I have had a great time this week, spending a lot of time at the Nursery school where I teach physical skills once a week. First visit was to help out at the Christmas concert. About 35 toddlers need to be ferried across the road to the village hall, many adult hands to hold are required. We managed with only one grazed knee, Abbie tripped up the kirb! She was a very brave 'Pink Princess' though and although the bottom lip wobbled she did not cry. The performance was great, they always surprise me in so much as the usually confident outgoing children are the ones who are suddenly stage struck and don't utter a word. The shy ones suddenly become the stars of the show and shine under the foot lights.
The next day I was back to do my weekly play session, I devised a special Christmas theme and took along my lovely Snowman from Tumble Tot days. I had devised a circuit of equipment. The climbing trestle was covered with the parachute to make a snowman igloo, I put the slide on the floor going through the cave. The children had to pull themselves on their tummies through the igloo, wishing The snowman 'Happy Christmas' as they went through. They then balanced over the frozen river to get to the the snowdrift which they then had to jump into and across my bouncy foam wedges. They then had to get a 'snowball' from the pile and throw it though my shape board. They loved it and were all mesmerised by acting out the actions. They asked what the snowmans name was and I had to admit he did not have one. It was decided to a man he should be called 'Bob!'
A very special moment happened when the children all sat in a circle at the end, I had 'Bob' on my lap when the children started spontaneously to sing their special snowman song from their concert for 'Bob' it was a lovely moment.
The next day was the Chistmas party and I was invited! I was stuck in an awful traffic jam and so was it seems was Wizardy Woo! Could he not of waved his magic wand or weaved a traffic dispersing spell, obviously not as his car drew up at the same time as mine. I guessed he was the Wizard by his purple trousers, yellow shirt and red braces! So i offered to carry some of his equipment into the Nursery, mistake number one!
Once his act began I suddenly became his stooge and the butt of his very bad jokes, luckily my shoulders are as broad as my hips and I took it in good grace and laughed with the others teachers's (obviously glad it was me taking the brunt and not them) at the jolly japes. The kids had a great time and adored Mr Woo, I was a little disturbed at the little white rabbit in the act, seems very unfair, but Snowy seemed happy enough, but I was uncomfortable with it.
The big man himself attended the party (Santa) the older class clocked straight away that it was Kieth the music teacher, I think the Geordie accent gave him away. The younger class where either in awe or frankly terrified of this large red stranger, but happily accepted his gifts. we spend all year teching then NOT to take gifts from strangers and then actively encourage it when a large red clad bearded man arrives on the scene! Oh well, all in the name of Christmas.
It was in fact a lovely week, I kind of wish I worked their all the time!
