Kaleidoscope Build

The garden is taking shape!

2011-10-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Our updated garden design

It's been a little while since our last update, way back in May, but SO much has been happening in the garden since then!

The last post was all about having to delay panting trees until we could actually get spades into the ground - we had had a few weeks of beautiful sunshine if you remember and the ground had been baked hard! The good new is that over the last few weeks we have been able to replant our lovely saplings all around the garden and all of them have survived, indeed thrived their summer home in pots!

A beautiful Autumn day for our first Working Party

Trees galore!

We have also had our brilliant new ramp installed to provide access to the garden from the back door. The design features vegetable beds along each side at a child-friendly height. I'm sure the staff can't wait to help the children plant them up with courgettes and carrots in the spring! Our local builder's merchant, Chandlers very generously provided us with all the materials for this ramp, and Bantings did the work at their charitable rate. So, thank you so much to all of you - we couldn't do this without your help!

The brilliant new ramp and veg beds

Our willow arch is growing well and has had its first "styling" session from master woodsmen Martin and Helen! They have carefully tied the shoots to make the arch shape and it looks great!

Martin and Helen working on the willow arch

The willow arch really taking shape!

The digging pit has been dug in and awaits its time to be filled in, ready for eager children to get muddy in!

The tyre diggin pit

Our bug hotels are taking shape too - especially our pallet stack, affectionately known as Bug Towers. We intend to fill this with all sorts of bits and pieces at the next working party on November 15th, 9.30 - 1pm. So, if you have any old tiles, air bricks, bamboo sticks, twigs, drainpipes etc, please bring them down. If you want an idea of what it will look like - head on over here.

The next stage is to pave around the ramp to provide wheelchair access and to dig in the tyres that will become our strawberry beds. We are also having a small shed constructed and applying for funding to build our pond.

Lisa diggin out the earth ready for our shed

Martin identifying an unknown plant

It's all very exciting and great fun. if you would like to be part of the group that's making it happen, please ask at reception how to get involved, either at the working parties, providing materials and plants, or helping us raise the funds we need to finish. Thanks for your help so far. Time for a short break - but do join us this saturday if you can. Also, if you have any plants we could use, please bring them down anytime. we are looking for cottage garden, woodland and native plants please - but nothing poisonous. Thank you!

Working Party Tea and treat break

One of our first visitors!

Hold on to your spades!

2011-05-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

Due to the drought we've been having, we are going to postpone the digging party this Thursday. Having been down to the garden this morning to test the ground, I can tell you, it is pretty hard!!!
So, I will keep you posted for another date and in the meantime, pray for a good, long downpour to really soften that soil!

The saplings are all doing well and looking very healthy in their pots and they actually have quite a cosy spot along the back wall of the building.

Spread the word to anyone who is interested to get their spades at the ready soon after the next prolonged spell of rain! Thanks!

Planting Party! 5th May

2011-04-26T03:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the really exciting part is happening now - we get to dig, dig DIG! The saplings we carefully took out and potted up need re-planting now, and we need your help! If you are available on THURSDAY 5th MAY from 9am, please come and help us! Bring a spade or fork and some gardening gloves and be prepared to use muscles you may not have used for a while! I will bring a plentiful supply of brownies and cups of tea to keep us going! It should be fun!

In the meantime, although we all love this sunny weather, pray for a bit of rain to soften the ground and help our little trees settle in nicely!

Introducing...our next project!

2011-04-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

THE KALEIDOSCOPE NATURE GARDEN!

The mound of earth at the back of the building is already gone and work has begun on our very own Nature garden!

It was always part of the plan to have a Nature Garden as part of the play and learning opportunities at Kaleidoscope and now that we are settled in, the time has come to get on with the task of creating it! We want the garden to be as accessable as possible and to this end, we have had to remove a HUGE pile of earth to level the garden with the building. Simon has skilfully left us the bare bones of the garden shape, which is going to include a water feature for pond dipping and frog spawn,

a digging pit, for discovering lots of lovely worms in,

lots of bug hotels of various designs, a group seating area for story telling or group show and tell and an orchard of native fruits.

The first part of the garden will be a vegetable plot with child sized raised beds, strawberry planters and maybe even our own compost maker...A miniature 5 bar gate will lead the children through a "secret" tunnel of living willow and then out into the naturte trail section of the garden beyond.

