This week has been very busy in the ECC as we took part in health week! Well done to all the children who took part in our different themes each day⭐️

We had a visit from Vibrant Communities who had set up the gym hall with lots of fun spaces and activities to promote health week by keeping our body and minds active. 🍎 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🌸 The children had the opportunity to develop their sharing and turn taking skills at the different stations available such as the building blocks, snakes and ladders and connect four; these spaces promoted thinking and problem solving skills. The children especially enjoyed the bouncy slide where they developed their risk taking and gross motor skills as well as sharing space well.

For well-being Wednesday we had a special visitor who taught us tae-kwon-do. Michael visited the school to deliver a session on tae-where children demonstrated good listening skills and followed all instructions delivered. The children successfully participated in various techniques and strategies and were exploring counting in Korean 👏🏼

Curricular Areas; Health and Well-being, Social Studies, Numeracy

Potted Sports⚽️

Well done to all children who participated in our potted sports this week. It was lovely to have your parents, carers and siblings join us and to witness your valuable interactions with each other 😃

Indoors

Indoors this week we have been exploring animals which live in different habitats with our focus being jungle animals. We explored pattern through various creative activities. This then led onto the discussion of size comparison where we looked at the largest and smallest animals in the jungle. The children also created their own zoo and castle for their animals in the small world space and used the internet as a form of research.

Curricular Areas; Science, Social studies, Numeracy, Technology, Expressive Arts

Outdoors

Outdoors this week following children interest we have began exploring dinosaurs. We investigated different dinosaurs using the iPad and discussed the different sizes and features of dinosaurs including the largest and the smallest. Some children also using play dough and different shaped dinosaurs to create and discuss fossils. We also explored size comparison and took part in creating our own footprints using paint.

Curricular Areas; Health and Well-being, Science, Social Studies, Numeracy, Technology, Expressive Arts

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
Beth☺️

This week we took part in Science week where the focus was how things change and adapt over time. We explored different concepts such as how places change and adapt over time, how our bodies and looks change as we grow, how insects change through the story of the hungry caterpillar and how technology has changed. The children enjoyed learning some history of Mauchline, exploring what spaces used to look like via the internet and how our schooling has changed by exploring our school archives. We also had some vintage items brought in for us to explore and recognise what we use today compared to them.

Outdoors we have continued to explore traditional stories as well as developing our listening and attention skills through team games, ring games and working together to build and take turns when climbing.

During Woodland Wednesday, the children explored different areas of their environment, building upon road safety skills and developing curiosity about what we seen, heard and touched,  the children really enjoyed looking for their own stones and sticks to create stick man. The children experienced different terrain such as stone, mud and grass and had opportunities to climb. The children developed their confidence with exploring and staying safe, following instructions well throughout the experience.

have a lovely weekend everyone☺️
beth x

This week we have continued to explore “under the sea” using the promethean board to search for sea monsters. Some of the children were able to identify the bloop, the megladon and different sharks.

An under the sea den was made to support children to role play with the different kinds of fish and begin to learn about their roles within the sea, ie sharks eat smaller fish.

We have also been looking at what lives above the sea and experimented with fish magnets to collect number ducks enhancing number recognition.

Parents/carers were invited to a bookbug session to celebrate world book day. They heard the story of THE COW WHO FELL TO EARTH, and sang nursery rhymes as well as use the shiny cover to jump bookbug to the moon.

On Thursday we went on a book hunt around the school to see the decorated doors of the classrooms. We concluded that our door of THE SHARK IN THE PARK was the best.

This week outdoors we have been exploring traditional stories through role play. In the mud kitchen we made some porridge, we used our imagination with loose parts to add the ingredients together, we did well in sharing our ingredients and turn taking.

The children also explored their construction and problem solving skills by creating a bridge from the three Billy goats gruff, they discussed how safe the bridge was and changed the bricks to make it less wobbly.

Have a lovely weekend everyone

Beth☺️

We have been creating our own houses, inspired by Robert Burns cottage, the children explored their problem solving skills and their team working skills. We’ve also been working on our name recognition and forming recognisable letters. We explored some spontaneous play through interest in transport and directions.

In the creative area we have been exploring pattern. We used marbles to create our own kilts. We also created our own Scottish flags, exploring our fine motor and perseverance skills when the tape was a little tricky.

Curricular areas: numeracy, expressive arts, technology, HWB

Outdoors this week we have been creating patterns, using natural resources found within our learning environment: including pine cones, leaves, sticks. We have also been creating pattern through threading as part of exploring our interest in scotttish traditions. We discussed tartan, patterns and created our own using a variety of colours.

We have been creating recognisable letters and exploring our name. We enjoyed our stage this week, exploring various musical instruments and sounds and developed our confidence in performance.

The children have been exploring the construction materials and have been working together as a team to problem solve, share and turn take. Children have been demonstrating creativity and imaginative skills through constructing and designing their own models.

