Effective Contributors – Page 25

More Growing Families

Since we returned to Nursery this week, we have noticed some exciting signs of the onions and carrots beginning to grow in our raised beds. These were planted at the end of last term by some children and their families as part of our “Growing Families” project led by Eileen, our Family Learning Co-ordinator. Today another group of children and their families took part in the growing activities so hopefully we will have a bumper crop to make our soup later in the term. One or two children have also begun to bring in the peas that they planted before the holidays so well done for looking after them so well.
Thank you to everyone who has taken part and to Eileen for organising yet another super activity. We hope that you are all going to keep an eye on the raised beds for further signs of growth.

Growing Families

Eileen, our Family Learning Co-ordinator, has left a message for our “growing families”:

“Thanks to everyone who came to the growing families session last Thursday – I hope all your seeds are sprouting at home. Don’t forget to bring your soup bowl pictures back to me after the easter holiday. Looking forward to seeing everyone who is coming to the session on 24th April. Happy Easter hope you all have a lovely holiday”

Hopefully the rain has helped the seeds you all planted in the Nursery garden. All we need now is a little sunshine.

Family Learning

Thursday saw the first activity session for the “Growing Families” project organised by Eileen, our Family Learning Co-ordinator. Children and their parents enjoyed a story about growing and investigated seeds and shoots before cutting and sticking pictures to show how vegetables grow. Then it was off to the Nursery garden to plant onions and carrots in our raised beds. I wonder if they will show any signs of growth when we return to Nursery after the holiday?
Christine from the Positive Parenting Project group joined our sessions to introduce herself as she is planning to start a project in our Nursery next term for all parents. We would like to welcome her to our Nursery and hope that she enjoys working with us all. You can see Christine enjoying the outdoor planting in our photos.
If you like the sound of the “Growing Families” activity, there are some places left for the first Thursday of next term (24.4.14). Simply add your name to the list on the Family Learning board above the blue group cloakroom area. Thank you, as always, to Eileen for organising this activity. We hope that lots more families enjoy it next term.

Dragon Dance

Last week some of the children in the Rainbow Room decided that they wanted to make their own dragon to go on a dragon dance round school. Those who were not under the dragon formed a band to accompany the dragon on his journey.
Here you can see the procession on their way to see Primary 3 and the Primary 1 classes. Primary 3 used our visit to think of “wow” words to describe our dragon dance and had some great ideas. “Magical, sparkly, musical, fantastic, ambitious, bright, colourful, super, huge, wow, loud, wonderful and great” were some of the words they used in their descriptions. Thank you Primary 3 for your super work. We have displayed your drawings and “wow” words beside our paintings.

Our Restaurant

Carmen’s Mum enjoyed the recent photo in the Chinese restaurant:

“Aw wow! I love this photo of these three kids. Carmen says Lexi and Ava are her best friends. I asked her what she had in her bowl “she said broccoli mum”. She said she had to ask the boys and girls what they wanted to eat and she had to write it down. Ava took the money after they had eaten. Carmen didn’t tell me they had got dressed up that day, so I’m glad the teachers took photos or I wouldn’t have known.”

The restaurant has been a busy place over the past week with lots of good teamwork happening as the children take turns to write down orders, cook and take the money. Most seem very aware of what happens in a restaurant and have enjoyed taking part in imaginative role play.

Burns Day

On Friday we enjoyed a great celebration for Burns Day with shortbread, oatcakes and cheese and, of course, our toast with Irn Bru. Some of the children were disappointed that we didn’t have a birthday cake for Robert Burns’ birthday so we will have to keep that in mind for next year.
We appreciate everyone making a super effort to provide the children with ‘a touch o’ tartan’ as it added to the occasion. Thank you also to all the family and friends who came to hear the children sing their Scottish songs. It’s so important for them to have an appreciative audience and you certainly helped to make it a great occasion for them. Thank you, as always, for everyone’s support and lovely comments.
Please click on the photos to make them bigger.

Primary 6 In Nursery

Children from Primary 6 have been coming to Nursery to play with our children since before Christmas and Nursery children have absolutely loved their visits. The older children have learned how to relate to young children and have built good relationships with them to the extent that some are chatting in the garden at school break time even when it’s not a day for visits. It’s also been lovely that we have had some Primary 6 children who have been able to talk to our Polish children in their native language which has added to their experience.
Thank you to all Primary 6 children who are involved in Nursery. We appreciate that you have volunteered to come to play with our children, sometimes in your own break time, and hope that you will continue to visit us. Thank you also to Mrs. Johnston and Miss McAuley for encouraging Primary 6 to take on this important role.

Rain, Rain, Stay In Nursery

Which child doesn’t enjoy the opportunity to jump in a puddle? Well, we certainly had a big enough puddle for lots of jumping this week in Nursery when our garden area became waterlogged. As well as a mini pond in our mud kitchen, we had water stretched from one end of the pathway to another. It certainly brought home to children that winter weather is not all about Jack Frost and snow.
We had ducks and boats out which produced some valuable discussions about floating and sinking as well as lots of pouring and measuring to develop numeracy skills. The children worked so well together and enjoyed investigating their ideas in a real context. Great fun was had, for example, experimenting to see if a boat would sink if they filled it with water.
It may have been a little inconvenient for adults to use a different entrance to Nursery but the children took full advantage of conditions that were very exciting for them.