The first half of the summer term is complete and we have packed lots into the last few weeks!

Life cycles were a big topic for us this half term as we welcomed 5 tiny caterpillars and a tank of tiny tadpoles.  The caterpillars have a slightly quicker metamorphosis and the children enjoyed checking on their changes daily, from caterpillar to cocoon and cocoon to beautiful butterfly!  Some of the Little Owls were sad to see them go, but we hope they have flown off and found some lovely flowers to land on!  Maybe in the moonlight they will lay an egg on a leaf Our tadpoles have definitely grown and their body shape has started to change, so hopefully after half term we might start to see their legs appear.

Outside in the garden, the Little Owls have enjoyed planting a variety of vegetables and we have even planted out our very own beanstalk, will it lead us to the giant’s castle?  And if it does will we be brave enough to go inside like Jack?

Many of our Little Owls love to get creative, so the team decided to introduce a creation station in the garden that mirrors our one indoors, everything is close to hand and they have really enjoyed it. It has also given those Little Owls that like to be outdoors more opportunity to get creative and learn new skills.

Monday, 20^th May was World Bee Day so Valarie and Sarah, 2 local bee keepers, came in to talk to the children about bee keeping and making honey.  They had lots of visuals and equipment for our Little Owls to see and feel and they told us a wonderful story.  The children asked lots of interesting questions and really enjoyed trying the honey, it was very sweet and sticky.

The Little Owls Fun Run 2024 took place this half term.  Thankfully the weather held out for us and we had a wonderful morning with the Boxted Runners. The children were amazing runners and seem to complete it with ease – Boxted Runners of the future! We will let everyone know how much money we raised after the half term and the team have already picked out a few things to enhance our provision.

We finished the half term with a trip out to watch the Ride London bike race pass through Boxted. We were lucky enough to have a safe area to watch from with a gazebo and blankets, thanks to Julia for the use of her garden!  The children had made flags and a banner with a little help from the team and were so excited to watch.  Not only did we see the bikes zoom through, we saw police motorbikes and police cars with their lights and sirens on.  We also saw the support cars with lots of bikes on their roofs, and the Little Owls thought this was very funny!  It was a great event that we all enjoyed.

As we come to the last half of our summer term, we start to get ready for some of our Little Owls to transition into primary school.  The Little Owls team are here to support the children and their families and if you have any questions please just ask.  We have already started to meet some of the local reception teachers and will be welcoming them into the setting.  Our dressing up box will start to have a few uniform pieces in and we will give the children lots of support and encouragement to talk about their feelings and learn about being part of a community.

With visits from the Police and Fire Service planned in the coming weeks we will also be thinking about the people that help us.. We love inviting people into the setting and if you feel that you would like to come in and talk to our Little Owls about your job or hobby please do get in touch.

We hope everyone has a lovely half term and we will see everyone on Monday 3^rd June.