Paddocks Pre-School

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 8th July 2019
School visits have taken place this week. The older children have returned to Paddocks full of news about starting big school. Some of the children have even showed us their new school uniforms. How exciting!
The children have been busy doing pom pom painting. They have used pegs to select pom poms and dip them in paint to create brightly coloured pictures. Plant pots, flowers, leaves and bulbs have been cut out, coloured in and stuck ...on paper to form gardening pictures.
The Ladybird Game has been used to practise counting, turn taking and sitting appropriately. An ABC sheet was used by staff to help the children recognise letters, numbers 1-20 and colours.
Indoor play has included Poly M, stickle bricks, cogs, Duplo, number stones, scales and frogs, train track, cars, chalks and rockets. Water play has continued to be popular and the new water tray has had plenty of use. Jugs, containers and boats have been used in the water.
The children have enjoyed playing outside in the sun. They have been making sandcastles in the sandpit, ‘cooking’ in the mud kitchen and climbing on the boat.
Travelling Ted accompanied Charlie to his school visit and met his teacher, Mrs Ball. They also made delicious cakes together at home. Ted is packing his suitcase to continue his adventures with Elliot this weekend.
We are currently transforming Paddocks into a party venue ready for the leaver’s party today. A reminder that the party is taking place at 5–6.30pm. We are proving food and entertainment.
Finally, a couple of reminders:-
• Please return photo orders by Tuesday 16th July.
• Please pay your invoice(s) by Monday 15th July.
We hope you have a great weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 1st July 2019
What a warm, sunny week! The children have been embracing the hot weather by spending most of their time in the garden. There has been lots of climbing on the boat, whizzing around on the scooters, playing in the mud kitchen, bouncing on the trampoline and retreating in the den for shade.
... Please, please remember to apply sun cream before your child comes to Paddocks and pack a sun hat. We are finding that several children are arriving to their session without sun cream or a sun hat.
Thank you to Melche, Dawn and Heather who helped to accompany a group of children to Wallingford Community Hospital today. They had a fun time doing some stone painting with the elderly people. We have already received positive feedback from the visit including “thank you to the children and helpers for coming over to see us, it was fantastic to see everyone chatting together”.
Sparkly puppets have been created by transforming a simple hand print into a fish using paint and glitter. Googly eyes and a lolly stick were added.
Messy play has continued with car painting. Toy cars were used to make paint tracks across sheets of paper. Home-made biscuits were made to celebrate Independence Day and decorated with different coloured icing and chocolate stars.
Indoor play has included pirate ships, Happyland fairground set, building blocks, mobilo, farm animals, puzzles and dolls. The tuff spot has been filled with water all week. You have noticed our new transparent water tray with a hanging rack for jugs, watering cans and containers.
The older children have had big group circle times sitting outside in the sunshine. We are helping them to prepare for school. They have been practising taking off their shoes and socks, and putting them on again. We have also been chatting about what excites or worries them about starting school.
‘Duck, duck, goose’ has been a great team building game. We are noticing friendships develop, as well as an increase in their confidence and listening skills. This game was a big hit!
The younger ones have been taking it in turns to play with the Beebots and using the buttons to programme them to move. They have been singing ‘What’s in the bag?’. Slow and fast versions of ‘Little Turtle’ and ‘Wheels on the Bus’ were very popular.
Travelling Ted enjoyed having his fur brushed by Robyn and had a fun time playing with her toy ponies. Ted has now packed his bags to spend the weekend with Skylar.
Finally, thank you to Ken who helped us earlier in the week with a tip run.
We hope you have a lovely weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 24th June 2019
Dates to remember:-
• Paddocks Quiz Night, tonight at Paddocks, 7.30pm.
... • Parent’s Afternoon on Monday 1st July, 3.30 – 5pm. Please ensure you have booked a time slot with your child’s key person.
• Leaver’s Party on Friday 12th July, 5 – 6.30pm (only for those children who are leaving Paddocks to start school in September).
It has been a sporty week at Paddocks.
