All posts by Miss Phillips

ECC Learning Week Commencing 11.3.24-15.3.24

I n d o o r s

This week in the ECC we have continued with our interest of jungle animals and we have been using the interest research engine to research different facts about jungle animals 🦁 🦓 🐅 🐘 

Through exploring small world jungle animals it sparked wonder and questioning…

“Can pandas climb”

“Why do zebras have stripes”

“How tall does a giraffes neck have to be to reach the trees”

We then used the internet to research our wonders and discovered our findings.

Links to the Curriculum; Social Studies, Science, Technology.

We continued to explore the story of Handas Surprise and some children were able to retell the story and create their own handa story 📕 📚.

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Expressive Arts.

For STEM week this week, we set STEM challenges in relation to exploring the jungle and constructing our own designs. Most children were able to complete the STEM challenge.

As part of STEM week this week the children have been using their problem solving skills to see who could create the largest fruit tower, setting challenges and achievements for themselves 🍎 🍌 

Links to the Curriculum; Technology, Engineering Disciplines, Health and Well-being.

O u t d o o r s

Big well done to everyone who took part in our STEM Home Link challenge to create your own boat. A lot of hard work, problem solving and engineering skills went into create these boats, well done to everyone such great effort 🛥 🚤 

Outdoors this week the children have tried and tested their boats to see if they could float or sink.

Links to the Curriculum; Science, Technology, Mathematics.

This week we had our STEM Stay & Play sessions 😀  Thank you to all the parents/carers who attend the ECC to carry out the STEM challenges with their child.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, Cara.

ECC Learning Week Commencing 4.3.24-8.3.24

I n d o o r s

This week in the ECC on the lead up to World Book Day we have been exploring the story of Handas Surprise, predicting what happens next, retelling the story and exploring the characters in the story.
One of our parents also attended the ECC and read a story to the children as part of World Book Day 📚 

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Expressive Arts

 

This has led onto the children exploring the culture of Africa and African families and researching different facts around this.  A staff member within the ECC was born in Africa and shared her experience with the children and also her African resources/family culture 🌎

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Technology, Social Studies, RME,
Health and Wellbeing
The children have also been exploring jungle animals, researching and finding interesting facts about jungle animals using the internet research engine and fact finding books. The children have also used their problem solving and imaginative skills to create their own habitats for the jungle animals to live 🦓 🦒 🦁
Links to the Curriculum; Science, Technology, Social Studies.

 

At the music room this week the children have been exploring African instruments and African music, focusing on rhythm 🪘

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Social Studies.

 

C r e a t i v e / N u m e r a c y

Linking to the story of Handas surprise, the children have been exploring in a fruit shop within the numeracy area, taking on the role of a shop keeper, exploring and using money.

In the creative area the children have been painting real life fruit paintings and discussing the different fruits in Handas surprise story 🍌 🍍

Links to the Curriculum; Expressive Arts, Literacy, Numeracy.
O u t d o o r s

Exploring the story Handas surprise outdoors, opportunities to explore the real foods from the story in the mud kitchen, working upon our cutting skills and utilising our imagination 🍎 🍌 🍍 

Then further extended the children’s knowledge through exploring more imaginative stories, focusing on the smartest giant in town. We focused on using our imagination to retell the story and we even created our own boots using junk modelling materials and tested out boats to see if they could float or sink 📚 🛶 

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Expressive Arts, Numeracy, Science.

H  o  m  e    L  i  n  k    C  h  a  l  l  e  n g  e

As part of STEM week next week we would like you to take part in our challenge, making a boat from junk modelling materials ⛴️. If everyone can please bring their boat into the ECC by Thursday 14th March where the children will test their boats to see if they float or sink and the distance their boat travels. This also links in with learning from this week as the children have been creating their own boats outdoors in relation to the story ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ by Julia Donaldson who is our author of the month📖 📕.

We look forward to seeing everyone’s boats 🛥️ 🚤

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, Cara ❤️.

Parental Engagement

March 2024 Stay and Play Session

Please find attached information with regards to our upcoming Stay and Play session in the month of March. This Stay and Play session is tailored around STEM week where you will have a variety of STEM challenges to complete with your child during the Stay and Play session. If the day allocated for your child’s group doesn’t suit then we are happy for you to join another group that week and if you can notify a staff member of this. Hope to see you all there for fun filled STEM challenges.

Learning Together Groups 2024

Following from parental feedback in relation to being involved in learning experiences with your child in the ECC delivered by our champions. We have organised a variety of ‘Learning Together Groups’ in the month of April and May for you to be a part of with your child. These ‘Learning Together Groups’ link to our Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and range from Creative/Drama, Exploring the Great Outdoors, All Things Literacy and Communication, Health and Wellbeing and All Things Numeracy. Your child must be accompanied by an adult to take part in the ‘Learning Together Groups’. We hope to see you all there. Further information with dates and times below.

