Every Easter holiday, We run a Spring camp filled with all sorts of fun activities available for babies up to 6 year olds. We all had so much fun during the Spring camp- Sooper Dooper helped out with lots of great activities such as Zumba, Cookery, Puppetry and more!! What a fantastic 2 weeks we’ve had!
Check out our Facebook page !
Curiosity, intrigue, desire.. We nurture all of these at Willow. Freedom to express ideas, thoughts, actions. All means of expressive arts and creativity are celebrated and encouraged. Would you like to know how we nurture ideas at the nursery!?..
Through using intentional language, and nurturing ‘mistakes’ we instill confidence- assuring the child that there is no right or wrong method- perhaps, with facilitation, children will notice a solid example, however its through attempting, errors and also moments of instant success that they will ever manage to develop the very best they can.
Through simple strategies, there is a way for you to raise a creative thinker by simply setting up creative environments… Get down to a child’s level- think about the small things that excite them, that you might have disregarded earlier. Remember when your child was tugging at your arm seeking your attention to show you something, which to you seemed dull and unimportant! Those moments are the perfect opportunity to develop language, interest and will give you further insight into a world of other possibilities.
Thank you for interacting with our New FACEBOOK page
I would love to read more comments from you on any subject- This year, we really want to interact with you and find out what you want to gain from your experience at Willow, how we can better our service in our attempt to be high quality providers of early years care and education with the ability to perfect the all-round aspects of Willow.
engage with us. Talk to us. Help us to be the best, for you and your children.
Looking forward to comments, debates, questions- answers, photos, ideas, Preferences…
Amber X
Hello!
If you’re reading this post, it’s because you have been desperately trying to find the answers to the Willow Summer Camp competition! The answers are within this blog, however, to help you out- I am making it VERY EASY for you! Remember, there are already entrants with the correct answers- All correct answers will go into a draw and will be announced next week at the nursery and via FACEBOOK!
At Willow, We offer a great selection of specialised extra curricular activities such as, Hamilton Aquatics swimming, Ballet, Monkeynastix, Stretch & Grow, Little Musicians- We bring the best to the nursery to make your life easier. Some activities take place during curriculum hours and some straight after. Willow runs off the most current British curriculum (EYFS & The Birth to 3 Matters)via a heurist approach-
Willow was lovingly created in September 2010 by Jan Webber who won the educator of the year award for outstanding educational service in 2009!
All answers must come via the FACEBOOK Competition.
Come join the 2012 Summer Olympic Camp at Willow. The camp is designed to cater for parent’s needs- from the nurturing care we offer your babies to the fun, stimulating choices we have planned for the active toddler and child in your life.
Children can enjoy an action- packed summer camp program that is certain to keep young, lively children busy as they travel to the countries of the world participating in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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The summer camp theme is based topically on the Olympics! Children will follow the Olympic torch as they climb the Great Wall of China, discover the jungles of Brazil and explore the pyramids of Egypt.
Each week we will embark on an exciting journey to celebrate the Olympics. The 5 weeks camp is not all about sports- it’s about the 5 continents that represent the Olympic circles- We will explore Asia, Europe, Africa, Australasia, and The Americas. Fitness activities such as monkeynastixand body and movement will keep the children active and creative art projects will stimulate their imagination.
Children will also be able to take part in the exciting events and activities scheduled for each week such as a visit to the Atlantis Aquarium, an opportunity to watch African dancers bring the magic of Africa to the nursery, and play on Dubai drums. Children will get busy with baking and enjoy outdoor water play.
There are 5 Olympic circles that represent the 5 major continents and there are 5 weeks of our summer camp. We’re also giving 5 lucky winners an opportunity to win a full week worth of summer camp Free!
There’s so much on offer this summer at Willow and now you have the chance of getting all this for FREE!
