumn weather
W/c 17 October - Autumn animals
W/c 24 October - Diwali
W/c 31 October - Halloween
W/c 7 November - Bonfire Night

2011-10-14T08:58:00.001-07:00

All About Me Topic 2-3 years & 3-4 years

2011-09-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

W/c 5th September - ME
W/c 12th September - MY FAMILY
W/c 19th September - MY BODY
W/c 26th September - I CAN

Summer Concert 2011

2011-07-13T03:18:00.000-07:00

Well done to all our amazing children on the 3/4 year side of the nursery who participated in our annual summer concert, 'The Hoity Toity Bumblebee'. It was a huge success - the children were wonderful and showed their parents and families their skills in Music, Dance, Drama & French. Thank you to all our parents for their support and a very big thank you to Jessica Eastaway for organising a collection which showered our staff and children with much appreciated treats! Roll on our Christmas production...

Going Places Topic 3/4 years

2011-07-13T03:15:00.001-07:00

w/c 4th & 11th July - Europe
w/c 18th & 25th July - India
w/c 1st & 8th August - Australia
w/c 15th & 22nd August - Africa
w/c 29th August - All around the world

Going Places Topic 2/3 years

2011-07-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

w/c 4th & 11th July - Europe
w/c 18th & 25th July - India
w/c 1st & 8th August - Australia
w/c 15th & 22nd August - Africa
w/c 29th August - All around the world

School Leaver's Trip

2011-07-13T02:54:00.000-07:00

Twinlakes

Leavers Trip

Thursday 14^th July

9.00am – 5.00pm

Please ensure you are at nursery for 9.00am. The coach will be leaving at 9.30am and will return to nursery at 5.00pm.

Please could you dress your child in nursery uniform and bring waterproof jackets and a sunhat to cover every eventuality! We will take suncream but please remember to apply it to your child before you arrive.

If you are accompanying your child please do not park in our car park.

We hope you have a lovely trip!

Congratulations Emma!

2011-07-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

Our congratulations go out to Emma Wittering, one of our Senior Nursery Nurses, who has completed her BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with a 2:1. Well done Emma!

Rotary Presentation

2011-05-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Huge congratulations to all our children on making our 'Young Artists' entry at the Alfred East art gallery such a great success. Due to the high standard of entries this year we all won an award for our imaginative displays and the nursery received a WHSmith voucher from Kettering Rotary Club to spend on art and craft supplies. A special commendation certificate was awarded to one of our older children for the standard of her work - well done to everyone who participated!

The Royal Wedding

2011-05-06T06:45:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the Royal Wedding with a week of activities culminating in our 'street party' on Thursday 28th April 2011. We had a traditional English picnic tea and a visit from the Mayor was the highlight of the afternoon. Lots of flag waving was enjoyed by all the children! We hope you had a lovely extended Bank Holiday weekend.

Minibeasts Topic 3/4 years

2011-05-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

W/c 25th April to 3rd May - The Royal Wedding and Caterpillars & butterflies
W/c 9th to 16th May - Ladybirds & beetles
W/c 16th to 23rd May - Slugs & snails
W/c 31st May to 6th June - Ants, bees & wasps
W/c 20th to 27th June - Spiders & worms

Minibeasts Topic 2/3 years

2011-05-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

W/c 25th April to 3rd May - The Royal Wedding and
Ladybirds & Beetles
W/c 9th to 16th May - Slugs & Snails
W/c 23rd to 31st May - Ants, bees & wasps
W/c 6th to 13th June - Spiders & worms
W/c 20th to 27th June - Caterpillars & butterflies

Alfred East Art Gallery - Young Artists 2011

2011-04-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Once again, we are displaying the children's artwork in an exhibition at the Alfred East Art Gallery for the Young Artists 2011. Children from both the older and younger side of the nursery have participated in our display which is based on our topics 'growth' and 'life cycles of frogs and chicks'.
Entry is free and the exhibition is open from the 9th to 30th April 2011. Please see the posters on display at the nursery for opening times.