Thank you.

ECC Learning Week Commencing 15.1.24-19.1.24

I n d o o r s 😊

This week in the ECC we have been exploring Scottish Castles🏰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The children began learning about Scottish castles and explored when they were built, how they were built and what they were used for. We even had a look at the castle in Disneyland. The children have been building on their enquiry skills, help to understand how people from different cultures used to live and comparing and contrasting the world today and the past. The children were also using technology to explore castles and find out useful information.


The children have also been exploring shapes and creating their own mosaic castles.

Links to Curriculum; Social Studies, Expressive Arts, Technology, Literacy.

Beginning to explore Scottish dancing within the ECC and we are having a special guest attending the ECC next week- a highland dancer from Aileen Robertson School of Highland dance to perform to the children 🕺.

C r e a t i v e     A r e a 😊

In the creative area we have been exploring the work of an artist, Steven brown art and we even created our own McCoo and the children named it May McCoo 🐮

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Expressive Arts, Social Studies.
O u t d o o r s 🧊
In the outdoor area the children have been exploring the changing of the weather and the properties of ice 🧊.  The children also participated in numeracy challenges outdoors.

Links to the Curriculum; Numeracy, Science, Technology.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, Cara 😊.

ECC Learning Week Commencing 13.11.23-17.11.23

Indoors-

This week in the ECC we have been celebrating Nursery Rhyme week 🎶

We have been focusing on reciting our rhymes, identifying rhyming words and the odd one out. Parents also attended the ECC to participate in song and rhyme time with their child, thank you to all who attended 🤩 🎶

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Numeracy, Expressive Arts.

We also celebrated Diwali and the meaning behind Diwali. Some children made their own Rangoli patterns ⭐️

Links to the Curriculum; RME, Expressive Arts.

Woodland Wednesday 🍂 🍁 🪵-

This week group 4 attended the woods and began exploring and risk assessing the woodland area. The children also enjoyed discussing the weather and the changes in the weather ☔️ 🌧 The children were also using their senses to explore 👀 👃 🖐

Links to the Curriculum; Health and Well-being, Social Studies, Science.
Outdoors 🍂 ☔️-

This week outdoors the children have been leading their own learning and made their very own slip and slide. The children were risk assessing their own play and turn taking with their peers.

Links to the Curriculum; Health and Well-being, Social Studies.
Have a lovely weekend everyone, Cara 🥰

ECC Learning Week Commencing 18.9.23-21.9.23

This week in the ECC we have continued with children’s interest of nursery rhymes, extending children’s opportunities to explore this theme 🌟


I n d o o r s

The children have seemed to enjoy reciting a variety of number songs and rhymes, exploring rhyming words and identifying the odd one out 😀 The children have had the opportunity to explore rhyme through a variety of media.

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Expressive Art, Science.

The children have also seemed to enjoy exploring the traditional story of ‘Goldilocks and the Three bears’ 🐻 🐻 🐻.
The children made a map of the woods and the bears house and discussed the story and the characters in the story. They then used the small world resources to retell the story, focusing on the beginning, middle and end of the story.

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Expressive arts, Social Studies.

 

As we continue to develop rhyme throughout the ECC, some children seemed to enjoy exploring the play dough and it’s resources 🔢💫 Focusing on exploring recipes and instructions, exploring the rhyme ‘pat-a-cake’, discussing words that rhyme,  exploring numbers and measuring , exploring shape and size.

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Numeracy.
O u t d o o r s

This week the children have been exploring counting songs outdoors, ‘1,2,3,4,5 Once I caught a fish alive’ 🐠 🐟 Focusing on number recognition, counting and matching quantity to the number.

Links to the Curriculum; Literacy, Numeracy, Science.

 

Information below with regards to our upcoming October Stay & Play sessions and our October parents group. 

Have a lovely September weekend everyone, Cara.

Week Commencing 26.6.23-30.6.23

Our last week before the summer holidays has been filled with lots of fun and laughter.

Our ECC beach party was a great success 🏝️ ☀️ 🕶️

A big goodbye and good luck to all our children starting their new adventure in primary one in August we will miss you all ❤️  Pop to the ECC on your first day at primary one to show the staff you looking all grown up in your P1 uniform ⭐️

We would also like to say a big thank you and fair well to Cody who is leaving the ECC, good luck in your next adventure ⭐️
Have a wonderful summer holiday everyone and stay safe ☀️🕶️🏖️ We can’t wait to welcome everyone back in August 😀
Lots of Love from all the staff at Mauchline ECC ❤️