Monday 25 November 2013

Wheels, whistles and whiffs......Part three


Of all the skills a little learner little will acquire during their time in the Reception Class at Sunnyside School, it is learning to whistle and to click their fingers, that seems to create the most amount of excitement amongst them all.  

Once learnt, the relentless sound of clicking fingers and monotone whistles will fill the air and ears of everyone present at Sunnyside School......day after day after day! 

So when one afternoon Miss Kind was approached by yet another little learner proudly asking "Do you wanna hear me whistle?", she dutifully stopped what she was doing, (again) sat herself down on a little learner size chair, and positioned herself in readiness to be serenaded by the most tuneful of whistles.

What transpired on this particular occasion, was not so much a whistling demonstration, it was more of an air blowing exercise........lots and lots of air as it happens! After several failed attempts to squeeze a whistle from his lips, the quick thinking little learner announced to Miss Kind that he could definitely whistle.....but only on certain days. Judging by the gale force wind that he was producing, it was evident that this particular day was not a whistling day!

This whistling dilemma was all the inspiration Mrs Crayon needed for her third and final retrospective rhyme........and here it is!


Whistling Days!

I'm going through a funny phase,
Of only whistling on certain days.
On Monday when I have a go, 
It seems it's only air I blow.

When Tuesday and Wednesday come around,
I puff and blow, but still no sound!
Thursday, can't come soon enough,
For I'll whistle you a ton of stuff.

On Friday, I've gone and lost the knack.
But by Saturday me whistle's back!
Sunday though, I feel it's best,
I give me knackered cheeks a rest!!!


"Uh-Oh!..........Nothing's happening, it can't be a whistling day!"

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Wheels, whistles and whiffs....... part two



It was the little learner who had such a lot to say about his baby sister, that has inspired the second of Mrs Crayon's three brand new rhymes.

The little learner in question had several gripes about his baby sister, but his main complaint was to do with her nappies, and in particular.......what was contained within them! To combat the aftermath of nappy changing time, the little learner found that if he turned the fan on in his bedroom, he could blow any offending odours out of his window, and straight into the garden (and nostrils) of his poor bewildered neighbour.  

A little learner story crying out for a Mrs Crayon rhyme for sure.....so here it is!

My smelly, smelly sister!



Me sister may be tiny,
But she makes a giant pong!
When it drifts into the garden,
Me neighbours shout, "What's going on!"
They run inside and bolt the doors,
And all the windows too.
So you wanna thank yer lucky stars,
She don't live next to you!



"Dearie me........How can she smell worse than I do!"

Sunday 17 November 2013

Wheels, whistles and whiffs.......Part one



Who remembers the little learner who spoke to Mrs Crayon some time ago, about his smelly baby sister and the effect her smelly nappies had on the neighbours? Or what about the little learner who fell in the playground and sustained a microscopic injury, but was devastated to find that a wheelchair would not be forthcoming? Does anyone remember the little learner who was desperate to demonstrate to Miss kind his ability to whistle, but when the moment arrived for him to perform his newly acquired skill, his whistle had mysteriously vanished? His explanation......."I can whistle..........but only on different days!" 

Well.......whether we remember them or not, these three stories have now been given the Mrs Crayon rhyming treatment.   

This first rhyme is inspired by the little learner who demanded a wheelchair following a tumble in the playground. If we recall, his injury was rather difficult to detect with the naked eye, however the tearful little learner was insistent that a wheelchair be found to transport him back to the classroom. After all, as he correctly pointed out to The Team, "They have wheelchairs in airports you know!"




Broken bones



My leg is slashed to ribbons.
My blood lies spilt across the floor.
My leg bones are all broken,
I fear I can't walk anymore!  
I feel so very dizzy,
The pain is too hard to bear.
My only way back to the classroom,
Is on a stretcher or in a wheelchair!  


"I'll just sit 'ere and wait for me wheelchair shall I!"
  

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Autumn leaves and messy sleeves





A water tray filled with Autumn leaves, mixing bowls brimming with porridge oats, pots of runny glue, tubs of sparkly glitter, clumps of fluorescent pink playdough.

Absolutely nothing unusual there. These are all very familiar items, regularly used in many Reception Classes everywhere, in order to facilitate an afternoon of creative and sensory exploration. 

The Team aren't entirely sure how it transpired that all the things listed above were available to the little learners this afternoon, but they were, and the little learners loved it.

