This week could be a preparation for Whitsun, Sunday 8th June.
 Also some people celebrate Whit Monday. 
In some Waldorf Steiner Kindergartens and schools they have a special feast with all white foods, like rice, cream, yogurt, etc...

A nice activity is to make paper white doves for hanging.

The white dove is a symbolic image of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Spirit of Truth. In celebrating Whitsun we celebrate the insight that the singularity of the individual is sacred, that a spark of divine fire shines from each one of us, and that the accord between individuals rests on the ability truly to understand one another. 
It is a festival of communication and the spiritual insight, the divine in all of us that we all share; we are all children of God and how to truly be aware of our lovely strong qualities as individuals and understanding our place as individuals in the community.
To communicate in a spirit of truth is often difficult challenge in today's world. If this challenge can be met, even in modest ways, then the vision of the dove descending - the symbol of the Holy Spirit and the symbol of peace - becomes a reality for individuals, for groups, for nations.


Of course this is never explained to the children we just celebrate using symbols and come together with a festive mood with joy, laughter, song and a smile, bringing something to share...


At Acorns we would like to bring the mood of this time of the year with the white doves for the children to admire and play with and as a reminder for the adults of the meaning behind it.


Happy Whitsun!

Acorns Parent and Child group
warmly invites GSS families to the special summer sessions;
All ages welcome, especially Playgroup and KG children.
 
 

Summer Special Drop in sessions



There are still a few drop in spaces left in each session, so, don't worry, do turn up!
No need to book!

 Just email us up to the day before the chosen
session to say you wish to come along. or text us in the morning before 9.am

As it is school holiday time, older children, siblings and friends are very welcome , we will offer activities suitable for them.

These are the dates for the next available sessions:

Wednesdays and
Thursdays indoor sessions - both from 10.30 to 12.30



17th July,
Church of Ascension (textile crafts)

18th July,
 Church of Ascension (Wet and needle felting - ladybirds and bees)

24th July,
 Church of Ascension (crafts)

25th July,
Church of Ascension  (felting butterflies)

31st July,
Church of Ascension (crafts)

Tuesdays and Fridays outdoor sessions 10 to 12


12th July,
Oxleas Woods
(Native American Tree weaving)

16th July,
Hilly Fields  (Native American Tree weaving)

19th July,
 Oxleas Woods (painting on stones and pebbles)

23rd July,
Hilly Fields (bark boats)

26th July,
Oxleas Woods (bark boats)

30th July,
Hilly Fields  (painting on stones and pebbles)



£ 6.50 per child, siblings £3.50 for the indoor groups


£ 4 per child, siblings £2 for the outdoor
groups


http://www.greenwichacorns.org.uk/news.html
 
07591050702

Multicultural Festival

 
Sunday7th July


Greenwich Steiner School

Woodlands


An all day event


 Pupils, Parents, Teachers, Families and

Friends, from Acorns Parent and Child families to

Middle school,

You are ALL invited to join and celebrate with us the Multicultural Festival. 


It's nearly the end of the school year and we have one last festival to celebrate!
What a lovely way to celebrate and be part of the cultural  diversity
in our school.


There will be fun activities for the children
 (and the adults of course).

Games, dance, activities, workshops and storytelling to name just a few!
In the past we had tango, drumming, sushi making and circus skills and much more!

To add to the spirit, come dressed in your traditional clothes, if you wish.
 
 If you can, please bring  a traditional dish from your country of origin that can be shared. The idea is that we can all have a taste!
Vegetarian preferred, or otherwise, please make sure you clearly label ingredients and state the country.

And for those who have a musical talent, bring along your instruments so we can sing and dance together. 

Please, if you have any particular skill that you like to show and teach or just share let the school know.

 


With love Parents to Rising Class 1 Children

SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Yes, it is hard to believe! Summer is now here!

With new sand and new toys for the sandpit, and the garden looking more colourful at Church of Ascension, the children will be experiencing Sun, Sand and Water play.