On Wednesday, we were able to watch St John’s School pupils at their Sport’s Day. The children enjoyed cheering on the older children. Thank you to Helen, Alan and Dora (Lou’s mum) for helping to accompany the children. We were so inspired by all the races, that we have been holding our own sports activities in the garden and on the field. There has been an obstacle course, balancing bean bags, kicking and catching balls, jumping on stepping stones, throwing balls in a bucket, running, and moving under and over hoops. The children even insisted the staff had a race. Congratulations to the winner, Sam C!
Please remember sun hats and water bottles as well as applying sun cream to your children so they can play safely outside in the sun.
The children have been learning about healthy food by making some delicious fruit smoothies using ‘Brenda the blender’ and drinking them at Paddocks. They used strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and bananas to make different fruit combinations. The smoothies were refreshing and tasty in the warm weather.
We have been creating our own passports all ready to go on holiday. The children have been practising their mark making by writing their name, age and drawing a picture of themselves. The travel agency has been in operation in the home corner. This has encouraged lots of role playing.
Indoor play has included magnetic blocks, shape presents, cars and road, Beebots, number pebbles, farm animals, playdough, press studs and the Ladybird Game. We have bought some new water toys including some water mills and watering cans. The children have enjoyed pouring water in the funnels and watching the coloured cogs spin around. As well as water, the tuff spot has been filled with sand and diggers.
During circle times, the children have been practising their listening skills by playing Sound Lotto. They have been learning to take turns by playing an ‘In The Night Garden’ Memory Game. This involved matching pairs of picture cards.
Travelling Ted enjoyed a fun weekend with Bea; playing in her garden, going for a bike ride and having a barbecue. He continued his travels with Vincent and had a great time picking strawberries. Ted is now off to stay with Robyn.
Finally, would any parents of Friday morning leavers be able to help accompany the children to Wallingford Hospital on Friday 5th July to do some stone painting?
We hope you have a lovely weekend in the sunshine. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 17th June 2019
What an amazing Carnival float! Thank you to all those who dressed up and took part in the Carnival last Saturday. We hope you enjoyed it. We won second prize in the pre-school category. Our rosette is displayed on our Julia Donaldson display board.
This week, we have been preparing ourselves for Summer. The children have been making colourful beach balls by putting marbling ink in water and then dipping the paper balls in the mixtur...e.
Fruit jelly has been made in individual containers and taken home as a treat to eat. Appetizing ice lollies were created by cutting out an ice lolly shape from card, sticking it on a lolly stick and decorating it with different colourful shapes.
The weather has improved as the week has progressed and the children have been out in the garden with footballs, constructing things with the community blocks, playing in the mud kitchen and bouncing on the trampoline. We have bought some new buckets, spades and rakes for the sandpit and the children have been busy making sandcastles and digging.
They have had fun jumping off the hay bales left over from the carnival. On this note, if anyone can make use of the hay bales, you are welcome to collect them.
Indoor play has included stickle bricks, link elephants, playdough, duplo train set, doll’s house, large dinosaurs, puzzles and cars. The tuff spot has been filled with pasta and tweezers. The children have enjoyed lots of water play inside and outside.
We are looking for some travel brochures if you have some to donate. They will be used to transform our home corner into a travel agency.
Circle times have been focusing on counting. The children have been using their fingers to add one more and one less to a number. There has also been lots of singing including ‘5 Little Men in a Flying Saucer’, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar’ and ‘What’s in the Bag?’.
Travelling Ted stayed with Brynt last weekend and celebrated Father’s Day with him; he ate spaghetti bolognese with Corey and played in Marshall’s playhouse. He is packing his case again to stay with Bea. Have fun!
Thank you to all those who attended our AGM. It was lovely to see so many supporting us.
Finally, some reminders:-
• Photographer at Paddocks on Monday 24th June at 1pm. Please arrive promptly at 12.45pm. • Parent’s Afternoon on Monday 1st July, 3.30 – 5pm. Remember to book a time slot with your child’s key person. • Leaver’s Party on Friday 12th July, 5 – 6.30pm. Just for those children who are leaving Paddocks to start school.
