Little Lancing

This term, Little Lancing children have had lots of opportunities in their learning journeys with us. We have had visits to the Lancing College Farm with Farmer Jon, and walks exploring the riverside and the Lancing College estate.

The older Pre-school children have gained so much from their Forest School sessions, now running regularly, and it is so good to see how they have been inspired –building dens, bug hotels, making insect masks, and seeing so many possibilities for creativity using natural resources. It was lovely too to make our second visit to Lancing Prep Hove in a College minibus. The children took part in pond dipping in the amazing LPH science garden pond. They were excited to discover newts, water boatmen and various larvae which they carefully caught in their nets and equally carefully returned to the water from their observation trays.

In Pre-School and Investigators, the children have been fascinated with our ‘Insect Lore’ caterpillars. These arrived with instructions for the children on how to look after them and it has been fascinating for the children to see the caterpillars go through their various stages, and then to emerge as lovely Peacock and Painted Lady butterflies when they were released in the nursery garden.

The children across the nursery learnt about the Royal family in the week preceding the Coronation of their Majesties King Charles III and The Queen Consort. They read stories and factual history books, made crowns and enjoyed delicious tea parties, fit for a King! The children all received a very special certificate to take home and keep, to commemorate this historic occasion.

The younger children in Explorers have been settling in with the new Room Manager, Charlotte, and we were very happy to see our three members of staff currently on maternity leave come to visit with their little ones. We hope to welcome the staff back over the coming months and their babies to Explorers when the time comes.

Demand for childcare at the nursery has grown enormously and our open morning was very busy. We had so many apply for places that we have had to open long waiting lists for the first time and we will be welcoming many new children from September onwards right through to next May.

We have our largest cohort of Preschool children leaving us over the summer for their next step in the EYFS journey and it’s been wonderful for us to see them grow and develop. They are certainly ready for school life in the autumn. We held an Enchanted Tea Party for them on the Forest School field, with a lovely tea and entertainment. We will be sad to say goodbye to them but it’s good to know we are not saying goodbye to their families as we have a growing number of siblings, either already at nursery or joining us next year.

Saying goodbye to our Pre-School leavers brings me to my own farewells. I took up my role as Manager of Little Lancing right at the start, some months before it even opened in September 2019. There have been ups and downs along the way, not least during the pandemic when we worked so hard to keep the nursery open as much as possible. I am so proud of everything we have achieved with the nursery, its children and staff over the past four years. It has been a privilege to work with the children and their families, as well as the wonderful Little Lancing staff here. Moving on in my career is the right thing for me to do now but I know I will miss the nursery and my contact with everyone a great deal. However, I am reassured by the knowledge that the vibrant and authentic ethos of Little Lancing will continue its future development in the best possible hands, as Jovita Opio takes up the role of Nursery Manager with Hazel as her deputy.