Red Nose Day

2011-03-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

On Friday 18th March, the Queen of Hearts Nursery School joined in the fun of Red Nose Day in aid of Comic Relief 2011. We all wore something red.

A 'Monster Cake Sale' was held on both sides of the nursery and a whopping £315.00 was
raised from ge nerous contributions from parents, carers, staff and children.

We tasted a whole variety of 'red' food, ranging from pomegranate juice to jam and enjoyed a 'Gruffalo' themed dinner and tea - especially the 'strawberry mouse mousse'!

A huge thank you to everyone for making our Red Nose Day such a great success!

World Book Day Celebrations

2011-03-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Today the Queen of Hearts Nursery School celebrated World Book Day. Children and staff came to nursery school dressed as their favourite book character. We re-imagined 'The Wizard of Oz', 'Alice In Wonderland', 'Goldilocks & the Three Bears', 'Harry Potter', 'Peppa Pig' & 'Toy Story' to name just a few! We later visited Waterstones book store where we had great fun choosing stories from the bookshelves to be read aloud. Well done to the winner of the fancy dress competition!

Please don't forget to pick up your £1 World Book Day Voucher in the entrance hall if you haven't already -these can be exchanged at all good bookstores.

3-4 Year Old's Project Topics

2011-01-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

W/c 17th January - Paper/Card
W/c 24th January - Metal
W/c 31st January - Fabrics
W/c 7th Febuary - Wood
W/c 14th February - Plastic
W/c 21st February - Building Materials

2-3 Year Old's Project Topics

2011-01-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

W/c 17th January - We're Going on a Bear Hunt
W/c 24th January - Winnie the Pooh
W/c 31st January - Goldilocks and the Three Bears
W/c 7th February - Teddy Bear's Picnic
W/c 14th February - Where's My Teddy?
W/c 21st February - Our Teddies

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T03:51:00.000-08:00

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and would like to wish you all a very happy New Year!

'The Christmas Factory' - Thursday pm concert

2010-12-21T02:35:00.000-08:00

Please click to enlarge

'The Christmas Factory' Concert - Tuesday cast

2010-12-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all the cast of the Tuesday morning Christmas concert who put on a fantastic performance for our parents. We thought we'd share a few pictures with you of our Tuesday perfomers, Thursday pictures to follow...

Children In Need

2010-11-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who helped us to raise a massive £199.66 for Children In Need. The staff and parents baked some scrumptious cakes for our cake sale and the children really went to town with our 'wear something spotty' theme. Pictures to follow...

Autumn Bonanza

2010-11-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who attended our Autumn Bonanza Shopping Evening on Wednesday 10th November. The evening was a great success and the entry fee and raffle raised £371 which has gone straight back into the nursery funds. So far we have purchased a big pack of Early Years books for the children and the rest will be spent on toys and equipment. The rest of the evening is purely non-profit making and simply for parents enjoyment (we hope your bank balance wasn't too badly affected!).

Diwali Celebrations

2010-11-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the Diwali festival in style at the nursery, with two parents volunteering their time to organise activities for the children. They stencilled Indian symbols, made clay Diva pots, created Rangoli patterns with rice, made Indian coconut sweets and had their hands painted with traditional Mendhi hand decorations. The children also explored dressing up in Indian clothing and the staff enjoyed participating too (as i'm sure you can see from the photos!). A huge thank you to Superna & Mita for planning such a fabulous week for us - we are looking forward to next year's celebrations!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T04:56:00.001-07:00

We all had a wonderfully 'spooktastic' day at nursery surrounded by witches, cats, vampires, spiders, bats, devils and goblins to name just a few!

Well done to all the children who made a fantastic effort with their costumes and joined us for a day of fun and exciting activities themed around the spookiest day of the year.

Only 365 days to go until our next Halloween extravaganza...