We hope you have a fun-filled weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 10th June 2019
What a busy week! It started with our Ofsted report published and will finish with Paddocks having a presence at Wallingford Carnival.
So it is official, Paddocks Pre School has been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating by Ofsted again. We are hugely proud of this achievement and are grateful for all your supportive comments. If you would like to read the report, click on https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/5 0084107
... The children have been decorating tractor biscuits and finishing off their cards for Father’s Day. We hope you enjoy them on Sunday! The leavers have been drawing a picture of their key worker and telling us what they will miss about Paddocks. Do have a look at our Leaver’s Board in the cloakroom if you have time. As you can imagine, there has been lots of jumping in muddy puddles too.
Circle times have focused on number recognition from 1-25; recognising numbers before and after a specific number. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson has been popular this week. We noticed that a lot of the older children knew the story well.
Indoor play has included farm animals, threading, cars and garage, dinosaurs, space rockets, castle, Duplo and playdough. The tuff spot has been filled with sand, water and pasta with tweezers. Thank you to Helen and Jennie for their kind toy donations.
Travelling Ted has continued his travels. Stas built a castle for Ted and they both enjoyed playing knights together. Atticus took Ted to the cinema to watch Aladdin and Annabeth is looking after him now. What a busy bear!
Thank you to Katie for collecting our Lidl donation and also to all the parents who have been helping to prepare our float for the carnival. We appreciate all the creative work you have done for us. It is going to look fantastic.
Wallingford Carnival takes place tomorrow. The lorry will be arriving at Paddocks at 10.30am for those who have offered to help us prepare it. All children and parents who are taking part on the float need to arrive at Moreton Avenue (off Hithercroft Road) at 12.15pm. Please note, there are no toilet facilities here. Remember that we will also need help to dismantle the float after the procession. The lorry will be returning to Paddocks afterwards (approx. 2.15pm) so we would appreciate help at this point too.
Finally, it is our AGM on Monday 17th June, 7.30pm at Paddocks. This is open to all parents, carers and staff. Please join us to celebrate another successful year.
We hope you have a good weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 3rd June 2019
Welcome to the beginning of Term 6.
We have lots of exciting events coming up in June and it would be great if you could support us:-
... • Wallingford Carnival, Saturday 15th June • Paddocks AGM, Monday 17th June, 7.30pm • Photographer, Monday 24th June, 12.45pm • Quiz Night, Friday 28th June, 7.30pm
We have a carnival sign up sheet in the cloakroom. If you are able to help us by making float decorations or setting up/ dismantling the float or if your child would like to take part please sign your name on the sheet. All children must be accompanied by an adult on the float.
You may have noticed the new kitchen furniture in our home corner. We have replaced the old set with a wooden cooker, sink, cupboards and washing machine. All at a lower height and with rounded corners, ideal to develop the children’s role play.
This week, the children have been busy decorating their Father’s Day cards by fingerprinting in paint. The painting theme continued with potato printing. This was a good way to learn about different shapes and colours.
Circle times have included discussions about feelings, the difference between sharing and turn-taking, lots of singing and story sacks including ‘The Three Little Pigs’.
Indoor play has included the Duplo train, emergency services, cars and garages, popoids, press studs, large dinosaurs, knights and castles, playdough and puzzles. The tuff spot has been filled with water.
The children have enjoyed playing outside in the garden despite the rain showers. The cars, bikes and scooters have been particularly popular as well as bouncing on the trampoline, hiding in the den and digging in the sandpit.
Travelling Ted stayed with Tommy last week and went on an adventure to Leeds. He then packed his case and went to Bradley’s house where he met his new baby sister. Ted is now off to stay with Atticus.
We are running a Summer holiday play scheme from Tuesday 23rd July – Friday 2nd August 2019. We have placed booking forms in everyone’s tray. Please help us to spread the word as we do accept children who do not attend Paddocks as well as older siblings.
Finally, tickets are now on sale for our quiz night. Please speak to a member of staff if you would like to buy a ticket or if you would like to join a team. It would be good to see lots of you there!
