Milngavie Early Years Centre

Today at the playdough table, Ava was sitting beside Angela and asked her how she could make a flower.  Angela showed her how to roll playdough into a ball and flatten it to make a circle.  She suggested that Ava make a big circle in the middle and small circles round it for petals.

Look at what Ava created- isn’t it gorgeous!

At the weekend, not only was the Playhouse in the infant playground set on fire, but vandals visited our wee house in the garden and tried to set fire to it too!  They managed to burn a big hole in the wall and kicked one of the walls, loosening it from the rest of the structure.  This is really disappointing, as our children have really treasured this wee house since David Brimelow built it for us nearly 10 years ago.  We now cannot use the playhouse and it is possible that we may have to demolish it entirely.  It has prevented our children being able to play out in the garden this week – we will have to make it safe before we can go back.  The police have had a look at it and are investigating.  We may have to look into installing CCTV in the garden- if you have any other ideas about how to deter the ratbag vandals, please let us know!

Over the last week, Eileen has been asking children to vote for the name for our Nursery Hospital.  There were some super suggestions- The Murder Hospital, Aimee’s Hospital of Get Wellness, Super Hospital, The Cora Lucy Govendon Hospital (Cora thought this would be good!) and The Thunder and Lightning Hospital!

It was narrowed down to 3 of the most popular choices:

The Postman Pat Hospital

The Wibbly Wobbly Hospital

The Dr Knickerbocker Hospital

After the vote the clear winner was-

THE DOCTOR KNICKERBOCKER HOSPITAL!

Just to make the big sign now – lots of writing for someone!!!!

PS If you haven’t yet met the famous Dr Knickerbocker check him out – Knickerbocker number 9 on you tube!  It’s hilarious!

Great excitement in the hospital this week.  A new machine has been created for viewing x-rays.  Robyn Rosie and Ian made this amazing thing!

While painting it, Rosie took charge – making sure everyone cleaned their brushes in between colours!  “Dip and wipe!  Dip and wipe!” she said.  Everyone listened and paid attention.

They made the screen out of blue cellophane and x-rays from black paper with white art straws and paper.  Now the patients in the hospital will be able to have their bones checked to see if they have broken any!

Today we had a very popular visitor to Nursery.  Mr Martin Colpi came to tell us all about how he makes his wonderful ice cream that he sells in his Ice Cream Shop in Main St, Milngavie.  He told us that the shop has been there for 88 years – it was started by his grandfather and has been a family business since then.  We all sat and listened very carefully as Mr Colpi told us the main ingredients of Ice Cream.  The main ingredient is something very healthy – and it comes from cows!  Mr Colpi brought a picture of a farmer and a milk churn and a cow to give us a clue!  He told us how the milk is heated up and then mixed with some other ingredients and then the mixture is frozen in a special ice cream machine to make delicious ice cream!  At the end we all got to taste some in a cone – it was amazing!!  Many thanks to Mr Colpi – he can come and visit us anytime

Apologies if you have already put the 14th December into your diary as the date for our Christmas Concert – we have had to change it to 6th December to avoid clashing with class parties taking place in the infant gym.  The other details remain the same- 11am in the Infant (Lower School) Gym.  Mrs Caroline Inglis – traditionally known in nursery as Mrs Jingles – is coming to play piano to accompany our lovely singing.  One thing is for sure- its time to get practising our Christmas songs!

On Monday we are starting making maps of the orchard- the first thing we are putting on them is the two rows of holes for fruit trees  on the left hand side of the pitch.  We have to count the holes and then draw them on our map.  This involves us in counting and in learning to understand and read a map.

We are going to put a big map up in the nursery and add things as they happen in the orchard.

On Tuesday our morning children have Enjoyaball and a PATHS session.  PATHS stands for Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills and is a program designed to help children identify and manage their emotions.  In Nursery this involves circle time with a puppet turtle called Twiggle and some of his friends.  We learn how to share, pay and receive compliments and generally how to get along with one another.  Twiggle shows us how to manage anger too and to treat people fairly.  In this week’s lesson we meet Twiggle!

On Tuesday morning at 11am Mr Colpi, from the Ice Cream shop is coming in to talk to the children about how ice cream is made.  This is in response to the children’s interest in making ice creams!  We are hoping to get some tips as Maureen plans to make ice cream in Nursery!! Yum!

On Wednesday – the afternoon children have their Enjoyaball session and PATHS.

On Thursday we will be putting a few more details on our orchard map and having a look to see if we can see any of the creatures who live there.

The weather is nice and cold, and we even heard a rumour there might be snow on Tuesday so please can everyone bring warm outdoor clothes.

Z Zach brought his big sister and his dad to help!

Zach brought Ariana, his big sister, to Nursery on Sunday.  Not to play- to work.  He brought his dad along too- to dig lots of holes to put trees in.  Zach and Ariana spent ages helping Kate move tons of compost, from a big pile, into the tree holes.  It was hard work – they had to load up a wheel barrow and then move it to where it was needed and mix it with fertiliser in the bottom of the deep hole.  Kate thought they were so good that she might ask to borrow them to organise her garden!

Rosie was also at Nursery on Sunday.  She and her family had been baking – delicious banana bread and brownies and cake for the tea break at the Orchard work day.  Her mum, Katie, made all the workers cups of tea and coffee and did all the clearing up too.  Her dad, Pete – was drafted in to dig the holes for the trees.  Unfortunately – I didn’t manage to take a decent photo of Katie and Rosie, but a big thank you to them and to all the volunteers who turned up to help us.

What a transformation!

The holes for the trees have been dug!

Coen loves the nursery jigsaw puzzle which shows the skeleton, internal organs, muscles, skin and clothes of a wee boy!

While doing the internal organs part of the puzzle, Coen asked Angela what the brown bits were and what was the grey bit in the head.  Angela explained that the brown organ was the intestines and the grey bit was the brain – and that the brain was where your thoughts came from.  Later Coen proudly pointed out to  Valerie- Those are intestines and that’s the thinking thing! What a clever boy!

Charlie loves to make things – yesterday it was a speed boat with a propellor.  Today he excelled himself with an amazing microphone and stand.

He is a very creative wee person,with great design ideas and problem solving skills.  We love this, Charlie!

Later, he built a stage with the large construction bricks and gave a performance of one of his favourite songs.  I think we might see this wee star on X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent in a year or two!