Now..... Autumn leaves, porridge oats, runny glue, sparkly glitter and fluorescent pink playdough are just fine and Jim Dandy all the while they remain safe and sound in their respective receptacles. But.......(and it's a huge and messy but) the moment these things leave their respective receptacles (via the eager hands of hoards of little learners) it is only a matter of time before Autumn leaves come into contact with runny glue, sparkly glitter becomes an integral part of the playdough (and the runny glue), and porridge oats has spread to all four corners of the classroom and way beyond. 

Throw shiny paper, crepe paper, pipe cleaners and cotton wool into the delightful mix, and you have something that is impossible to describe, but all traces of which must be removed before the arrival of the very hardworking Miss Spic and Mrs Span at the end of the school day. 

It was all hands to the deck this afternoon, to remove every scrap of the gluey, oaty, glittery, leafy, doughy type stuff that seemed to be coating every surface, as well as every being in the setting. Everyone was so busy and engrossed in all the scrubbing, scraping, and sweeping, that they unfortunately neglected to check what might be lining the bottoms of their shoes. Consequently at hometime, little learners were heading homeward several inches taller than when they'd arrived.

Such is life......in Reception .



Upon entering our classroom...

Upon entering our classroom,
We ought to make it law,
That no one is allowed to look
Directly at our floor.


If you look down without a doubt,
A shock you will receive,
Just one glance at what's beneath your feet,
Will make you want to leave.


You'll find glitter encrusted playdough,

Pasta and runny glue,
Autumn leaves and porridge oats,
Stuck firmly to your shoe.

There'll be shiny bits of paper,
Cotton wool and cellophane,
All clinging to your trousers,
Beside that somewhat iffy stain.



As you dodge the fallen Lego,
And the discarded Lego Men,
We bet you all our glue sticks
That you won't be back again!



"Getting me coat on could be tricky!" 





Saturday 2 November 2013

Giant leaps and tricky feet



Hurrah! The little Sunnyside learners have just completed their first ever half term in school.

Astonishingly, eight weeks has passed since those shy and somewhat bewildered little learners, took their first tentative steps into Sunnyside School's Reception Class. 

In that time, they've had to get to know and learn the names of each of the six strong team members responsible for their care and education. And let's face it, Mrs Jolly, Mrs Very Jolly, Miss Kind, Mrs Caring, Mrs Crayon and Mrs Organised, is quite a list of names to remember. They were also required to familiarise themselves with their immediate environment and surroundings, not to mention taking on board the rules, routines and behaviours of the setting, (which incidentally is a work in progress!!!) They've needed to learn very quickly how to organise themselves, and how to be more independent and self reliant.

Those clever little learners have worked very hard in order to achieve these tricky new skills. If that isn't enough, they have also learned a number phonic sounds and letters, and they can now recognise and identify numbers to ten. They have learned new songs, acquired new practical skills, and made new friends. What an achievement indeed!

As a reward for all their hard work, The Team arranged to take the little learners to Whippy Cove's local library today, where Mrs Librarian was waiting to read to them all. One of Mrs Librarian's stories, required the little learners to shout very loud at certain points in the story. The little learners were very happy to oblige with the shouting, as they aren't usually encouraged to shout indoors......... and especially not in a library!!!

The trip to the library followed the last PE session of the half term, and it was during the short walk back to school, that it was noted that several little learners were wearing their shoes on the wrong feet. So the first job once everyone had arrived back at school, was to sort the shoes. It was during the shoe sorting session, that one particular little learner indicated to Mrs Very Jolly that she had a sore foot. "Oh dear, what have you done to your foot?" Asked Mrs Very Jolly, fumbling to find the hole on the strap of the little learners shoe. "It's a merruca!" Said the little learner waving her right foot in the air. "Oh no! Not a merruca!" Said a smiling Mrs Very Jolly, "Have you got some cream or maybe some ointment at home to put on it?" Intently studying the sole of her foot, the little learner heaved an audible sigh of resignation. "No," said she, "I just have to let it hurt me!"

Well, that's one cheap and cheerful way of dealing with troublesome merrucas........do away with the creams and potions, and just let them hurt you!




My thingybob 


I may have overlooked
This funny something on me foot,
Because it grows a little bigger everyday.
There's no cream that I can squirt,
So I just have to let it hurt,
And hope this funny something goes away.
At first I thought it was a mole
This funny something on me sole,
But ridding this thing could be a tricky job.
And it really is a shame
That I can't pronounce it's name,
So I'll refer to it as just a thingybob!




"I've got a thingybob!"
"Well.....I've got two thingybobs!"