January 2024
Welcome Back
This feels a bit too late to say now but Happy New Year, I hope you all have had a lovely start to 2024. Thank you for all of your support and appreciation from 2023, we had a blast looking after your little ones.
We have had a busy January with visits to the care home, wild walks with Natalie, a visit from some Policemen and a bedtime story evening for our preschool children. Watch this space because we have lots more planned for the rest of this year.
Month in Pictures
Chefs Corner
Vegan Chilli
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 tsp chilli powder (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
400g can black beans, drained
400g can kidney beans, drained
sweetcorn, drained
Method
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the sweet potato in a roasting tin and drizzle over 1½ tbsp oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin. Give everything a good mix so that all the chunks are coated in spices, season with salt and pepper, then roast for 25 mins until cooked.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until soft, then crush in the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Add the remaining dried spices and tomato purée. Give everything a good mix and cook for 1 min more.
Add the red pepper, chopped tomatoes and 200ml water. Bring the chilli to a boil, then simmer for 20 mins. Tip in the beans and sweetcorn and cook for another 10 mins before adding the sweet potato.
Serve with rice or jacket potatoes
A Big Thank-you!
As I’m sure you will remember, for our Christmas Tree this year, we created a “Wishing Tree” for the Jessie May Trust. We would like to say a huge thank-you to all those who generously donated gifts. Alongside many teddies, craft kits, and books, we also sent over £600 worth of vouchers!
The Jessie May Trust as a charity, provide specialist nursing care for terminally ill children in their own homes. They offer end of life care and bereavement support, as well as vital respite sessions and emotional support to those children’s families. This allows families to make the most of the precious time they have together and to create treasured family memories.
Since 1996, the charity has supported over 300 children and their families across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, and Swindon & Wiltshire.
We will be supporting the Jessie May Trust throughout this year, with other fundraising events. If you are a local business and feel you may be able to provide raffle gifts for our planned summer festival, please do let us know!
Policy Reminders
Children’s Belongings
Children should not bring in any valuable or precious items, (e.g. toys, books, hair accessories) to nursery, as staff cannot be held responsible for any personal belongings being lost or damaged.
It is an essential component of educative play, that children are able to enjoy arts and craft activities with, for example, glue, paint, water etc.
Inevitably, children will transfer these materials to themselves and clothing. We will attempt as far as possible to purchase materials which are ‘washable’ but in practice not everything is washable off all clothing materials. Parents should therefore dress their children with this in mind.
Snapdragons will accept no liability for clothing damaged or lost, if unnamed, whilst the child is at nursery.
Measles- Know the Symptoms
Sarah Potter – Lead Paediatric Nurse, Children’s Emergency Department, Royal United Hospital, Bath
Measles is continuing to escalate in parts of the country, with new reports of outbreaks this month. So what should you be looking out for?
What are the symptoms?
• Measles starts much like any viral infection – high temperature, cough, runny nose and red eyes (conjunctivitis).
• Small spots may appear in the mouth and throat a few days later. They usually last a few days.
• The rash may appear 2 to 4 days after the onset of fever, and spreads from the head to the body over the next 3 to 4 days.
• The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They're not usually itchy.
• The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin.
What happens if my child has measles?
There is no treatment for measles, treatment is all supportive. As it is a virus, antibiotics do not work.
You should contact your GP via phone if you think your child has measles.
Call 999 or go to A&E if your child:
• has blue lips
• pauses in breathing or starts grunting or working hard to breathe
• is pale, mottle and feels abnormally cold to touch
• is extremely agitated or confused or is very lethargic (difficult to wake)
• weak high pitched cry or can’t be settled
• has a fit (seizure)
• has a rash that doesn’t go away with pressure (the ‘glass test’)
• Is under 3 months old with a temperature more than 38°C or under 36°C (unless fever in the 48 hours following vaccinations and no other red features)
Ring you GP surgery or contact 111 if your child has any of the following:
• Breathing a bit faster than normal or working a bit harder to breathe
• Dry skin, lips or tongue
• Not had a wee or wet nappy in last 8 hours
• Poor feeding in babies (less than half of their usual amount)
• Irritable (unable to settle them with toys, TV, food or hugs even after their fever has come down)
• Is 3-6 months old with temperature 39°C or above (unless fever in the 48 hours following vaccinations and no other red or amber features)
• Temperature of 38°C or above for more than 5 days or shivering with fever (rigors)
• Temperature less than 36°C in those over 3 months
• Getting worse or you are worried about them
If none of the above features are present, make sure that your child stays well hydrated by offering them lots of fluids – you may need to give this little and often via syringe. Closely monitor them for any signs of deterioration by looking out for any red or amber features.
The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent your child from getting measles – the first dose is given at 12 months, and the 2nd around 3 years, 4 months. After 2 doses of the MMR there is almost zero chance of becoming infected with measles.
For more advice and guidance, visit NHS Health Together www.what0-18.nhs.uk
Nominate your Superstar
We love to hear from our families across Snapdragons about excellent service they have received. If someone at the nursery has impressed you, please fill in their details below and submit to the nursery. We run a rewards scheme for our teams and they can earn gifts by receiving nominations!
