Our hair salon is open for business and the children are very keen to create new hair styles for us all. We decided to create this area as the children have been making their own little  hair grooming places without any resources. As I am a hoarder and have many resources we decided to make a big  salon providing many services including manicures and  hand massages. The children have made their own price lists and an appointment system is in place. They have made appointments for all the teachers in the school so watch out for some amazing transformations next week. Apart from all the fun this creates there is so much learning associated with this area. The children are using their communication and language skills to negotiate, plan, organise and speak to clients and their staff. They are using their literacy skills to make signs and organise appointments. They are using their maths skills to sort money and payments. Their ability to create and negotiate is fantastic and we try to extend this through questioning to extend their thinking.
Next week we have a busy week with hair appointments and I think my job will be to sweep the floor and make the clients a drink. I will await my instructions.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

This week there is peace in the setting as we have no escapees. The children are still interested in the Gingerbread Man saga so we have extended their ideas and they have produced some great writing relating to the events of last week.
 We have started looking at how to look after pets at home and on farms. The children have been able to clearly demonstrate their understanding of the importance of caring for pets. We are going to continue with this topic over the next couple of weeks. If you have a pet at home could you please send in a photograph or email one to me so that we can share them with the group.
I am sure you are all aware that the children are getting good at washing their hands. We have told them to sing Happy Birthday twice as they do it. It has been quite funny walking past the bathroom as all of the children sing it aloud  at different times. I have to say that they are getting very good with their technique of washing and have listened carefully to what they need to do to protect themselves from all germs.
On Thursday it was World Book Day and the children had a great day dressed in their favourite characters. Enjoying and sharing books is such an important part of a child's development and the children spent the day sharing their favourite books with each other.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson

Well I am sure you are all aware that we have had a Gingerbread Man on the loose in the unit this week. It has been quite an adventure. We mixed all the ingredients together and put him in the oven. The children kept checking to see if he was cooking. At 10.15am when he was ready to come out of the oven the children went to check and the door was open. HE HAD DONE A RUNNER!!!!!!!!!
This created an absolute buzz around the room. The children began to investigate and search for clues to find out what had happened. We decided to ring Mrs Custis to tell her and she suggested we made some lost posters to put around the school. She said she would notify the Police to see if they could help us. On Friday we interviewed some of the teachers in the school and lots of them said they had seem him. He has shouted to them "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man." They told us which direction he ran and in the end we went to Mrs Cutis's office. We searched in her room and found him hiding in her cupboard. At last he was found. All the children were pleased as there only desire was to eat him.
Have a great weekend
Mrs Robinson

This week we have had a dinosaur running around the garden. The children have realised that this must be our own dinosaur, Bridget that hatched out of the dinosaur egg last week. There has been so much excitement and this has triggered some really good investigative learning. The children have made dens and traps to see if we can catch her. Apparently she is very tame and will not hurt anyone so if you see her around Potters Bar can you bring her back to us please.
We are going to be continuing with a similar idea after the holidays involving a gingerbread man, goodness knows what will happen with that.
The stories we have been looking involve sequencing and pattern. The children have a good understanding and are learning how to apply this in their own story telling and writing.
We are all looking forward to a break and hopefully we can clear some of the nasty bugs we have had since November.
I hope you all have a lovely break and we look forward to seeing you in a weeks time.
Mrs Robinson:)

This week we have been reading the story of The Enormous Turnip. The children have been sequencing and acting out the story to each other. The children have really understood the sequence of the book and have enjoyed pulling the turnip out of the ground.
On Wednesday reception went to the snow dome. We were not able to take the nursery children to this as they have an age restriction. We will be having our trip a little later in the year when we hope to take the nursery children horse riding. Information about this will be sent out nearer the time.
I am sure you have all noticed sand coming home this week on clothing. This is because we opened the sand pit for the first time since before Christmas. The children were very excited to start digging for treasure. I do apologise for the sandy clothes but it means they have had lots of fun and learning opportunities.
Next week is our last week before half term and I think we are all ready for a break. I am hoping when we come back all the horrible coughs that have lingered this winter will have gone.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

We have a had a very Chinese week in the unit with lots of exciting activities relating to the Chinese New Year. The children have made Chinese dragons, prepared and eaten noodles using chop sticks, looked at China on our map and learnt about the Chinese Zodiac story. It has been a very busy week. The children have also tried to do some Chinese writing which was fantastic. We always enjoy this festival as it really captivates their interest  especially as we are looking at other countries each day on our map.
Next week we would really like to go to the woods on Tuesday. So far we have not managed to go as we have not had enough helpers so please if you can spare the time could you come along on Tuesday morning. Our walk only takes 45 minutes. If it raining heavily then we will to go but we will make that decision on that morning.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

It is good to be back at work after a few days off sick. The children certainly had a busy week last week and the enthusiasm for our map and dinosaur area is still going strong. We have another dinosaur egg that is actually hatching in the viewing box. The children have been observing and recording the changes every day. We have build a den home for the baby dinosaur in the unit and the children have given the dinosaur some food. Hopefully he will not make a mess over the weekend!
Please could you bring in some photos of any travelling you have done with your family. We are putting places on our map that the children have been to so the more we have the more the children will learn about other countries.
Can I remind you that the children need to bring back their library books on a Monday so that we can change them.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

This week we have introduced a map of of the world to our classroom. Each day we gather around the map and discuss the latest news from around the world e.g. the bush fires in Australia, the volcano eruption in Philippines. We also look at the places where our family members come from. We would like the children to bring some pictures or drawings of places they have visited or have a connection with. As a part of our science learning we have carried out a volcano experiment. The children were very excited while listening to the bubbling lava and have created amazing volcanoes in art and construction.

In order to develop children's number knowledge and counting skills, we have created a new piece of maths equipment. We have recycled our milk bottles and have designed a hundred square grid. The children use the equipment during teacher lead sessions and independently during free play. We have quiet few keen mathematicians in the unit.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs Robinson

Happy New Year to you all. We have had a great start to the year with the arrival of some dinosaur eggs. The children have been fascinated with this topic and have been exploring and finding things out about dinosaurs through books and the internet. We are going to be extending our theme over the next few weeks. We have also introduced a café system for our milk. The children have to buy their fruit and milk from the shop keepers. This activity helps develop language skills along with the concept of money. They are very good at it and we will be introducing real money into the shop next week.
On Monday your child will bring home a library book to share with you. Please can you return the books every Monday so that we can change them. We are also going to start our wood walks and would appreciate the help. We can only do our walks if we have enough helpers. We will be leaving school at approx. 9.00am and will be back at 9.45am. This activity is always dependant on the weather so if it is heavy rain we will not go. I plan to do our first walk on Tuesday next week.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)