Searching for Summer!!

Date: 29th May 2024 @ 12:13pm

As children are busy completing top secret missions at this week’s spy school, I am catching up and reflecting on what has been another busy half term.  We have been lucky enough to witness a few days of sunshine but, on the whole, the weather continues to be pretty grim (probably because I splashed out on some emergency sunscreen for the children at the first sight of sunshine!)

As lovely as it is to get the children outside, it is a nightmare adapting to being rained-in again with constant cries of ‘can we go outside’ being heard throughout each session!  With this in mind, we have recently purchased some soft rackets and shuttlecocks to keep the more energetic children entertained whilst inside.

An unfortunate incident in the school hall means that we are can no longer use balls indoors, so it had been great to get out on the playground for a good kick-about … until an unfortunate incident outside (and a broken roof tile) meant that we were no longer allowed to use balls on the playground either!! Having had a few weeks to reflect we have now come to a compromise meaning that children can use soft balls on the playground … if only children knew their own strength!!  As the weather picks up, we are also hoping to spend more time on the field where children can also make good use of the outdoor gym equipment.

As children returned after the Easter break, they were introduced to a rather lovely penguin who was to be going home with the winner of our ‘Earth Day’ competition – we love a competition here at Whitby Heath! Several children participated and, having coloured in an Earth Day picture, they were asked to come up with ways to help protect the earth and the environment.  Once again, Mr Wright (our official S4YC judge) chose a winner, and the penguin went off to its new home (much to the disappointment of the other participants).

April brought with it a couple of dry days, so children ran with the opportunity to get outdoors to demonstrate their artistic side using the giant chalk.  Needless to say, the playground was soon completely covered in body outlines and rainbows.  A dry night meant that the following breakfast club was spent ‘brushing away’ the chalk with paintbrushes and cups of water!

Before we knew it May was upon us where children once again got to show off their creativity by making a range of Cinco de Mayo crafts as well as May Queen paper dolls and Maypoles.  Children also enjoyed celebrating Eurovision through a number of crafts … I just hope that the actual event was past the children’s bedtime this year!

Another day of unexpected sunshine allowed children to paint outside, much to the relief of Sheila who hates a messy club room.  However, the request for loom bands, all be it excitedly welcomed by the children, left staff realising that paint doesn’t actually create all that much mess, as they spent an hour on their hands and knees picking up stray loom bands.

After much soul searching, I decided it was time to part with my beloved Sylvanian Families in the hope that children would care for them in the same way as I had.  I’ll be honest, the doors were pulled off the houses within a day, the rabbits no longer have tails and it wasn’t long before we lost a family of squirrels.  Luckily, the squirrels did later turn up … having been sent to the small world superhero toy jail on the mats!  Despite a few issues, children were soon engaging in some lovely imaginative play which is always good to see. 

Thanks to preschool, who sent us their roll play ASDA, children have spent the last few weeks enjoying a lot of roll play incorporating a role play ASDA café as well as playing with the dolls and some printed money.  There was the occasional incident whereby all the money was stollen at ‘gunpoint’ and the dolls have been taken for numerous walks around the playground in an ASDA trolley, but we fortunately seem to have gotten past that stage.  A weekend of stitching means that the dolls now have some new carry cots for transportation … but they have still inevitably ended up in the ASDA trolley!!

After a week of breakfast clubs in Cherry class (well done everyone for being so adaptable) we finished off the half term celebrating World Bee Day and making some honey cupcakes.

It is hard to believe that there is only one more half term to go before the summer, but we have lots of lovely activities to squeeze in before the school year is over.  Fingers crossed the weather is kind to us??!!!