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Birkbees Nursery Newsletter – Summer Term
Key Dates & Events for All Rooms
📅 Eid ul Adha – Friday 6th June
We’ll be learning about and celebrating Eid ul Adha with crafts, stories, and festive fun! If your family celebrates, we’d love for you to share your traditions with us.
📅 Father’s Day – Sunday 15th June
We’ll be doing some lovely activities in the nursery to celebrate the special people in our lives, including dads, grandads, and other important figures!
📅 Transition to School Day – Tuesday 1st July
This special day is when many of our nursery children visit their new primary schools to help them prepare for starting Reception in September. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to explore their new school environment, meet their future teachers, and start making new friends. Transition days are an important part of supporting children as they move from nursery into school life. Visiting their new classroom helps them become familiar with the setting, routines, and people they’ll see every day. This experience builds their confidence, helps them feel more settled, and makes the big step into Reception a positive and exciting one.
📅 School Leavers Trip to Whistlestop Valley – Thursday 12th / Thursday 19th June
An exciting adventure for our leavers! We’ll be heading out for a fun day with train rides and outdoor play.
📅 School Leavers Graduation – Tuesday 8th / Wednesday 9th July
A proud and emotional day! Join us to celebrate your child’s time at nursery with a special graduation ceremony and lots of smiles – More information on times and days will be giving through your child’s rooms.
Honeybees (Baby Room)
Theme: Early Literacy & Language
This term, we are focusing on early literacy by introducing simple vocabulary through songs, stories, and everyday play. As some of our babies are not yet speaking, we are creating rich language experiences to support their listening and understanding.
We’ll be:
📚 Reading short, repetitive stories
🎵 Singing familiar rhymes with actions
🗣 Using clear, simple words in daily routines
🧸 Naming toys, objects, and body parts to build understanding
Even if babies aren’t talking yet, they are always listening, watching, and learning. By modelling language, we are helping them prepare for their first words!
Home Learning for Honeybees: Travel & Talk!
This term, we’d love for families to help build language through real-world experiences.
🚍 Take your little one on a bus or train ride and talk to them about what you see:
- “Look, a red bus!”
- “We’re going up the hill.”
- “The train is going fast!”
📸 Don’t forget to send us your travel pictures – we’ll share them at nursery with your child and use them to encourage vocabulary and recognition.
📧 Email your pictures to birkbeesdaycare@gmail.com or you could add them to parent zone.
Upcoming Family Learning Events for Honeybees:
📅 Tuesday 17th June, 9:45 – 10:45am – Father’s Day Themed Activities
A special morning to celebrate dads and father figures.
📅 Wednesday 2nd July, 10:00 – 11:00am – Sensory Play
Dive into sensory exploration with textures, sounds, and more.
📅 Thursday 17th July, 1:30 – 2:15pm – Beach Theme Activities/Outdoors
Enjoy summer vibes with sand, water, and sunshine fun!
📅 Tuesday 19th August – 10 – 11am – Summer fun messy activities
Come along and join us for a morning full of colourful, creative, and messy fun! Explore through senses and enjoy the freedom of messy play in a fun, summer-themed setting. Together, we’ll be getting stuck into activities such as:
🌈 Paint splashing and sponge printing
🍓 Fruit and jelly play
🫧 Foam and bubble trays
🏖 Sand and water exploration
🍦 Ice cream dough and scented playdough fun
Messy play helps develop fine motor skills, imagination, and sensory awareness—and best of all, it’s lots of fun!
👕 Please dress your child (and yourself!) in clothes you don’t mind getting messy.
Bumblebees
Theme: Listening, Attention & Turn-Taking
This term in Bumblebees, we are focusing on developing the children’s listening and attention skills. Through group games and activities, we are encouraging the children to take turns, follow simple instructions, and begin playing more confidently alongside their friends.
