Extended Schools News October 2025

The last few weeks leading up to October half term have been wonderfully busy at Woodland Corner! The children have made the most of the mild autumn weather, spending plenty of time outdoors and soaking up the beauty of the changing seasons around our woodland setting.

Our focus on healthy eating has been a huge success and gone down an absolute storm with the children. They’ve had the chance to get hands-on in preparing their own delicious meals and snacks — from homemade pizzas to hummus and tzatziki with fresh vegetables, wholemeal pitta bread, and tortillas. We’ve also enjoyed comforting favourites like beans on toast, jacket potatoes, and wholewheat pasta. It’s been a truly tasty and nutritious few weeks!

To build on this theme, we’ll also be baking some beetroot cupcakes — a fun and tasty way to explore how vegetables can be used in sweet treats while promoting healthy eating habits. The children are already very excited to get involved!

Indoors, the children have been busy with creative arts and crafts, producing some beautiful seasonal pieces. They’ve made autumn wreaths, stained-glass pumpkins, and even tried their hand at sewing. There’s also been some lovely mindfulness colouring using our beautiful new marker pens, which were purchased especially for our older children — a calm and creative way to unwind after a busy day. One of the highlights has been creating intricate spider webs, cutting out delicate shapes with scissors — a wonderful exercise in both creativity and fine motor skills.

As part of our Halloween fun, the children have also been busy helping to make lots of lovely Halloween sweet treat cones, which we’ll be selling on the last day of term to raise funds. All the money raised will go towards buying replacing the bark with a safety surface.

Outside, the fun has continued in full swing. The children have loved playing in our autumn pumpkin kitchen, where they’ve been busy “cooking up” pumpkin pies and pumpkin lattes in the garden. There’s been plenty of energy and laughter out on the Astro too — climbing the wall, cartwheeling, balancing on tyres, and, of course, squeezing in a quick game of football!

It’s been a fantastic half term full of friendship, creativity, and outdoor adventures. We’re so proud of how well the children have settled and how much joy and imagination they bring to every day at Woodland Corner.