MonkeyMoos

Let's talk behaviour at Huntley Wharf....

Behaviour in early years (0–5 years) is a primary form of communication, representing how children express needs, emotions, and reactions when they lack the language or maturity to do so verbally.

It includes emotional outbursts (tantrums), social interactions, and reactions to exhaustion or being overwhelmed, requiring adult co-regulation to develop self-regulation.

Key aspects of behaviour in early years include:

Communication of Needs: Behaviors such as crying, tantrums, biting, or throwing are ways children express hunger, tiredness, frustration, or a need for comfort.

Brain Development: Children cannot easily control their emotions, as their brains are still developing; this makes challenging behavior normal, particularly between 18 months and 5 years.

Developmental Stages:

Babies: Behavior is instinctive (crying, wriggling) and used to meet immediate needs.

Toddlers (2-year-olds): Often use "no" and tantrums to assert independence.

Preschoolers (4-5 years): Begin understanding social rules, sharing, and empathy, though they may still be argumentative and need adult support for self-control.

Positive Behaviour Support: This focuses on understanding the underlying reason for the behavior—viewing it as a message—rather than just reacting to the action.

Influencing Factors: Behavior is affected by hunger, tiredness, routine changes, and the environment (e.g., noise, space)

Core Characteristics: Behaviors are linked to how children learn, including exploring, risk-taking, concentrating, and building resilience

Effective support involves consistency, nurturing relationships, and helping children manage big feelings through "co-regulation"—a trusted adult guiding them to calm down.

In the lobby we have displayed lots of information around behaviour, there are sticker charts, conversation prompts and our behaviour policy.

Please feel free to speak to a member of staff at pick up for anymore information

Today, we received a wonderful donation of Easter treats from our local Tesco! The children were absolutely thrilled to see the trolley arrive at the nursery "Easter bunny come again?"

They quickly crafted a lovely thank you card to show their appreciation and are now excitedly planning how to use all the delicious chocolate. Thank you for spreading joy in our nursery Tesco Huntley Wharf!

A week filled with lots of fun for our MonkeyMooers at Huntley Wharf. We’ve been building strong friendships 💑and developing our confidence during play. Together, we’re learning to express our emotions with words and by sharing in each other’s play. Cuddles, hand-holding, smiles, and laughter have brightened our days at nursery. We also enjoyed making homemade playdough. When the staff asked what we’d like to play with, “playdough” was our top choice! We helped gather the ingredients, mixed 🥣everything up, and set out playdough tools. Many hours were spent rolling, pulling, pushing, cutting, squashing, and patting the dough into various shapes and objects. At the arts and crafts table, we participated in cutting✂️, gluing, and painting 🖌️ alongside a staff member. Some mornings, we experienced very foggy 🌁 weather, and we recreated this in our tuff tray using icing sugar. We made marks with our fingers 👆🏼and walked 🚶🏼 through sugar clouds, which was a bit messy but so much fun! We also had a wonderful time with bubbles. Taking turns, we blew bubbles 🫧while a staff member dipped the stick into the solution. We jumped, hopped, and clapped our hands in excitement as we chased the bubbles, filling the air with joy and delight.

The Best "No-Cook" Recipe (Boiling Water Method)

This version produces the smoothest texture and lasts for months if stored properly.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 cup salt 

2 tbsp cream of tartar (optional, but makes it extra soft) 

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

1 ½ cups boiling water 

Food colouring (optional) 

Instructions:

Whisk dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and cream of tartar 

Add liquids: Stir in the oil and food colouring. Carefully pour in the boiling water 

Mix and wait: Stir with a spoon until it forms a "goopy" mass. Let it sit for 5 minutes to firm up 

Knead: Once cool enough to handle, knead the dough on a flat surface until it is smooth and no longer sticky

Huntley Wharf enjoyed a delightful Easter-themed wellbeing day for staff in March! 🐰🐣

Spring is beginning at Huntly Wharf! 🌼

Huntley Wharf explored the children's interest in space.🚀
#ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜᴘʟᴀʏ

Mother’s Day Stay & Play 💕

MonkeyMoos Basingstoke welcomed all their wonderful mums and special people into nursery to share such a special time with their little ones, yesterday afternoon.

