Nativities

[Alison]

after weeks of planning and stressing our Nativity is finally over and I am so please to say went really well

 

It was the first time we have ventured to doing a nativity, I hunted high and low to find something that would suit a group of 20, 2-4 year olds (10 of which I expected to have stage fright and want to sit with their mums)

in the end we made up our own production using some of the lines from a poem I found on this site and alot of songs,

 

we are lucky because we have church hall we can use, so with the parents already in the church we lead the children up the aisle the children found their places kept their costumes on and sat still for a whole 10 minute production some of the children had only been attending the group for a few weeks only two children had stage fright

 

I just wanted to share my absolute JOY that it worked, especially after our dress rehearsal on wednesday the children stripped their costumes off and ran around the hall leaving me singing a solo!! I thought "this is never going to work!?!?!"

 

so how is every one else doing with their productions?

[Guest MaryEMac]

Hi, Alison,

pleased to hear that your play went well. Ours also was brilliant, and the first time that we had attempted a nativity play.Isn't it amazing that during practise you are pulling your hair out vowing 'never again' and yet on the day, they behave beautifully.Shall you do it again next year?

 

Mary

[hali]

glad to hear they were good, we did hopeless camel for the first time was raelly good.

[Guest]

Ours went well last night in the church. I just gathered the children already dressed from the audience. We sang Here we Go up to Bethlehem -own verses-and Away in a Manger. When the k.s 1 children sang, a cousin of one of the children (aged 18 months ) stole the show by just joining in with the clapping and even faced the audience.

[Marion]

Everyone said this years was the best EVER

We have also survived a whole school carol concert yesterday which went really well and was performed in the village community centre for the whole village!

[Guest]

WELL DONE WE ALSO HAD our foundation stage nativities today and the parents were really happy.

[Guest]

We had ours today aswell with 35 2 - 4 year olds and it went really well, when i looked at the children they just smiled all the way through it x

[Sue R]

Our Concerts are next week. We're a DN so are limited to space - thus we are doing THREE performances!! They usually go really well, so of course, now I've said that they'll be disastrous. For the first time in years we're not doing a Nativity. This year's is based on One Snowy Night (you know, good old percy the park keeper) - we always write our own, based on a familiar story when we aren't doing a Nativity. Wish us luck!

 

Sue

[Marion]

Our Concerts are next week. We're a DN so are limited to space - thus we are doing THREE performances!! They usually go really well, so of course, now I've said that they'll be disastrous. For the first time in years we're not doing a Nativity. This year's is based on One Snowy Night (you know, good old percy the park keeper) - we always write our own, based on a familiar story when we aren't doing a Nativity. Wish us luck!

 

Sue

 

 

good luck or should I say beak a leg?

[bubblejack]

Ours is next wednesday. We are doing Its a baby.We have 70 children age 2.6.-4.9.

[Sue R]

Good luck to you, then, Bubble!!

 

Sue

[Susan]

Not being school based this year, I havent been involved with the productions but had the pleasure to watch a traditional Nativity yesterday, performed in Church. I say traditional because it wasnt the all singing, all dancing variety but with 2 Narrators telling the story and the other children playing their parts!

 

Having said that, Bubble, I think my favourite of the all singing and dancing ones that I have seen is "Its a baby". Hope yours goes well.

 

I heard some children walking home from school this afternoon singing carols, which was very nice.

[bubblejack]

Many thanks.The children can do it independently now but on the day who nows!!!!!!

Parents love watching it but I get more pleasure in watching them using this celebration in their role play.

[Guest]

Our concert was tuesday and went really well. We based on a story about an owl and a star that went to Bethlehem. Had to start with lots of santas to accomodate 120 FU and Ks1 children!!! But it was lovely - including the camel that arrived late in civvies from the dentist as opposed to the east, and the angel that kept shouting I'll see you later grandadad before she would sing her song!!

It's those bits that make the day.

Only the party and whole school ice skating to survive!

 

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

 

Jo x

[Guest]

Ours was yesterday. we had 44 children dressed up as toys. It was a new story written by one of my mums whose a writer, called Ready for Christmas. About a harrassed mother and toys that come to life.

it went brilliantly from begining to end even the dress rehearsal went badly as planned

with over a 100 parents and relatives it was pretty daunting for them but they listened and sand in the right places, even if as you say Jo they have to have their little waves etc. but it what makes a christmas play.

 

 

In case I don't get on here much in the next week I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy and Restfull Christmas and New Year. Put away all your planning and curriculums for a few days and enjoy your own families. The paperwok will still be there in a couple of weeks.

Well done to all who have passed courses this year and lets all look forward to a Healthy and Prosperous 2007.

 

(Goodness gracious it seems like yesterday we were all talking about the New Millenium)

[Guest]

Ours was on Thursday went really well have filmed it and watched it back they all did great and there were loads of parents as well - all saying how brilliant it was. Had our party yesterday though. 46 children on a sugar high is hard work!!! then our staff do last night pimms and lemonade lovely evening nice big turkey dinner as well.

 

All over for 3 weeks!!

 

Debs

[Elfy]

We did Whoops a Daisy Angel on Thursday! It was the fisrt one I have ever organised being an NQT so I was really worried. It went really well and I was quite choked which made the singing difficult.