We hope you have a lovely weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 20th May 2019
Thank you to all those who came along to our garden clear up last weekend. We were so impressed with how tidy the garden looks!
A group of children visited Wallingford Community Hospital today to join in with some singing, dancing and chatting with the elderly people there. It is great to broaden our links with the community. Thank you to Heather and Lindsay who helped to accompany the children.
... This week, the children have been practising their scissor skills by carefully cutting out a picture of a plant pot and some colourful spring flowers. They used pens to add their own flowers, leaves and insects. This activity led to a discussion about spring and what flowers need to help them grow.
There has been a delicious baking smell in the air as the children have been making flower shaped biscuits topped with rainbow icing. They have helped to weigh out and mix the ingredients together, and then roll out the dough and cut out the biscuits. The children took the biscuits home to eat.
The older children have been drawing pictures of their key workers ready to go up on our leaver’s display board next term.
Circle times have included a number ordering activity; learning what number comes before or after a number. We have continued discussing feelings as well as talking about sharing and taking turns.
Indoor play has included magnetic blocks, cars and garage, press studs, knights and castles, a shape sorting game, puzzles and farm animals. The tuff spot has been filled with pasta and playdough.
Most of the fun has been outdoors enjoying the sunshine in the garden. There has been plenty of water play using watering cans and cups. We have been blowing lots of bubbles and bouncing on the trampoline. The sandpit and the mud kitchen have been popular. Please remember to pack your child’s sun hat and apply sun cream before they come to Paddocks.
Travelling Ted had a super time with Jacob. He went to his martial arts class and had fun in the sun. Ted helped Vivi plant some flowers in her garden and let her draw a lovely picture of him. Ted is now off to Tommy’s house for an adventure.
Thank you to the Holt family for providing a holiday home for Mo (the guinea pig) and thank you to Ken and Heather for doing some tip runs for us this week.
We are now closed for half term. Paddocks will re-open on Monday 3rd June for Term 6.
We hope you have a fun-filled break From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Please can we remind any parents that have not paid their invoices or extras to pay by tomorrow. Thankyou.

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 13th May 2019
The sun was shining on Paddocks this week so we have been enjoying ourselves outside in the garden.
The children have been sailing the boat climbing frame, digging for treasure in the sandpit, playing in the den, balancing and constructing with the wooden blocks and splashing water in the tray.
... Thank you to Jennie for donating the bubble gun and bubbles. The bubble play was wonderful!
On this note, our garden does need a spring tidy up and clean. Please come along to our garden clear up tomorrow from 9.30am with your tools/ gloves. Children are welcome too.
Forest School took place today. The children have been balancing, jumping, rolling, climbing and flying using our arms as wings. We have been making a pretend bonfire by piling sticks and leaves, as well as baking some ‘delicious’ food. ‘Hide and Seek’ was a popular game to play.
Indoor play has included popoids, large dinosaurs, building blocks, cars and garage, number puzzles, dolls, pairs game and farm animals. The tuff spot has been filled with water and cars, sand as well as the children’s own concoction of conditioner and baby oil.
The children have been doing some colourful vehicle and foil painting using their hands, paint brushes and fingertips. They have been busy mixing colours and learning about different colour combinations.
Group times have included matching numbers with quantity, discussing feelings and phonics. The younger ones have been enjoying the Dear Zoo story sack and ‘What’s in the Bag?’.
Please remember our AGM on Monday 17th June, 7.30pm at Paddocks. The committee are very grateful for all those who have shown interest in joining us. Alex and Nina will be in touch.
Finally, we have had our Ofsted inspection today. Thank you for all your input and kind messages of support.
We hope you have a good weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 6th May 2019
We have lots of exciting events coming up. Please save the following dates:-
• Wallingford Carnival, Saturday 15th June
... • Paddocks’ AGM Monday 17th June, 7.30pm, Paddocks Pre School
• Paddocks Quiz Night, Friday 28th June, 7.30pm, Paddocks Pre School
As you can see, the carnival is fast approaching. The theme of the Paddocks float is the stories of Julia Donaldson. If you would like your child to be on the float, or if you can offer your help making decorations or setting up/ dismantling the float please sign your name on the sheet in the cloakroom.