How?… Simply by ‘liking’ our page, you will be directed to our competition. The competition requires you to answer 5 key questions. Everyone who submits the correct answers will go into a draw. The draw to announce the 5 lucky winners will be held at Willow Children’s Nursery on: Sunday 24th June (1 week before the summer camp begins).
What are you waiting for?…Get ‘liking’ right away!
RAMADAN 2012
How to Observe Ramadan
Each year, Muslims throughout the world observe the holy month of Ramadan, which falls during the ninth lunar cycle of the Islamic calendar. Since Ramadan is marked by the emergence of the new moon during this period, Muslims in varying parts of the world may begin to observe the holiday at slightly different times. For instance, those who observe Ramadan in the Middle East usually begin a day before those in North America. However, all will observe the practice of siyyam or sawm, a period of fasting that promotes dedication to prayer and to God.
OBSERVE RAMADN BY:
1. Recognize that Ramadan commemorates the month in which the Qur’an, the word of God (or Allah), was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an, which literally translates to “the recitation” in Arabic, is believed to be divine communication directly from God that was delivered to Muhammad over a period of 23 years.
2. Discover that Ramadan embraces the fourth of the five pillars or religious duties of the Muslim faith. As such, it is characterized by a period of fasting as a means toward self-purification of mind, body and spirit.
3. Understand that fasting during Ramadan means more than abstaining from food and drink. During Ramadan, one must also avoid sexual activity, arguing, gossip, expressions of anger and envy. The purpose of these restrictions is to encourage self-discipline and devotion to prayer, elevating attunement with the divine.
4. Expect the practice of fasting from food and drink (even water) during Ramadan to be observed every day of the month from dawn until sundown. The fast may be broken when it is time to perform Maghrib, the fourth daily prayer at dusk.
5. Know that Muslims strive to read the Qur’an in its entirety during the month of Ramadan. Sunni Muslims hold to nightly recitations of “Tarawih” (extra prayers) with sections of the Qur’an being read each night for 30 days. The Shiite Muslims practice a nightly prayer, known as “Salat al-Layl,” and encourage independent study of the Qur’an.
6. Be aware that the rising of the next new moon ushers in Eid ul-Fitr, the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” and signals the end of Ramadan.
Tips & Warnings
Reschedule your fast. Those who are traveling, ill, elderly and women who are pregnant or nursing during Ramadan are allowed to break the fast and observe an equal number of days of devotion at another time.
Some lovely RAMADAN Books for Children that we recommend are:
RAMADAN MOON By Na’ima B Robert
A beautifully illustrated children’s book that follows the moon’s development during the sacred month of Ramadan. Seen through the eyes of a child, Ramadan Moon educates children on the spirituality of the blessed month through its rituals to its spirit of unity, charity, compassion and family values.
Willow LOVES a website we stumbled upon which has Enviro-news, halal living and eco-lifestyles for Muslims
http://www.theecomuslim.com
For more information on Ramadan, try this website:
The Nursery will be open from 1st July – 9th August, please note that there will be no timing changes during the holy month of Ramadan and we will be open from 8am – 6pm as normal.
CONGRATULATIONS WILLOW GRADUATES!
We can hardly believe that we’re only one month away from the end of the Academic year! The children have developed so quickly, but we’re delighted to have shared their journey at Willow.
To celebrate the outstanding acchievments of our Early years Foundation groups, we will hold a graduation ceremony in their honor. We have beautiful surprises in-store and look forward to commemorating the memories we’ve shared with all our wonderful Willow children and their families.
The Graduation Ceremony will take place on Wednesday 13th June from 8am. This event is a private ceremony for the FS units and families only. Please direct any enquiries to the Admission desk a Willow
For those of you who are registered at Willow- We have a wonderful evening in store for you… You are cordially invited to join us as we highlight the importance and impact of the creative arts during the early year’s.