Remember now is the time to bring spare socks and clothes, easy shoes like crocs or strap on sandals for hopping out and in, to and fro the garden, sun cream, sun hats and extra drinking water for hydration.

Summer term ends on the 5th July

We are offering Summer Special Drop in sessions

These sessions are very popular so we advice you to book in advance to assure you a space.

Spaces are limited, bookable in advance, however, there will be a few extra spaces for guests and occasional drop in, or alternatively, you can text or email in the morning to say you are coming:

text 07837931643

email the usual email address on this website by clicking on 'contact us' on the top bar of the page.

As it is school holiday time, older children are very welcome and we will offer activities suitable for them.

These are the dates:


Wednesdays and Thursdays indoor sessions 10.30 to 12.30

10th July, Church of Ascension
11th July, Church of Ascension

17th July, Church of Ascension
18th July, Church of Ascension

24th July, Church of Ascension
25th July, Church of Ascension

31st July, Church of Ascension

Tuesdays and Fridays outdoor sessions 10 to 12

9th July, Hilly Fields
12th July, Oxleas Woods

16th July, Hilly Fields
19th July, Oxleas Woods

23rd July, Hilly Fields
26th July, Oxleas Woods

30th July, Hilly Fields



£ 6.50 per child, siblings £3.50

Each session is bookable in advance as a single session, not as a course, this is to allow people to book for individual chosen days, rather than a set of days, so to allow families to attend around other activities or being away on holiday.

Dear Acorns families,


Acorns Parent and Child sessions resuming soon - on 
this coming week starting Monday 3rd June

It has been a lovely half term holiday week, with people attending our drop in outdoor sessions. Thanks for coming and for making it special! It was nice to see the older children, many of those who have grown and moved on to kindergarten/school, who used to come when they were younger!

Bookings for the next half of this summer term are now open:
 this is for all who wish to join us half way through the term, or, if you are currently attending a session and wish to add another session a week.
The online booking system will be able to calculate and charge you
the fees for half term.

After signing up and logging in, just click on bookings and follow the simple procedure with our safe on line booking system.

Any queries, please contact us.

Wishing you a lovely summer!

Susannah and the Acorns team

 
 
Dear Acorns families,

This Friday, 24th May the Acorns sessions are running,
 both indoors and outdoors as usual, even if it is the school's inset day.
Families with Playgroup/Kindergarten and school children who want to attend the sessions, you are welcome to bring the older children along. The outdoor session in Oxleas Woods makes a nice alternative for older children to join the little ones, if you feel it is more appropriate.

Half term holiday is  next week,


from the
27th to the 31st May


Acorns sessions resume on
week starting Monday 3rd June


There are no indoor sessions, during the half term week, however,

Susannah will be running extra sessions during the half term break:


 drop in outdoor sessions

Tuesday 28th - Hilly Fields - 

10.00 - 12.00 

meet by the café at 9.45

and
Friday 31st- Oxleas Woods

10.00 - 12.00

meet by the oak tree between the car park and the café at 9.45

£4 per child -
£2 siblings

 

Bookings for the next half of this summer term will be open from half term holiday;
this is for the newcomers who wish to join us half way through the term. The online booking system will be able to calculate and charge you the fees for half term.

We invite you all to join the older children and their families at
Greenwich Steiner School
at our lovely


 May Fair


Sunday 19th May - 11am to 4pm


Woodlands- Mycenae Gardens


with children's activities, crafts, storytelling, 
 
Maypole dance, music, singing, 

lovely food and crafts stalls, 

games and much more!



We look forward to seeing you there!   


 
The Acorns team
 
 
 
  

We have only just added an exciting new outdoor venue:
Hilly Fields - A brand new session now offered each Tuesday morning, 10am-12noon.

http://www.hilly.org.uk/


The structure of the outdoor sessions is as follows:

Nature walk- 10- 10.30
Snack time-10.30- 11.00
Play time-11.00 - 11.30
Craft (during free play time)
Tidy up
Ring time/Storytelling 11.45-12.00

We gather at a meeting point at 9.45 for 10.00 start.
It is easy to meet by the cafe Pistachio in the Park which is at the top of the hill right in the middle of Hilly Fields. It is a lovely cafe and very children friendly!

