Its amazing what happens when you have time on your hands. Miss Neal has had lots of fun turning us into some of our favourite characters.

We thought that the children might enjoy these photos.

I hope you are all keeping well and are enjoying spending time together.
I have been putting lots of activities for the children to enjoy on our class page so I hope you have been able to access them. Please can you let me know if you want anything in particular extra putting on as I am happy to do that. You can email me and I will try and accommodate.
As the weeks pass it appears that we are becoming more accepting of the situation and many parents that I have spoken to are saying that they are enjoying this time. I am fortunate that I am still working and am able to be in school during the week. It is a very strange place as it is so quiet. Normally in the holidays if teachers go into school they often make the joke that its so nice to have the quiet. I WILL NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN, I HATE IT. It needs filling with children and hopefully we will be able to do that soon.
 We hope you liked the staff video on the website and keep checking as more may appear!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile enjoy the sunshine and stay safe.

Mrs Robinson:)
Miss Chandler got carried away!

Well our two week Easter holiday is now over and we would normally be thinking about going back to school next week. I think under normal circumstances we would all have thought what an amazing 2 week we have had with fantastic weather. Unfortunately due to the circumstances it has made us feel differently. I do believe we have been very lucky as the weather has certainly brightened our spirits. I hope that you are all being positive and trying to enjoy our new daily life. I know there are many clips and video's out there that are very funny and some inspiring. I just wanted to give you this one. I don't know who wrote it but I felt it was quite a moving thought and a good message to us all.

We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another. Suddenly Disney is out of magic, Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn't stand up anymore, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.
Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parent's and friends becomes an act of love. Suddenly you realise that power, beauty and money are worthless, and cant get you the oxygen your fighting for.
The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think its sending a message." you are not necessary. The air, earth water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters"

I think and hope that we will all reflect on this time and learn from it. I certainly will. One big lesson I have learnt is that I NEED TO STOP EATING!!!!!!!!!
Please continue to send things to me by email. I will be putting new things on the nursery page for the children to do. Remember to check receptions as well. I will be back at school on Monday and will continue to miss you all but I know that soon we will be back together.
I am sure you will all have been doing similar jobs to me and one of those was going through old photos. Here is one that you may have a giggle at. Don't I look happy!!!!!

Mrs Robinson:):)

Good morning to you all. I hope you are all keeping well and trying to make the most of this situation. It seems such a long time ago when we were in school together. I am sat in the office with Mrs Munn and we have both been chatting about how quiet it is and how much we miss the hustle and bustle of school life. Something that we take for granted.
We will be adding new activities for you to do on the webpage so keep checking. I know I have mentioned this before but the best activities to do are on the website ABCdoes.com. If you search ABCdoes home learning you will find it. I have just been looking at it and it is full of really fun easy things that the children can do on their own or with you. If you navigate around that web page you will find lots of really interesting articles that he writes. You might even find a few blog comments from me as I am an addict to everything that Alastair Bryce Clegg does for early years.. Hence the name ABC does.
When you are looking for ideas please make sure you look at Mrs Sheehan's thumbnail as we have created enough activities between us to last you months.
Here are a few photos of Honey and Ginger chilling.

Mrs Robinson :)

Good morning to you all. I hope you are all coping with the lockdown and are finding things to do as a family. The weather has changed slightly but it looks like it is going to improve for the weekend so at least we can see the sun. It seems a long time since we were all together and I am missing all the children and the things that we took for granted. I hope you are managing to access some of the activities we put on the web page and I am sure you are doing many of your own things with your children. Please send some photos to my email so that I can see what you are all up to. If you feel that you have exhausted those activities then look at the reception link and try some of those activities. You will not be able to access reading eggs or mathseeds  but you should be able to access phonics play. Keep working on the children understanding initial sounds and not capitals.
 Please email me if you have any requests for things, unfortunately I have no toilet rolls but I can give you lots of different ideas for you to do with your children during this time.
I really hope to see you all soon.
Keep positive and try to enjoy this very rare and special time with your loved ones.


Mrs Robinson:)

I hope you are all ok out there. The sun is making a big difference to me and I hope to you all as well.
Keep your spirits up and enjoy your families. Please don't hesitate to email me if you need to.

Mrs Robinson:)

The wonderful thing about young children is their ability to just think about themselves and not worry about what is going on beyond their fun. This has allowed us to carry on as normal. which has meant we have continued to have an exciting week in the unit with the hair salon up and running. Miss Bradford came over for her appointment and was very pleased with the results. The stylists were very friendly and looked after their clients very well, serving them drinks of water while they had their hair done. If you have any resources like old hair straighteners or hair dryers that you no longer use could you please donate them to our collection.
We are starting to focus on Spring with all the blossom beginning to grow. The children found a very large caterpillar in the garden which prompted us to have the story about The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The children were excellent at sequencing the story and counting the pieces of fruit that the caterpillar ate. We would like the children to continue to observe these changes  in the coming weeks, looking at animals and new beginnings.
During school closure
We have put together some activities for the children to do while they are not at school and these will be on the school website. Please continue to look at the website for any updates and do not hesitate to communicate with me through email.
I wish you all a healthy and safe time while we are in this situation.
Please try and be positive and spread some kindness to all around you.
Start your day with 5 positive thoughts, it really works.


Mrs Robinson:) :) :)

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:)