Drama queen

[zigzag]

Well we had our first run through of our nativity today!!! Well my twinkling star had a complete melt down, he wanted the wise men to be sleeping so he could go and wake them up!! After much explaining that the wise men were travelling so they would not be sleeping he sat behind Mary and Joseph and quietly moaned/sobbed until the end!! Whos idea was doing a nativity! I may be a gibbering wreck by the end of term...anyone else feel like this??

Trying not to think about having to stand on the stage in front of everyone that is my worst nightmare. Any tips on how to get over this would be great.

[Upsy Daisy]

Just remember that a nativity that goes smoothly is nowhere near as entertaining as one with a few disasters scattered through it.

It sounds like a few laughs would help soothe your nerves a bit too.

I hope your star is over his 'diva' moment before the next rehearsal

[Rea]

Ha! I was the Shoemakers wife and wouldn't speak or move. Welcome to childen and acting

[Froglet]

Honestly those are the best bits when you look back on it. In our run through one of the shepherds forgot to set off for Bethlehem. His sheep herding colleague helpfully reminded him by yanking so hard on his hood that he fell over.

 

It was a very initial run through without props etc but I had explained to Mary that she could lift Jesus out of the manger and rock him. Mary was a little bit star struck by the whole affair and one of her friends was helpfully reminding her. It was only later that I realised the helpful friend is a sheep - how funny will it look to have a sheep reminding Mary to pick the baby up?!

[DebbieW]

We are having fun....lyrics to one song "shoo, shoo, shoo.....toodleloo"...children have already changed it to "shoo, shoo, shoo.....to the loo" followed by BIG belly laughs. It is so lovely to hear that laughter we are leaving it in!

[Guest]

We have been asked to join reception and year one this year for the nativity (New Heads suggestion) and I can already see it being a fiasco!!!!! Not least because nursery children all have different attendance schedules so between now and when we do the dress rehearsal in front of the school some may only get in the hall to practice twice more............... Mainly because KS2 need the hall to sing in........... (dont get me started about that one!!)

 

Now it seems to me you can sing anywhere........... and we have done just that so the children knew the songs before hitting the hall, but its hard without the stage to get up and running!!

 

However when I look back the 2 performances that nursery did (in nursery with just nursery parents) that stand out, are when Oops a Daisy Angel refused point blank to take part so my colleague was the angel (!!!!!) and the one when the innkeepr almost screamed the place down when a money spider crawled past her head as she was "sleeping".

 

I know it wont matter really how it goes........ the parents will oo and ah regardless but I do wonder at the sense of it all..............

[zigzag]

Funnily enough I was talking to one of my parents from many years ago and she reminded me about when her daughter had been Mary. One of the angels during a song crawled into the stable and stole baby jesus, the staff tried to ignore this and pretend that it had not happened, when suddenly one of the shepards stood up and in a very big voice shouted "put baby jesus back in the stable, now" She said it was the best nativity and always makes her smile when they watch the recording!!

Anyway my sheep has now decided that he wants to be a camel, so need to try and sort another camel costume today!! How many people can say that going into work today?? Only those who work in early years I bet.

Hope everyone has a great day, and keep the nativity storys coming in, they really do make me laugh.

[Froglet]

Well I found myself saying "I must remember to get Jesus out the shed!"

[Mouseketeer]

I usually send the shepherds off to Bethlehem and baby Jesus is still on the floor behind the curtain...missing the whole point really, was all for scrapping yesterday and go on 'the baby hunt' I saw somewhere on here ......ohhhh to have the whole cast in at the same time

[flowlow]

oh I feel your pain this has been us many a year now. we do normally find that it is alright on the night though and although there are always bits that don't go to plan these are the good bits we had a long tube with a sock on it once for the donkey, Mary got on and took off leaving Joseph running behind shouting wait for me

This year we have so many children who can talk or who are quieter and don't like the lime light or just very little we decided that we will not give out parts, we are going to dance to nativity music (condensed) and I have created the shortest most condensed version of the nativity you have ever seen to fill in the gaps! So far it is artistically challenged on all fronts. Bring on the 18th December.

[mollypiper]

It never goes as planned but the parents never seem to mind. It probably makes it more memorable!

This year similarly to Johanna we have so many 2 year olds and quiet children that we are dressing up and just singing instead of trying to get them to move around. Having said that last year a really confident child had a major part but totally freaked out during the performance. Expect the unexpected!

