Archived News - Under 5s
Cheeky Monkeys New Start
Hello Everyone,
I hope you have all had a lovely summer break and have been enjoying the nice weather.
As Rachel informed many of you at the end of the last term, the organisation and running of Cheeky Monkeys will now be taken over by The Beehive Sure Start Children's Centre. My Name is Jess and I am one of the family workers at the Centre and some of you may have met me in my previous role when I used to attended the group on a monthly basis delivering a Rhyme Time on behalf of Action for Children.
The session will now be run by members of staff from the Centre and our volunteers and the group will be re starting next Wednesday 12th September from 1pm-2.30pm with an open day theme. The sessions cost will now be £1 per adult and £1 for children aged 1-5 years and under 1's free. Staying with the theme of an open day we are hoping that as many staff from the Centre as possible will be able to attend the session to introduce themselves along with some other local professionals.
On behalf of all the staff at the Beehive Children's Centre, we look forward to hopefully meeting you all next Wednesday.
If you have any queries or questions please feel free to call the Centre or email me.
Kind Regards
Jessica Rolt
Family Worker
The Beehive Sure Start Children's Centre
Westfield Road
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU6 1DW
Source: Cheeky Monkeys
Cheeky Monkeys New Start
Hello Everyone
Hope you've been enjoying the few days of dry warm weather.
There are going to be a few changes from September at Cheeky Monkeys that we wanted to let you know about before the end of term.
As you know Heather is having a baby and as I mentioned earlier in the year my work commitments have changes meaning I can't commit to every Wednesday. A month or so ago we approached Jessie from the Beehive Sure Start Centre and asked if they would be able to support us. After several discussions with Jessie & Kim and the Centre manager Michelle we have decided the best way to ensure Cheeky Monkeys continues to stay open and running the way it is, is for The Beehive Centre to take over the organisation and week to week running of the group and we become parent helpers. Kim and Jessie will be there every week along with any parent helpers that are available each week. Kim and Jessie will be coming along on Wednesday 4th July to meet everyone and to see who would like to become official parent helpers which means you will need to be CRB checked. The website will continue to run so you can see what is happening week to week but the facebook page will close. We will also be giving your consent forms that you filled in when you started at Cheeky Monkeys to Kim and Jessie so they can update you as we have but they will not pass on this information to another parties. If, however you do not want you details passed on please let us know.
Also to remind you that next week is the last week of Cheeky Monkeys, that is the 4th of July and Cheeky Monkeys will return on the 12th of September.
Thank you to everyone who has helped with setting up, washing up and tidying away each week, with out your help Cheeky Monkeys wouldn't run. We will need your continued help from September too please!! And thank you for supporting us too, we have really enjoyed the past 15 months, we do hope that you will all continue to support Cheeky Monkeys as its such a nice group and a vital resource for the community.
Finally, good luck to Heather and the imminent arrival of her baby and to Rika who will be returning home in a few week to hopefully starting her Pediatrics Nurse apprenticeship.
If you have any questions just email or speak to us on Wednesday.
Thanks again.
Rachel and Heather.
Cheeky Monkeys Autumn News
Cheeky Monkeys Autumn Term update
We are still doing the Samaritans purse operation christmas child; you have untill early November to get your boxes complete and to us or a collection point. It is a wonderfull cause that gives children with nothing a gift at christmas; please see their website for more details www.samaritans-purse.org.uk. We are also collecting left over party bag fillers, hats, scarfs, and toys that were never used, to help make up the boxes, so please bring any you have along to Cheeky Monkeys (feel free just to drop them off if you don't have children of Cheeky Monkeys age).
Our Christmas Party will be held on the 14th of December. We are trying to arrange for an entertainer for the children, so if you know of anyone who is willing to give us 20 minutes of their time please tell them to get in touch or if you know a suitable santa! Tickets will be on sale from 2nd of November.
On the 9th November, Paula from Bookworms will be selling her books that are aimed from baby to around 7 years old. She have a mixed range from board books, cloth books, bath books, Disney Princess, Cars, Toy Story, CD Books, A Good Range of Floppy and Activity Books. All books are half RRP or less, so come along and have a look.
