Storm Dennis meant that we couldn’t do our Outside In outdoor registration today, and also stopped us from playing outside. High winds are the only weather that we cannot use our outdoor area. Instead the children visited the gym in the Infant Building for some exciting PE games.
Storm Dennis also held up the construction of our new Suits and Boots Shed, which was due to be put up in our outside area today. We are having forward to having somewhere to store our wellies and outdoor suits that we can access from the garden and orchard – our messiest areas! We have been told that it will be constructed tomorrow so we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for a nice calm, dry day!
There are lots of new things going on in Nursery this week. In response to the children’s interest in the size of things in the construction area, Eileen has created lots of opportunities to explore height, length, weight and volume. Juliana has created a very inviting reading area, which has brought a wee touch of the forthcoming Spring into our Discovery Zone. We have had a change around of learning areas within our playrooms to accommodate the large numbers staying for lunch and to prepare for the increase in the numbers of children staying for their lunch next year. Our house corner has moved next door – now beside the construction and art areas in our Creativity Zone. Water, sand and malleable are now in the Discovery Zone with the Reading Corner, Writing Area and Snack area. Staff worked very hard when school was on the half term break, and on the in-service days to move and re-organise everything. It was lots of work.
In addition to moving everything around, staff also investigated In The Moment Planning. This is a new way of us recording our planning for our areas and children’s learning on white boards on the playroom walls. This is done responsively, in response to the children’s ideas and suggestions. It allows the planning to be visible to colleagues, so we are all more aware of the learning taking place, giving opportunities to take the learning forward within other areas of the nursery and outdoors. It is also eco-friendly as it saves on paper- we photograph it for our records. We have been reading books by Anna Ephgrave – the current “In The Moment Planning” guru, and are excited by the benefits this method promises. Once we have become confident with the boards we will invite parents to have a look at them and give their opinions too. We are hoping that it will provide a visible insight into the learning currently taking place throughout our centre.
On Thursday this week, our pre-school children have SFA football coaching, with Coach Emma and on Friday we are looking forward to singing along with Mr Snappy at another of Susan’s Snappy Sounds Musical Workshops.
Finally – another wee reminder that if your child is returning to nursery after August 2020 for their pre-school year, you must register them for a nursery place. The forms are online, on the East Dunbartonshire Council website.
Even if your wee one has just started at our nursery, it is really important to register them again for the coming year. The deadline for doing this is the 28th February 2020. Many thanks!
