We would like to remind you of the start of a project called “Growing Families” on Thursday 3rd April. This will be a joint Family Learning and Nursery project about vegetables and how to grow them. Our initial session will involve reading and discussing the book “Growing Vegetables”, making a soup bowl picture and planting seeds either in our raised beds or to take home.
Sessions will be in the family room with Eileen, our Family Learning Co-ordinator, and there are still a few spaces left (see the notice board in the corridor above the blue group coat pegs). If you are unable to come on Thursday there will be another opportunity on Thursday 24th April so hopefully everyone who would like to take part can join in.
Sunshine Room’s Tesco Visit
Just like the Rainbow Room, the children from the Sunshine Room thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Tesco last week. They also worked well together in teams and carried out the various activities with enthusiasm. Don’t they look good in the hats that they designed themselves? Thank you again to Tesco for providing the hats and such an informative visit. We really appreciate it.
Nursery Visits Tesco
Shoppers at Tesco might have been surprised to see some very young staff working there last week as Nursery children visited the store to learn about what happens in the shop and behind the scenes. They worked very well in teams to solve the shopping puzzles and had to think hard about finding different numbers of fruit and vegetables in various colours as well as the various cereal boxes on their shopping lists.
The visit to the bakery produced lots of interest, as did the tasting session at the cheese and meat counter, although the walk-in freezer was a bit chilly for some.
All the children’s hard work was rewarded with the chance to finish off their own doughnut by dipping it in sugar then enjoying it along with a welcome glass of juice in the staff canteen.
We would like to say huge thanks to all the staff at Tesco who were so patient and kind. The children thoroughly enjoyed their visit and we all appreciate the time you took to show them round the store. Thank you also to those tolerant staff who had their tea break disturbed in the canteen.
You can see the Rainbow Room children busy with the various activities in the photos below.
Paint, Pens and Pencils
Inspired by our visits out to the community and visitors to Nursery, the children have been taking their learning about various jobs into the art and drawing/writing areas. Some very good work has been produced and a colourful selection is now on display in the school corridor. We are delighted that some of the children have shown great interest in adding writing to their work which hopefully you can see from some of the photos below.
Anyone who is coming to our Literacy workshops and parent consultations on Monday 31st March can have a closer look (our display is opposite Mrs.Alexander’s office) but in the meantime here are some examples to enjoy.
Click on the photos to make them bigger.
Our Local Property Centre
We are delighted to say that we have rearranged the Sunshine Room’s visit to our local property centre on the High Street. The Rainbow Room children enjoyed their recent visit, showing particular interest in the huge map of Dumfries and Galloway and all the pictures of houses for sale. Let’s hope that the weather is kinder this time for the Sunshine Room children who will visit on Tuesday April 1st.
Class Photos
We would like to remind everyone that class photos will be taken on Friday of this week (28th March). These are a lovely memento of your child’s time in Nursery so we hope that everyone can manage to be there.
When I Grow Up I Want To Be …
The more careers the children find out about, the harder it is for them to think about what they would like to do when they are grown-up. The Rainbow Room children have been sharing some of their ideas for the future.
Zachary: I want to be a policeman. You get to chase people.
Ava V.: I’d like to be a fairy and I’ll make wishes for everyone.
Ben: I want to play football in a big boys’ team and get big boys’ jumpers and big
boys’ shorts and shoes when I grow up.
Archie: I want to work at the bank.
Riley: I want to be a farmer and get a tractor.
Kailey: I want to be a Highland dancing teacher ’cause it’s very tricky.
Theo: I want to be a music person. I need to play the guitar.
Armana: I want to have sweetie shop.
Bethany: I want to be a builder.
Joey: I want to be a prince and sit down all the time.
Sophie D.: I want to be a ballet dancer.
Simon: I want to be a fireman.
Sophie S.: I want to be a fairy with a magic wand.
What a fantastic selection of ideas!
Career Choices
Like us, Carmen’s Mum enjoyed hearing about some of the children’s career plans:
“Aw that made me smile reading what the children want to do when they leave school. Some good career choices there. Yes Carmen insists on doing peoples make up so we will watch and see. Has she not asked to apply anybody’s make up at nursery! I liked lexis answer a queen that’s good that she’s aiming high. X”
We have not experienced Carmen’s make-up skills so far but there’s time yet.
What Happens In A Bakery?
It has been great to have several family members come in to talk to the children about their jobs and our most recent visitor was a Mum who works in a local baker’s. As a member of a family business that has been operating for more than a lifetime in Annan, she was able to explain to the children how all those wonderful cakes, bread and pies reach the shelves.
As a selection of slides appeared on the Promethean board showing the bakery, the children were surprised to see Stan the Star everywhere – he’d obviously thoroughly enjoyed his visit out of Nursery and had been very busy in the bakery. He helped the children to understand the size of the equipment as he looked tiny compared to all the machinery.
We saw the uniform that’s worn by the bakers and the huge flour bag that plays a part in making all the lovely cakes and bread. We learned about the magic ingredient called yeast – some liked the smell and others were not so keen – and how it is used in the baking process. Feeling the dough and seeing the different loaves that it makes certainly brought home to the children the process of making bread.
To top it all, we were presented with a fantastic cake that some of the staff had won in a recent charity fundraising event at the baker’s. We all loved our “Little Minions of Hecklegirth Nursery” cake and can all vouch for its delicious flavour. Thank you for a very interesting visit which certainly captured the children’s attention.
Future Careers?
As the children have been finding out about the various jobs that are available to them in the future, they have begun to think about which career they might be interested in. Here are some of the ideas from the children in the Sunshine Room.
Malachi: I want to be in the police and look for money and cash that people have lost.
Ava W.: I want to be an Annan swimming teacher.
Suzie: I want to work in a Nursery.
Robbie: I want to work in a garage and fix tyres.
Deryn: I want to work at the cinema.
William: I want to be a builder. I’d be working in a crane.
Lexi: I want to be a queen and I’d tell the people what to do.
Jessica W.: I want to be a ballerina teacher.
Tom: I think I want to be in the police.
Carmen: I’d like to work in a shop to put make-up on.
Sophie L.: I want to be a shopkeeper in Tesco.
It will be interesting to see how many of them fulfil their wishes in the future.