This is such an exciting project and will bring so much fun and dicovery to the Pre-school. Children will be able to learn about the changing seasons, how food grows, how to look after plants, what bugs lurk beneath the soil and in the water, what birds visit our gardens and so many other things.

We are looking for fundraising support for the items in the garden and will also be needing your practical gardening help as the project continues. Also, if you have any NATIVE plants that you could donate, they would find a very happy home and be most welcome on our very empty (so far) plot! They do need to be native however, and probably prefering woodland conditions as we are trying to create an English woodland feel to the garden.

Please watch this space for news about how you can help and how the project is going. This project is something so special for our children and they will enjoy it for many years to come, so it's worth the hard work we put in now. Thanks!

We're In!

2011-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

It has been two whole terms since we moved into our lovely new building and things are going really well. Lady Egremont cut the ribbon back last August and we have gone from strength to strength and recently gained a "Good" Ofsted report, confirming how well the staff team and children have settled into the new space.

We had a brilliant opening celebration and we'd like to thank everyone who came and supported us. It was a truly special day, attended by so many families, new and old and people from the community, all bringing cakes and treats to help us enjoy the day.

Since that day our numbers have grown steadilly and our new session on a Thursday from 12 - 1.30pm during which the children can enjoy their packed lunch followed by Little Movers is proving increasingly popular. The children love the music, movement and play involved in this time.

I'll leave you with some more photos of our opening day....

Finishing touches and Opening Day!!!!

2010-09-06T01:38:00.000-07:00

The finishing touches have been put to the building - everything from filling the sandpit,

rolling the lawn,

labelling chairs, digging over the wild flower borders,

staining buggy the store and putting things on the noticeboard, to getting cameras ready, recording answer phone messages

and building fences for the playhouse.

There has been so much to do and everyone has worked so hard to get the new Pre-school building to this point - ready to open. Some are more impressed than others though! This is Reuben, my youngest who came down to "help" stain the buggy store!

As I write this, children will be getting ready to make their journey to Kaleidoscope, some for the very first time. We wish them all the best as they start this wonderful adventure and hope they enjoy exploring the amazing activities on offer in their new building. We wish all the hard working staff well too, especially Lucy, who has worked tirelessly to ensure all the children feel at home and settled on their first day. We hope your first day back is a fun one! We will hopefully post some pictures of the first day as soon as we have them.

As the term goes on, the building will continue to become home. It has been a long journey, and something of a roller coaster, but we are finally here and I think you will agree, it has been well worth it! This has been and will continue to be a Community Project and we could not have done it without the help of so many people giving their time, skills, energy, and money so generously. So, on behalf of everyone at Kaleidoscope and the children who will use the building for many years to come, THANK YOU! Please come and celebrate with us on September 18th, it will be a lovely occasion and one which we are all looking forward to.

Exciting progress!

2010-08-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last week the roof window and bi fold doors were fitted, giving the building a wonderful feel. Standing under the roof light, with the rain and wind in the trees outside, the space really feels opened up.

The view from the bi fold doors up into the garden is lovely too now that the turf has been laid and our "telly tubby hill" is in place.

Simon has also cleverly built a sunken sandpit and completed the covered area just outside the building.
The outside space is going to be chocked full of exciting things for the children to enjoy.

Meanwhile, inside, the building continues to come together and take shape into a pre-school, with equipment arriving all the time. Last night, we held a "Flat pack party" to assemble the mountain of new furniture. as you can see, we ended up with quite a pile of recycling!

We had lots of fun, unpacking miniature wooden sofas for the reading corner, art storage, bookcases, and very exciting, a new role play area for the centre of the space, which will enable the children to play any number of different role play games, such as shops, garages, railway stations, post offices etc....so much potential!

The kitchen is gradually getting stacked with all the necessary supplies too. The low hatch shelf will enable the children to participate in simple cooking activities. We also unwrapped two armchairs and coffee table for the kitchen area so that the staff will at long last have a specified place to sit and eat their lunch and have their tea breaks!

The store room is filling up as Lucy and helpers (thanks Oli...Lucy's eldest son!) gradually transport things from the old cupboard. The Cupboard in the Hall has been a big part of Kaleidoscope history, requiring great expertise to carefully stack and take care of the contents, using every available inch! It has served us well, but I am sure it will be a relief for the staff to be able to have a bit more space to store things in!