We are holding a carnival decoration evening on Monday 13th May, 6.30pm at Paddocks. If you have time, please join us in this informal evening to help prepare the float.
This week, the children have been exploring colour by table top painting and leaf painting. They enjoyed getting messy! Sound boxes were also used to learn letter sounds. Different items were pulled out of the box and the children had to identify the initial letter sounds.
The younger children have been practising their number recognition; recognising numbers 1-5. They took it in turns to count coloured dinosaurs to correspond to the correct number.
Indoor play has included knights and castles, farm animals, playdough and cutters, snowflakes and the Shopping List game. The tuff spot has been filled with a combination of flour and glitter, water as well as pom poms and tweezers to improve fine motor skills.
Forest School took place today. The children enjoyed the sunshine running around and exploring. They had fun ‘making a bird’s nest’ out of grass clippings and ‘fixing’ the bridge.
Travelling Ted helped James dig a big hole in his garden for their trampoline and then stayed at Maisie’s house. Maisie gave Ted lots of cuddles and they baked cakes together. Ted has packed his bags ready to continue his adventures with Ben. Please can we remind all of Teds Carers to make sure that he has a prompt return, we have lots of excited children eagerly waiting to take him home.
Finally, a reminder that we are holding the Paddocks AGM on Monday 17th June, 7.30pm at Paddocks. We would welcome your support by attending this meeting. We are looking for new committee members, in particular a treasurer. Please remember that Paddocks is unable to operate without a functioning committee.
We hope you have a lovely weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 29th April 2019
We have been focusing on insects this week at Paddocks. The children have been learning correspondence counting and matching quantities to number using caterpillar pictures. Giant ladybirds have been decorated with sponge painting and displayed on our wall.
... Thank you to Molly’s mum who came in on Wednesday and brought their six fluffy, white kittens to show us. The children had the opportunity to give them a stroke and enjoyed watching them play.
Indoor play has included snowflakes, road and cars, playdough, number pebbles, Happyland, large dinosaurs and making ‘birthday cakes’ out of stickle bricks. The tuff spot has been filled with flour and glitter, sand and pasta.
Outside in the garden the children have been playing ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’ as well as bouncing on the trampoline, riding the trikes and scooters and digging in the sandpit.
Forest School took place today. The children made their own balancing beams out of natural materials, played on a rope swing and explored the field.
We have had Lily and Summer from Wallingford School helping us this week. They have been doing a work experience placement with us. The children have enjoyed playing with them and they even had time to give Mo (the guinea pig) a bath.
Travelling Ted started his adventures at Alfie’s house. He was given lots of food and went on a bike ride. Ted is off to stay with James over the weekend. Have fun!
Finally, a few reminders:-
• Invoices have been sent out via email rather than paper copy. Please check to see if you have received your invoice. We would appreciate prompt payment; the deadline is Friday 17th May.
• Sam C is looking for help organising our float for the carnival. If you can offer any help either beforehand or on the day (Saturday 15th June), please sign your name on the carnival sheet in the cloakroom.
• If you need to speak to a member of staff at drop off or pick up times, (if possible) please try not to disturb the person doing the register at the door. If this is the person you wish to talk to, let them know and they will arrange another staff member to swop with them.
• Our Paddocks mobile number is 07544 817593. Please make a note of it in case of emergency.
We hope you have a good weekend and enjoy the bank holiday. Paddocks will re-open on Tuesday 7th May.
From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 22nd April 2019
We hope you all had a fun Easter break and had a chance to enjoy the warm weather.
Term started on Tuesday and the children returned to Paddocks with plenty of renewed energy. It was lovely to welcome some new children – Isla, Maisie, Jack, Maiyah and Ophelia. They seem to have settled well already.
... Thank you to the Adlam family who provided a holiday home for Mo, the guinea pig, over Easter. The children have enjoyed stroking him and feeding him grass in the garden.
