AN AWARD-winning nursery chain has been encouraging its children to celebrate the Queen with poems, crafts, conversations and cups of tea.
Children at Tops Day Nurseries have been paying tribute to Her Late Majesty the Queen following her funeral on Monday, September 19, through various activities and the creation of keepsakes.
Children at a number of the Tops nurseries, including Winchester, have been collecting pennies to attach to a copy of a special poem to take home and keep as a memory. Others designed their own crowns, painted the Queen, had a go at making the Queen’s tea as well as having open discussions about the long-reigning monarch.
In Winchester, the children could be seen laying their crafty creations outside the cathedral to pay their respects to the Queen.
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Nursery teachers have been answering the many questions the children have to try and help them navigate this unusual time as the majority know something has happened but don’t quite understand what.
Manager at Tops Winchester Kayleigh Moss said: “We think it is important for children to learn about historic moments like this, and how important the Queen was. We enjoy going on walks and being so close to the cathedral we thought it was a perfect chance to allow them to explore our surroundings further and pay tribute to the Queen at the same time.”
Director of early years audit and training, Amy Alderson, said: “We were aware that being such a highly respected public figure, the children would likely be exposed to media around the Queen's death. With children being as inquisitive as they are, we felt it very necessary for us to do a range of age-appropriate activities with the children to help them to understand what was happening.
“We encouraged the children to ask questions and held little celebrations in honour of the Queen. This is an event that will be recorded in history and that our children will look back on in years to come. I’m proud of all our nurseries for providing the children with the education, honesty and support they needed during this time of grieving.”
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Tops Day Nurseries provides eco-sustainable early education and care for children aged three months to school age across more than 30-day nurseries in the south of England.
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