2s

Investigating the new water butt in the nursery garden

Developing balancing skills

Role play in the home corner

Mark making

A few children have continued to show interest in firefighter roleplay revisiting this again this week.

 

Identifying feelings

Exploring stories

Toothbrushing with our shades on!

3-5s

Some of the children in the 3-5s have been using the new equipment we purchased throwing balls to different height hoops.

A few children showed interest in making wind catchers on Wednesday as it was a very windy day.

Children continue to revisit a previous interest in water working together to transport water and create their own puddles.

Investigating the new water wall

Using loose parts

More outdoor play

Digging for fossils

Helping one another put on our wellies

Creating with playdough

Finding things we recognise in catalogues

Identifying birds, insects and fish in books

Using building blocks in different ways and developing gross motor skills through cycling

Woodwork creations

Eden used clay to create a castle

More creations

 

Exploring different textures

 

• Ensure you are having fun with your child whilst learning.

• Children learn through interacting with you and other members of the family.

 

The activities down below are all ideas if you need them. Remember to always follow your child’s lead and interests. If you have an idea for Learning at Home, we are always looking for new ideas.

 

1. Another Julia Donaldson story your child might like is ‘Zog’.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bwdw8y/zog

 

 

2. Set up a treasure hunt around the house for your child. Hide a group of things such as teddies, socks or empty containers. Give your child positive praise whilst they are looking for the items. At the end of the treasure hunt, count how many items your child has found.

 

3. Encourage your child to dress themselves putting on their wellies, coat, hat, scarf and gloves. Give your child time and clues without intervening.

 

 

4. Below you will find a link to a Cosmic kids Valentines Day Yoga. Talk to your child about Valentine’s Day and ask your child what love means to them? What do they love? Give your child examples of things you love if they struggle to communicate their feelings.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_T7lmw6Fo

  

 

5. As this will (hopefully) be our last home learning blog, remember to have fun at home together and cherish this time together as a family. As a family you are always doing the best you can with the resources you have.

 

If you can send in photos to the nursery of the learning at home you are doing, our email is:

stpiusearlyyears@dundeeschools.scot

If you are unsure how to send photos to our email or how to attach the photos, phone or text Sasha on 07717807916 for guidance.

Please try and follow our Twitter page @StPiusXPSDundee for updated guidance and additional information.

 

• Ensure you are having fun with your child whilst learning.

• Children learn through interacting with you and other members of the family.

 

The activities down below are all ideas if you need them. Remember to always follow your child’s lead and interests. If you have an idea for Learning at Home, we are always looking for new ideas.

 

 

1. Another Julia Donaldson story your child might like is ‘The Snail and the Whale’.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cslw

 

 

2. When making a snack or meal, encourage your child to be involved in the process. Ask your child to get the cutlery or plates. Develop your child’s independence skills by getting them to cut with a knife or to scoop with a spoon.

 

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnwHDN6Dw7Q

Above is a link to Cosmic Kids Sit & Stretch. Discuss with your child the benefits of stretching.

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong and healthy.

 

 

4. Sit on the floor face to face with your child. Have a sing-along with your child. Ask your child ‘What song would you like to sing?’

Here are some ideas for songs – Row, Row, Row your boat, If You’re Happy and You Know it, Wheels on the bus, 5 Little Speckled Frogs, Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and Ring a Ring of Roses.

 

If you can send in photos to the nursery of the learning at home you are doing, our email is:

stpiusearlyyears@dundeeschools.scot

If you are unsure how to send photos to our email or how to attach the photos, phone or text Sasha on 07717807916 for guidance.

Please try and follow our Twitter page @StPiusXPSDundee for updated guidance and additional information.

• Ensure you are having fun with your child whilst learning.

• Children learn through interacting with you and other members of the family.

The activities down below are all ideas if you need them. Remember to always follow your child’s lead and interests. If you have an idea for learning at home, we are always looking for new ideas.

 

1. Another Julia Donaldson story your child might like is ‘Room on the Broom’.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0102qfj/room-on-the-broom

2. When you are outdoors with your child, listen for different sounds. Ask your child what can they hear? Can they hear the wind, a bus, the birds? Help your child to identify what it is they are hearing.