We have continued to celebrate Spring this week. The children have created colourful paper butterflies by painting and folding. When the butterfly shape was unfolded, a symmetrical pattern was revealed. These butterflies will join our fluffy sheep on our Spring display board. Cheese straw snails have also been made. The children rolled out the pastry, added some grated cheese and swirled the pastry into a coil to make a snail.
We combined gardening and craft when we made some funny grass heads. The children added soil and scattered some grass seeds in some tights. They added ‘eyes’ and placed the grass head in a pot of water. We have placed them in a sunny spot and look forward to watching their ‘hair’ grow.
Group times have included discussions about what everyone did during the Easter holidays (lots of references to chocolate eggs!) and starting school with the older ones. We have been doing the usual phonics activities including recognising initial letter sounds.
Indoor play has included knights and castles, dinosaurs, Happyland, dolls and pushchairs, Ladybird game, Bee bots and cars. The tuff spot has been filled with messy gloop, sand and water. The Gingerbread Man and The Very Hungry Caterpillar have been popular stories this week.
Forest School took place in the sunshine today. The children helped construct a rope swing, balanced on the bridges, hid in the den and did lots of exploring.
Travelling Ted will start his adventures soon. Those children who will be starting school in September will have the opportunity to take Ted (and his travelling case) home with them for a short stay.
Finally, as the warmer weather approaches, please ensure you apply sun cream on your child before they come to Paddocks. For those staying all day, the staff will re-apply Factor 50 hypoallergenic sun cream at lunch time. Also, remember to pack their sun hats.
We hope you have a lovely weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 1st April 2019
We have reached the end of term already. The weeks seem to have flown by.
The children have been celebrating the arrival of Spring by making a flock of fluffy sheep for our display board. They stuck cotton wool balls and googly eyes to our sheep templates. Sponge painting was used to create colourful flowers, lambs and butterflies.
... Welcome to Grace (Lou’s sister) who is our new bank staff member. She has already been covered in sticky dots and paint so she is settling in well!
Thank you for supporting our cake sale. We raised £42.25. The children were busy making fairy cakes to contribute to the sale. They helped to weigh and mix the ingredients and decorate them with unicorn sprinkles.
We had a big delivery of sand for our sand pit on Tuesday. Despite the April showers, the children have enjoyed digging and playing in the new sand as well as jumping and splashing in puddles. The den has provided some shelter for imaginative play whilst the trampoline has been good for bouncing and the play boat has been popular.
Indoor play has included wooden blocks, Poly M, dolls and pushchairs, matching games, cars, dinosaurs and puzzles. The tuff spot has been filled with bright red pasta, sand, water and bubbles. Our new phonics fishing rod game has been popular and the children have learned to take turns to play it. We have enjoyed reading ‘Zog’ and ‘The Easter Tooth Fairy’ stories.
It was the last session of Relax Kids this week. The group focused on ‘Room on the Broom’ by Julia Donaldson, learning about friendship, collaboration and positive values. We hope the children have found these sessions a fun introduction to relaxation techniques. On this note, we are concentrating on the stories of Julia Donaldson for the Paddocks float at Wallingford Carnival. We will need lots of help next term. If you can offer some time either on the day (Saturday 15th June 2019) or beforehand, please talk to Sam C.
Please do not leave any children unattended in cars and park responsibly when you pick up and collect your child from Paddocks.
Finally, this is the end of term 4. Paddocks will re-open on Tuesday 23rd April.
We hope you have a lovely Easter break. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 25th March 2019
We said goodbye to the ducklings yesterday. The children were sad to see them go as they have enjoyed watching them hatch, grow and swim.
Duck related activities continued this week with the children learning to sequence the life cycle of a duck. They practised their scissor skills by cutting out pictures and sticking them into place.
... The children have been busy making beautiful Mother’s Day cards and helping to pot the pansies to make a special gift to take home. We hope you like them!
Forest School has taken place in the sunshine today. The children helped Sam C to make a rope bridge and a rope swing. There was plenty of balancing, jumping and swinging as well as the usual running around and exploring.
