We have been back at the Pre-school for a few weeks now. We have seen many children return to the setting and many new families join us. With a few adjustments to the way we do things, we have been able to ensure that the children are safe and having fun and learning as they always have.

The changing seasons are a wonderful source of inspiration to young children. We are very lucky at the Pre-school to have a lovely outdoor space for the children to explore. They can get their hands on all sorts of things in the garden; they create mud pies (or any other culinary delights) in the mud kitchens, make amazing obstacle courses out of tyres, planks of wood, crates and blocks, notice changes in the natural world, such as the leaves changing colour and falling from the trees, as well as welcoming the different wildlife that visits our garden, from birds, to insects to frogs.

We believe that children should have access to the outdoors, whatever the weather, and, by ensuring they have the right clothing, no weather makes it inaccessible.

Now that the children are settled and comfortable in the setting, we are continuing our journey towards achieving the Kent Education for Sustainable Development Award. This award links to the United Nations Global Development Goals. We have recently been fortunate to be given, by a parent of one of our children, special bags to put in the children’s toilets to reduce the amount of water we use when we flush them. This simple act, explained clearly and simply, helps the children to begin to understand the need for us to preserve our precious resources and how lucky we are to have an ample supply of clean, running water.