Indoors

This week we have continued exploring our interest in animals and further explored animal habitats and animal pattern. We have been learning about the tropical jungle and forest in Africa and the Wetlands and Waterways. We explored shape and pattern throughout this learning and also enjoyed lots of imaginative play and construction/problem solving. We created our own African necklaces in the art area, focusing on pattern and colour and also drew our own jungle scenes.

We continued to expand our learning through research using iPads and the Promethean board. The children learnt some new words this week such as; endangered, species and extinct!

“Endangered means there isn’t many animals left in the world”

“Species is the different animals”

“It means there’s none left”

Links to the Curriculum; Social Studies, Science, Technology, Numeracy, Expressive Arts.

Outdoors

This week we have began exploring space. The children were keen to take part in the planet hop where they discovered things about the different planets, this is part of our focus outdoors in line with the book “How to catch a Star”. Some children made their own rocket-ships using magnetic shapes then expanded on this by making larger rockets that they could sit in. Lots of imagination and team work through construction too.

Links to the curriculum; Science, Health and Well-being, Numeracy, Literacy

Out in the Community

We explored the local community when out a walk and discussing the importance of road safety and keeping ourselves safe when in the community 🚦 We also popped in to the local shop to say hi to the shopkeeper 😊

Our woodland Wednesday we continued to expand our focus on insects and used our investigation and exploration skills to find them.

During both of these visits we focussed the importance of listening to an adult, road safety and keeping safe , the purpose of the green cross code, stop, look and listen ✋👀👂 recognising key traffic signs and noises.

Links to the curriculum; social studies, health and well-being, science

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
Beth✨

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.

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.

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 📚 

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, 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 🍌 🍍

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 📚 🛶 

Outdoor learning…..we have continued to explore construction and den building. We have created our own houses, gaming rooms ,slides and bridges. We have also been extending our learning about capacity in the mud kitchen and water tray. The children have shown an interest in ring games and have worked hard on their team building skills.

At the woods we are continuing to work on our problem solving skills, decision making and risk assessing. This week we have started to explore insects. 🐛🐞🪳.

Indoors…..In the art area the children have been recognising the initial letter in their name through environmental print, stampers and dough  moulds. They having been using their name cards to help with letter recognition.

The children are beginning to learn all about animal habitats and have been using  the Promethian Board to research this. They have also been creating their own animal stories, being the author and illustrator.  The “Curiosity Case” has been popular with the children where they have been exploring a variety of items like magnets, torches, a laptop and talking clipboards.

Just a wee reminder that Thursday 7th March is “World Book Day” and the children can wear their pyjamas to promote bedtime reading or a costume of their favourite character.

Thankyou to the parents who have volunteered to come into the ECC and read a story to the children.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Jan.

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.

Week beginning 19.02.24

🄸🄽🄳🄾🄾🅁🅂

In the creative area this week, all children have had the opportunity to explore letter formation. Children were given the challenge of recognising the initial letter of their name before attempting to write their full name using a variety of materials. This supports with fine motor skills including pencil control and pincer grip. Some children also used the play dough to create letter moulds which supports children’s hand eye co-ordination and encourages focus and concentration. 🔡✏️

𝕃𝕀𝕋 𝟘–𝟚𝟙𝕒 𝟘–𝟚𝟙𝕓

We have enjoyed exploring our ‘curiosity case’ which contains various technology objects including torches, talking boxes and magnets of various sizes. The children enjoyed exploring the environment identifying objects that stick to the magnets. We are also beginning to explore farm animals and their habitats based on the children’s interests observed within the playroom. Some children have been creating their own stories relating to animals, sparking imaginative skills and creativity.

𝕃𝕀𝕋 𝟘–𝟚𝟙𝕒/𝟘–𝟚𝟙𝕓 𝕋ℂℍ 𝟘–𝟘𝟙𝕒/𝟘–𝟘𝟛𝕒 𝟘–𝟙𝟙𝕒

𝒲𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒟𝒶𝓎 📚 🐉 🧚‍♀️ 🐈‍⬛ 📕

ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ꜰᴀɪʀ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴇʟᴏᴡ;

In the ECC we will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 7th March 2024. Children are welcome to attend the ECC in their pyjamas to promote bedtime reading or if they wish to dress up in their favourite costume or their favourite character in a story they can do so as well. Children are welcome to bring their own story book to share with their peers.

Any parents/carers who wish to read a story to a small group of children in the ECC on this day and haven’t already signed up please speak to a member of staff and we will provide you with a time slot to attend the ECC.