We will be:
🎲 Introducing more turn-taking games
🗣 Encouraging group participation and active listening
🤝 Supporting children to follow instructions and enjoy shared activities
👫 Helping them build confidence in playing with and alongside their peers
These key skills lay the foundation for effective communication, cooperation, and social development.
Home Learning for Bumblebees:
To continue this learning at home, try our threading game activity!
🧵 Encourage your child to thread beads, pasta, or buttons onto string. This supports:
✔️ Patience
✔️ Concentration
✔️ Following patterns or sequences
You could even create your own turn-taking game using threading—take turns adding one bead at a time and see what beautiful patterns you can make together!
Upcoming Family Learning Events for Bumblebees:
📅 Wednesday 18th June – Family Picnic Day – 2-3 pm (in aid of Father’s Day)
Bring a blanket and some lunch and enjoy a lovely picnic in our garden area with your child. A special way to celebrate all the amazing dads and father figures!
📅 Thursday 17th July – Sensory Activities – Time to be confirmed
Come and explore a variety of sensory stations! From messy play to calming textures, this session will be full of hands-on discovery.
📅 Wednesday 6th August – Outdoor Activities – Time to be confirmed
Join us in the fresh air for a morning of outdoor fun including water play, movement games, and nature-inspired exploration.
We hope to see you there! Don’t forget to dress for the weather! 🌞🌿
Queen Bees
Theme: Tell Me a Story
This term in Queenbees, we’re diving into the magical world of stories! 📚 Our theme “Tell Me a Story” focuses on developing children’s literacy skills through reading books together, exploring story sacks, retelling tales, and having conversations about what they hear. We’ll be encouraging imagination, building vocabulary, and nurturing a love for books!
Alongside this, we’re also preparing our older children for their exciting transition to big school. As part of our School Readiness programme, we’re supporting children to:
👟 Put on their shoes, socks, and clothes independently
🧻 Go to the toilet by themselves
🗣 Talk and listen in group situations
🤝 Share and follow simple instructions
🙋♀️ Ask for help when needed
🍎 Try different foods
To support this, our role play area will be transformed into a classroom! We’ll have school uniforms available for children to dress up in, helping them become more familiar with what school life might look like.
Wednesday 5th June – World Environment Day
We’ll be learning all about recycling and taking part in hands-on activities to help care for our planet 🌍♻️
Thursday 6th June – Eid Celebration
Children will take part in making Eid cards, enjoy activities exploring world celebrations, and have fun with traditional music and dance 💃🎶
Saturday 15th June – Father’s Day
We’ll be talking about families and who is important to us. Children will have the chance to create something special for someone they love ❤️
Tuesday 18th June – International Picnic Day
Time for a picnic! We’ll be discussing healthy eating choices and enjoying a snack together outside, weather permitting 🧺🍓
Sunday 23rd June – National Writing Day
A special writing table will be set up where our school leavers can practise writing their names and forming recognisable letters ✍️
Saturday 29th June – International Mud Day
Get ready to get messy! We’ll be setting up our mud kitchen so the children can explore and enjoy the sensory fun of playing with mud 🌱🌧
Home Learning for Queen bees: Is your child ready for School?
As we move closer to September, it’s a great time to help your child build their confidence and independence. Here are some things you can support at home:
✅ Can they write their name or form recognisable letters?
✅ Can they dress and undress themselves?
✅ Are they able to go to the toilet independently?
✅ Can they ask for help, listen to instructions, and share with others?
📘 Please continue reading stories together at home. Ask your child questions about the story – what happened, who was in it, what was their favourite part? If you need books, let us know – we’re happy to send some home!
📝 Individual Home Learning Sheets based on your child’s development will be sent home by their key person.
Upcoming Family Learning Events for Queen bees:
📅 Friday 13th June – Father’s Day (2:00–3:00pm)
We’re inviting dads, grandads, and special male carers to join us for a relaxed afternoon of crafts, games, and stories. It’s a lovely chance to celebrate and spend time together.