Curricular Areas: Technology, expressive arts, health and well-being, literacy and numeracy and social studies.

Woodland Wednesday will resume next week.

Have a lovely weekend everyone

Beth☺️

Indoors 

This week the children have been exploring traditions in Scotland, focussing on upcoming Robert Burns birthday. We began exploring Scottish dance and music, as well as a focus on Scottish dress. We had a look at tartan in our dress up area and creative area.

We also began exploring positional and directional language through children’s interest in transport.

In our new literacy area, we have been developing our mark making skills and sound recognition. We used the promethean board to take this further.

Curricular areas: Social Studies, RME, Expressive Arts, Numeracy

Outdoors

Outdoors, our new children have been developing confidence and perseverance whilst exploring their new space. We are developing our understanding of how to keep safe whilst taking part in risky play. The children took an interest in change of weather and linked this to our indoor learning through creating patterns in the ice.

Some children were able to show positive team working skills through construction and loose part play. They created a house using the various materials available.  Showing problem solving skills.

Curricular areas: Numeracy, HWB, Technologies

Communication Top Tip

We hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Beth☺️

This week has been excting as we were able to explore another special event during the week – Bonfire Night. When talking about fireworks we explored a science experiment in the water. The children were able to create patterns using pens and cotton pads, as we moved the pad into the water carefully, we then watched as it magically changed, similar to a firework!

In the creative area, we were busy making very own firework picture. We used different materials to create beautiful designs. We used glue, salt, paint and glitter. We discussed why we needed to use the glue as the glue helped the salt stick to the paper. We then spoke about why we used the salt. Rebecca explained it was to give the fireworks a 3D effect. This helps the fireworks look real just like they do in the sky.

This was also a great opportunity to talk about safety when it comes to fireworks. We discussed who lights the fireworks and why children don’t touch them. You were all able to tell me that only adults touch them because they are dangerous and they are very hot. This then lead to the discussion that fireworks can burn just like a kettle so it’s important to listen to your grown ups when around fireworks. We then continued this learning a little further by using technology. We used the Promethean board to do this. You were able to look at the different fireworks, we discussed the noise they made in the sky and we spoke about how to keep safe.

Curricular Areas – Health and Wellbeing, Science, Expressive Arts, Technology

Outdoors this week we have been exploring ice and how it changes from a solid to a liquid. We previously filled different materials with water before placing them in the freezer. This included balloons of various sizes including big, medium and small. We discussed that the temperature much reach zero degrees for something to freeze and other factors including the weather may cause frost or ice. We predicted what might happen to the ice and were able to use descriptive language when investigating the ice. We then returned to see if our predictions were right and if the ice had indeed melted.

Group 2 attended the woods on Wednesday! Lots of fun exploring and learning how we keep ourselves safe. As this was group 2’s first visit to the woods our aim was to highlight the routine of the morning and all children were able to show an awareness of assessing risk. All children appeared to have a great morning and enjoyed their first adventure to the woods 🪵A big thank you to Tesco Auchinleck who donated towards our new backpacks. We love them!

Curricular Areas: Health and Wellbeing, science, literacy

Some info:

• Rebecca our STEM champion is looking for a little help with some junk modelling. More information about this can be found on learning journals.
• Biscuit and a Blether – November 13th 13:30-14:30. We hope you can make it!
• Christmas Fayre November 29th 17:30-19:30

Have a wonderful weekend!

Beth:)

This week we have began exploring dinosaurs, in zone 1 we have been exploring role play and recognising the different types of dinosaurs. In the creative area we have explored print and colour mixing. We have also been developing our independence skills through accessing various resources and finding our name.

Outdoors we have been continuing to explore risk and understanding how to keep safe in the garden. We have been exploring various resources and taking part in different play to develop our gross motor skills and our understanding of keeping ourselves and our friends safe. We have also continued to explore insects, using magnifying glasses and bug catches to develop our knowledge.

🌟Septembers Communication Top Tip🌟

Have a lovely weekend everyone🥰

Beth🌟

This week we have continued to settle back into nursery and build on our routine. Working on building relationships with our peers and staff. The children are enjoying the exploration of different areas in the ECC and developing many skills through play.

We are at the beginning of our focus in the ECC, with upcoming learning looking at minibeasts outdoors and dinosaurs indoors. The children have expressed interest in these two ideas within the ECC.

🕷🕸 Rhyme of the month 🕸🕷

🕷Since the children have been showing an interest in mini beasts in the ECC garden so our rhyme of the month for September is Incy Wincy Spider.

🕷We will be learning the rhyme in the ECC. Please support your child to practice at home.🕷🕸

If your child would like to make a spider, or a web or anything from the rhyme we’d love to see. You can bring in a picture or a model or upload to your child’s learning journal and we can share their learning with their friends in the ECC.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Beth🥰