What we do:
We begin the sessions with a
nature walk
 from the cafe towards the stone circle here, we stop to play, then we carry on down to the left, following a circle around the perimeter of the park anti clockwise; there is an opportunity to explore the space around us: we always go along our usual path that leads us to our gathering area, which is the fenced area near the bowling, where logs and benches await us, amongst flowers and bushes, perfect for the little ones to feel that they can explore,play 'house' or hide and seek, with the adults knowing the gate is closed!
We do many things, sing the little songs, look at little creatures, hear the birds  and watch the  little wonders of  nature.

Experience the outdoors in its simplicity.
We like to believe that we let Mother Nature sing her songs to us and we just open
our senses and listen...

We see what can be found that we may use to either build dens for the children or houses for the fairies...We meet crocodiles, cheeky goblins, toads, and bears, even the
Gruffalo... and whatever the imagination of the children
allow!

Craft
We gather objects for a possible nature craft, whatever Mother nature got in store for us,
literally everything is interesting: dry leaves, pine cones, acorns, conkers;
this is our common activity, like gathering twigs for crafts, or other interesting objects for the treasure collection, making necklaces from the red berries and strings or sitting quietly listening to the Nature noises...

Snack time
We bring food for a shared picnic prepared in advance and brought along with the hot thermos of herbal tea, chamomile and honey, lavender, eldeflower for summer or for the winter, soup,
and,  on special occasions, rice milk hot chocolate drink!
 
Ring Time
We say good morning to the birds, stones, flowers and trees and
go on a 'singing journey'   riding ponies, or being hopping bunnies; this is our Ring Time/Story
Time, when we get everyone together and conclude the session.

What to wear and what to bring:
Please bring along: Containers, tissues, plates/cups for picnic time, plus a blanket/picnic mat to sit on.
Please wear lots of layers, thermal vests and long johns, woolen vests under garments, 
wool sweaters and padded waterproofs, like all in one or separate top and bottom thick trousers, possibly like ski- wear in winter and hats that stay on the children's heads.
The parents and the children who look more relaxed and play happily are the warm ones!

Travel and
Parking:
I believe that Hilly Fields have free parking around it. Hilly Fields is very easy to get to by bus. For map and travel  info go to the  relevant  links.

Who can come:
Although we are part of Acorns parent and child group, we have
a variety of ages in the park, as we welcome toddlers, siblings,
babies in slings, older children, daddies and mummies and child carers, families
with toddlers, young children and older children too, home educators, grandmas
and grandads too, in fact, everyone is welcome, all ages!
To book for these sessions click on bookings and choose the Tuesday morning outdoor session and pay on line as usual. It's easy. May I remind you that even with outdoor groups we ask people to commit for the term in advance. It is still the leader's precious time and energy to prepare for the session each week. However we invite people to drop in as guests, which more often results in a new Acorns member of the group!

 Dear Acorns’ Families,

We warmly invite you to the new term, which will be the summer term!

Soon the wind and the snow and the rain will be forgotten and the roses will blossom as beautiful as ever! The bluebells are already growing in Oxleas Woods and the daffodils
make a bright yellow carpet in Greenwich park!


 If you are currently attending a session, or more, please, may I remind you that unfortunately we don't have a way to reserve your space, so as soon as you are able to book online for next term, the more of a chance you have to attend your favourite chosen session. It is based on a first come first served policy, with our website bookings open now. There are still a few places left, some sessions are already nearly full.
There are a lot of new families waiting to attend sessions and join our already extended 'family', I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you all!

NEXT TERM STARTS ON 

week commencing15th APRIL and ENDS on 5th JULY 2013

half term is from 27th to 31st MAY

PLEASE BOOK ONLINE NOW AND AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!
Just go to 'Booking' and follow the
instructions.