We have had a few pirates in Nursery recently as the children used their imagination outdoors with the materials that they could find. These crates certainly seem to have caught their interest and the children always seem to be able to create an exciting adventure from basic materials. We even had a plank for them to walk. Happy travels young pirates.
I wonder if we have some engineers of the future here in Hecklegirth Nursery? The children in the Raindrop Room have been very busy investigating an old TV to find out what is inside it and to build confidence using tools. We thought that we would share a few of their comments and photos of them busy at work.
Louie: I’m fixing this bit.
Matthew: I screwed it in.
Ellie: I’m fixing the screen.
Finlay: I’m trying to get these parts out.
Kai: I see another screw.
Leah: we’re screwing some nuts on.
Archie: it’s electricity.
Our bug hotel is now becoming established in the outdoor area and the turf roof that we have had added is encouraging our little visitors to call in for a stay. The children enjoy investigating which minibeasts are there and we have regularly seen worms, woodlice and slugs which are a source of great interest. These photos show the children having a closer look and the photos of their findings have been taken by the children themselves. What super little scientists they are.
Some of the children have been developing their technologies skills as they learned how to safely use a hammer. They certainly experienced challenge as they had to follow instructions to stay safe, have an awareness of risk and show concentration and perseverance with this tricky activity. Hammering the nails into the wood and then positioning the elastic bands on their work developed the children’s motor skills and they experienced another area of technologies when they took their own photos of their work. There was a great sense of achievement after this activity and the children were very enthusiastic to try it again.
National Maths Week Scotland brought a range of activities in Nursery to focus on learning in this area of the curriculum. We were delighted that some children brought in examples of numbers and shapes that they had found with their families. The children also talked about shapes as they printed in the art area and produced a great effort when faced with the challenge of making the biggest tower they could in the construction area. Counting the number of bricks in their towers was tricky but the children pointed carefully to help them count and were able to use the language of measure to talk about their construction, for example, using words like ‘bigger’, smaller’, ‘taller’ etc.
Making dens develops teamwork, communication and problem solving skills as well as being lots of fun, with the children able to test out their planning and learn from their mistakes when they use their den.
As we reach the end of the year, it is evident that our children have learned so much from developing these skills both indoors and outdoors. Here is an example of their work which was totally led and organised by the children with no adult intervention. They were so proud of their efforts and spent such a long time playing in their den, changing and developing it as different children joined in the play.
Here are some clever little problem solvers busy at work in our garden earlier in the week. We talked about emptying our water butt, as the rainwater had been sitting over the holidays, but we needed to work out how to get the water out without making a massive puddle in the mud kitchen area.
With a bit of a chat about possible solutions and a peek inside to see how much rainwater we were talking about (a lot!), the children decided to hold the hose under the tap to catch the water and then let the water drain away at the side of the fence out of the way of everyone’s play. What a team! They showed good thinking skills and great perseverance as they worked away as a team to get the job done. Now we have an empty water butt waiting for fresh rainwater. Well done all of you!
Last week a group of the morning children worked very well together to plan and make a super den. They were creative in the way that they used materials round about them and were delighted with their efforts when it was finished. The final touch had to be a banner so a few of them worked hard to make a sign and they decided that their den would be called “Hecklegirth Nice Place”. It was such a lovely surprise for the afternoon children to arrive at Nursery to find such a wonderful den to play in. Well done boys and girls! You showed great imagination, perseverance and teamwork.
Learning about our community last term inspired the children to make models of some of the buildings we had talked about in Annan. After looking at photos of various familiar landmarks, they set to work in the art and craft area to make their own versions so we had our own little town comprising the police station, Greencroft Medical Centre and several other well known buildings which the children then used as part of their play. If you click on the photos to make them bigger you will see the great detail that the children put in their work.
Block play and construction provides many learning opportunities such as problem solving, increasing spatial awareness, developing an understanding of 3D shapes, developing fine and gross motor skills, playing co-operatively, decision making, learning to play safely while managing risk … and so much more. Lately lots of children have shown super skills in this area of Nursery and have demonstrated great teamwork showing themselves to be successful learners, confident individuals and effective contributors.
Here is a taster of the children at work in the construction area. These constructions were a complicated multi storey car park with different entrances for different types of vehicles and a tunnel to let people get into the castle from the princess palace without the “baddies” seeing them. Great work boys and girls!
Click then click again for a clearer view.
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