Five Little Pumpkins

Sitting On A Gate

Anonymous

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
The first one said,
"Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one said,
"But we don't care."
The third one said,
"I see witches in the air."
The fourth one said,
"Let's run, and run, and run."
The fifth one said,
"Get ready for some fun."
Then whoosh went the wind,
and out went the lights,
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Air Photography 2nd - 4th November

2010-10-25T02:53:00.000-07:00

Air Nursery are specialist nursery photographers who like to do things a little differently. They specialise in a very contemporary style of 'High Key' photography to produce great results that parents can be proud of. Parents will receive a choice of five images and can purchase from a wide range of hand-finished photo products, value print packs and high resolution CDs. If you would like your child to have their photo taken with their siblings please let us know and we can arrange this for you. Children who only attend on Monday and Fridays can drop in at any time Tues - Thurs for their photo opportunity!

New Projects

2010-10-25T02:49:00.000-07:00

W/c 25th October - Autumn & Halloween
W/c 1st November - Autumn & Bonfire Night
W/c 8th November - Diwali
W/c 15th November - Getting Ready for Christmas...

2-3 year old side - Welcome Evening 27 & 28 September 2010

2010-09-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

Did you spot the deliberate mistake in your recent letter? The time for the welcome evening for our current parents on the younger side of the nursery will be 7.00pm on both Monday and Tuesday evening. We look forward to seeing you!

3-4 Year Olds New Project - Pets

2010-08-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

W/c 30 August - Cats & Dogs
W/c 13 September - Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
W/c 27 September - Reptiles
W/c 11 October - Fish & Birds

2-3 Year Olds New Project - Pets

2010-08-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

W/c 30 August - Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
W/c 13 September - Cats & Dogs
W/c 27 September - Fish & Birds
W/c 11 October - Reptiles

HOT, HOT HOT!

2010-07-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

Whilst our british weather is usually rainy at the moment we are experiencing some beautiful weather. Whilst this is lovely as it enables us to spend more time outdoors we are also very concious of the children's sun safety. In helping us to achieve this we would ask that sun cream is applied prior to arriving at nursery and that they bring a hat to wear whilst outside. If their suncream could then be put in their bag then we can reapply it when neccessary.

Costa Queen of Hearts

2010-07-09T01:14:00.000-07:00

On the 15th July the 2-3yr olds are having a beach day. So bring your buckets and spades, flip flops, and beach balls for a fun filled day.

This is not goodbye but more of a see you later...

2010-07-09T01:01:00.000-07:00

On a rather sad note we are saying goodbye to a very loved and highly valued member of our team. Jen Whittington has been with us since the nursery first opened in 1990. She is most renowned for her fantastic French sessions that she has provided which have given the children a wonderful insight into different cultures and another language. She has become part of the furniture and we will be sad to see her go, but we wish her well in her retirement and hope she has a well earned rest.

Reminder!

2010-07-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder to all the preschool children who took part in the music and drama exams. To celebrate their success we are holding a music and drama presentation at the mask theatre on the 24th July. Tickets are on sale so if you would like to come and see us and see a snippet of what the exams entailed please purchase tickets from the office and come and join us.

Tea and cakes included!

The Greatest Treasure of All!

2010-07-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

READY, CAMERA, ACTION!

A big thank you to all the children who took part in the nursery concert it was a HUGE success. We are all very proud of the children and we hope you all enjoyed the performance.

The storyline of the Pirates vs the Sailors included some real comedy value but at the same time brought home the message of friendship, working together and helping each other. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for both the children and the staff and we hope it will be a fond memory for all. If you wish to purchase a DVD of the concert please send your slips into Caroline in the office.

Leavers Photograph

2010-07-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

As it has come to that time of year again we get ready to say 'Bon Voyage' to all the children heading off to BIG SCHOOL. To mark this special time we all gathered for a photograph on the nursery steps, and the the photograph, (of which you will all receive a copy), will leave us with fond memories of the the children and the time they shared with us. We wish all the children well as they make the transition to their new schools, and please come back and visit as we would love to know how you are all getting on.