Please don't forget to put September 18th in your diaries. Come and help us celebrate the opening of this wonderful new building with a picnic, games, treasure hunt and taster activities. 11am to 2 pm. See you then!

Soft Play!

2010-08-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

The soft play area was laid today and looks fab! This covered area will provide vital space for the children to play on and extend the opportunities for outside play, even when the British weather sets in like it has in the last couple of days! It will also mean that there will be free flow between inside and outside spaces.
As a parent, I can see how much this will add to the children's experiences and along with the planned Nature trail garden at the back of the building, will ensure that they are as in touch with their surroundings as possible in a safe and secure environment.

Save the Date!

2010-08-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Announcing...the Kaleidoscope Building Opening Event on Saturday September 18th from 11 to 2pm.
We hope as many of you can make it to help us celebrate this special achievement and the beginning of a new era for this long running Pre-school.
We are so proud of what has been achieved, with so many peoples' help along the way. So many have given their time and energy to create something amazing for the children and families of Petworth and surrounding areas.
We hope that the building will stand as testament to what a community can achieve when it gets together with determination, understanding, care and creativity as well as providing an awesome space for our children.
You are invited to come and celebrate with us and mark this important moment. Bring a picnic and chill out in the new garden while the children play.

Take a look around!

2010-08-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Working party got together on Thursday night, down at the new building to plan our opening celebrations. It was also a lovely opportunity for us to have a quick look around at the building inside.

It is such a lovely space, with so much potential for play and learning.
The children will have specially designed toilets to use, encouraging independence with low level toilets and sinks. The facilities also include a children's toilet with disability access and separate facilities for adults.

The kitchen has been designed with a low level hatch so that cooking activities can be reached by the children, although the main kitchen will of course still be an adult only zone! There is also as side room for quieter activities.

There will at last be a dedicated office space, which has a hatch into the reception area, where our new "Friends of Kaleidoscope" notice board will hang.

We sat in the garden (or what will be!)with our cups of tea and imagined how it will be transformed from it's current dusty state to lush green lawn with wild flower borders and probably a "telly tubby" like hill! the three trees in the middle will really add to the shade and the feeling of being surrounded by nature.

There are also some brilliant plans for the Nature Trail garden at the back of the building, which will develop as time goes on.

All in all, the building is coming together as planned and already looks and feels like a beautiful, calm, open place to be. It's not hard to imagine what it will be like in September, full of children having a fabulous time!

Fell off the back of a lorry!

2010-07-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

HOW EXCITING!!!! The building finally arrived today, in pieces on the back of several lorries. Two of the lorries remained parked up alongside the green for a while, waiting for the first part of the building to arrive, but finally they all came in in the right order and we can really see how beautiful our new building is going to be!

We couldn't have asked for better weather for the delivery of the building and I am sure the children enjoyed watching the crane do its work. Katie, our project manager was surprised this morning to find the crane parked outside her home, having been given the wrong address! That will certainly get her neighbours talking! It did eventually arrive on site though and everything went smoothly from then on!

Lucy checking out the new building. The ply boards are where the bi fold doors will be and you can see what a lovely garden play space the children will have under the trees from this angle. I think Lucy is pointing out where her new office will be!
We also want to say a special thank you to Andy Carr from Adroit (the company that made our lovely building) for all his help getting us to this point. he also took some brilliant sneeky peek photos of the building being constructed in the factory for us....

Calling all potential sponsors

2010-07-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

The build is progressing well and the perimeter fence is almost finished, showing what a lovely space the preschool is going to occupy. The garden we will have dedicated to the children will be accessed through bi fold doors that fold completely back to allow them to move freely between indoors and outdoors spaces. The mature trees that were once part of the shrub land that grew on the earth heap have been saved to provide wonderful shade to the garden and will add to the natural beauty that will surround the children as they play.

Thanks to Jonathan Arnold for drawing up plans for our new gardens, which will include wild areas, bug hotels, bird and bat boxes, plenty of grass of course, a hard play area, sandpits, and all sorts of other treasures for the children to enjoy and discover. Jonathan has given his time and expertise for no charge, so if you see him around, give him a big handshake and a thank you!

Above is an artist's impression of what the new building will look like. I'm sure you will agree, this looks like a lovely place for the children to play and learn.

Something that would make this space even better however, is a brilliant pirate ship wooden climbing frame. This is one of the items we are looking for businesses or individuals to sponsor. If you want to see the whole list click here and if you think you, or a business you know may be able to help, please either email us or talk to Lucy at Kaleidoscope.