Where: The Willow garden
When: Sunday 26th Feb 2012
Time: from 5:30pm
The evening will commence with a brief talk about the different creative arts available at the nursery and the specialist we have that teach your children- the effects and benefits and how we incorporate these into our enhanced curriculum. The creative arts encompasses, art using different mediums and techniques, dance and body movement, music, singing and role-play. We’re proud to present Keiran Ballard Tremer who will play Jazz saxophone as well as senior, Ayden Smith singing a few numbers of one of the heavy weight greats- Frank Sinatra! Followed by hors d’oeuvres The evening is strictly invitation only. If you would like to attend, simply send an email with a request to; willownurserydubai@gmail.com
Our Foundation stage unit’s Sports day was a HUGE success. With 3o of our budding athletes warming up before their parents arrived to cheer them on. We started off with the traditional egg and spoon race- A delicate balancing tactic is required to be able to get from A to B during this race- not to mention the added difficulty of one arm behind the back! Wow! The 3 legged race proved to be an even trickier feat- especially when the 3 legs didn’t all go in the same direction!! During the sack race, the children didn’t really grasp the concept of ‘taking’ the sack with them- However, it was still good fun and eventually, the sacks did manage to return! We finally finished off with a simple flat race …Hooray! Well done to all the children involved..and of course to our wonderful Teachers who have been training them during the past weeks.
The children have been practising very hard since the new term on different areas of physical development and they surely showed off their fantastic achievements today- All of our children were winners and received an award for their participation!…
The Mums and Dads dressing up race was hilarious! A few cheats and a few pros amongst the participants- We could certainly tell the experts amongst the adult participants- Definitely some prior dressing up obstacle race practice could be noticed as a few of our mums and dads proved to be elite sportsmen as they sprinted across the grass managing to don straw hats and wriggle into dresses effortlessly to the finish line! Incredible 
(I hope to be able to post the evidence soon and no- doubt, we will be plagued by athletic head hunters asking if one of our winning parents might like to be the torch bearer of the 2012 olympics…Remember, it all started at Willow! Thank you for being such good sports!…A pre- requisit for becoming a ‘Willow parent’
Here’s a little something i found on the Internet..Thought it was very cute and proves how we all need a little hug now and then!
I often hug you in my heart.
This time I want you to feel it.
* * * * * * *
A reminder about the value of hugging
from UCLA Medical Center
“Hugging is a miracle medicine that can relieve many physical and emotional problems facing people today,” experts say.
“The type of hugging I recommend is the bear hug,” says Dr. David Bresler, Director of the Pain Control Unit at UCLA. “Use both arms face your partner, and perform a full embrace. I often tell my patients to use hugging as a part of their treatment for pain. To be held is enormously therapeutic.”
Researchers have also found that hugging can help you live longer, protect you against illness, cure depression and stress, strengthen family relationships and even sleep better.
What an exciting and successful year full of wonderful memories- for those who joined us in September 2010- you are the ones who made our year so happy! So, a huge thanks goes out to everyone who has supported us along the way- and to those who have just joined us- we are once again looking forward to sharing fantastic memories with you and your families as we travel through this learning journey together…..To teach, is to touch a life forever. Welcome to Willow. Welcome to 2012!
Willow Children’s Nursery now has 11 classes for children ranging from 3 months to 4 1/2 years old.
REGISTRATIONS are now OPEN for SEPTEMBER 2012 and beyond only. If you would like to make an appointment to tour our facility, simply send the registrar an email titled ‘ Nursery appointment’ to; willownurserydubai@gmail.com
Nursery tours are held on MONDAYS and WEDNESDAYS ONLY between 9:30am – 11am.
Willow held a PINK garden party on October 11th to raise money for Breast cancer awareness. It was a beautiful morning with lots of sugary treats made by all of our yummy mummies as well as a few creative vendors. Many of our parents donated fantastic prizes for the raffle- We were overwhelmed by the response. 11 of our Teachers also ran the women’s 5k along the palm Jumeirah on the 11th of November, which also added a considerable amount to the kitty. Many thanks goes out to everyone involved. We’re all very proud!