Reminder!

2010-07-08T23:32:00.001-07:00

Just a quick reminder to all of the children who will soon be venturing off to BIG SCHOOL our leavers trip is on the 15th July so, if you can, please come and join us for a fun filled day. We are heading off to Twin Lakes for the day and it is a day to celebrate the children's time with us and wish them well as they set off to their new journey.

New Editions!

2010-07-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

As promised here is a photogragh of Hayley with Aaron Eric and Julia anne with Isla Gabriella. They are both doing well and are enjoying becoming Mummies.

2-3 year olds New Project - Transport

2010-07-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

W/c 5 July - On the Road
W/c 19 July - In the Sky
W/c 2 August - Along the Track
W/c 16 August - On the Water

3-4 year olds New Project - Fact and Fiction

2010-07-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

W/c 5 July - Cavemen and Dinosaurs
W/c 19 July - Princesses and Dragons
W/c 2 August - Astronauts and Aliens
W/c 16 August - Superheroes

It's show time!

2010-06-29T10:37:00.001-07:00

Well, the Tuesday concert has been and gone and well done to all the children that took part. The performance was fantastic and the children all did us proud. We are now looking forward to the Thursday performance, which is taking place in the morning, so if your child is in this performance we look forward to seeing you there. Photo's are to follow soon!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! (well orange juice really)

2010-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder to all of you on the older side of the nursery to remember your pirate costumes on Friday 2nd July for our 'Pirate Party'. So dig out your eye patches, wooden legs, parrots and treasure and join us for a Jolly Roger time!

Jamie Oliver Who?

2010-06-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

For our recent topic on colour the children on the younger side of the nursery enjoyed making rainbow cakes.

One of the children was so excited they brought in their own chef's outfit and had their photograph taken with our big chef rob!

We used the children's home corner as the scene for the cooking experience and the children loved their imaginative kitchen coming to life. The children enjoyed exploring the cooking equipment including the weighing scales.

The children were intrigued by the changes to the ingredients as we mixed them together.

We divided the mixture up and added a different colour to each bowl. We then put a bit of each colour into every cake case to add the rainbow element to our cakes.

We put our cakes into the oven, and voila here's some we made earlier!

It's a Boy!

2010-06-03T02:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Hayley Desborough, our Business Support Officer, who gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Aaron, on Tuesday June 1st, weighing in at 6lbs 13ozs. Well done Hayley & Rob! Watch this space for photos...

It's A Girl!

2010-06-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Mrs Parker on becoming a Grandma for the third time. Her daughter, Julia-Anne, gave birth to her first child - a beautiful baby girl, Isla, on May 8th 2010. Well done Julia-Anne and Simon - watch this space for photos!

3-4 year olds New Project - The Greatest Treasure Of All

2010-04-22T04:22:00.000-07:00

W/c 3rd-10th May - Sailing on the Sea
W/c 17th-24th May - Under the Deep Blue Sea
W/c 31st May-7th June - A Pirate's Life for Me
W/c 14th - 21st June - Treasure Island

2-3 year olds New Project - Colour and Shape

2010-04-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

W/c 3rd May - Red
W/c 10th May - Yellow
W/c 17th May - Blue
W/c 24th May - Colour Mixing
W/c 31st May - Black and White
W/c 7th June - Rainbow
W/c 14th June - Shapes
W/c 21st June - Shapes All Around Us.

Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken...lay a little egg for me!

2010-04-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

The children enjoyed interacting with Gail's chickens this week as part of our 'Spring Has Sprung' topic. The theme of 'Animal Babies' was especially highlighted as they actually laid an egg which one of the children got to take home whilst it was still warm!

