When you don’t state the obvious , you should state the obvious! It has been lovely being back in school with all of the new resources outdoors. The stage and amphitheatre have gone down a treat and the children adore this new area. The new outdoor classroom ‘pod’  is a great area that holds a full class of thirty and it will be very well used! At the moment, ‘chicket’-that being the combined name for the rabbit and chicken, who have become inseparable, are loving being free range outdoors and using the new willow dome area as their own!  I have ruined two new pairs of shoes trying to catch the rabbit after the wind blew down rabbit kingdom and I have come to the conclusion that the rabbit does not want to return to its kingdom with her other two sisters. The two sisters do not want her back either and we have had a bit of a relationship breakdown in that department. Anyway, all animals are happy and Ronald is back in my free range garden at home. You really couldn’t make it up!

If you look closely at the first picture, you will see a wonderful vehicle in which to escape the wolf and you will also see what I thought was a chimney. When I looked carefully inside the house, I found a red cooking pot and tried to join the children’s play, thinking I knew exactly what was going on. It is amazing how you can spoil an entire deconstructed role play project in just one word when adult interaction is clearly not needed! I was met with three unhappy faces when I suggested the red cooking pot must be ready to frighten the wolf away from the house but I was very wrong. Three little people practically told me off in unison for suggesting the chimney was a cooking pot. If you look at the picture, you will indeed find the chimney sticking out of the carefully positioned pallet! Genius!

I went to see Mrs Rossall at lunch time and I found three children leading Art club. Mrs Rossall informed me that the children prepare the resources, photocopy any materials and plan the activities for the 25 children who take part in our child led lunch time art club each week. Our Reception children were on task and all children were having a wonderful time engrossed in today’s activity. Our curriculum really is varied and inspirational. The children’s love of learning and motivation shines through and I love how they have their own initiative to start and develop their own clubs because they are so enthused. We really are very lucky here. Mrs Silvester has started a ukulele club whilst the other children are in school band and choir. Speaking of Mrs Silvester, you will see a comical picture of our Fairsnape children. The children were in hysterics when they were making the playdoh models (to scale) of their teeth but I’m not too sure they were entirely accurate in size…you will see what I mean when you look at the picture. Mrs Davies has had the children learning glockenspiel and Niamh came to collect me to watch them perform after only learning to play ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ for 15 minutes! Amazing!

The children in band have been learning some hymns to play alongside the folk group at Family Mass and they will be playing ‘He’s Got the Whole World’ at our next family mass on Sunday 10th March. We hope you can all come! Please don’t forget Ash Wednesday Mass this Wednesday at 10.00am. You can find dates for your diaries on our March Newsletter in the Newsletter section of this website.

I wish you all a lovely weekend!