On the 16th of November we have a photographer taking phots for us so just beacause they are not at school yet, doesn't mean you can't have some nice photo's.
We are also looking into becoming a registered charity and are still looking for people to support us. If you would like to support us maybe you would like to join our newly formed committee. It currently consists of Heather Burrows, Kara March and myself Rachel Turner! Yes not many, so if you would like to help us but can't commit to come along weekly, maybe you could join the committee. Please feel free to call me on 07789 760007.
For more information on our weekly events and much much more, please visit our website. www.cheekymonkeys.btck.co.uk
Cheeky Monkeys News
After taking over at Easter we have really enjoyed our first term running Cheeky Monkeys. We have had a few newcomers, lots of regulars and loads of fun, the ball pool and craft table have been firm favourites. We now don't charge entry to babies under 6 months and we will be introducing a termly subscription as of September.
We would also like to support local Childminders and small businesses in the area by having contact details on our website. For more information have a look at our updated website www.cheekymonkeys.btck.co.uk and you can also join us on Facebook/Cheeky Monkeys Eaton Bray.
We also need your help to continue running Cheeky Monkeys in September, we require at least one more volunteer to help us. It will be for approximately 3 hours every Wednesday during term time, you don't have to have children that are within the age range of Cheeky Monkeys to volunteer. If you feel you can help please contact us via [email protected].
We hope you all have an enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you all again soon.
-- Heather and Rachel
Cheeky Monkeys Under Five's Playtime
Rachel and Heather have recently taken over the long running group Cheeky Monkeys, an under 5's play time that is based at Eaton Bray and is on every Wednesday between 1pm -2.45pm during term time.
Please visit our website for more information www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com. Look forward to seeing you all soon.
Cheeky Monkeys Under Fives Playtime
Cheeky Monkeys is pleased to be welcoming a number of new parents to our friendly group. We hope that many more will become regular visitors. Our new craft activities for the coming weeks are “Autumn collages”, “tree pictures”, “halloween magnets” and “fireworks.” Other toys and activities include a safe enclosed baby area, bricks, home corner, cars, brio train track, puzzles, colouring and junk modelling. We also have dressing up, chalk boards, painting and a workbench, as well as a new batch of home made playdough!
Over the last month we have been fortunate to receive sponsorship from Quality Villas, the French villa specialist. Quality Villas has kindly agreed to pay for the hall hire for the next three weeks in October, and this will enable us to use this extra money towards our Christmas party. Please take a look at their website: www.qualityvillas.com.
Don't forget we will be closed on 27th October due to half term, and re-open on 3rd November. For enquiries and further information, please see our website, (www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com).
Source: Focus, October 2010
Cheeky Monkeys
Over the last few weeks we have been very pleased to welcome some new parents and their children and hope that they will become regular visitors! The children have recently enjoyed making Mothers' Day cards, fl ower pot decorations and lots of other creations. Our new competition “guess the name of the Cheeky Monkeys teddy” is proving popular and will be running for a few more weeks. All you have to do is pick out teddy's correct name from a choice of 100. If you guess correctly, the teddy (plus wine and chocolates!) is yours.
Please take a look at our website, which has recently been updated with some more photographs and calendar items. If you have any comments or suggestions you can leave them on the site's guestbook.
Although this report is written in early March, you will probably be reading it during the Easter holidays, so just to remind you we will reopen on 21 April.
If you are a parent, childminder, grandparent or carer and would like to join our friendly group, please come along on a Wednesday afternoon (term time) at 1pm, in Eaton Bray Village Hall. Everyone is welcome. We have a wide range of toys, including dressing up, easels, bricks, home corner, play dough, craft table, farm, race track, brio, cars, dolls, playfood and lots more! We charge £1.50 per adult, £1 per child over 1, and 50p per child under 1. During the afternoon we have a tea/coffee break whilst the children sit down for juice and a biscuit. We end the afternoon with songs and music.