Breast Cancer Campaign Pink Day

2010-04-20T04:03:00.000-07:00

One of our nursery parents is running the London Marathon on Sunday 25th April 2010 on behalf of the Breast Cancer Campaign. This is the only charity that specialises in funding independent breast cancer research throughout the UK. To help give him a head start with fundraising we decided to hold our own 'Wear Pink Day' for children and staff throughout the nursery. We would like to wish him all the very best for Sunday and thank the parents for their generosity.

.

Bath time for Luca

2010-04-16T00:53:00.001-07:00

As part of our topic on 'Growing up', Sonia brought in 7 week old Luca to see the children. She demonstrated bathing, feeding and changing him. Staff members held a big discussion with the children about what babies need.
The visit was so successful your children may come home requesting a brother or a sister!

We'd like to say a big thank you to Sonia for bring Luca into Nursery.

Ping and Pong visited the Nursery

2010-04-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

As part of our topic on 'Animal Babies', one of the children at the Queen of Hearts Nursery School brought in their 3 week old lambs to show everyone at nursery. The children loved the opportunity to watch, stroke and feed the lambs.

We would like to say a big thank you to James and his daddy.

If anyone has anything that they would like to bring in and share with the children at the Queen of Hearts Nursery School please contact the office.

Bishop Stopford Community Challenge

2010-04-07T03:52:00.000-07:00

Bishop Stopford have set their children a 'Community Challenge' and Praneeth Lagisetty (a former Queen of Hearts Nursery School pupil) decided to carry out his challenge at the Queen of Hearts. Praneeth came up with the idea of Olympic Style games. He addressed the children first to prepare them for the games, informing them of what they will be doing and then split them in to groups. The children started with a race, then the winners from each group took part in bean bag throwing, the 3 winners from that then had an egg and spoon race to find the overall winner.

The children that came 1st, 2nd and 3rd received their own trophy. The children had a lovely time and clearly a lot of time and effort was put in to this, well done Praneeth.

Young Artists Exhibition 3rd April - 17th April 2010

2010-04-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

The Queen of Hearts Nursery School were invited to create a display for the Young Artists Exhibition being held at The Alfred East Art Gallery, Sheep Street, Kettering between the dates of 3rd April until 17th April. Nine schools took part and the displays were judged by a panel. We were delighted when it was announced that the Queen of Hearts Nursery School had come in 3rd place.
Our display was based on Spring, the children worked very hard on their pictures as you can see.

Sonia and her new arrival

2010-03-19T05:19:00.001-07:00

Sonia brought baby Luca in to meet us today. Luca Amato was born on the 22nd February at 6pm weighing 6lbs 12oz and as you can see mum and baby are doing well.

New project 'Spring has Sprung'

2010-03-01T01:06:00.000-08:00

2-3yrs and 3-4yrs
8th & 15th March - Buds and Blooms
22nd & 29th March - Eggs and Lifecycles
5th & 12th April - Growing up
19th & 26th April - Animal Babies

Healthy Eating in Nursery Schools

2010-02-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

The Queen of Hearts Nursery School were asked if we would like to appear in the Evening Telegraph regarding 'healthy eating in nursery schools' due to the BBC Investigation in to why healthy eating for under fives is so important.

As you can see from the picture we were more than happy to.

(Click to enlarge)

A budding young Actor

2010-02-03T00:46:00.000-08:00

Richard Barber is set to be a star! He attended the Queen of Hearts Nursery School and went on to join our After School Music & Drama and French classes. Richard then attended Stagecoach in Kettering before joining Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

We would like to wish him all the luck for his bright future on the stage.
(Click to enlarge)

Christmas Eve treat

2010-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

The children from the Queen of Hearts Nursery School were invited by Hobson's Choice, Kettering to see Father Christmas on Christmas Eve morning. Everyone received a small gift and sang Christmas songs they all had an amazing time.