You may have noticed three new wooden benches in the garden. These offer a place for the children to have a rest and chat with their friends.
Circle times have involved recognising numbers and domino games, as well as the usual phonics activities.
Indoor play has included rockets, pirate ships, press studs, snowflakes, number games, playdough, puzzles, and stencils and chalks have been used for drawing. The tuff spot has been filled with water and sea animals. ‘Oi Goat’ has been a popular story with the children responding to this funny, rhyming picture book.
Thank you to everyone who came along to our ‘Come and Play!’ session last Saturday and the official opening of our play boat. It was a fun morning and we raised approx. £75 to support Paddocks. On that note, please remember to bring in and buy some cakes for our cake sale on Monday.
Some more reminders:-
• Please complete and return your form stating what sessions you would like for your child from September 2019. We cannot reserve any additional sessions for you unless you tell us what you would like.
• The deadline for bookings for our Easter holiday playscheme is today.
• We are still looking for someone to look after our guinea pig, Mo, over the Easter holidays (Friday 12th – Tuesday 23rd April). If you can help, talk to a member of staff.
• Please leave toys at home rather than bringing them into Paddocks. Staff are spending a lot of time looking for precious toys that have been ‘lost’ here.
Finally, we hope you have a relaxing Mother’s Day and a lovely weekend.
From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 18th March 2019
Paddocks took delivery of a batch of duckling eggs on Monday. The children have watched as they gradually hatched and by Wednesday, we had four fluffy ducklings in our care. They have completely engaged the children’s interest and the children have learned to be quiet and gentle with them. They loved watching them paddle in water and have asked lots of questions throughout the week.
Circle times have been focused on talking about the d...ucklings and explaining the life cycle of a duck. ‘5 Little Ducks’ has been sung lots of times and the children have been pretending to flap their wings and quack. Magnetic letters were used to help the children recognise the letters in their name. ‘Wide Awake Jake’ and ‘I’m Not Scared’ have been popular stories.
We welcomed Alison Jinks from the Wallingford Bookshop to Paddocks on Tuesday. She spent some time reading some duck related stories to the children and had them captivated.
Forest School took place today. The children were having fun climbing trees, balancing on logs, playing in a den made by the school children and making ‘a building site’.
Indoor play has included Mobilo, cars, magnetic blocks, number stones, wooden train set, emergency vehicles, knights and castles. The children have been playing with the Code-a-pillars and Bee-bots learning to programme these little robots to move in different directions. The tuff spot has been filled with pasta, water beads and cloud dough (a sensory mixture of cornflour and conditioner).
We have been celebrating Holi, the colourful Hindu spring festival. The children have been using different coloured paints to do hand printing. Playdough has been made in rainbow colours and the children have enjoyed exploring all the different colours and mixing them.
Please come along to our ‘Come and Play!’ session tomorrow at Paddocks, 10am-12 noon to celebrate the official opening of our new climbing frame. There will be food and hot drinks available as well as a sale of second-hand children’s clothes, toys and books. It would be lovely to see you all.
Finally, some reminders:-
• Letters have been placed in the children’s trays asking what sessions you would like from September 2019. Please fill in the form and return it to us.
• There are still spaces left on our Easter play scheme. Remember the deadline for bookings is Friday 29th March.
• Can you offer a holiday home to our guinea pig, Mo, over the Easter holidays (Friday 12th – Tuesday 23rd April)? If you can, talk to a member of staff.
• We have a large collection of lost property at Paddocks. Please claim any lost items and remember to name your child’s clothes.
We hope you have a good weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 11th March 2019
It has been a blustery, rainy week but despite the weather, the children have been enjoying themselves outside in the garden. Splashing in puddles, running around in the wind and playing.
Thank you to Danny Adlam who has been pressure washing our outdoor area. It looks fantastic! Thank you also to Ronnie’s dad for fixing our bench and fencing.
... The children have been busy planting sunflower seeds. They are going to be kept at Paddocks and the children will water them, and (hopefully) watch them grow.
