We have started another 6 sessions of EWPW. So far we have made healthy sandwiches/wraps, dips and pasta with hidden vegetable sauce. We are learning lots of new games to play at home with the rest of our families.

This week the Orange Am group went up to The Law to experience a campfire and explore a small forest area.

First we had to collect the sticks for the safety circle to go around the fire. Then we lit the fire using cotton wool, petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and a flint. Once the fire was ready we cooked the popcorn.

Our the next few weeks all the nursery boys and girls will have a turn visiting The Law. We will be having snack first, then heading off to explore a forest area.

So far the Orange, Yellow, Green and Red AM children have been to The Law forest to explore this space. We found trees to climb, to swing on, lots of pine cones to collect and make faces with. We are learning all about managing risks for ourselves and how to build resilience.

First-hand learning experience-To increase the use of the outdoors for learning – discovering, exploring and connecting to the natural world.

Learning for sustainability-To increase opportunities to learn outdoors about the natural world and how it links to social and economic factors locally, nationally and globally.

Knowledge, skills and understanding of outdoor environments-To increase opportunities for adults to develop pedagogical skills for use in a range of outdoor environments to encourage depth, breadth and progression in learning.

Health and wellbeing-To increase understanding of the positive impacts of learning outdoors on health and wellbeing.

Benefits that arise from spending time in the natural environment.

key ways in which exposure to the natural environment is beneficial to human health:

• enhanced personal and social communication skills
• increased physical health
• enhanced mental and spiritual health
• enhanced spiritual, sensory, and aesthetic awareness
• the ability to assert personal control and increased sensitivity to one’s own well-being

• develop self esteem, take personal responsibility, co-operate with and respect the needs of others;
• extend their personal horizons through greater appreciation and understanding of the world and its peoples around them;
• understand the need for sustainable relationships between people and their environment;
• enhance practical problem solving and team work skills.
• promote a positive and knowledgeable response towards personal health and well being.

This week we made homemade pizza.  We made the dough by mixing flour, oil and water together. Then we chopped onions, peppers, tomatoes, chicken and mushrooms for the topping.

We kneaded the dough and rolled out our pizza bases. Then we added some tomato puree and choose our favourite toppings. We put them in the oven to cook.

While the pizzas were cooking we played some games.

Then we got to taste our pizza. Everyone agreed they were very tasty.

The Dundee Healthy Living Initiative and Leisure and Culture Dundee are working together on the Eat Well Play Well project. Eat Well Play Well is a nutrition and play programme that has been developed for parents with children aged 0–5 years. The project will support community groups and voluntary organisations to become leaders in nutrition and play and help individuals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Cooking Skills and Nutrition Information:

• Provide participants with basic cooking skills with the aim of increasing confidence, skills and knowledge to plan and prepare a home cooked meal for their family on a budget.
• Lead participants in nutrition based activities to improve practical knowledge and confidence around making healthy food choices.
• Nutrition topics covered – healthy snacks, oral health, portion size, food labelling, happy meal times.

Physical Activity:

• Encourage adults and children to take part in activity.
• Make participants aware of the importance of play in the early years of a child’s life.
• One hour of physical activity per day will keep children active throughout the week.
• Activities to explore throughout the programme – messy play, sensory play, sport related games, soft play games, ball games, running games, colour games, number games and lots more.

We will be running 6 session from Wednesday 27th January till 2nd March at 1:15pm-2:45pm.

Session 1

The orange group made pancakes for snack last week. We had to measure out the ingredients and mix everything together. It was hard work but the pancakes tasted yummy.

We had to tidy up after ourselves when we finished making the pancakes.

Some of our boys and girls have visited Lochee Library for storytelling from the lovely Joan.

We have also been busy out and about visiting local shops to buy some of our snack food.

WE had a super time celebrating St Andrew’s day in nursery yesterday. We listen to some Scottish music and stories, had oatcakes, cheese and shortbread for snack, role played in our Scottish house, made tartan pictures at art and explored porridge oats in the water tray.

Mr Smith very kindly brought in his according to play some Scottish tunes.

As it is bonfire night on Thursday we decided to make our own bonfire. When children spend time connecting with nature, getting dirty, building fires they are learning important lessons for life and gaining a strong sense of safety outdoors. The nursery boys and girls went out in groups with Ms Connor and Miss Percival to learn all about campfires and fire safety.  They now have a clearer understanding of the risks associated with fire, they have knowledge of what to use such as kindling and sticks and when to add more wood to make a good fire to cook on. We cooked popcorn on our fire it was yummy!!!

Some of the boys and girls helped Miss Percival create a bird hide to do a spot of “twitching”. We used our binoculars to try and spot some birds but because of the foggy, damp weather there weren’t many birds around.

On Friday the nursery boys and girls had fabulous fun celebrating Halloween.

We scooped out and cut out faces in the pumpkins:

We made cat and bat handprints, ghosts, pumpkin, bats and witches prints at art.

Sang Halloween songs and played Halloween ring games at group times.

Made spooky potions in the outdoor kitchen

Played hunt the pumpkin outside

We had bones dipped in blood for snack (bread dipped in tomato soup)

Pick out the bugs from the slime!

Played Halloween ‘Sticky Kids’ games