3. Encourage your child to put their clothes/pyjamas/coat on themselves. Give your child time to problem solve and give them clues without intervening.

4. At bedtime give your child plenty of cuddles and discuss your day together using feelings. What made your child happy today? What made your child sad? How else did they feel throughout the day? What was the best bit about today? What could have made today better?

 5. Throughout the week gather some of your empty food containers such as cardboard boxes, milk jugs, packets, toilet roll holders and anything else you can find. Together, encourage your child to use their imagination to create a model of their choice.

 

If you can send in photos to the nursery of the learning at home you are doing, our email is:

stpiusearlyyears@dundeeschools.scot

If you are unsure how to send photos to our email or how to attach the photos, phone or text Sasha on 07717807916 for guidance.

Please try and follow our Twitter page @StPiusXPSDundee for updated guidance and additional information.

Ensure you are having fun with your child whilst learning. Children learn through interacting with you and other members of family.

1. A follow on story from The Gruffalo last week,  is The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b018nrhm/the-gruffalos-child

2. Involve your child in putting together your shopping list. Discuss different foods and textures with your child. If you can, try to introduce new foods to your child.

3. Give your child plenty of cuddles, loving touch and close contact every day. Use cuddles and reassurance to ease your child when talking about their feelings and their worries about the current situation.

4. Whilst interacting with your child ask them what songs they know. For example, incy wincy spider or twinkle twinkle little star. Sing together whilst encouraging your child to give you eye contact.

5. Sort out the sock basket. You can ask your child to put them into different piles such as colours, patterns, ankle socks, long socks, adult socks and children’s socks. Discuss with your child the different colours and patterns. After they are in piles pair the socks together.

 

 

If you can send in photos to the nursery of the learning at home you are doing our email is:

stpiusearlyyears@dundeeschools.scot

If you are unsure how to send photos to our email or how to attach the photos, phone or text Sasha on 07717807916 for guidance.

Please try and follow our Twitter page @StPiusXPSDundee for updated guidance and additional information.

 

Ensure you are having fun with your child whilst learning.  Children learn through interacting with you and other members of the family.

 

This week is all about the story the Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

1. Click on the link below to listen to the story together

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pk64x/the-gruffalo

2. In the story, the other creatures invite the mouse to have something to eat with them in their house. Support your child to develop their independence skills by making a snack or meal with you.

3. Follow the recipe below to make playdough together. Encourage your child to measure out the ingredients giving support through modelling and getting them to copy. Then your child can mix together the ingredients. What can your child make with the playdough? There were a lot of creatures in the story. Your child might like to make a creature of their own.

Playdough recipe

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• 1 cup of cold water (possibly a 1/2 cup more)
• 2 tablespoon of  cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

4. Encourage your child to create their own home from recycled food packaging you have in the house such as empty yoghurt pots or cereal boxes for the mouse in the story or the creature they have created from playdough.

5. Support your child to place recycled items in the water using your sink or bath and demonstrate pouring, filling up, emptying these resources.

If you are able to send in photos to the nursery of the learning at home you are doing our email is:

stpiusearlyyears@dundeeschools.scot

If you are unsure how to send photos to our email or how to attach the photos, phone or text Sasha on 07717807916 for guidance.

 

Additional Information

 

Parent club

Here is a website for support, help and advice

Parent Club – For Baby Box And All Your Parenting Needs

Link to additional activities

Follow Play Scotland on Facebook or click on the link below to access their website where you will find additional activity ideas

https://www.playscotland.org

Links to additional stories

We’re going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

Supertato by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet

If you have stories in the house it is also beneficial to read the same story to your child repeatedly.

Hello nursery children and families, we would love to hear what you have been doing and if possible see some photos of what you do together. Please keep in touch with us by email and update us.

stpiusearlyyears@dundeeschools.scot

If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you can open the Notes app and open a new note to take a photo using the camera icon. If you select use photo then select send a copy, you can email your photo.