Indoor play has included knights and castles, puzzles, Happyland, press studs, cars, Poly M, Farm Shop game, maths teddies and weighing scales. The tuff spot has been filled with water, jumbo chalks and today has a mixture of pom poms and cornflakes.
Paint was added to a salad spinner to create colourful pictures. The children have been learning to explore mixing different colours and manipulate materials.
The children have been learning about similarities and differences by creating self portraits. They each held a mirror and described their reflection – hair, eye colour, skin colour etc.. Wool was used for their hair and pens or paint were used to add colour and it was added to a paper plate ‘face’. There is a display in the main room.
In circle times, we have been playing ‘I’m thinking of….’ games. The children had to guess what colour or number the adult was thinking of. They were given clues like “I’m thinking of a colour beginning with a …. letter sound” or “I’m thinking of a number more than….” or “ less than…”
Relax Kids has continued with another session on Monday. This week the group focused on The Smartest Giant in Town story. They were learning that we can be kind to ourselves and to others. The teacher commented that the children were “amazing and focused, they played and joined in so well”.
We are still receiving bookings for our Easter playscheme which is running from Monday 8th April – Friday 12th April. Siblings and children who do not attend Paddocks are also welcome to come along.
Sorry for the short notice about Red Nose Day. Thank you to all those who dressed in red today.
Finally, some reminders:-
• We are looking for a holiday home for our guinea pig, Mo, over the Easter holidays. Please let us know if you can look after him from Friday 12th – Tuesday 23rd April.
• Invoices have been issued and you will find it in your child’s tray. We would welcome prompt payment (deadline is 29th March).
• Everyone is invited to a ‘Come and Play!’ session at Paddocks on Saturday 23rd March, 10am-12 noon to celebrate the official opening of our new climbing frame. There will be food and hot drinks available as well as a sale of second-hand children’s clothes, toys and books.
We hope you have a fun-filled weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More

Paddocks Blog wk beg. 4th March 2019
It has been a week of pancakes and books.
On Tuesday, a group of children from Paddocks went to watch the Wallingford annual Pancake Race in the market place. Thank you to Natalie Davies, Emma Vadhesha, Jenny (Robyn’s nanny) and Natalie Copley for helping to accompany the children. We were so inspired by the runners, we had our own pancake race in the garden. Special mud ‘pancakes’ were made in the mud kitchen. Real pancakes and fresh ...fruit were consumed at snack time. Do have a look at the photo display in the cloakroom if you have time.
On Thursday, we celebrated our love of books and reading for World Book Day. Some of the children dressed up as their favourite book characters. There was a dinosaur, giraffe, dog, super heroes, princesses, a tiger and a unicorn. We shared our favourite stories in the story corner. We are looking forward to Alison from the bookshop coming to Paddocks on 19th March to read us some stories. Free Book Start packs and World Book Day tokens are being distributed to everyone.
Elmer and The Gruffalo have been popular reads. The children have had fun with The Gruffalo story sack. There is a big Elmer display on the wall. The children helped to paint the elephant and also decorate smaller elephants with different coloured stickers. Book marks have also been made ready to take home.
The children have continued to enjoy our new play boat in the garden. There has been lots of bouncing on the trampoline, digging for treasure in the sandpit and whizzing around on scooters and trikes. Everyone went out to Forest School today. The children were busy building dens, exploring, jumping and balancing.
On Monday, a small group of children took time out to relax with a Relax Kids session run by Sophia Cleverly. They focused on the book “Zog” by Julia Donaldson. The theme was being helpful as well as being kind and thoughtful to ourselves and others.
Indoor play has included the cars and garage, press studs, wooden train set, dolls and pushchairs, Duplo and rockets. The tuff spot has been filled with pom poms, cups and tweezers.
We are saying goodbye to Chloe today, a student from Abingdon & Witney College, who has been doing a 2 week placement with us to gain work experience.
Please remember that booking forms are available now for our Easter playscheme running from Monday 8th April – Friday 12th April. Book now to reserve a place.
We hope you have a lovely weekend. From all the staff at Paddocks Pre-School
See More