[SueJ]

Last year "Mary" was so overcome by stage fright that she threw up everywhere thankfully before her limelight moment and one v. perturbed angel was "promoted"

We don't start rehearsing (if you can call it that) until next week - the production is in the last week of term and the eager and expectant audience is projected to be in excess of 100 - I live in fear of the Nativity play every year.

Made me giggle about getting Jesus out of the shed - our Jesus would have social services involvement in a flash as he is wrapped everso tightly in a blanket, prodded several times with safety pins to keep said blanket in place and then suffers the indignity of having the bit of blanket that is wrapped around his head stuck down with sticky fixers

[Guest]

The question begs asking, why do you all do it? this is our end of year plan for the 20th - very low key party for the children from9.30 -11.30 with party games, picnic, christmas songs for the parents, santa visit, children go home THEN..... staff go to Duncan Bannatyne spa hotel for champagne lunch, afternoon in the spa, the to a deluxe hotel room to chill and get changed followed by late night party in the Orangery with 3 course dinner and wine. Nativity stress no thank you!

Edited December 4, 2013 by max321

[Panders]

Well Max that just sounds wonderful. We don't do the nativity, but I miss it on a lot of levels, but our last morning is structured very much like yours. We go out to lunch afterwards, but nothing on the scale you suggest, do you subsidise or pay for any of it or do staff fund themselves?

[Froglet]

Max - in part because we're a church school! I truly don't find the nativity stressful. I don't feel we stress the children either. We learn the songs but mainly by just having them on in the background. We enjoy the general hysteria and any child who doesn't want to take part for whatever reason doesn't.

 

SueJ - I actually discovered Jesus wrapped in a bin bag together with the wise men's gifts on top of a cupboard yesterday. It will have at least been warmer than the shed and possibly with marginally fewer spiders!

[Helenee]

Max - I'm praying my team don't read your christmas celebrations.

 

We are having a Christmas dinner on the last day - the children will come shopping to the vegetable shop and tesco's with us and then prepare the veg by peeling and chopping. They make they stuffing balls (just like play dough rolling!) and then we all sit down together with crackers and hats and all the trimmings. We've done this for several years and it's been very popular, we are a pack away pre-school so it's normally packed lunches and sandwiches so this makes a great treat.

 

Christmas with us is based around what the children will experience at home - so this week we are decorating the house and tree.

Next week it's christmas presents and cards and the final week is shopping and cooking. We might sneak in a forest school fire as well with fairy lanterns and hot potatoes.

[zigzag]

We do it because the children love it, they are so excited about it all. We have two run throughs and that is it, that way no one gets bored and fed up with it, also makes it interesting on the day!! They also love singing all the songs that we have been learning during our morning sessions. Last year we had a really young group and decided not to do it, but it felt really wrong like something was missing, so we sang a lot of songs to the parents instead. I think there is a big expectation from parents for a nativity. Anyway off to sort out my 25 footprints that the children printed yesterday...just realised I printed them upside down on the card!! Think we are going to have some mutant footprint reeindeer!! :blink:

[Fredbear]

I think this time of year can be truly wonderful, if you plan carefully, but not to the point where your petrified of the whole affair. Music has been on in the background for a couple of weeks and we have had a couple of run throughs.

We know with 54 children its always going to surprise us, but doesn't it add to the joy of it all, but the children have the most magical of times and its fun, fun, fun all the time.

Whatever you do enjoy.

Wow I want to come and work with you Max 321, it sounds fantastic.

[Guest]

I did nativity plays for 10 years and then one year we didn't do it because we had a group of children who made it very difficult to prepare for - several EAL, 3 Jehovahs and 2 autistic as well as several littlies and although we started preparing for it we abandoned the idea very quickly as it just wasn't working for them, as a result we just sang for parents and this was received just as well as the nativity and without any of the stress for both us and the children. We just haven't gone back to doing one.

As for the spa day, well its been a tough year and I felt we all needed a treat, me included, so I pushed the boat out a little more than usual but my staff are worth it and its a good way of me showing them how much I appreciate the work they have done this year

[Guest Spiral]

I'm considering moving now....any jobs going Max 321?????

 

Spiral ;-)

[Guest]

I'm considering moving now....any jobs going Max 321?????

 

Spiral ;-)

there was last month, just filled it! sorry, obviously it would have been yours if I had known

[Madmum]

One year Joseph refused to go with Mary as the performance began for us

First ever single parent family!!!

[Mouseketeer]

Managed to get in a first rehearsal today with nearly all the main cast, and it actually went very well........to well probably

[finleysmaid]

Managed to get in a first rehearsal today with nearly all the main cast, and it actually went very well........to well probably

uh oh! :huh: