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☺️

Our last week of the year and term has been very festive.

All children have had the opportunity to make Xmas crafts and  were very proud to take them home.

Our pre school children joined in with the school for the pantomime performance of PETER PAN arranged by our parent council, massive thanks to them (if anyone wishes to join the parent council please ask for details volunteers are always made welcome).

All children were very excited to join in with party celebrations, playing games, dancing, eating a very special snack and we even had a very special visitor……………

Our learning indoors, this week has continued to be exploring Christmas through crafts, role play, stories and their own experiences that they have shared about places they have visited for the festive season.
We have wrapped presents in our toy shop and explored using money to buy (not tapping a card or phone). Shared gingerbread tea in our role play cafe again exploring money to purchase items.

Outdoors due to the festive weather children have took part in physical games, sharing, taking turns and practising aiming skills.

Staff would like to thank everyone for their kind wishes for the festive season and wish all our children and their families a very merry Xmas and happy new year.

We return on Monday 6th January 2025 where we welcome new children into the ECC.

Lynnette x

Christmas has well and truly hit Mauchline ECC.

We have had another busy week learning about what Christmas means to us and the world around us. All children were invited to the dress rehearsal of the nativity “whoops a Daisy”  by the school children and WOW what a show the parents are in for a big treat. It was lovely to see how much previous children have gained in confidence and a good chance for our preschool children to see what is to come.

Afterwards we took the opportunity to explore the school and stopped for a visit to the music room where we took part in a few ring games in preparation for our party next week (THURSDAY 19th DECEMBER).

This week we invited parents/carers from the GREEN, RED & BLUE groups to stay for a xmas themed play and stay. Staff took the opportunity to update PLP’s and prepare new targets for term 2. Children were encouraged to make a xmas craft with their person to take home and share with the family.

In the rest of the playroom we are continuing to prepare for Xmas with a wrapping station, Xmas shop and role playing with the costumes from our concert.

We listened to the Xmas story from a book, on the promethean board and used props to role play.

CfE – RME, SOC, LIT, HWB, TCH

Outdoors children experimented with craft materials to create masterpieces. Shaving foam allowed fine motor skills and writing practise. Puffy dough allowed painting and experimenting with change of texture. Children also explored SNOBALL which creates snow and using shapes to decorate the Xmas trees helps with hand eye coordination.

CfE – RME, SCN, LIT, HWB, SOC

DATES FOR NEXT WEEK

Tuesday- YELLOW play and stay

Thursday – Xmas party

Have a festive weekend and only 12 sleeps till SANTA 🎅.

Lynnette x

We had some special visitors from the MaidSafe Foundation. We watched a presentation explaining what STEM was which is what we have been working on in the nursery. They then showed us different pictures about examples of activities we could do like rockets. We created our own honeycomb design to show how part of a plane is made ✈️ We tested this structure to see how strong it was and how much weight it could stand. We put lots of books on top and it still didn’t break. The only way it crushed was with our hands.

We have started our Christmas crafts in the nursery. The children have been exploring transient art to make their own gingerbread men. We have learned to be creative with our imaginations and we have been learning to share the resources with each other.

This week we have been unlucky with the weather starting with strong wind then ice. However some of the children took advantage and kept warm by running about and problem solving obstacles in their way,

e.g hands cold – sourced gloves.

Meanwhile staff looked at defining the areas more clearer and encouraging children to explore and further develop knowledge in numeracy and literacy.

Happy Friday everyone we will see you back on Monday☺️💕

Week commencing 18.11.24

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Indoors this week, children have been exploring our sensory tray which includes shaving foam, sand and various construction resources. The children have been exploring problem solving skills and experimenting how sand and foam can stick bricks together. They also enjoyed building and designing different models whilst creating various marks in the foam. Some children used their senses to explore the materials and discussed how they felt to touch.  🧱✨ In the creative area this week, children have been exploring the effects of paint using tin foil. The children painted directly onto the foil and explored the effect created when the two materials were used together. We have also been continuing to create crafts to be sold at our Christmas fayre on Friday 29th November – 5.30pm till 7.30pm. The fayre will be held within the school gym hall. Thanks in advance for your continuing support ❤️

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Outdoors this week, we have been continuing to explore how water can change from one form to another. Some children experimented with ice and enjoyed painting different sized pieces of ice to create various shapes. Due to the recent change in weather, some children created their own experiment and left multiple cups of water outdoors to see what would happen during the night. The following day the children investigated their experiment and discovered the changes that had taken place. They used descriptive language to describe what they could see and feel using their senses. We continued with discussion surrounding scientific concepts including absorption, solids and liquids and discussed reversible change, temperature, and properties of water.

We hope you have a lovely weekend and take care 😊

𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚊 🤎