Cheeky Monkeys is run by three volunteer parents, Sarah, Louise and Sue. For enquiries please contact anyone of us. All details can be found on our website. (www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com).
Remember, keep coming and we will keep running!!!
Source: Focus, April 2010
Cheeky Monkeys Under Fives Playtime
Well, this is our last report of 2009, and we would especially like to thank all those who have helped us make our group such a success since we took over back in January this year. A special mention goes to the Parish Council, the Carnival Committee, Eaton Bray Garden Centre, Eaton Bray Village Hall Committee, parents for donating their toys, Eaton Bray Lower School for promoting the group, and most importantly everyone who comes along on a Wednesday afternoon with their children.
Don't forget our end of term Christmas party on 16th December. Father Christmas will be visiting with a present for every child, and we will be entertained by Jacqui, from "Jacq in the Box". This is an all ticket event, so do make sure you buy your tickets if you haven't already done so!
Please note that we will re-open on 6th January 2010. Why not make one of your new year's resolutions to come along to Cheeky Monkeys and give us a go! You can be assured of a warm welcome.
Cheeky Monkeys is run by three volunteer parents, Sarah, Louise and Sue. For enquiries please contact anyone of us. All information is on our website, www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com.
Which just leaves us to say, on behalf of all at Cheeky Monkeys, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2010!!!
Cheeky Monkeys - Christmas Party
Cheeky Monkeys under fives playtime will be holding their Christmas party on 16th December, at 1pm, in Eaton Bray Village Hall. There will be fun, games and music with local entertainer Jacqui, from "Jacq in the Box."
At the end of the afternoon Santa will visit with a present for each child. Please purchase tickets in advance as Santa needs to know how many presents to bring along! Usual entrance fee applies, (£1.50 parents, £1 child and 50p under one year.)
For further details and lots more information about our group, please visit www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
Cheeky Monkeys Under Five's Playtime
Cheeky Monkeys would like to remind all parents that we will be having our Christmas party on 16th December. This will be a fun filled afternoon, with music, games and singing! We need to tell Santa how many presents to bring with him, so this event will be "ticket only". Therefore we are asking all parents to buy their tickets over the next few weeks. (No increase in entrance fee.) On 11th November Paula from The Book People will be selling some great books at very reasonable prices, so if you would like to buy some Christmas or birthday presents, please come along with your cash!
Our thanks this month go to the Carnival Committee for their generous donation to our group, this money will be used to upgrade our current toys and activities, and we are very grateful to them. We must also thank those parents who have been bringing in delicious home made cakes for us parents to enjoy with our tea and coffee.
Over the last few weeks the children have enjoyed our new play equipment, including a new small slide and see-saw. There have been some wonderful creations on the craft table, including Autumn collages, dinosaur pictures and teletubbies. However the highlight of the month was the “flour table”, where we had a great time getting as messy as possible. Over the next few weeks we will be making monkeys, snowmen and clowns!
Please see our website for lots more information: www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com
Source: Focus, November 2009
Cheeky Monkeys Under Five's Playtime
For those of you that are not familiar with Cheeky Monkeys, we are a friendly mother and toddler group that meets each Wednesday at Eaton Bray Village Hall at 1pm. Everyone is welcome. We charge £1.50 per adult, £1 per child over 1, and 50p per child under 1. During the afternoon we have our tea/coffee break whilst the children sit down for juice and a biscuit. We end the afternoon with songs and dancing.
There is plenty of time for all sorts of messy play, including junk modelling, chalk boards, playdough and painting. We also have a quiet reading corner, colouring tables, a farm yard, bricks and blocks, home corner, and ever increasing baby corner. We have been able to purchase a brand new slide and seesaw over the summer, together with two new easels for painting and colouring.
Our planned activities on the craft table for the next few weeks are Teletubbies, Owls, Halloween magnets, Rockets and Fireworks. For those of you that are planning even further ahead, our Christmas party will be on 16th December, when we hope that Father Christmas will be visiting us!
