It’s the half term holidays which means Ellie has completely her first half term at nursery. It’s been a huge transition from her, for the last few years she has spent the morning at my parents, doing things on her own terms and being surrounded by adults while I’ve been at work. We would spend as many afternoons as we could with friends; soft play dates, Hartbeeps baby group etc but I’ve always been worried that being “an only child” would cause her social development to be an issue.
As Ellie was 3 in November and myself and Luke both work over 16 hours were are entitled to the Government funded scheme where Ellie gets 30 hours of nursery care for free. I was concerned that starting her off full time would be too much but I also knew how ready she was to learn, I also knew the option to reduce a day or two was there if we needed it. Honestly though she has loved it so much! Yes she is tired, grumpy sometimes and desperately tries to have a 2 hour nap at 4pm meaning she is either falling asleep in her tea or still awake at 10pm but that will all come in time. I am so grateful that she can attend such a fantastic nursery as she has already gained so much from going.
She has come on so much with her learning, she comes home singing more nursery rhymes that I know, telling me about all the things she has played with and the numbers and phonics she has been doing. She recognises numbers to 20 and counts beyond 30! She’s got a passion for learning which I know will make her go far in life. She is beginning to recognise letter sounds and names and tells me all the rhymes she remembers to help them with formation. She has even started beginning to read words by segmenting the sounds she recognises…the other day she read the word CAT and I was gobsmacked!
Apart from the learning aspect of nursery, which honestly I couldn’t fault at all, she is so much more sociable than ever before. She can’t wait to get out of the car in a morning to speak to all the Teachers and Teaching Assistants she sees walking in to school (I guess it helps that I work in the school opposite and she knows a lot of the staff) and she’s so chatty to the children. She has developed friendships, asking where certain children are and whether they are coming and then saying hello to everyone as we all wait to be let in. She is the kindest little girl I know and she makes me so incredibly proud. She gets to come over to the big school and use the hall for PE, they go on Welly Walks every week and she comes home covered in mud but I don’t mind. She always has a story to tell, about her day, her friends. She gives me the biggest hug when I pick her up, she shouts my name and runs up to me as if she hasn’t seen me for weeks. After the first few days where she wouldn’t let me leave and I would come in to work knowing she was crying and feeling like I was doing the wrong thing she is now so confident, she has learnt the routine, she knows Mummy is coming back and she waves me off with a kiss and a cuddle before sitting by her bestie and having the time of her life. It’s such a simple innocence that I really hope she never has to lose.
I can’t wait to see what the next half term has in store for my little clever clogs and what amazing masterpieces she will bring home to us. I know one thing for sure, Ellie has missed seeing all her friends this week and has been carrying around her Valentines Card and showing it off to everyone she has seen “It’s from my Owen, I love him I do” (My heart just can’t cope!!)
For now I’m enjoying having her all to myself (and husband of cause) for the rest of the week. Although the weather has been truly shocking and due to local flooding we’ve been spending most of our days at home hiding from the wind and the rain.
Mothering A Rainbow 