 

This week is all about the story Stick Man by Julia Donaldson

 

 

1. Listen to the story of the Stick Man together by clicking on the link below

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06t09rk/stick-man

2. When you are out for a walk or in the garden encourage your child to look out for frost. What marks can they make in the frost using their hands or  feet?

3. When you are outside, encourage your child to look for a stick and take it home. If your child is able to, support them to measure different objects in the house against the stick. Can they find an object that is taller than the stick? Can they find an object that is shorter than the stick?

4. Play hide and seek together with the stick. Encourage your child to hide the stick and if they are able to, give you clues about where to find it. This could include saying what it is near to or saying hot or cold. Hot when you are near to it and cold when you are far away from it.

5. Encourage your child to use the stick as the stick man. What can they get their stick man to do? Can they get him to jump? Can they get him to dance? What else can their stick man do?

6. Teach your child the song head, shoulders, knees and toes. Show your child about where each of these parts are on their body. Have a singalong together.

7. Encourage and support your child to identify where different body parts would be on their stick man. Where would his head, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose be?

Parent club

Here is a website for support, help and advice

Parent Club – For Baby Box And All Your Parenting Needs

 

 

 

Extra online activities to get children moving

PE with Joe every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9am on Youtube

Cosmic Kids Yoga on Youtube

Just dance kids on Youtube

Like Big Noise Douglas Facebook page to keep up to date with music sessions they are hosting live on Facebook

 

 

Additional online stories

You can download the Bookbug app to get access to other stories and rhymes

You can download the CBeebies story time app for accessing other stories

2s

3-5s

 

2s

This week the children have been learning about how water changes form. They filled trays with water and put it in the freezer to see what happened.

The next day they checked on the trays and it had turned into ice. They explored different ways of getting the ice out of the containers.

A few children continue to show interest in exploring different opportunities for sensory play.

On Thursday, the children had a Christmas lunch together.

3-5s

In group time, some of the children have been practising counting. One group was building towers and starting to count how many blocks were in their tower once it fell over.

In the garden, a group of children were working together to clean the nursery windows.

A few children have been using recycled materials and decorations to create their own pieces of art. Riley created a guitar and Josie created a handbag decoration.

Aarron noticed there wasn’t a Christmas tree in the garden and found some large branches. He started to make these into a Christmas tree by adding decorations and other children joined in too.

In the garden, a group of children made a potion. They mixed together different colours of paint and water to see what colour they could make.

  

Some groups finished reading the Elves and the shoemaker story this week. They were learning about the word thin.

Lewis investigated how the pulley works. He filled the bucket with different loose parts and pulled on the string to see what happened.

A few children have been developing their cutting and wrapping skills through creating their own presents.

A group of children continue to show interest in moulding materials to create their own models. They decorated these in different ways.

On Thursday, the children had a Christmas lunch together.

2s

Hudson has been developing his fine motor skills weaving materials through the wheel.

Reggie and Keira have shown interest in developing fine motor skills through puzzles.

Reggie has been using the wheelbarrow to transport items around the garden.

Aniyah and Keira have been developing their independence skills practising putting on and taking off  their coat.  They have also been putting on and taking off their waterproof trousers.

Outside a few children have been exploring puddles and used the water and brushes to mark make and clean things around the garden.

3-5s

This week a number of children have been exploring loose parts using these to design their own Christmas trees and other Christmas pictures.

They have also been developing their cutting skills through using scissors and cutting wrapping paper to create their own presents.

A few children have been developing their fine motor skills in different ways.

A group of children worked together to create their own slide. They experimented using water and foam to find out what would make their slide work best.

In the garden, Joshua used decorations to decorate a tree. When using the baubles, he noticed he could see his reflection in one of them. he then used this to reflect other things he saw outside.

Aarron and Danny have shown great interest in measuring and comparing heights.

In the other garden, a group of children have been investigating different ways to make water travel using different pieces of equipment. they worked together giving one another instructions and sharing their ideas.

Inside, a few children have been using the magnetic shapes and blocks to create their own models and pictures.