Cheeky Monkeys is run by three volunteer parents, Sarah, Louise and Sue. For enquiries please contact anyone of us & please see our website for lots more information: www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com
Source: Focus, October 2009
Cheeky Monkeys - End of Term Raffle
Cheeky Monkeys under fives playtime are holding their end of term raffle on Wednesday 15th (July) in Eaton Bray Village Hall. We open at 1pm, and the raffle will be drawn at approximately 2pm.
There are some great prizes to be won, including a glider flight, photo session worth over £100, The Grove Theatre tickets, Leighton Buzzard railway passes, Clarks £10 gift voucher, and lots more! Tickets are £1 per strip, or 6 strips for £5. Please come along on Wednesday, everyone is welcome, even if you don't have any children to bring!
If you would like some tickets but are unable to make the date, please contact Sue Fox, on 01525 222387, or [email protected].
For further details, please see our website, www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com.
We hope you are able to support us.
Cheeky Monkeys Under Five's Playtime
We are pleased to report that we now have a website! Check out www.cheekymonkeys.btik.com. Here you will find everything you need to know about us, including a calendar of forthcoming events. You will also find details of the float that we are organising for the village carnival.
Our thanks to everyone who continues to support our group - we look forward to welcoming new faces. We need as many mums, dads, carers as possible to keep going!
Over the last few weeks the children have been enjoying making cotton wool sheep, sowing cress and mustard seeds and making Easter bonnets and baskets. Another table we have recently introduced is the “nature table”, whereby the children can create a garden picture with leaves, daisies, grasses etc. On June 17th we will be making Fathers' Day cards and presents. A date not to be missed is July 1st, when we will be eating ice-creams with a choice of delicious toppings! If you are a parent or carer and would like to join our friendly group, please come along to Eaton Bray Village Hall on a Wednesday afternoon at 1pm. Everyone is welcome. We charge £1.50 per adult, £1 per child over 1, and 50p per child under 1. Cheeky Monkeys is run by three volunteer parents, Sarah, Louise and Sue.
For enquiries please contact anyone of us, or visit our website! Remember - keep coming and we will keep running!
Source: Focus, June 2009
Cheeky Monkeys Under Five's Playtime
We have enjoyed making cards, pasta necklaces and fairy cakes for Mothers' day, and have held an Easter raffle to help raise some much needed extra funds. We are looking forward to lots more activities, and now that the summer is nearly here we hope to open up the hall doors and bring the outdoor toys into the sun!
Our thanks this month go to Garden Scene Eaton Bray for providing us with our cress and mustard seeds which, by the time this goes to print, the children will have sown. We would also like to thank those who have “stepped” in to help whilst Louise rests her broken ankle!
If you have not visited us yet, we are a friendly mother and toddler group, which meets each Wednesday during term time at 1pm in Eaton Bray village hall. No booking is required, just turn up! The hall is very spacious and bright with lovely views over the hills. It's a great place to let your child loose with painting, playdough and chalk, just the things that you may not want to do in your own home! You can even let us clear the mess up at the end!
We charge £1.50 per adult, £1 per child over one and 50p per child under one. Tea and coffee is served at 1.45pm, when the children sit down for a drink and a biscuit. There is always singing to end the afternoon.
Dates for your diary: On May 20th there will be biscuits to decorate, and on June 17th come along and make a card and stone paperweight for Fathers' day. Don't forget we will be closed on 27th May due to half term, reopening on 3rd June.
Cheeky Monkeys is run by three volunteer parents, Sarah, Louise, and Sue. For enquiries please contact Sue Fox Fox on 01525 222387. We look forward to welcoming you.
Source: Focus, May 2009
Cheeky Monkeys Under Five's Playtime
We continue to welcome lots of new faces to our group.
This has been a very “messy month!” The children have been painting, icing heart shaped biscuits for Valentine's day, making sticky chocolate krispie cakes, and messing about with cornflour and water! We would therefore recommend that you don't send your children in their best clothes.
Due to the success of the group, and requests from parents we have decided to open during the Easter holidays. We would like to clarify the opening time of 1pm, and not 1.30pm as printed in some local newspapers.
