Milngavie Early Years Centre

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.

https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/residents/schools-early-years-and-learning/early-years/early-years-provision-and-how-apply

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!

We have run out of trousers, leggings and trousers for our bigger children.  We would be really grateful for donations of bigger size trousers of all kinds.  We risk having to encourage our boys to get in touch with their feminine sides as all we have left are pinafores and skirts!!!!

If you have any borrowed trousers at home we would love to have them back.  We would also welcome age 4-5 leggings, joggers and trousers to restock our drawer.

We are looking for big silk or cotton scarves and pieces of material which we can use for dressing up.  This is meant to stimulate children’s imaginations more than traditional dressing up costumes.  If you have any scarves you are no longer wearing, or pieces of interesting material we could use, we would be very grateful to have them.  The children love wearing them tied on, as superhero cloaks or royal gowns and it would be lovely to have a range of textures for them to try.

Last week we had a playground full of wee ghosties – all draped in pieces of white voile –  very excited at being incognito and having fun scaring the teachers!

Happy Monday.  We are all ready for a shorter week in Nursery, with Friday being a Staff In Service Day where Nursery will be closed.  Next Monday and Tuesday are school holidays – however our nursery will be open and children are welcome to attend for a payable session and bring a packed lunch.  If you would like your wee one to come in, please ask for a form at the nursery office.  Wednesday is also a Staff In Service Day and Nursery will be closed for the day.

This week we have SFA football training for our pre-school children on Thursday.

We are going to do a bit of planting this week, now that our polytunnel has been cleared and we are going to plant some primulas in our outdoor pots.  Now that we are  at last in to February,  we will be looking for signs that Spring is on its way out in our garden and orchard.

Winter Wanderland Weekend

This week our nursery is creating some window art for Tesco, for Milngavie’s Window Wanderland,  which takes place next weekend. On Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd between 6pm and 9pm our shops will be lit up and there will be a “Winter Walking Trail” for families to follow to see all the sights.

Window Wanderland was inspired by Lucy Reeves Khan, who came up with the idea in 2015, after her career as a designer ended abruptly and an accident left her disabled. Since then, it has inspired other communities to organise their own winter walking trails such as: Ayr, Maryhill and Govan. This is not only a regional event, it is also a worldwide event in countries such as Ireland, Canada and France.

Our local Milngavie community is being encouraged to open their curtains and create window displays to amuse, entertain, and enthrall each other for a weekend of fun.   Our school is helping decorate some Tesco’s windows, which will be part of an inclusive and wonderful winter walking trail, which everyone can participate in by coming out to enjoy.  It sounds like a fun way to spend a winter evening!

It is time to re-apply for nursery for the 20/21 session.  Even if your wee one has just started with us, it is really important that you re-apply online.

https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/residents/schools-early-years-and-learning/early-years/early-years-provision-and-how-apply

If you click on the link and scroll down, you can select the new admissions form.  All applications should be in by February 28th.  Late applications may not be allocated a place at the nursery of your choice.

This week in nursery we are exploring early geometry by investigating the properties of basic shapes.  We are going to learn to identify and count angles and be able to spot shapes in our environment, thinking about why we use different shapes in our buildings and in the design of the things around us.  It would be great if you could do a bit of shape spotting at home too!

In our playground the children showed an interest in birds they saw, and were asking what they were.   Eileen created a lovely wee bird watching window with pictures of birds to look out for,  and binoculars to have a closer look, in our wee playhouse.  This has been really popular and some children spend ages in there peeking out the window.  Our lovely student, Sophie, has furthered the interest by making bird feeders with the children and they have hung them up near the window to encourage our feathered friends to visit for a snack.  We are hoping to make a bird table so we can continue to watch them through the seasons and watching the bird boxes in the garden and the orchard for any signs of nesting in the spring.

Our bird watching window in the playhouse.

Julie Bannerman is our Family Champion and always available for chats with parents on any parenting issues you may be experiencing.  Recently parents had suggested that children’s bedtimes are sometimes a testing time.  Julie has put some information on the parents board with some great tips for establishing positive bedtime routine experiences.  If there is anything relating to parenting that you would like to discuss, or just feel you’d like a bit of support with, please come in and speak to Julie.  She can arrange a time which suits you, to come in for  a proper conversation, and her experience of parenting and a career, working in early years makes her advice sound and her support, genuine.

Our Parenting Support Info Wall

This week in Nursery we have SFA football coaching sessions for our Pre-school children with Coach Ryan on Thursday, and another visit from Susan and Mr Snappy with a fun musical workshop on Friday.

Nursery will be closed on Friday 7th February and Wednesday 12th for Inservice.  Our nursery will be open on Monday 10th and 11th February and parents are welcome to purchase places for these 2 days.  Should this be of interest, please ask for a holiday cover form.  You can purchase individual days, or both and billing is done directly by EDC.

Happy Monday everyone!

On Friday we celebrated Rabbie Burns birthday in nursery.   We had a special Burns Supper Snack- Haggis, Neeps and Tatties- as well as oatcakes and Scottish Cheddar Cheese, and Abernethy Biscuits and jam.  Mr Graham came to visit us, wearing his kilt, and read us a Scottish story.  We also had another viewing of Tam O’Shanter on the big screen.  We enjoyed Eileen’s game of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties out in the playground and also danced our Eightsome Reel. We think Robert Burns would have enjoyed his party. We certainly did.
Onn  

Today is Chinese New Year where people round the world will be welcoming in the Year of the Rat. Yesterday, Minglu who is Evelyn’s mummy, visited nursery to tell us about Chinese New Year and share the story of Monster Nian. Minglu had created a special book to illustrate the story and told us how an old lady’s kindness helped drive out Monster Nian and that firecrackers and the colour red have been associated with bringing luck at New Year ever since! She told us that Chinese people throughout the world celebrate with red lanterns and wear red clothes and children receive lucky money as a gift in red envelopes.  We would like to wish Minglu, Evelyn and all their family a very happy and prosperous new year, and to thank Minglu for sharing her wonderful story with us.

Minglu and Evelyn showed us how to cut out the symbol for Spring, which starts on the day after New Year in the Chinese Calendar.

Minglu, telling us the story of Monster Nian and Chinese New Year

A wee plea to all parents and carers to check that all clothes that come in to nursery are clearly labelled with your child’s name.  Many of our wee ones’ jackets are very similar, and we are still learning how to put them back on our own pegs.  Life is much easier and less stressful if staff can easily tell whose jacket belongs to whom.  If you do not wish to buy labels, there are Sharpie Markers available in the office which you are welcome to use.  Even just initials on the washing instruction label are enough of a clue for us.  Hats, scarves and gloves, shoes and wellies are also items that regularly go missing.  If we find items which we cannot reunite with their owner, we put them in the Lost Property Box – a small plastic chest of drawers on the left hand side of the inner door, in the nursery porch.  If more items are labelled, less will get lost! Thank you!