I’m so pleased to be back after Christmas! No, honestly I am!

Firstly I’m delighted that all of the children who moved to the Den are settling in well. I’m also pleased that my existing Burrowers have returned full of energy with a thirst for learning. Finally I’d like to welcome all of our new children both from the Warren and further afield.

So…what do your children do during their time with us in the Burrow?

Well… they have a great time exploring different resources and activities during their ‘free flow play’ in the room and under the archway. They come together in small groups for snack and lunchtimes where they learn how to pour their own drinks and use their knife and fork with increasing skill whilst tantalising their taste buds with new flavours and textures.

They go on Forest School with Lauren and another member of staff from the Burrow team to learn new skills and explore the wonderful outside spaces at Free Rangers.

They come together as a whole group for Circle Times. This is when we all sit in a circle so that everyone can clearly see and hear everyone else. There’s no front or back, beginning or end, best or worst position. Everyone is in an equally good place to take part.

During Circle Times we sing ‘welcome’ and ‘hello’ songs to start the session. We often use a toy or puppet to help engage children. By saying your child’s name first we help them to ‘tune in’ and develop their listening skills; so we say ‘Soraya… hello’, rather than ‘hello Soraya’. Each child is greeted individually and they usually respond by looking at the adult, saying ‘hello’ and giving a little wave.

We also sing songs and share rhymes during our Circle Times and play games that challenge our memories or observation skills. One of our favourite Circle Time activities is ‘story making’ where we learn a story and link actions and activities to it.

Our story for this term is ‘We’re going on a Penguin Hunt’ where a mummy penguin and her chick have lost daddy penguin. There begins The Penguin Hunt. Listen out for your child talking about this story. They might even use some of the linked vocabulary such as ice berg, blizzard or ice cave.

I’ve included the text for you to share with your child.

Enjoy your own little Circle Time!

Thank you for reading.

Soraya