You are invited along to our Book Fair-

Once again we are holding a book fair at Mauchline Primary School. It is the perfect time for you and your child/children to browse some fantastic books from Scholastic Books. Please remember to bring along your World Book Day Token.

The book fair in school will be open at these times:

• Monday 4th March 2.00pm – 3.00pm
• Tuesday 5th March 9.00am – 10.00am
• Wednesday  6th March 9.00am – 10.00am
• Thursday  7th March 2.00pm – 3.00pm

You can use your book token to get £1 off any full price book, just as long as the book or audiobook costs at least £2.99.

The World Book Day book tokens are valid from 15th February – 31st March 2024.

If you require further information please speak to a staff member, thank you.

🄾🅄🅃🄳🄾🄾🅁🅂

Outdoors this week, some children enjoyed creating their own gym using the construction resources. They enjoyed taking part in physical activities and discussed the importance of being healthy and active. All children worked together and shared the resources well, demonstrating team work 💪🏻. We have also been exploring capacity and enjoyed creating  potions in the water tray. Children used various containers to measure the volume of water and discussed their findings using appropriate mathematical language including full/empty. In the mud kitchen, some children have been busy creating recipes using real ingredients and discussing quantities and numbers throughout. 🥕🥦 🫑 Children have also extended their interest in numbers by exploring number recognition and identifying numbers in play. This supports with children’s numeracy, mathematical and problem solving skills.

The staff at Mauchline ECC wish all our children and families a lovely weekend and we will see you on Monday. 😊

𝐿𝒾𝓈𝒶 x

A short week this week due to school holidays and in-service day. However, there has been lots of learning taking place.

Outdoors 

Our Mud kitchen has changed into a cafe where experimenting and exploring has been happening making their own recipes.

Looking at architectural buildings using the iPad has been popular in the construction area looking at different shapes and styles.

Using small world to retell and role play familiar stories. Moving on to sequence familiar stories then making their own.

Indoors

We celebrated Valentine’s Day and made creative masterpieces to share with our loved ones.

As it is Chinese New Year, we explored the celebration on the promethean board, made a visual display and role played with Chinese crockery and chopsticks.

Continued using blocks to build houses and  introduced smaller blocks increasing concentration and creativity with challenge to draw their constructions.

Creatively we continued exploring the cycle of the butterfly incorporating shape and number.

CFE areas : Literacy, Science, Technology, RME, Health & well-being, Numeracy.

Hope you have a lovely weekend

Lynnette x

In the playroom, we have been enjoying den building. We used wooden blocks and various types of material to create houses for some animals. 

In the creative area, we are beginning to learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly with a main focus on caterpillars at the moment. We have been working on number recognition and have began to explore symmetry, shape and pattern further.

Curricular Areas – Science, HWB, Numeracy, Technologies

As a result of the children’s vote, we will be moving on to gymnastics during our gym time  🤸‍♀️. This week we were exploring movement skills, competences and concepts. The children were developing their movement skills through practice and energetic play as well as learning how to move their body & exploring how to control it. Next week we will be introducing larger apparatus  🧗‍♀️

Curricular Areas – HWB

Outdoors we have been enjoying imaginative play, we created our own cafe in the mud kitchen and explored different ingredients.

The children have continued to explore architecture through drawing and problem solving in the construction area.

As part of Mental Health Week, we have explored various activities throughout the week. This included mindfulness activities, children’s yoga and lots of discussion and stories to support our children’s wellbeing. Also a focus on children’s rights. Thank you for taking part in Express Yourself Day and our HWB home-link.

Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend!

Beth⭐️

This week we have been continuing to learn about Robert Burns. We have been focusing on using ICT to research Burns Cottage . We have used the information we have found to create Burns cottage  using loose parts.through this we have been we developing  our technology skills and problem solving skills. We have also started to explore rhyme through looking at some of the songs/ poems Burns wrote.

The children have continued to participate in bird watching week. Thank you to everyone who brought back their homework. Lynnette will pass this on to RSPB.

Technology/ Science/ Literacy

Creative area the children have been beginning to explore Butterflies they have shown an interest in butterflies and what they look like 🦋 The children have been continuing to develop their pattern skills through  creating their own.

Expresive/ technology

On outdoors this week the children have been exploring and discussing the weather due to the stormy weather we have had recently. The children have also been continuing to explore the new resources in the mud kitchen and water play.

science/ technology