We have had a lovely February here at Snapdragons. The children have been enjoying spending time outside and seeing some of the spring flowers starting to bloom. There has also been lots of celebrations, with Valentines day, Lunar New Year and Pancake day too!

Bread-y, Steady Bake - for Bread Week

All the children had great fun getting involved in baking for National Bread week.

Babies had a go at making garlic bread, and took turns to mix the ingredients into a dough. It went down great with the tomato soup at tea!

Toddlers made some Sicilian Fennel rolls and Rosemary Foccacia. They all loved helping to mix the ingredients and eating the bread too!

Pre-school enjoyed picking the herbs they have been taking care off to make thier own thyme and rosemary bread.

Trips and Visits

We’ve had a really exciting month with lots of local trips and visitors to the Nursery.

Babies took the bus to Keynsham - they loved watching the cars while waiting for the bus to arrive, and then stopped to have a play with some friends at our Keynsham nursery.

Wessex Water came to visit and the children learnt all about uses of water and had fun with stories and rhymes.

WOOO WOOO - It’s the sound of the police! Avon and Somerset Police came to pay us a visit - but don’t worry, no one got arrested!

Chef’s Corner

Inspired by Bread week - here is Veronica’s Nonna’s recipie for homemade Sicilian Fennel Rolls

Ingredients

1 package (2-1/4 teaspoon) dry yeast
350ml warm water, divided.
1 tablespoon sugar
500g bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Olive oil for brushing the rolls

Method

Sprinkle the yeast into 200ml of the warm water. Add the sugar. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and fennel seeds. Add the yeast mixture to the flour. Stir to combine the ingredients; add the remaining water if the mixture is too dry.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface. Knead to make a smooth dough. Form the dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until almost double in size.
Punch the dough down and divide it into 4 equal size pieces. Shape the pieces into a round roll. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Brush the top of each roll with some olive oil. With a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top of each roll. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is a common eye condition, particularly for children in Early Years settings. It can be caused by infection or allergy. Infectious conjunctivitis is contagious and spreads easily, particularly in nursery environments.

Children (and adults) with conjunctivitis may have sore, gritty eyes which can be watery and itchy. There will be pus and ‘sleepy’ discharge. NHS guidance is not to rub the eyes (which is obviously very tricky for our youngest children!)

Though the NHS suggests that there is no exclusion period for conjunctivitis we also take advice from the Department for Education. Therefore, if you child has the above symptoms we ask that they are seen by a doctor or pharmacist and given treatment for 24 hours prior to their return to nursery.

Treatment may be to keep eyes clean with cool boiled water and cotton wool or to rest a cool flannel over the eyes. Pharmacists can prescribe eye drops for children over two years of age but younger children will need to be seen by their GP if cool boiled water is not clearing the infection.

If your child is suffering from the above you should change all bedding and comforters (and anything else they may have wiped their face on) and please keep children home for at least 24 hours to protect the other children (and staff) in the settings. If eyes are not improving or their condition worsens we advise seeking further medical attention.

Please call 111 or seek further advice immediately if your child has pain in the eyes, changes to their vision, very red eyes or sensitivity to light as this could be indicative of a more serious eye infection.

We appreciate your support in keeping everyone safe and reducing the spread of infection.

Dates for your diaries

Babies - Stay & Play for International Women’s Day - Tuesday 5th March 3pm - 4.30pm

World Book Day - 7th March - We invite you to come dresed as your favourite character

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!

Tell us about your snappies superstar