📅 Friday 18th July – Teddy Bears’ Picnic (2:00 – 3:00 PM)
Bring along your favourite teddy and join us for songs, snacks, and outdoor fun in a lovely picnic-style afternoon.
📅 Tuesday 26th August – Outdoor Fun Day (10:00 – 11:00 AM)
Join us in the great outdoors for a morning of active games, water play, and nature-based activities!
We hope to see as many of you as possible! 🌟
🐝 2Bees Room
Theme: “Friendship & Feelings!”
We’re excited to share what we have planned for the final weeks of term in the 2Bees Room. As always, we appreciate your continued support in helping the children thrive and grow.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be focusing on:
- Settling in new children and helping them feel comfortable in the room
- Supporting children in their learning through play and exploration
- Encouraging sharing and taking turns with friends
- Promoting kind hands and kind words
- Supporting and motivating children to engage in a wide range of activities
These areas of focus help our children to develop their social skills, build confidence, and enjoy positive interactions with others.
Home Learning for 2 Bees – June
For this month’s home learning, we would love for you to support your child by:
- Reading a variety of books together
- Asking simple questions about the story (e.g., “What happened next?”, “How do you think they feel?”, “What was your favourite part?”)
Please send in photos of your child enjoying story time to: birkbeesdaycare@gmail.com
Upcoming Family Learning Events for 2 Bees
We are delighted to invite you to join us for our upcoming Family learning events in the 2Bees Room. These sessions give you a chance to take part in your child’s nursery experience, see how they are learning and growing, and spend some quality time together.
Here’s what we have planned:
📅 Thursday 13th June – Father’s Day Theme
We will be celebrating all the wonderful father figures in the children’s lives. Join us for themed crafts, card-making, and activities that help children express love and appreciation. It’s a lovely opportunity to create special memories together.
📅 Wednesday 25th June – National Mud Day
Get ready to embrace the mess! This session will focus on outdoor, sensory play using mud and other natural materials. Exploring mud is a fun way for children to build confidence, engage their senses, and develop creativity. Please dress appropriately for messy play!
📅 Tuesday 8th July – Free Play Activities
This session will allow you to join in with your child as they choose from a variety of activities across the room. From construction to role play, mark-making to puzzles, you’ll get a real insight into how your child explores their interests and learns through play.
We really value your involvement and look forward to welcoming you into the nursery for these special experiences.
Busy Bees
Theme: School Readiness & Growing Independence
As we prepare our older children for their exciting next steps, our focus this term is all about developing independence and school readiness. We’re supporting the children to build confidence in doing things for themselves and developing key skills for starting school.
We’ll be encouraging children to:
👕 Dress themselves (including coats and shoes)
🍽 Try different foods and manage lunchtime routines
🚽 Use the toilet independently
🗣 Follow instructions and ask for help when needed
✍️ Recognise and begin to write their own names
🧠 Develop concentration and turn-taking in group activities
We are creating lots of opportunities for practicing these skills through role play, daily routines, and focused activities that help build confidence.
Home Learning for Busy Bees:
To continue the learning at home, we’d love you to support your child with:
🔤 Recognising the letters in their name
✍️ Practising writing their name – use fun ways like writing with chalk, in sand, or with finger paints!
You can make it fun by spotting letters on signs, packaging, or books. Every bit of practice helps build familiarity and confidence.
Upcoming Family Learning Events for Busy Bees:
📅 Monday 16th June – Sports Day
Get ready to run, cheer, and play! Come and support your child in our Busy Bees Sports Day filled with races and games in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.
📅 Wednesday 2nd July – School Readiness Workshop
A helpful session for parents on how to support your child’s move to school. We’ll be sharing ideas, resources, and tips to help make the transition smooth and successful.
We hope to see you there!
