As the seasons change so does the weather. We have had a lot of rain recently which in turn means a muddy nursery garden!!! To help keep the children dry (and a bit cleaner) the nursery have purchased a number of waterproof trousers, perfect for those rainy days. On Monday we had the perfect weather to put them to the test. The children where in there element at being able to jump in a very muddy puddle and all had clean and trousers when they came back into nursery. The children are being encouraged to try and put on their waterproofs and wellies by themselves and we are pleased to say we are mastering a good routine. Children are aware of where their wellies are and where to put there shoes when they take them off, next on the list will now be putting on the trousers. Can we again remind you that it is part of the children’s learning and development to be out in all types of weather which can sometimes mean muddy coats or clothes. We do also have activities indoors which are messy. Could parents/careers ensure that children have some spare clothing in nursery should such a mucky occasion occur. Thank you.

IMG_5121

IMG_5079

Our muddy, digging area is always popular. Did you know that playing in the mud can make a child healthier? Mud can actually develop a child’s immune system. I would like to share a favourite quote of mine by Mary Ruebush.

“So let your child be a child. Dirt is good. If your child isn’t coming in dirty everyday, they are not doing they’re job. They are not building their immunological army. So it is terribly important”.

It has been proven that playing in mud can make you happier, connects you with nature, helps children learn and develops and encourages children to co-operate, communicate, negotiate and share.

Fabulous!!! Let’s get digging👍🏼

Within nursery the children are always given the right to decided what they want to learn. Over the last few weeks we have been talking about making our own choices and asking the children what there interests are. Recently we have had opportunities were the children have been given the option to take part in a vote. One of our votes regarded an activity outdoors. The children voted on whether they would like to play ring games or build a den out of the branches cut from our trees. As you can see from the pictures it was a large majority vote for a den (or at least an attempt at one).

We loved helping to make play-doh yesterday in the 2’s. We helped to count and measure the ingredients and all got a turn of mixing them altogether. It got very messy but was so much fun!

We are transforming the nursery garden. Our plans include a large vegetable patch and digging area. The digging area will be perfect for finding slugs and worms. It will also mean that the children may get quite muddy. The vegetable area will hopefully be in working order in time for early next year when we will be planting our fruit and veg. The nursery staff would like to say a massive thank you to all the nursery parents and grandparents who assisted with the task of digging, your help was much appreciated. Can we just remind you that the children do go out in all weathers and the will get wet and muddy. Could you ensure appropriate clothing and footwear and a change of clothing in case your child gets wet. Thank you once again.

We have been learning the story The Gingerbread Man and becoming familiar with all the characters. Most of us now know and can join in the repetitive song “run run as fast as you can you cant catch me I’m the gingerbread man” here we are carrying out some art related work on our story of the term.