All sponsors will be given a spot on our Daily Notices Board in the new reception area of the building. This will be a constantly changing display, regularly looked at by parents and carers as well as visitors, so a good place for local businesses to get a bit of free (almost!) advertising!

Parking

2010-07-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's getting easier to see where everything is going to be as work progresses at the site. There is now a new pavement, which will make things much safer for dropping off and picking up children, and the perimeter fence is going up too. Eventually the whole of the car park will be much better organised, to allow more cars to park in an orderly and safe way, and for turning of cars to happen easily.

Thank you for continuing to be careful as you park in the meantime, especially with restricted space. There may be a couple of one off dates coming up where we need to ask for your help with parking arrangements. We will let you know as these come up. Thank you for your patience and creative parking!

We're on track for a September opening

2010-06-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

The building is currently being manufactured in the factory, whilst on-site the foundations, drains etc are being laid. The on-site ground works will continue throughout June and July, and the building will be delivered mid-July. Throughout August we will be finishing the building internally, setting up all of our new equipment and resources, moving all of our existing equipment and resources over from the Hampers Green Hall and landscaping the garden and car parking areas. We will be opening on the first day of the Autumn Term in September!

It's exciting to think that our building is currently being put together, ready to be craned into position later next month. It's been a steep climb so far to get to this point, but we are really approaching the light at the end of the tunnel! Not long until Kaleidoscope staff will be able to settle into their new workspace and welcome the children into their brilliant new play space!

Open Day

2010-06-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today, Kaleidoscope opened its doors to visitors young and old(er), for a play session designed to show how we run on a daily basis. The room was buzzing with children enjoying the different activities and playing with staff and parents and carers chatted over a cup of tea.
Everyone was very interested in the display showing the plans for our new building, which will be ready in September for some of the children looking round today. The work continued outside as we chatted inside and as you can see from the photo below, the footings are in.

Foundations of a new future

2010-06-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well, the foundations are going in! In the picture below you can just make out the footprint of the new building. Towards the bottom left hand corner will be the office and the reception area and you may be able to work out the large play space in the middle, which will have folding doors to lead onto the garden.

The mound of earth at the back will eventually become the wildlife garden, full of all sorts of creatures and plants for the children to explore in supervised sessions.

You may also have noticed the bat and bird boxes on some of the trees. These are part of our efforts to protect the existing wildlife that may have been disturbed by our building works, to encourage new wildlife to take up residence, and also to provide interesting learning opportunities for the children in the future. It's amazing how diverse and thriving small piece of land can be, and we hope it will stay that way!

Work Begins At Last!

2010-05-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Noah Welch, Polly Johnson and Ben Sullivan sporting the latest fashion this season - Kaleidoscope hard hats!
If you have been down to the Hampers Green Hall recently you will have noticed a few changes. The Horticultural Society Huts have gone and work has begun to remove the mound of soil next to them and level the ground, ready for OUR NEW BUILDING!

On the day the diggers moved in, a few of us met on site to share a cuppa and a bacon buttie - a small way of marking our great joy (and relief) that the project is starting it's transformational stage.

There are lots of people involved in this build, and as the blog goes on, I hope to give mention to a few, so that you know who is who. Katie, the lady in the pink hard hat above, is not only mum of three (including Ben in the Superman T-shirt) but is also our very hard working project manager. She is overseeing all sort of things, from budget, to press releases - so next time you see her, give her a big pat on the back!

And the man in this digger is Simon. He's doing a lot of the groundwork and it's amazing to watch how skillful and precise he is with such a huge machine!

We're off!

2010-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

It was a warm spring day today as groundwork preparation began at the site, closely observed by an ecologist to make sure that any native wildlife was well cared for. After months of planning, and lots of preparation, it was an exciting moment for all.
Watch this space for further developments as the work continues and things really begin to take shape!

Welcome!

2010-04-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Kaleidoscope Build Blog; dedicated to following this exciting new project to develop a purpose built Preschool building at Hampers Green in Petworth.
The mission of this blog site is to keep Kaleidoscope parents, children and anyone else who is interested up to date with how the project is going and ways in which you may be able to get involved as it progresses.
To find information about Kaleidoscope Preschool itself, such as term dates, mission statements etc, please visit the main site at www.kaleidoscopeplaygroup.org