On the 5th, 6th, and 7th June, all nurseries and reception classes of schools in Ashford Rural Cluster were invited to the Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch, for a day of fun activities, and the opportunity for children at preschool to meet their reception teacher and classmates at their future school
There were a variety of activities provided by the cluster’s leading Early Years team from Hamstreet School, Highways at Ham Street Kindergarten, Great Chart and Singleton Preschool, and St Michaels Preschool. These included natural materials sculpture, collage, butterfly printing, digging and planting, and bikes and other wheeled equipment. There was also all the usual exciting things to see at the Rare Breeds Centre, including meet the animals sessions, the butterfly tunnel and pig racing.
At lunchtime the nursery children sat with their future reception teacher and their classes to eat a picnic lunch and get to know some of the other people they will be joining in September. Children from 37 different schools and preschools attended and the week was a great success.
The nursery manager from Yellow Elephant in Kingsnorth said: “We really enjoyed today, thank you. We hope it will become an annual event.”
Hamstreet Primary School said: “It made our parents information evening so much easier, because the parents had already met and were all relaxed and talking to one another.”
The children’s entrance fee and resources were funded by Kent County Council, with the Rare Breeds Centre kindly allowing one adult to enter for free with each child.
Gill Lancaster from Ham Street School, and Matthew West (Early Years Advisory Teacher) who organised the event were delighted with how well it went, and hope to be able to repeat it in the future.
The Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club South Eastern division visited the Rare Breeds Centre on Sunday 10th June for a Picnic, there were nearly 20 cars in the main paddock on display to the centre visitors.
Not only did they enjoy their picnics, a day of sunshine, the pig racing and the walk through butterfly tunnel, they raised £190 for Canterbury Oast Trust.
If you’d like to fund raise for the Rare Breeds Centre, contact Angela on 01233 861493