Nursery manager Judith Tubb tells us more
The nursery is a converted house and we have turned the bathroom upstairs into a role-play area that we change once a month.
We decided that it would be a great idea to have our very own hair salon.
Parents volunteered to come in and have their hair done, which we made a note of in the appointment book, to add to the authenticity.
Parents and carers brought in the equipment from home, including empty shampoo bottles, hair accessories and an old hairdryer with the wire cut off. We bought magazines on hair, the children drew pictures of hairstyles they liked and made tinfoil mirrors, and we even set up our very own cash till.
Of course, there were no scissors, water or hair products in sight, much to the parents' delight, but the children absolutely loved playing with the brushes, combs, slides, hairbands and rollers. They especially liked tying up long hair and getting the Velcro rollers stuck in it!
It was great to see the children having fun. But they were also learning so much at the same time. It was a good way for them to interact with their peers and adults and to learn how to share and care. They also understood the concept of time and money through the appointment and paying system.
It was also a very positive step for the parents. I think because they only had to commit about 20 minutes of their time, it gave them a nice reason to come in. They were all very encouraging with the children, telling them that 'Ilook lovely, darling'.
Thankfully, there were no horror stories, but the volunteers did look quite horrendous and did try to fix their hair before they left the nursery. At least they were able to have a good laugh about it!
Judith Tubb spoke to Mahrukh Choughtai
