I can't believe it's really the end of the school year already! This year has flown by for me... These three monkeys have done really well at school this year. Their school reports blew me away they were so good!
Jordan's report said he should be proud of his efforts this year, that he is highly motivated & eager to learn, thriving on the challenge of tackling more difficult work. It also said that he is a popular boy, friendly, cheerful & polite & a pleasure to teach!
Timmy's report is full of little treasures! Amongst other things the report said that Timmy is a very confident, independent child, that he takes a keen interest in the world around him, is very observant & loves to explore. He loves to sing & dance & plays percussion with great enthusiasm. He speaks with confidence using 'please' & 'thankyou' naturally.
Luke's report said he is always lively, excited & motivated to explore his environment, that he is confident, polite & listens attentively when his interest is roused (!!). His emotions are close to the surface but he responds positively to reason! It also said that Luke can be quite mischievous & has a great sense of fun!
Well, I am a little sad that Timmy & Luke have finished their time in nursery but it does mean that I don't have to walk to & from school 3 times a day! I thought I would show you what our walk home from school is like. Door to door it is just under a mile which means I walk almost 30 miles a week just doing the school run!! It's a really pleasant walk though & we always enjoy it- even when it rains because then there are snails to look at & hold!
When the weather is good we begin the walk home with a trip to the park. Often we go twice- once after nursery & once after Jordan finishes school! Timmy is very, very confident & climbs & swings on everything going! He loves playing Billy Goats Gruff on this bridge; he trip traps over the bridge & I pretend to be the grumpy old troll (who can often be found sleeping under the bridge snoring loudly!).
Jordan is equally confident at climbing. He is the only one of his class mates who can swing across the monkey bars! He has his friends gasping with amazement as he whizzes across in no time at all!
Luke is more cautious preferring the slide, swings & roundabout to climbing to dizzy heights. He does loves the fireman's pole though & occasionally this swirly pole thing!
We leave the park through this lovely alleyway which offers one last climbing opportunity!
Along the street are lots of bollards which have to be climbed on & jumped off if time allows before we turn into The Secret Tunnel! (Ssssshhh! Don't tell anyone it's there will you?)
The pavement was recently re-surfaced so it is now the surprise secret tunnel- the surprise being that we went to walk down it one day only to find it wasn't bumpy & horrible any more but smooth & new!
The alleyway leads to the field which is a large circle of grass surrounded by gorgeous timber framed houses built in 1908 or there abouts. I love the field! It reminds me of where i grew up. It is a little haven of rural tranquility in the middle of an urban jungle.
The boys love to run & hide in the many secret gardens behind the hedge. I really do think that in their minds these hide aways are never ending because they do actually get 'lost' & disorientated!
They all love to climb the trees that are in the secret places too. The yew tree reminds me of the tree I used to climb with Marie & my sister in Barnwell school grounds....
The grass is full of buttercups & daisies which most be looked at & adored in between wild running & games of hide & seek.
Out of the field & by the main road there is a strawberry plant in someone's front garden which we watched developing over several weeks. The boys were ecstatic when the strawberries turned red & even more excited when the snails ate the fruits!
On sunny days an ice cream van parks in the street outside the school that is at the bottom of our road. If we walk quick enough back from the boys school & the queue at the ice cream van is long, then it is still there when we turn the corner & we can buy ice creams too! (Actually we've only done it once!). The boys sat by the side of the busy road & ate their ice cream cones before we carried on home.
Our last land mark is the church which Timmy calls 'the Jesus died church' due to the crucifix outside. A walk through the church usually provokes much thoughtful conversation about Jesus' death & resurrection or heaven or the like. We also listen out for the cockerel crowing in one of our neighbours gardens & see if we can see the pigeons sitting in the little wooden loft.
Walking through the church not only cuts off the corner & 5 minutes of walking time but also cuts out the noisy traffic! I can't hear the boys speak when we walk along this road! This is the road that our street turns off- four lanes of 40mph traffic heading towards the motorway! It's VERY busy at rush hour & this piccie wasn't even taken at a busy time of day!
So there it is! Our walk to school! It will be very strange for me only doing it 4 times in September when Timmy & Luke start full time school!
A few weeks ago the boys had an Inset day so I asked Lee if he could take the day off work so we could all do something exciting together. A few days earlier we had seen an article on the local news about Anthony Gormley's Field exhibition. He had made it in 1993 with the help of 100 people from St Helens aged 8-82 years old. Anthony won the 1994 Turner Prize with it! This is the first time the art piece has been exhibited in St Helens.
Being such huge fans of the Iron Men on Crosby beach we had to take a trip to see these tiny little urchins! We went to St Helens on the train which was, of course, a huge hit with the boys! As Lee & I stood outside the station pondering the way to go Luke pointed at the ground suddenly & said 'Look! There's a picture of ghosts on the floor!'
We followed these pictures that were stuck on the pavement all the way to St Helens College! It was a really fun treasure hunt!
It was so exciting to see the Field of 40,000 little clay people squashed into & spreading out into the distance of the exhibition room. The boys were captivated by them! They were all the same & yet so different. The ones at the front all look up towards the sky & are called 'Star Gazers'. There are tall ones, fat ones, red ones, brown ones, ones with big eyes.... I could stand & look at them all day they are so fascinating! It was great to read the information displayed outside telling us how the sculptures were made.
This man was one of the people who made the clay sculptures with his wife & his daughter (the little girl's mother). It's funny that even though he made the clay figures, he wasn't allowed to touch or photograph them at the exhibition just like everyone else!
After we had seen Field we went for lunch in Woolies! Then we bought gingerbread men from the bakers & sat in the Quaker Meeting House gardens. It was lovely!
The boys enjoyed playing on a huge boulder- an andesitic agglomerate that was put in the gardens in 1892 as the plaque says.
It was great for jumping off!!
We took the train home & finished off the trip with a visit to the National Wildflower Centre. Annie loved the daisy meadow very much!
