2010-2011 – Hecklegirth Nursery

What have you enjoyed in Nursery?

As many of our children prepared to leave us for Primary 1, we talked about what they had enjoyed most in Nursery. Here is a sample of their thoughts below.

Olivia: I liked playing the piggy game on the computer ‘cause it was funny.

Mason: the red bike outside was good – it’s like a motorbike.

Cerys: the house corner – the castle was the best ever.

Dylan: I liked playing doggies.

Poppy: running and playing with everyone outside.

Becky: the Three Bears Cottage.

Jack: lots of painting for the Mummies.

Liam: the Chinese restaurant was good with all the food.

Aidan: the computer game with clowns.

Finlay: playing on the bikes and going in the pink castle.

Ruby: I liked having snack and puzzles. I liked the castle and the Three Bears Cottage. I just liked all of it.

Corey: I liked drawing and cooking in the house.

Aedan: playing scooters.

Maisie: drawing pictures with Ruby was the best.

Ola: playing with Zuzanna.

Jack: going on the big slide.

Singing, smiles and certificates

We are off to Australia and to Edinburgh to live but we will still be friends.

Singing, smiles and certificates filled our graduation day at Hecklegirth Nursery. The children were so excited to perform for their family and friends and they certainly did us all proud. Happiness seemed to beam from almost every face as they showed what wonderful little stars they are. A slightly nervous practice for some at our school assembly the day previously seemed to build their confidence and both the morning and afternoon children “saved the best for last” to impress their families. The singing and dancing was fantastic! Miss Wilson was also very impressed with the grown-up and confident manner in which each individual child walked onto the stage to shake hands and receive their certificate.

All the staff were touched when we were presented with surprise gifts which were most generous, particularly after the recent secret fundraising event. We would like to thank all the children and their parents for making this year a most enjoyable one. The children have been an absolute delight and their parents so supportive of us. We could not have asked for more.

Click on the photos above for a closer look.

Fun Activity Day

Our Fun Activity Day started with a huge surprise when we were presented with a very generous cheque, as well as a beautiful bench and weather vane for the Nursery garden. We would like to extend huge thanks to everyone who organised, contributed to or took part in the secret sponsored walk to raise this amazing amount of money for our Nursery. We feel quite overwhelmed by this generosity and are considering carefully how to spend your donation wisely.

Despite a mixture of sunshine and showers, the children continued happily round the fun activities and seemed pleased to show off their skills to family and friends. They worked well together in teams and showed good support for each other. Primary 6 did a great job of encouraging and praising the children and Callum, Active Schools Co-ordinator, helped us enormously by managing everyone’s movement round the field.

None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic participation of the Nursery children who, as always, made us very proud of their excellent behaviour on an exciting day. Well done boys and girls!

Visit to the Romans

Today we all had great fun visiting Primary 4 who showed us their work on the Romans. The life size figures of Roman soldiers were particularly impressive and we really enjoyed trying out the computer games that Primary 4 had designed. We saw mosaics and amphitheatre models and heard stories about life as a Roman soldier, amongst other things.

Primary 4 were so enthusiastic at sharing their learning with Nursery children, making sure that they explained things to them in a way that they would understand. Thank you very much to Miss Cameron and everyone in Primary 4 for making us feel so welcome. We always love our visits to your classroom.

What can we do in the playground?

We had fun this week playing in the school playground. Lots of us liked the big snakes and ladders game on the ground and were shouting out the numbers as we jumped on them. Gabi noticed that they were “very huge numbers” and Sarah said, “It’s a good job we like huge numbers ’cause they can be tricky”.

A few tried out the benches when they got a bit tired and some simply enjoyed running in the huge space. A small group of children even stood by the fence and watched the tents being erected for the pipe band championships. All in all, everyone agreed that the big playground is a great place to be.

P6 buddies give a helping hand

P6 were kind and helpful buddies this week when they helped us make cards for our families. Eileen, our Family Learning Co-ordinator, arranged for P6 to help children who are moving to P1 make lovely cards for their families. P6 were fantastic buddies, explaining what the task was and just giving the right amount of guidance and support to those who found it a little tricky cutting out stars to decorate their cards. We hope parents are happy with the finished product as a fond memento of their child’s move to Primary 1. The sentiments of the little poem seem to sum up how they are all feeling about the next stage in their lives.

