Child's Play

Oh what a busy morning, I've been playing with the dough
And, with a little help, upon a card I learned to sew
I helped my friend, 'nurse Sarah', to perform an operation,
Then fixed the track together for my train and built a station.
I popped inside the "house", to make a cup of tea,
And stood beside the cooker, making lunch for twenty three.
I completed three whole jigsaws and played a new board game
And had a turn on all the bikes, the slide and climbing frame.
I handed round the biscuits at "milk and biscuit" time,
Then I listened to a story and sang a nursery rhyme.
But now the morning is over and the mummies are all waiting
I hope my mother doesn't say
"I wish you'd done a painting!"

I have to admit I'm a sucker for a painting. Well, if you pay £37.50 a day (eek!) for nursery you want something to show for it at the end of the day, and to demonstrate that, for at least oooh, half an hour, your child wasn't just abandoned in a corner with a pile of toys which have a faint whiff of Milton*

I know there are plenty of things he does at nursery which don't end in a scrumpled piece of painted paper, and he brings the evidence home on the neck of his vest (two portions of lasagne for lunch!) or the bottom of his trousers (playing in flour and water!) most days. There is just something so proud making about a real piece of honest to goodness childrens art work.

Anyway, the recent shortage of things to stick on the fridge has been explained. My husband, who does the pick-up, an event which is much more relaxed and can be conducted at a more respectable pace than the morning's frantic drop-off, had forgotten to empty T's pigeonhole. Today he came home with ...

Footsteps in the snow (black paper, white prints, glitter)
A pumpkin (orange paint, random black bits of paper glued on)
A Pudsey Bear (yellow paint, random 'spots' glued on to represent bandana)
A nursery-made birthday card and hat (T's birthday is in September)

There are plenty of things I am proud of about nursery. The fact he lies down on a beanbag, in a room full of other toddler and (without fuss) closes his eyes and goes to sleep! The fact he gives all of the girls in his room lovely big kisses and cuddles. The fact that this morning, being the second child there (Mummy on an early) he got the chance to feed the nursery fish. But today I also have a great big proud smile on my face every time I go into the kitchen. Proper family kitchens have pictures on the fridge!

*NB, I don't really think nursery is like this at all, I just picture that they're not very nice so I don't worry about T starting to love them more than me.