We have all been enjoying playdough, puzzles, a farm yard, mega blocks, craft activities, junk modelling and chalk boards. In addition, for the girls we have a home corner with buggies, kitchens, dolls and prams, and for the boys we have a lovely big car mat, trucks and lorries, and a workshop. There is an enclosed baby area with soft toys and a reading corner with cushions and mats. The session also includes time for a drink and biscuit, some singing or storytime, and we end the afternoon at 2.45pm.
Dates for your diary: on April 8th we will be holding an Easter Raffle, with some great chocolate prizes! Raffle tickets will be on sale from April 1st. We will also be making Easter bonnets and decorating Easter baskets (with chocolates!) On April 22nd we will be sowing cress seeds.
On April 29th we will be hosting the annual “Eve Appeal”. This campaign supports the research of the Gynaecological Cancer Research Unit. We are hosting this because a friend of Sarah's named Julia was only 38 when she died and last year Sarah raised £400 at home. If we can raise £1,000 we will be able to have a memory plaque for Julia at the research laboratory. We hope you can help make this possible. We will have some delicious cakes and biscuits for sale, as well as key rings and pin badges.
Please come along and support this worthwhile cause. We would like to thank all those parents who have donated their toys, and to Eaton Bray Pre-School for the loan of their parachute! In future we would like to have a “dressing up corner” so if anyone has anything suitable that their children no longer use, please give us a call, (contact details below).
If you are a parent or carer and would like to join our friendly group, please come along on a Wednesday afternoon at 1pm, in Eaton Bray Village Hall. Everyone is welcome. We charge £1.50 per adult, £1 per child over 1, and 50p per child under 1.
Cheeky Monkeys is run by three volunteer parents, Sarah, Louise and Sue 01525 222387.
Source: Focus, April 2009
Cheeky Monkeys - Eaton Bray Under 5's
Eaton Bray under 5's mum's and toddlers will reopen on 21 January as "Cheeky Monkeys". All are welcome, come along and make new friends.
If you prefer to telephone first, contact Sue Fox on 01525 222387.
Cheeky Monkeys is held Wednesdays during term time, 1.00-2.45pm, Eaton Bray Village Hall.
Eaton Bray Under 5’s Playtime
This term we are in great need of more people to come and join us for a relaxing afternoon of drinking tea or coffee while the children go off and play.
Our creative activities this term include Autumn trees, treasure maps, food plates, under the sea pictures, play dough, night pictures, make a big red bus, Halloween pictures, Christmas cards, Christmas decorations and puppet show.
We charge £1.50 per adult, £1.00 per child and 50p for babies under 1 year old. For this you get a hot drink and a biscuit/fruit and the children get a cold drink and a biscuit/fruit.
We meet every Wednesday afternoon 1.15pm to 3pm term time only.
Hope to see you there.
Source: Focus, October 2008
Eaton Bray Under 5's
The Under 5's meet every Wednesday in term time between 1.15pm and 3.00pm at Eaton Bray Village Hall and is run by a qualified Play Leader.
Babies and children under 5, Parents, Carers and Grandparents are welcome to come and join in the fun.
There is a baby play area, a general play area including a kitchen and washing machine, craft table and ride ons and the tunnel and lots more. We have introduced a reading area and hope to introduce a couple of group activities with a large ball that the children can roll and a parachute.
So far this term children have made a flower collage, number pictures, crowns and Victorian style hats. We plan to make mobile telephones (silent ones), a gift for Fathers Day and a cat in a box.
In the next issue we hope to have details of our summer picnics so watch this space.
We are planning a sale of babies and children's toys in the near future so please watch out for the notices if you want a few bargains.
Drink and biscuits will be provided at snack time. The cost is adults: £1, first child £1, any other child 50p each.
Any queries please contact Maggie or Cindy.
Wednesdays from 1.15pm to 3.00pm at Eaton Bray Village Hall.
Any Baby or child attending is the responsibility of the Parent or Carer.
Source: Focus, June 2006