Pre-school Stingers & Honey Pots
Theme: School Readiness & Story Sharing
As we move into the final part of the summer term, our focus across both the PS@S and Honeypots rooms is on getting ready for school and continuing to build strong early literacy skills. We’ve seen amazing progress as the children grow more confident and independent every day!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be helping the children to:
- Practise wearing school uniform to become familiar with their new routines
- Line up for lunch, listen to instructions, and follow group transitions
- Recognise and write their own names
- Explore phonics through games, songs, and letter sounds
- Develop a love for stories and books by reading together and talking about what we see
These activities all support your child’s confidence and prepare them for their exciting next steps.
🌙 Eid ul-Adha – Friday 6th June – We will be learning about and celebrating Eid ul-Adha with stories, crafts, and festive activities. If your family is celebrating, we’d love for you to share photos or talk to the children about your traditions!
💙 Father’s Day – In June, we’ll be celebrating the special people in our lives – dads, grandads, and father figures – with stories, crafts, and activities across both rooms. We look forward to seeing you at our Father’s Day Stay & Play sessions!
Home Learning for Pre-school Stingers & Honey Pots:
🏫 June: Key Person Sheets
In June, we’ll focus on the Key Person Sheets, providing opportunities for the children to explore their individual interests. This activity will support their development through engaging and personalized tasks that align with their learning needs.
📖 July Home Learning – My Story Diary
This month, we would love you to help your child make a Story Diary at home. You can include:
- A drawing of their favourite book
- Pictures or notes about books you read together
- A list of the books your child enjoys
You can decorate it however you like!
Please bring the Story Diary to nursery so your child can show and share it with us.
Upcoming family learning events for Pre-school Stingers & Honey Pots – Come and join us!
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Stay & Play sessions in both the PS@S and Honeypots rooms. These special mornings offer you a chance to join your child in fun, hands-on activities that support their learning and development. Each session links to a key theme we’ve been exploring in nursery — from writing and mark making to storytelling and celebrating special days.
Here’s what’s coming up:
💙 Father’s Day Stay & Play – Celebrating Special People
Join us for a lovely morning of bonding activities as we celebrate Father’s Day. Whether it’s dads, grandads, uncles, or family friends — all are welcome! Enjoy crafts, story time, and special keepsakes together.
- PS@S Room – Wednesday 11th June
- Honeypots Room – Thursday 12th June
✏️ Writing & Mark Making – Celebrating National Writing Day
Join us as we explore early writing skills through playful, sensory mark-making activities. Children will have fun using chalks, pens, paint, and even sand to make marks and develop confidence in writing.
- PS@S Room – Monday 23rd June
- Honeypots Room – Monday 24th June
📚 Goldilocks & the Three Bears – Story Stay & Play
Step into a classic tale with themed storytelling, crafts, bear hunts, and more! This session brings the Goldilocks story to life with fun, imaginative play that supports language and literacy.
- PS@S Room – Tuesday 15th July
- Honeypots Room – Wednesday 16th July
Parent Notices & Reminders
✔ Eid Absences: Notify the nursery in advance if your child will be absent.
✔ Running Late? Call ahead to avoid late collection fees (£10 for the first 15 minutes, then £1 per minute).
✔ Breakfast Deadline: Breakfast is served until 8:30 AM only.
✔ No Toys from Home: To prevent loss or distraction, children should not bring personal toys.
✔ Parent Zone: Check your child’s learning journey, bookings, and invoices online.
Funding & Childcare Updates
- 30 Hours Funding Deadline: Apply by 31st August 2025 if your child turns 3 before this date.
- 15 Hours Funding: If your child is aged 2 or 3, they may be eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week. Please check your eligibility and apply as soon as possible to secure a place.
- Funding for Babies: Some families may be eligible for funded childcare for babies under 2 years old, depending on their circumstances. Please speak to our team for more information on how to apply.
- More Info: Visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for eligibility details.
Contact Information
📍 Birkbees Day Care LTD
📞 01484 453354
📍 Address: 65a Halifax Old Rd, Hillhouse, Huddersfield HD1 6EE
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Thank you for being part of the Birkbees Day Care family! We appreciate your support and look forward to another fantastic half term of learning and fun! 🎉