Nursery Update

2009-12-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

Friday 18th December 2009

The Nursery is open and fully staffed

Our project for the New Year

2009-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

2-3yrs - Nursery Rhymes
11th January - Incy Wincey Spider
18th January - The Queen of Hearts
25th January - Five Cheeky Monkeys
1st February - Hickory Dickory Dock
8th February - Mary, Mary, quite contrary
15th February - Humpty Dumpty
22nd February - Baa Baa Black Sheep
1st March - 5 Currant Buns

3-4yrs - Traditional Stories
11th - 18th January - Hansel and Gretel
25th - 1st February - Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
8th - 15th February - The Gingerbread Man
22nd February - 1st March - The 3 Billy Goats Gruff

Children's Christmas Concert 2009

2009-12-09T02:16:00.000-08:00

The Pre-school children performed their Chirstmas Nativity play themed 'The Whoops A Daisy Angel'. The performance included French songs as well as Christmas Carols, drama and dance. All 78 children were included in either a morning or afternoon performance.

Children's Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-09T02:12:00.000-08:00

Click to enlarge

Our Children in Need Day 2009

2009-11-23T00:59:00.000-08:00

The staff and children made a great effort to raise money for Children in Need by wearing something spotty and Staff and parents brought in homemade cakes to sell.

We managed to raise £245.17 which I'm sure you'll agree is fantastic!

Christmas Concert 2009

2009-11-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday 8th and Thursday 10th December the children on the older side of the nursery will be performing in our Christmas Concert at the Rockingham Road Baptist Church - you have already received a letter informing you which concert your child will be performing in.

The children have started rehearsals at the Baptist Church and I'm sure you will all love it, your children will make you very proud.

The remaining rehearsal dates and times are (This only applies if your child does not already attend these sessions):

Tuesday 24th November 1:15 at the nursery and collection at 3:30 from the Baptist Church
Thursday 26th November 9:15 at the nursery and collection at 11:30 from the Baptist Church
Tuesday 1st December 1:15 at the nursery and collection at 3:30 from the Baptist Church
Thursday 3rd December 9:15 at the nursery and collection at 11:30 from the Baptist Church

Tickets (Programmes) will be on sale in the Reception area of the older side the week before the Concert, you are welcome to bring family and friends - the tickets are sold per person.

We will look forward to seeing you there.

Children in Need 2009

2009-11-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

For children in Need this year we are 'doing something different'. On Friday 20th November we will be wearing something spotty.

We would like parents to donate £1, all donations will be gratefully received.

We will also be holding a cake stall in each reception area so feel free to bring in some of your creations for us to sell to other parents and staff to raise money for this good cause.

Kids Klub Productions

2009-11-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

This week we have Kids Klub Productions in the Nursery. The children got all wrapped up in their coats, hats and scarfs and sat in Santa's Sleigh. On their sleigh ride they met some friendly characters, had a snowball fight, flew with Rudolph and had lots of fun. The preview DVD is available straight away for you to take home and watch with your family, if you would like to purchase a copy simply return it in the envelope, mark what you would like to order and enclose the payment - cheques are payable to 'Kids Klub'.
If you decide not to order a copy please return the DVD in the envelope.

We hope you enjoy watching your child on their Christmas Adventure.

Autumn Bonanza

2009-11-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

Our Autumn Bonanza was a fantastic success we had 18 stalls selling items such as Furniture, Handbags, Cards and wrapping paper, Jamie Oliver Cookware, Jams and Pickles, Educational Toys, Paintings, Jewellery, Beauty products, Chocolates, Usborne books, Partylite candles, Photography, Wooden toys and Handmade gifts and keepsakes. On the Queen of Hearts raffle table we generously received gifts from local businessess, Frankie and Bennys, Hobsons Choice, Petal Cascade, New York Thunderbowl, Tesco, Co-op, WH Smiths, Colemans of Kettering, Kids Play, Pets at Home, Riverside Flowers and Focus.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the evening and supporting the Queen of Hearts Nursery School.

