Tracie Dowling

June’s Walk Around the Garden

Posted on 26th Jun 202012th Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

On our walk around the garden, Leo and Jacey couldn’t pass the Strawberries without having their fill! We found lots of purple flowers. We found Sweet Peas, Foxglove, Alliums and Ice Plant, they were all very fragrant.

The yellow flowers all shone out like the sunshine. Tracie told us all about the different ways to use flowers. Tracie told us some go into medicine like St Johns Wort, some keep bugs away from our tomatoes like Marigolds and Field Mustard can be used in cooking. But we were warned we can only eat plants and flowers given to us by adults as some are poisonous like the foxglove.

In the front garden we found two delicious looking Cherries. Tracie said it’s good they where way up high on the tree as it would stop us picking them before she could have a taste! Look who we found hiding in the ferns! Our jolly gnome, Rainbow!

The pond is thriving at the moment with wildlife and flowers. The flowers like Hot Poker and Foxgloves attract mini beasts and bees to collect pollen to make us honey and pollenate other plants. Can you spot the Plant sign we made in March?

Garden Classroom, Seedlings, wanderers

Water Play

Posted on 25th Jun 20202nd Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

We are having such lovely weather at the moment, however it is making the children very hot and bothered. Emma suggested we do an activity in the water to cool them down.

Martha and Ivor used the hand puppets to wash each other down to cool themselves. Alfred kept putting the toys into the pool and Bramble took them out for Alfred to put back in.

Martha asked if she could put the slide into the pool and slide into the water. By the time Emma put the baby down, Martha had moved the slide herself! Everyone watched her then joined in taking turns.

Garden Classroom, Seedlings, wanderers

Homemade Lolly Ices

Posted on 18th Jun 20202nd Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Yesterday, Tracie went to cut a watermelon into wedges for snack time but it rolled off the surface and smashed up. Everyone gasped, then started laughing!

Tracie decided to take the hard skin and pips out of the watermelon and use it to make lolly ices instead! We put the fleshy fruit into a bowl and mashed it up, then we put the watermelon slush into lolly molds and put it in the freezer.

Today, it was a very hot, sunny day and Ivor asked if he could have his lolly ice.

All the children loved them. Ivor asked if we could make them again, Martha suggested not to let it fall again though!

Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Dinosaur Small World Play

Posted on 21st May 20202nd Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Ivor loves to play with the Dinosaurs, especially the big ones! He kept getting upset because the seedlings wanted to play but not how he was playing.

Tracie suggested that he move them to a different place so he could play quietly but leave some for the little seedlings to play with.

Ivor decided outdoors on the decking would be a good place. Tracie moved a tuff tray into an area and gave Ivor some materials to build a setting. Ivor loved this and played for hours.

rangers

Happy Birthday Chloe

Posted on 18th May 20202nd Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Today is Chloe’s 8th Birthday so we all made her a lovely card and sang Happy Birthday as loud as we could.

For Chloe’s Birthday we took her to Spin City for a treat. She enjoyed jumping around on the Trampolines and was very brave jumping off the trampoline into a pit full of foam bricks.

Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Helping Our Bees

Posted on 4th May 202012th Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

This afternoon we were playing outside when Georgia screamed “theres a bee” Tracie asked the children to stand back as the bee is poorly and needs a sugary drink. She carefully picked him up with a piece of paper and took him into the kitchen.

Tracie explained to the children that the bee needed some sugar or he may die. We put some sugar and a little water onto a spoon and then we sat back and watched the bee working hard to drink the solution. After a while, the bee flew off and the Seedlings clapped.

Tracie then talked to us about bees and why they are so important for our world. The seedlings were very inquisitive and Tracie had lots of good questions to answer.

Seedlings

Quiet Spaces

Posted on 17th Apr 202012th Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

Today Alfie was grumpy with all the noise the Wanderers and Rangers were making. Tracie decided it was time to go into the garden to find a quiet place for one-to-one play. We chose to play together in the trampoline with different sensory balls.

Alfie enjoyed having a small quiet space to play and we had so much fun listening to the birds and insects flying about.

We decided to have story time on the trampoline. Afterward, Tracie got out and Alfie had a bounce about. When Alfie went back into the setting the older children had finished with noisy play and Alfie was less stressed. Nice and calm!

Garden Classroom, rangers, Seedlings, wanderers

Thank You to Key Workers

Posted on 6th Apr 20202nd Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

All the children have been working hard making crafts and signs to thank all of the Key Workers for the hard jobs they are doing to protect our families.

Poppy painted a rainbow on our front room window asking everyone to stay safe.

All the children within the setting painted wooden letters to make the front garden sign for everyone to see as they pass the house.

We have been busy making banners, cards, rainbows, paintings and stood on the front step at 8pm to clap for the NHS workers.

Garden Classroom, Seedlings, wanderers

Homemade Plant Labels

Posted on 27th Mar 202012th Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

We have been looking on the internet for labels for our plants. We didn’t like the ones we saw so Tracie decided to make some. First she asked her brother, Jonathan to slice up a big log. Then Tracie sanded them all smooth so they wouldn’t give anyone splinters, and so she could paint on them.

Once they were ready for painting, we all sat around the table and decided which ones we needed making first.

Ivor wanted the tomato one, Martha the Cucumber, Fearne wanted Lavender, Poppy the Garlic and Tracie thought a salad bowl would be good for the raised bed that has everything we love eating as a salad.

As soon as the paint had dried Tracie took them outside and sprayed them all with varnish to protect them from rain. They all looked very good and we cant wait to make more.

Seedlings

Meet the Newbies this March

Posted on 25th Mar 20202nd Feb 2021 by Tracie Dowling

These three gorgeous boys started our setting in March, they are all going to be one in April within a week of each other. We are looking forward to settling them in and lots of Birthday parties next month!