From smiles, cuddles, crafts & special memories 🌷🌸

Thank you for joining us 💖

A little insight to our week at Huntley Wharf Rainbow tea☕🌈✨
Inventors mixed, stirred, and poured our rainbow tea full of fairy dust! It was a magical water play made of water, milk, food colouring, and of course, glitter! We played until the tea was almost gone! Using our saucers, it felt like we were in a little fairy kitchen! We got a bit wet on our clothes, but that's just part of our learning while having fun!🦄

Teeth brushing in Explorers!😁👩‍⚕
This morning in our tuff tray we had laminated paper sheets with teeth on, we also had toothbrushes and toothpaste!😀 the aim of the game was to clean the teeth to have sparkly clean teeth!😆👏each child had a toothbrush which let them participate to practice to brush teeth! This will massively teach the children a huge life lesson that will impact everyday to keep there teeth clean and healthy!💕😁

Discoverers enjoyed an exciting obstacle course where the children threw balls⚽ into the net, navigated around cones🚧, and rolled balls ⚽ into a box 🎁. We had a blast with bubble 🫧 fun, cheering as staff blew bubbles 🫧 into the air, clapping 👏🏼to pop them, and using our index fingers 👉🏼to pop the bubbles🫧 too. In our play food 🍅activity, the children enjoyed 'shopping' 🛍️and placing their items into baskets🛒. Lastly, we scooped sand ⏳ into pots🍲 to create some fantastic sandcastles 🏰!

Let's talk teeth at Huntley Wharf...
Healthy smiles start at home: a guide to brushing your child’s teeth.

Brushing children's teeth
When to brush:

Start as soon as the first tooth appears (usually around 6 months).

Brush twice each day at home, especially before bedtime.

Brush for your child until they are 3. Then supervise until at least age 7.

How to brush:

Start as soon as the first tooth appears (usually around 6 months).

Brush twice each day at home, especially before bedtime.

Brush for your child until they are 3. Then supervise until at least age 7.
Other ways to ensure good oral health
It’s not all about brushing. There are other things you should do to ensure your child has healthy teeth and gums.

Diet

Cut down on ‘free sugars’ (any sugar added to food or drink) like those in cakes, sweets, sauces, juice, smoothies and some yoghurts and breakfast cereals.

Offer water and milk as main drinks. If you do offer sugary drinks, keep them to mealtimes only and ensure they are very well diluted.

Cut down on sugary snacks and drinks between meals.

Limit the use of foods you suck from pouches. When using them, squeeze onto a spoon rather than sucking.

Bottles, cups and sipping

From 6 months, introduce an open cup or a cup with a free flowing valve.

From 12 months, avoid bottles or sippy cups that need sucking.

Dentist visits

Schedule your child’s first dental appointment once their first teeth appear and before their first birthday.

Keep up with regular check-ups – dentists can spot problems early and help prevent decay.

Ask the dental team for advice on looking after your child’s oral health.

In the lobby we have displayed brushing your teeth routine charts, colouring sheets, helpful information for brushing teeth and tooth brush and tooth paste sets.

Please feel free to speak to a member of staff at pick up for anymore information.

📚✨ Happy World Book Day✨📚

Yesterday MonkeyMoos Basingstoke was filled with imagination, storytelling and some amazing costumes as the children celebrated the magic of books! From favourite characters to classic stories, it was wonderful to see the children so excited about reading.

Throughout the day we enjoyed sharing stories together, exploring books in our cosy reading areas, and bringing our favourite characters to life through play and creativity. Reading with children helps build language, confidence and a lifelong love of learning – and today was the perfect reminder of how magical stories can be.

A big thank you to all our families for helping the children join in the fun and for supporting their love of books at home. 💛

What’s your child’s favourite bedtime story? 📖