Our Visit to Abbeyfield

2009-11-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 11th November the children and staff on the older side of the nursery visited Abbeyfield Residential Home to sing some songs to the residents. The Children sang two French songs with actions - Winter and Christmas songs - that we have been rehearsing for the Christmas Concert. Both the children and residents had a wonderful time and were offered biscuits and orange juice as a thank you.

Current Project

2009-11-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Our current project is 'Winter Wonderland'
2-3 years side
9th November - Preparing for Christmas
16th November - Giving and receiving
23rd November -Christmas characters
30th November - Winter weather
7th December - Nativity
14th December - Fun and games

3-4 years side
9th November - Preparing for Christmas
16th Novmber - Giving and receiving
23rd November - Christmas characters
30th November - Winter Weather
7th December - Fun and games
14th December - Nativity

The children got creative with Isub education

2009-11-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Kerrie and Paul Marks run a company in Burton Latimer that sells specialist printing systems to schools. They thought it might be interesting having a fun day at the Nursery making some products with the children, they made jigsaw puzzles, money boxes and Frisbee's with many other items that could be created like t shirts, keyrings, mugs, canvas prints etc..

The children had a lovely time and are very proud of their creations, if you would like to know more about their company you can visit their website at www.isub-education.co.uk or call them on 0121 288 9898.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

The children and staff dressed up for Halloween and had a fantastically spooky day.
We had witches, devils, spiders, dinosaurs, skeletons, pirates, cats, vampires and pumpkins, doesn't everyone look great!

Our Diwali celebrations

2009-10-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Diwali last week by inviting one of our ex-parents to come in and talk to the children about the meaning of Diwali.

The children loved dressing up, having their hands decorated with Mendhi patterns and enjoyed a Diwali dinner with members of staff who all joined in with the celebration.

Happy 60th Birthday Mrs Parker

2009-10-02T00:49:00.001-07:00

To celebrate Mrs Parkers 60th Birthday we held a surpise 'Street Party'. The children enjoyed a tea party with music and a dance with Mrs Parker.

Current Project

2009-10-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

Our current project is 'Expressions of Autumn'
2-3yrs & 3-4 yrs side
7th & 14th September - Primary colours / Changes
21st & 28th September- Autumn colours
5th & 12th October - Harvest and Diwali
19th & 26th October - Hibernation and Halloween
2nd & 9th November - Bonfire Night

Congratulations Kerry and Karl

2009-07-20T02:32:00.000-07:00

Our dance teacher Kerry has given birth to a beautiful little boy, Billy Karl Buckby.

Billy was born on Saturday 4th July at 8:02pm, weighing 7lbs 11oz.

Mum and baby are doing well. Congratulations Kerry and Karl.

Current Project

2009-07-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

Our current project is 'Wish your were here'
The 2-3yrs and 3-4 yrs are working on different topics throughout this project:

2-3yrs side
6th & 13th July - The Beach
20th & 27th July - The Sea
3rd & 10th August - British Holidays
17th & 24th August - Holidays abroad

3-4yrs side
6th & 13th July - How will you travel
20th & 27th July - Caravans/Camping British Holidays
3rd & 10th August - Sea, Sun & Sand
17th & 24th August - Wonders of the World

Hayley and Rob's Wedding

2009-06-30T04:37:00.000-07:00

I got married on Saturday 27th June 2009 at The Hunting Lodge, Cottingham. It was an amazing day from start to finish, the staff at the Hunting Lodge could not do any more for you they were fantastic! The weather was mostly dry - I've been told rain on your wedding day is good luck anyway :) despite the weather we were able to get some brillaint photographs, thought I would share a few taken by the guests with you.

Current Project

2009-05-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Our current project is 'The Jungle'
4th May - 15th May - Jungle Habitat
18th May- 29th May - In the trees
1st June - 12th June - By the swamp
15th June - 26th June - In the undergrowth

An eggcellent day

2009-04-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today we had three Bantam hens in the nursery belonging to Gail. She became hooked on 'The good life' after we successfully hatched chicks last year. The hens have been named, Loulou Kizzy and Saffy. Two of the hens (Kizzy and Saffy) amazed and thrilled the children by laying an egg each, now the children realise that eggs certainly don't originate from Sainsbury's.

