The Nursery and p2 shared a very very special occasion in the nursery garden today. The solar eclipse was in the sky over Blackridge, and even though we were covered in cloud, in the breaks we were able to view the Eclipse perfectly.

In small groups of 3 or 4 the children were taken out to the garden and using the special viewers which were very kindly provided by Mr and Mrs Gregor (thanks Hamish!) Our Specially designed welders glass protected our children’s eye from the rays of the sun, and we were able to watch the moon moving over the sun (playing hide and seek).

Nursery are having an Easter Raffle for nursery funds.

Mr and Mrs Raine of The Ridge Inn have kindly donated some prized, including a cuddly easter bunny and a variety of easter eggs as prizes.

Raffle tickets will be £1 per strip.

Below is the link to the poster

easter raffle

As many of you will know, there is going to be a Solar Eclipse next Friday (20th March)

As the most significant partial eclipse of the sun in Scotland since August 1999, many local residents are expected to view the astronomical phenomenon. West Lothian is predicted to witness a 93% eclipse, starting from around 8.30am and lasting until around 10.45am, with the maximum eclipse at approximately 9.35am.

At nursery we will be watching the eclipse as safely as possible as part of our night and day project.

If watching the eclipse at home (PM nursery) here is some instructions for making an at home eclipse viewer.

How to Make a Solar Eclipse Viewer

Below are some safety guidelines for watching a solar eclipse.- The information is from the British Astronomical Associations website

WHILE THE SUN IS IN PARTIAL ECLIPSE:

DON’T ever look at the Sun without proper eye protection.

DON’T view the Sun through sunglasses of any type (single or multiple pairs), or filters made of black & white or colour photographic film, or any combination of photographic filters, crossed polarisers or gelatin filters, CDs, CD-ROMs, or smoked glass. These are NOT safe.

DO view the Sun ONLY through special filters made for safe solar viewing, e.g. aluminised mylar filters, or black polymer filters, identified as suitable for direct viewing of the Sun, bearing the CE mark AND a statement that it conforms to European Community Directive 89/686/EEC, or use a welder’s glass rated at No. 14 or higher. Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

DO check filters thoroughly for any damage BEFORE use. DON’T use them if they are scuffed, scratched or there are pinholes in them.

DO place the special filter firmly over your eyes BEFORE looking up at the Sun, and DON’T remove it until AFTER looking away.

DO use the special filters to view the eclipse while any part of the Sun’s brilliant disk, however small, is still visible. This will apply at all times if you are not within the path of the total eclipse and are viewing only a partial eclipse.

DON’T stare through the special filter for more than 3 minutes at a time. Intermittent use of the filter for the duration of the partial eclipse is the best way to view the event.

Even with the special filter placed firmly over your eyes, DON’T ever look at the Sun through any optical instrument, e.g. telescope, binoculars or camera. Such devices concentrate the Sun’s harmful radiation and will cause severe eye damage in a fraction of a second. Filters identified as suitable for direct viewing of the Sun are NOT safe for use in conjunction with any optical instrument. If you are not certain that a filter is approved and safe, or you have any other doubts, DON’T USE IT.

Yesterday was our official planting day for our potato growing competition.

The morning nursery used the best of the weather to plant their ‘Athlete potatoes’ in their grow bag which they have affectionately named ‘Charlie bag’. The afternoon nursery had a little but of a chillier afternoon, but we still managed to get outside and plant our ‘Rocket potatoes’ in their bag which they have named ‘Rainy bag’.

We will care for our bags for the next two months in the hope that we will get lots of potatoes that we can eat for snack. Fingers crossed.

You can help us by saying the magic spell “Grow…Grow….GROW!!!!!”

Here is a video about how easy it is to plant your own potatoes at home.