Spring Play

After all the rain recently, the weather yesterday was absolutely lovely, so all of the children managed to get outside whether in the garden, up the drive for a walk or along to the canal basin! 

Hopefully there are more dry and sunny days to come! 

See the photos in our 'spring play' album here...

Dydd Gwyl Dewi / St. David's Day 2026

As Dydd Gwyl Dewi / St. David's Day is on the weekend this year, Little Chums has been celebrating today instead! You probably couldn't miss all the Welsh flags, bunting and banners that were around?!

As part of the celebrations, the children dressed up in traditional clothes or something else Welsh/red, ate daffodils for breakfast (toast cut out in a flower shape) and Welsh cakes, took part in games and activities, practiced their Welsh language skills by speaking and singing, made Welsh flags, painted Welsh lady pictures and lots more! Every single table, sand tray and water tray was Welsh themed!

See the photos from the celebrations in the Dydd Gwyl Dewi / St. David's Day 2026 album here...

Welsh Culture / Language

Are you celebrating St.David's Day / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant this weekend? 

Why not practice some simple Welsh language, make Welsh cakes or enjoy a puzzle with your child?

Our mini-posters and wors search below may help! Click on them to enlarge! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. David's Day Preparations

Don't forget, since Saint David's Day is on the weekend this year, Little Chums is celebrating this Friday 27th February instead! 

 

The staff and children have been preparing today! We look forward to seeing how your children are dressed tomorrow!

 

See our decorations on Facebook here... 

Ice & Snow Safety

Little Chums is open! 

A light dusting of snow settled overnight at Little Chums, but early morning rain has cleared most of it.

 

The paths to the main building and main Preschool door are clear and salted where necessary.

 

Although clear, but as a precautionary measure, the path around to the Baby door entrance and the steps up to Tots Room are temporarily closed. Baby and Tots parents, please use the main door this morning.

 

As always, PLEASE do not walk on the cobbles in the main car park. Walk on the loose chippings only!

 

Take care!

Pancake Day 2026

Yesterday was 'Pancake Day' (Shrove Tuesday) and the children enjoyed some pancakes for breakfast or tea, depending on the group. 

With the warm pancakes was a choice of toppings including fresh lemon, banana, strawberries, blueberries, raisins and more. And maybe just a little bit of sauce as a special treat! The children were allowed to 'build' their own creations from the 'pancake station'!

See the photos in the album here...

Preschool Exercise

Preschool were full of exercise and activity yesterday regardless of the bad weather! 

 

After doing some yoga indoors following a video on our interactive screens, they then went outside for some fresh air and outdoor play!

 

The photos are in a post on our Facebook page here...

Reminder - St. David's Day / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant

This year, St. David's Day / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant is on a Sunday 1st March. 

Therefore,  at Little Chums we will be celebrating this event on Friday 27th February instead!

If your child attends on this day, please allow them to wear traditional dress, something else that signifies Wales, or just something red!

They will also be doing lots of Welsh themed activities, games and arts/crafts. There will perhaps be a Welsh cake treat too!

The poster shown here will be on all the main doors as a reminder! 

Valentine's Day 2026

Happy almost Valentine's Day everyone! As the actual day is tomorrow, we're celebrating today instead! On Friday the 13th!  However, just as in previous years the children at Little Chums went Valentine's Day crazy!

There were love hearts, banners and balloons everywhere, even the play tables were red or loved themed! The children also enjoyed a Valentine themed breakfast.

The children have been working hard all week on Valentine gifts and cards which you have probably already received. 

Visit the 2026 Valentine's Day photo album here...

Puddle Play

Is it ever going to stop raining? 

Regardless, Toddlers decided to get outside wrapped up in their puddle suits to splash around in the puddles that never seem to dry up these days!

Exercise and plenty of fresh air is really good for you whether it's raining pouring or not!

See the photos on our Facebook page here...

Safety Alert

For our parents who have older children, in case you have not seen this... 

 

There is a safeguarding concern relating to several titles in the 'According to Humphrey' and 'Spy Pups/Dog/Cat' book series by Andrew Cope.

 

Some copies of these books include a weblink on the back cover or on an interior page which no longer directs readers to information about the books. Unfortunately, this link has been compromised and may now lead to inappropriate and unsafe material that is not suitable for children of any age.

 

Please check if you have any of these books and remove the offending page.

Talywain RFC

Can we please ask a cheeky favour? Many of our parents and children are from the Talywain area and are involved with Talywain RFC. To give back to the community, Little Chums sponsors Talywain Minis & Juniors RFC. 

They are currently taking part in the TESCO blue token scheme to raise money for training kits and equipment.

 

If you are in Pontypool TESCO, please get your blue tokens at the checkout and put them in the Talywain Minis & Juniors RFC slot on the right hand side of the box as shown in the photo!

 

Thanks for your help!

Food Hygiene Inspection

Our main kitchen and food hygiene practises were recently inspected by the Environmental Health department from Torfaen. 

We are proud to announce that we have managed to maintain our ‘5’ score, the top rating you can achieve!  Our report states that our food hygiene and safety procedures are very good, as is our structural compliance (kitchen cleanliness, layout, condition, etc.). The inspector was 'highly confident' in our management and control procedures.  We received no recommendations for improvement.

This now means we can reapply for our ‘Elite’ rating as we have scored ‘5’ on successive inspections over many years.

Well done to our cook, Alix, for maintaining such good standards and to everyone else involved in supporting her role in the kitchen.

February 2026 Newsletter

Little Chums has emailed out a newsletter for February 2026. 

Didn't receive a copy of the newsletter by email or deleted it by accident?

Read it online here...

Electrician Required!

Do you know a reputable, reliable and cost effective electrician? We require some works completed at Little Chums including electrical safety testing, PAT testing and fire safety testing. 

If you know of and can recommend a fully qualified person who is DBS police checked, please let us know by email using our usual address marked for the attention of Andrew.

Thanks!