Homemade soup

2009-04-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

The children in the Nursery have been talking about and looking at a variety of vegetables. This afternoon they made a very tasty 'Tomato Soup'. We thought you may be interested in the trying out the recipe yourself:

Tomato Soup (serves 4)

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

a handful of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped, olive oil

6 tablespoons double cream

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 egg yolks

1kg/2lb 3oz super-ripe tomatoes

1.1 litres/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Raising money to help the Children with Leukaemia charity

2009-04-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

A parent at the nursery is running the London Marathon for the Children with Leukaemia charity and asked if there was anything we could do to help raise both awareness and money, so we decided to hold a mufti day and cake sale .

Both staff members and parents kindly made cakes to sell knowing there efforts would go to a good cause.

An Outstanding Nursery School

2009-04-02T07:27:00.001-07:00

We have recently had out Ofsted Inspection and we are pleased to announce that we received 'outstanding' in all areas.

Congratulations to all members of staff for their continued hard work and dedication.

Thank you to all parents and their wonderful children for making our job so rewarding and enjoyable.

Our 'Team of the Year' article in Partners in Print

2009-04-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

Click on each page to enlarge and read

Current Project

2009-03-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Our current project is 'The Farm':

2nd & 9th March - Flowers

16th & 23d March - Animal Babies

30th March & 6th April - Easter

13th & 20th April - Growing our food

People who help us - Fire fighter week

2009-02-16T05:07:00.001-08:00

This week on our 'People who help us' project we are learning all about The Fire Brigade.

The Green Watch from Kettering Fire Station were kind enough to come to the nursery for the children to see and sit in the fire engine, use the hose and talk to the firemen.

Library display

2009-02-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

Your children have been working hard to create beautiful weavings, finger swirls, roller ball, toothbrush, sand paint, bubble and salad spinning paintings to display at Kettering Library. We are very proud of the work the children have created and delighted that the library contacted us to display the childrens work. If you are in town and near the library please call in and have a look.

Make the most of the wonderful snow

2009-02-12T02:22:00.000-08:00

Hannah Wilson-Law wrote a letter which was printed in Wednesday 11th February 2009 Evening Telegraph

What is wrong with everyone? I cannot believe how many people I have heard complaining about the snow. Even the newsreaders commented they hoped for better weather soon (in my eyes you couldn't get better weather. People pay money to go on skiing holidays and here we've got the snow on our doorstep).

In a time in which we are constantly reminded of the worries of global warming, why are we moaning about the snow in winter (winter its meant to be cold)? Have we all become so work orientated that a couple of days of fun in the snow in unheard of? We may never see this again in our lifetime so why not enjoy it?

I work at a nursery school and for those of us who could walk in we have had a magical time. The children and the staff have made memories they will no doubt remember for a lifetime. Are a couple of days out of the normal routine so bad? Is it so awful if people stay at home and heaven forbid, have some fun?

In the past few days I have seen qualities that I have only heard my grandparents talk about - people helping one another, pushing cars, digging others out, families all out together for the whole day and just generally talking to passers by) I have actually spoken to my neighbours for the first time since moving here). Should we not be teaching our children about these things rather than wishing them away with the snow?

How often does a whole family spend a day together, let alone outside? And as for community spirit, it should be encouraged. We need to get back to the days when people helped one another. I say ban the cars, as they only ruin the magic of the beautiful landscapes covered in flawless white snow, and embrace your inner child. Get out the thermals and just enjoy - you only live once!

Fun in the snow

2009-02-06T01:15:00.000-08:00

The and children and staff had fun in the snow today building their very own Queen of Hearts Snowman.