 

Merry Christmas

[Guest]

Our preschool and toddlers had their's together last week. My wobbler room joined up with the babies and had an informal sing-a-long with their parents, musical instruments an all. Had a fab time, less stressful i found as we had no need to rehearse anything at all. Parents thoroughly enjoyed it as did the children. Finished off with tea, mulled wine and mince pies!

[Guest]

We had ours on Monday 11th, end of term being the 15th, although I finished work on the 12th.

 

We did songs then re-enacted a reindeer musical band I have on my laptop. Each reindeer doing a different movement or playing a particular instrument to the song Merry Christmas.

 

We started the show at 10-30 am followed by party food. Previous years we did the Xmas show on the last day of term, starting at 9:30 when everyone had arrived.

 

I much preferred the later 10:30 start and lunchtime finish, it was more like a 'normal' sessions routine and the children seemed much more relaxed. however soon after arrival I had 3 phonecalls of children being absent due to sickness and diahrea bug ( spelling!! )

 

Then 2 more children didn't arrive, we only have 16 on register, so our reindeer band was rather depleted. The stand-in performers did very well though. Rather than Father Christmas arriving after the show, he arrived before and sat in the audience. One child calling out to mum on arrival, "Look Mum, Father Christmas is watching"

One of the songs, Christmas pudding' the 1st line we whispered, then shouted out 'HOT' making everyone jump, then the second line "Sprinkle on the sugar, Sprinkle on the sugar" we sang in a mock operatic voice, this was hilarious with some very funny facial expressions from the children as they sang. Then we did Father Christmas he got stuck, but in a round, me with the boys, Cheryl (my daughter) with the girls. I made the mistake of saying to the boys, 'we can sing better than the girls can't we" The boys thought it was a race and sang at double speed, not ideal when singing a round. We calmed down and they all sang lovely, sounded quite professional as a round.

At the end of the show I asked the children if any of them wanted to sing a 'Christmas song' and I had 5 volunteers for solo singing. Cue hankies, and very proud parents and Peggy.

 

I shall definately stick to a similar format next year.

 

Peggy

[Alison]

Peggy it sounds lovely,

 

Im glad to hear everyone has been enjoying their productions we have filed all our costumes away and decided to give the nativity play another go next year.....

 

we have just had our end of term christmas party and there have been alot of tears as children have left the group to start school in January, I dont need to tell you that I think its the hardest part of the job saying good bye but at the same time its wonderful to reflect on the changes in children over the time they have been in our group.

 

Merry Christmas everyone

[Verona]

Ours was just wonderful.

 

The children sang 8 songs first and then we had an interval - serving refreshments - while we got the children dressed for the nativity. Angels, shepherds, etc (organised chaos). I always worry about it but on the day the children make everyone sooooo proud.

When we were just about to sing "I'm a little snowman, short and fat..." one little girl waved her arms at her grandma and shouted "I like this one, I singed it to nanny and Brian, didn't I nanny?" and nanny in the audience nodded and smiled to her.

What made it extra special was - unknown to me - the staff and parents had made a collection for me and presented me with gifts, to celebrate me owning the pre-school for 25 years. A member of staff made a lovely speech which brought tears to my eyes and before leaving many parents and grandparents congratulated me. It was really lovely. Although I couldn't do it without the lovely, reliable, long "serving" and dependable staff I have. So thanks to all of them. One of them is a member of the FSF and she is absolutely brilliant. She is poorly at the moment and will be off work for quite a while - we miss her already and hope she will return to us as soon as she can. (Thanks ACN)

 

Sue J

[Guest]

All the concerts sound wonderful.

 

We had the party yesterday and that was GREAT. Watching them perform on the karaoke machine was amazing, I know some will be on X factor in a few years time.

 

Today we walked the whole school down and back from the National Ice Stadium. Santa came to meet us, the local radio station gave every child a hool hoop and we all went and ice skated. The kids were amazing. Some hated it at once, others just kept on trying and it was fabulous to watch their grit. It was all part of a celebration cos we are in the top 100 most improved schools. It was a fabulous day, totally shattered, lots of Bambi like moments and we ended the day with a hoola hoop demonstration!!!

 

William a guest Year 5 got up to 10!! Not on ice, I hasten to add.

Boy am I ready for bed and the last day.

 

A happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year with your families.

 

Jo

[Sue R]

Hi Jo!

 

Well I admire you all, going to the arena and skating!!!!! And walking! , but then I'm a scaredy-cat!!

 

Glad you had fun, you have a peaceful Christmas, too!

 

Sue xx

[beth1]

Well my placement school had their Christmas nativities - Y2 and KS2 plays both were brilliant, all staff and pupils in FS/KS1 sang along to the Y2 songs which we all knew. Then we had the KS2 play well what can I say what a very strange Angel Gabireal! Telling the other angels off every 2 mins!!!!!

 

I must also say that Foundation did extremaly well having to sit in one place for just over 1 hour without making any fuss what so ever. Oh well heres to 2 weeks of then its back to work again (even if its vountary!) Soo much to do not a lot of time left to do it in!

 

Beth