Brighter Futures

Our own Malvern Farmers Market…

2011-06-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

If you cast your eyes back to our March Blog posting you will see our newly created vegetable garden looking very neat but very sparse. Not now! We have had our first crop of strawberries, the bean plants are beginning to look like something Jack would climb and if the potatoes are as big as their leaves then we should be eating them until Christmas. We have sprouts, onions, carrots and peas all taking shape and providing a great aid to our children’s understanding about how the food they eat is grown and cooked.

We are all very excitedly watching the chicken eggs that have been sitting in the incubator for a week now.

Each day groups of children take part in turning the eggs and checking for any signs of movement. Rest assured they will be letting you know when the chicks have hatched!

This week we have put some of the materials being used by the Pre-school group up on the Brighter Futures website. The materials have been developed specifically for the Nursery and they encourage children to sort and order objects. Of course, the computer is no substitute for handling real objects, but it does provide an intermediate step between the real and the abstract These can be found via the ‘activities’ label on the Nursery page and also on the links at the bottom of this blog posting. This area will become a repository of computer based activities for the Nursery children so do check it out from time to time.

The pre-schoolers will also be visiting Malvern Library in the Brighter Futures minibus later this month to find out what a library does and to listen to some stories. We'll make sure we post a report here when the visit has taken place.

The Malvern Before and After School Club has had some new equipment purchased for it this week. The children have been delighted to have access to Table Football, Pool, Hover Disc, Skittles and Chess. In addition they have been making good use of the Brighter Futures computer which includes Fruity Loops - a sophisticated music creation program.

The Cherry Orchard Before and After School Club has had a huge face-lift which includes new steps and the addition of an extra room built onto the two existing rooms. This has greatly improved capacity and given much needed extra space for additional activities in the setting.

-Brighter Futures Activities link:-

Q, What have an International Conference, some exotic insects, a cluster of chicken eggs and an exhibition of original paintings got in common?

2011-06-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

A. Brighter Futures!

We are very fortunate at Brighter Futures to have such supportive and generous parents. In the Spring Term we collected in our Parent Questionnaires which are important for us as just one way of sampling how well we meet your needs. All the responses were very positive and the comments and suggestions have all been carefully considered. We hope that you have already seen some useful additions to the information and services we provide. We would also like to thank you all for the many kind and generous comments submitted.

We are also extremely grateful to parents who have made contributions of their own expertise and skills, not least of which has been the donation of an entire lawn for the Nursery play area over half term!

Later this month the children at Brighter Futures will have the opportunity of taking part in ISTE 2011. This International Conference for Technology in Education takes place in Philadelphia in the USA and attracts delegates from around the world who are keen to learn more about how leading edge technology can support education from birth onwards. We are delighted to have been asked to participate and our Pre School Nursery group and After School Club will be linking up with ISTE via a Video Conference facility to meet and greet conference attendees 4,000 miles away!

While on the subject of technology – we now have the Brighter Futures computer up and running so that Nursery children can begin to develop their computer skills with electronic painting, music making and sequencing games.

Last term we welcomed some exotic pets to Brighter Futures – our stick insects!. These beautiful creatures from Australia, South America and India are a mixture of species and include some of the largest insects on the planet. The children are enjoying watching them grow, eat, move and change. We’re also very excited to be hatching some chicken eggs over the coming weeks. The incubator has a warm glow and the eggs have been delivered and placed inside…… we’ll keep you updated on progress…

While on the subject of nature…. we feel very privileged to have an exhibition at Brighter Futures of superb original acrylic paintings created by wild life artist Rachel Treacher. These are displayed in the corridor joining the Nursery to the baby room and can be purchased directly from the artist. If you wish to have one of these gems, do speak to a member of staff.

Links:-

http://www.isteconference.org/2011/

http://www.rtcreatures.co.uk/

Summer has arrived.....

2011-04-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well… a very welcome, warm Spring at least!. When the children are in the outside areas they can hear the vast variety of birds nesting in the surrounding fields, which this year includes the very distinctive call of the resident cuckoo…… which the children are very keen to mimic.

We have also been collecting animals over the past few weeks. Two to be exact. The children have been very excited to welcome Fidget the Rabbit and Marmite the guinea pig. These two characters are providing lots of entertainment and are a valuable source of conversation and questioning. The children are able to feed the animals and to decide where their toys and furniture are placed… as well as stand and be amazed by their movement, interaction and habits.

Holiday Clubs

The Brighter Futures Holiday Clubs were well subscribed over Easter Holiday… and no surprise too! The Clubs at Cherry Orchard and Malvern Wells were a hive of outstanding activity. Great use was made of the Brighter Futures Minibus to take the children to local play areas and walks in the countryside. The weather was superb, the children all got to make new friends and to take part in a wide range of planned and child-led activities. These included chess, football, picnics, Easter Egg hunts, cookery, magic shows, computer games, model making, wide games, clay work… and lots more besides. A big THANK YOU to the tireless Brighter Futures staff for providing such great care, great activities and boundless enthusiasm for the benefit of all the children attending. Look out for the Brighter Futures Summer School coming soon!!

Pre School

Brighter Futures is committed to providing the very best care and support for the children that attend the School Clubs and Nursery. This Term, the Nursery will be paying particular attention to those children who will be leaving the Nursery at the end of the Summer Term to take up places at local Primary Schools. To support the children in this transition, each week small groups of pre-school children will have the opportunity to take part in targeted activities that will include Forest School, Investigations, writing, a visit to the local library, number games and ICT. The activities will be matched to the individual child’s abilities and prepared and delivered by experienced and qualified primary school teachers.

How does our garden grow?

2011-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Brighter Futures Nursery and Before and After School garden is near completion. Brighter Futures staff have worked extremely hard in their own time to transform a piece of wild area into a splendid garden ready for the children to plant. The plot is tucked behind the Brighter Futures shed and has been dug over and two large beds prepared. Already strawberry plants and potatoes have been planted and bean poles erected. Over the next few weeks courgettes, parsnips, pumpkins, beans, peas, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, carrots and many other produce will be sown. The Brighter Futures children will tend and care for the plants with the aim of harvesting fresh food for the cook to use when preparing the Brighter Futures meals. Today children from the after school club decided to collect worms to put in the vegetable garden to help break down the soil further. A grand total of 14 worms were gently transported to their new home!

Above and beyond the garden, it continues to be a very eventful and exciting time. Yesterday the new awning for the Nursery play area was installed. This large colourful canvas canopy can be erected at a moments notice to provide shade in the sunshine and shelter in the rain.

Also today all Brighter Futures staff received the final phase of their training in 'sign-a-long'. This course provided by Worcestershire County Council equips staff to sign language at the same time as speaking to children to aid communication and language development.

Finally, a snap shot of one piece of work carried out at the Brighter Futures Wells and Wyche after school club... Brighter Futures staff spend a great deal of time preparing and planning session activities. In this little gem, an adult or older child pairs with a younger child. One of them draws a shape on the chalk board, then their partner draws the next bit of the drawing, telling the story of the picture as it develops. Here are three of the results .... can you guess what the story might be that unfolded?

2011-03-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Red Nose day fund-raising

The Brighter Futures Red Nose Day appeal went with a very tasty bang. The premises had the sweet smell of fresh home made cakes emanating from the kitchen.The Brighter Futures staff entered into the spirit of the occasion with everyone dressing up and joining in the fun. The cakes went on sale throughout the day and by the end of the day had sold out. £33.71p was raised for comic relief, so a big thank you to our fantastic cook and also to all those staff and parents who supported the event.

Easter Holiday Club

Two Brighter Futures Easter Holiday Clubs will be taking place at Cherry Orchard Primary School and Malvern Wells CE Primary School. Running from Monday 11th April to Thursday 21st April 2011.

Both these clubs have been rated OUTSTANDING by Ofsted and provide a rich and exciting program of events for children across the primary age range. To book a place at the Cherry Orchard Holiday Club contact Sam on 07581 426122 . To book a place at the Malvern Wells Holiday Club contact Louisa on 07557 354377

Richard Hammond drops in!

2011-03-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

No two days are the same at Brighter Futures... and today was no exception! We were delighted to welcome Richard Hammond to the Nursery to meet parents and children and see some of the work that goes on here. He had a guided tour of the Nursery, including the play areas and baby room. He expressed a keen interest in everything he saw and heard and was a pleasure to show round. The children loved him, the parents loved him and the staff too were quite excited!
Everyone had a lovely few hours talking and celebrating the work of the Nursery and later Richard signed the visitors book, commenting in writing "An inspiration", and "great to see". He later signed autographs (also signing a few cars!) and left in a Lamborghini that looked like it would give a stealth fighter a run for its money.... Richard visited Brighter Futures as part of his invitation to the Sunshine Children's Centre and to talk about his support for Barnardos - helping children, young people and their families

Barnardos website

That car

The Sensory Garden

2011-03-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks has seen a great deal of effort by everyone to create the sensory garden outside the Baby Room. This is now complete and everyone is in agreement that the result has been well worth all the hard work. The garden includes a sensory walk which incorporates a paths of continuously changing textures all lined by an area of herbs and aromatic plants and flowers. The path culminates in the baby hammock stretched at low level between two wooden posts - rewarding the young explorer with a gentle swing to enjoy. The garden includes a sound scape that includes wind chimes, the sound of beads against railings and the gentle murmur of falling water provided by the solar powered water feature. There is a lawn to enjoy as well as a bark covered picnic area. And it doesn't stop there!..... The tiered bird tables have already proved a hit with the local bird population and the newly installed sand pit is providing endless enjoyment for the toddlers.

In addition to the above, the front garden has also had a facelift with a newly installed path, new turf laid and the tarmac cleaned. New borders have been dug and planted along with flower tubs and coloured changing lights. A big thank you to everyone involved and rest assured - all the children attending Brighter Futures will get a great deal of pleasure from the improvements for many years to come.,

Mud, mud glorious mud

2011-03-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome back after the very busy Half Term holidays. The Cherry Orchard Holiday Club in Worcester was a great success, with lots of children enjoying a half term break that was full of fun activities and events. The trip to the Country Park was an occasion not to be missed. Never have so many children (and grown ups) got so muddy! First we went for a walk through the woods which turned out to be a run through the woods - following trails signs, exploring chopped down trees and looking for bugs and birds. Then we walked across the fields, looking out for the bull and discovering where the really deep mud was. Then we played on the walk-through sculpture which had a muddy path through it. Then we had lunch in a very muddy picnic area. Then we enjoyed the playground equipment and guess what... found some really deep muddy pools to play in too.

At the Nursery site we welcome the Malvern before and after school clubs. The response to the new facilities and play areas has been fantastic. So much space, so much to play with, so many activities to choose from, and so little time to get through everything. The healthy meals cooked on the premises have been a great hit too, along with the incredible sensory room full of soft furnishing, sound and movement activated lights. It is not unusual to find children in this relaxing environment, quietly investigating mirrors, projected images and textures or just quietly relaxing with a friend.

While on the subject of the Nursery, we now have the amazing sensory garden in situ. This includes a textured walk through, lined with aromatic plants and herbs, a sound scape canopy of wind chimes, bells and crystals, the gentle sound of running water, and even a sleepy hammock to rest in. The lawn has been laid and the sand pit erected as well as a chill out area with small stools and tables to enjoy.Now the children will find it hard to make a choice - shall I go inside or outside today?

Cambodian Orphans Appeal

2011-02-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

We’re very proud of the calibre of staff that work at Brighter Futures, many of whom have many varied and outstanding additional skills. One of our Playworkers. Melissa, is planning to work with orphans in Siem Reap in Cambodia this year. She and her friend Matthew are seeking to raise £2000 to finance the trip, £400 of which will go direct to the orphanage. They will be teaching the children English, supporting them in their daily life and play, as well as helping them to raise money through their favourite pastime of dancing.

We shall be following their progress with the children at Brighter Futures and look forward to creating some lasting links with the organisations they are working with.

We would encourage our parents and children to join us in fund raising and donating money to enable Melissa and Matthew to realise their dream of helping children whose start in life has already proved to be fragile, traumatic and uncertain.

Contact: Brighter Futures

Links:-
www.outreachinternational.co.uk

www.campaignforcambodia.weebly.com

Welcome to the Brighter Futures Blog!!

2011-02-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

This is an exciting time for Brighter Futures. First the Nursery moved to its new premises at the beginning of the Spring Term. Apart from all the actually moving, everything has been given a revamp in line with the amazing new building and facilities.This has include all the documentation, signage, displays and procedures. We've also welcomed many new people on-board, including our new minibus driver and our new cook who is in charge of the kitchen.... and then of course there are our babies in our new baby room... if only they could read about it all here!

We have also been delighted to welcome many new families to Brighter Futures Nursery. Already we are being described as "Malvern's hidden treasure" by parents. Well not for long... we are soon to have a Grand Opening with some very special events planned. We suspect most of Malvern will know we are here then....

But it doesn't stop there. We're also delighted to welcome Malvern Wells and Wyche children to the improved Before and After School Club. After half term, this outstanding breakfast club and the after school club will move from the village hall to the Nursery site. Children will have more space, more play facilities and will open up the club to other schools. It will also mean that the Brighter Futures Nursery site will begin to achieve our aim of offering full wrap around provision from birth to 11 years of age,

On a sadder note, our equally outstanding teacher employed at the Wells and Wyche club is leaving. She will be missed by everyone at BF along with all the parents and other playworkers. Although I do suspect we will be paying her the occasional visit in the Brighter Futures minibus, if only to pick apples from her driveway!

Half Term

2011-02-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Today the Nursery closed for Half Term -for the children, but the work of adding to the range of facilities continues. The plan over Half Term is to renovate the garden areas outside the baby room and the main Nursery playground. We aim to create a sand pit in both areas as well as plant the scented garden, tidy the pathways and create some bespoke activity structures. If there's time we'd like to fence off the vegetable garden (next to the buggy park) and dig it over ready for the children to plant vegetables in the Spring. Oh, and we are taking delivery of the large photos we have had taken by Devine Images and will be hanging them in the main Nursery Hall for everyone to enjoy.

We continue to have a lot of interest from new parents wanting their babies and children to start at Brighter Futures, with many new places being taken after the Half Term break. So we hope everyone has a refreshing break and look forward to greeting our new parents and children in a weeks time!