The Nursery is gearing up to celebrate the 40th National day. We are extremely proud to have been chosen to perform at the Ministry of Social Affairs on Wednesday 30th November. The children will sing the UAE National anthem as well as ‘There are 7 Emirates’ and ‘I love Dubai’- songs they have managed to learn in just a week! The FS Children will either wear national dress, or the colours of the UAE flag…We’re really looking forward to leading the presentation and thank our fantastic FS groups for all their hard work in the preparation! Well done!
A celebration will take place at the nursery tomorrow (Monday 28th November) and includes a feast of delicacies from the UAE, a national dress parade, arabic songs and music and a UAE monument competition!…Photos will follw, so please keep checking for updates
We’re really looking forward to embracing this amazing city we live in. “Residents of the UAE are encouraged to salute the nation’s rich history, culture and achievements, by partaking in a series of events and projects planned across the Emirates to mark the culmination of 40 years as a modern and progressive nation. The month-long program will be a celebration of the UAE’s heritage and its modern multicultural nature, promote national identity and inspire the people of the UAE to look to the future with confidence and pride.”www.uaenationalday.ae
A huge thanks goes out to everyone who came along to our fair today! What a great, but hot day! :S It was a fantastic turn out from parents, friends and visitors- Thank you for your continued support! Many thanks also to our artisans and creative vendors- We encourage ‘small cottage’ industries and budding businesses. These events are only a success if you let them be- With a little charm and a positive mind frame- You will always reap the rewards!
I would like to introduce some of Willow’s favorite Artisans- Individuals who have worked extremely hard to get their products noticed and appreciated. Willow only looks out for ethical products made with love and when possible using bio-degradable or natural materials. Most of the artisans have hand made items- which we adore!
Please take a moment to check out our favorite Artisans;
“Scrap booking” with Marina Fernandes. scrapbooking through fun workshops- is a great way to de-stress and make new friends whilst learning how to create beautiful things! Marina is one of our Mum’s who has just started her scrap booking workshops…Inspiring and extremely creative- We hope we can convince Marina to run her workshops from Willow Nursery.
Look at these adorable Christmas Logs! Imagine them nestled beautifully on the dinner table…Absolutely gorgeous! Visit Carrie at Black Sheep Studios for more fabulous festive creations!
I just had to capture this beautiful tu-tu-esque dress from ‘In the Sandpit’ in rich chocolate brown with dusty rose silk ribbon-exquisite! “In the sandpit” have a great range of toddler to younger children’s wear- more unique than what you may find elsewhere. Willow LOVES “In the sandpit”! Make sure to visit Adele to top up your toddlers wardrobe!
Introducing…Yoomi ! The self warming baby bottle!
I was amazed at these baby bottles- not only are they super stylish (a must for Dubai Mummies) they are also innovative in that they warm your baby’s feed to natural breast milk temperature in just 60 seconds! Amazing! Plus, they retail at affordable prices.Quick, convenient, comforting, safe, flexible and easy! Yoomi products will be made available at the nursery. Please visit the Yoomi FB page at: www.facebook.com/YoomiMiddleEast
These vibrant long beads caught my eye today- They look fantastic with long gipsy dresses and skirts for that Boho feel. We’re loving the designs from Sue Tyson who also stocks hand blown Murano from Italy. Please check out her FB page: www.facebook.com/pages/sue-Tyson-Design
These handmade, silver jewelry piece double as a precious keep sake- simple yet adorable. Another ‘must have’ accessory on Willow’s wish list! Please visit Natasha at: Facebook.com/DubaiDesertCharms
These aren’t just any ordinary kitchen knifes…These are the only knives you will ever need in the kitchen…Welcome to Great white Knives.. Scarily effortless slicing- keep your fingers at bay! Easily the best kitchen knives we’ve seen! Also come in a funky acrylic stand. Nice!