P1 here I come.

I know I’ll have lots of fun,

Lots of things to make and do,

Reading, writing, counting too.

P1 here I come!

I know I’ll have lots of fun.

Learning Circus Skills

Although we have been having great fun with our own circus area in Nursery, the morning children had a real life experience of the circus this week when we were invited to visit the big top which was in the field next to us. Several of the circus acts welcomed us and kindly took lots of time and patience to teach us a few basic skills. Peppa Pig even made an appearance and joined in a dance with everyone as they waited their turn to try out the juggling clubs and hoops. The acrobat’s trampoline was also a great attraction as the children all tried to bounce as high as the circus girl. It was a fantastic experience for the children to meet real circus performers and we thank them for spending so much time with us. The children are continuing to practise their skills in Hecklegirth Circus.

We learned to spin the hoops on our arms.

Our First School Lunch

Last week the children about to move to Primary 1 at Hecklegirth had their first taste of a school lunch and very delicious it was too. Everyone was excited that the ladies in the kitchen had invited them to the dinner hall and they all came away very enthusiastic about school lunches, with the ice-cream and pear a particular favourite.

Please click on the photos for a closer look.

More Maryport Adventures

As promised, Stan the Star took the afternoon children to Maryport for a visit last week. Unfortunately the weather was not so kind to us this time so we didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy the adventure park. Poor Stan the Star had to poke his little nose out of the bag to see what was happening as he might have been blown away by the wind and rain if he had ventured out.

However, we were very lucky to arrive just as a fishing boat was landing its catch and everyone had close-up view of a variety of fish before they were sent off to be sold. Poor Miss Kerr had smelly hands after holding the different types of fish so that we could get a closer look. She didn’t even mind the big wriggly prawns that some of us found a little scary so thank you Miss Kerr for being so brave. We were also amazed how closely the seagulls came to us as they tried to clear the nets of little bits of star fish left behind and the fishermen waving to us, as they left the harbour to go out on the choppy sea, made our day.

The aquarium, as previously, was a fantastic experience and the children were particularly excited to touch and hold the rays, star fish and crabs. Again, Stan the Star had some nervous moments as he was dangled over the ray pool but he survived the ordeal, despite one or two of the baby sharks coming to have a close look at him.

We would like to thank all the parents who helped us on our trips: without your support they would not have been possible. We also feel very proud of our children who behaved so well on both occasions. Stan the Star is resting and hopes to have quiet week in Nursery but he just never knows what’s round the corner.

All the fish were packed in boxes of ice.

Stan the Star has a taste of everyone’s lunch.

Stan and the big starfish come face to face.

Stan the Star has fun in Maryport

Stan the Star gets a bit of help climbing the nets.

On top of the pirate ship admiring the view.

This week the morning children took Stan the Star to visit The Lake District Coast Aquarium at Maryport for an end of term treat. The journey seemed to pass surprisingly quickly and everyone was excited when we arrived at the harbour. Stan the Star had a great time in the aquarium although he was a little worried when he was dangled over the ray pool for a better look. To touch star fish, anemones and rays was quite an experience for everyone although watching the octopus devour his lunch of live crab was perhaps the most memorable event.

During a walk round the harbour to see the boats and the lighthouse, some children met the coastguard who showed them his van and boat and our visit to the adventure playground completed Stan the Star’s day out. As you can see from the photos, Stan was certainly given a real adventure by everyone: he seemed to try out all the equipment as he was passed from child to child. He had no chance to sleep on the way home as he tried to spend time with as many children as possible but there were a few who did succumb to the Land of Nod after a hectic day.

A big ‘thank you’ must go to all the Mums and Dads who came with us to make our outing a safe and happy day. We are delighted to say that the lady in the café commented that we were very well behaved which made us feel very proud of everyone. Unfortunately our photos in the aquarium are too dark to show here but we have a taster of our day above. Stan the Star is resting up and hopes to go back to Maryport next week with the afternoon boys and girls.