Eight Degrees South- Australian brand- Pretty ,Floral, silk dresses in simple, elegant styles. These dresses should be a Dubai wardrobe staple- Easy to wear and look amazing on…Wear with a pair of bling sandles, a big bag and some over-sized sunnies for instant wow factor!
We loved the juicy colours of these silk maxi dresses-Absolutely stunning! Visit Juliette at all good markets- She has everything you may need to freshen up your look from easy to wear cotton and silk dresses to stunning accessories to compliment the look. Perfect!
Based on the concept of modern charm jewellery, Lovelinks is a collection of sterling silver, gold, gold-plated & Murano glass beads that fit over a flexible sterling silver bracelet or necklace.
Pastiche and Lovelinks innovative designs along with their high standards of quality workmanship have been made to excite and inspire you. A Lovelinks piece is a timeless way to treasure the milestones and people most important to you. By custom picking each bead or charm, you will finish with a personalised piece of jewellery. With Christmas just around the corner you must come and see our stunning range of jewellery. Our jewellery range has been designed for women of all ages, children, babies and even men. We invite you, to explore the world of Pastiche!
Pixar animations brought the fascination of the clown fish and its best friend- the anemone to the big screens with NEMO, but Aquarium Concepts brings it to you in mini aquariums now available in special deal bundles from ACE, The garden centre and the Sultan garden centre on Beach Rd….Grab a mini tank bundle deal for a Christmas gift – Awesome for the kids!
La Vela is Candle couture! These little glass pots of soy wax heaven have the yummiest scents by far. Great gifts for any time of the year. www.lavelacandles.com
Stork Toys have some wonderful products…The nursery has already grabbed quite a few 
If you’re looking for quality soft toys for your children aged from 3 months onwards, check out Stork Toys.
Is it just us, or do all of you feel like the summer has just whizzed by! We have been busy though- Since the end of the last term at the end of June until now we have been running a summer camp. The camp ends on the 25th of August when we will have a chance to put a lick of paint on the walls in time for the children to return on September 6th (inauguration day) and the 7th for all other returning children.
Were so excited to see the children and to hear the pitter patter of little feet around the nursery once again. We have lots going on this academic year and hope that you will enjoy being apart of the Willow family. We’re looking forward to new memories and exciting experiences with you and your children….Here’s to new beginnings…
With love from the Willow Team
Nursery tour timings:
Mondays and Wednesdays only (9:30am – 11am)
Visiting Willow nursery is STRICTLY by appointment only. Nursery tours take place in groups of maximum 6 sets of parents on Mondays and Wednesdays only between 9am and 11am.
We regret that outside of these days and times, we are unable to accommodate a tour. We are always available to chat to you further over the phone or email after your initial visit.
If you would like to make an appointment to visit the nursery on either a Monday or Wednesday, please either call the nursery line on: 04 3465078 or, email us on: willownurserydubai@gmail.com
Dear parents and visitors,
We would love to hear your feedback in the means of a comment… Your thoughts are invaluable to us as your voice is how we can either better ourselves or take on board your suggestions and ideas. Where competition is high, we endeavor to maintain consistent quality of care and early year’s education, so please speak out…We encourage parents as partners and welcome all your comments. You can either comment on this blog on any og the pages and posts, or on edarabia website….. This also helps to escalate our online presence. Thank you for your support!
WILLOW: Willow children’s nursery was lovingly created in July 2010 and opened its doors on Sunday, 19th September 2010. Already bustling with happy faces! The nursery is backed by nursery DIRECTOR, Jan Webber who not only envisaged the layout, but also devised the curriculum, the concept and policies. Jan comes with over 10 years of nursery headship in Dubai and a further 25 years of early and primary years education. Jan also won the Dubai Educator of the year awards!
All of our early years TEACHERS come with the necessary qualifications such as Cache level 3, and early years diplomas- they’re all mums too! On the ball, creative, sensitive and great negotiators!
Our registered NURSE is on site at all times, ready to bandage and ice any bumps!
