Category Archives: Information for parents

The children have had fun designing and making costumes for the rhyme “5 little monkeys jumping on the bed”.

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Using props with songs and rhymes is a great way for children to interact further with the rhymes which are one of the best ways to help with language development. Using rhymes that also involve counting and numbers to help to start to develop a good number sense later in life.

Thank You Impact Arts who worked with our children to make a Fairytale Garden in our Centre.

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Thank you to the Young people on the  Creative Pathways employability programme in Barrhead who worked with our children on Wednesday afternoon to make artwork and plant greenery for their garden.

This marked the end of a 12-week block of Creative Pathways in Barrhead, where young people have worked with artists Rosanna, Portia and Hannah, excelling at creative writing, arts and crafts – while learning more about the environment, their community and getting help to find work.

Last month, the young people presented their ideas to children, parents and our Centre, before creating a fairy garden to stay at the nursery for everyone to play with.

WHO BROKE BABY BEAR’S CHAIR?

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BREAKING NEWS IN ARTHURLIE FAMILY CENTRE!
BROKEN CHAIR MYSTERY

This week we discovered a broken chair outside the Ally Bally Bee Room. The children investigated the crime scene to find out who might have broken the chair. The children we excited and discussed the crime scene. “Look there’s the three bears”. “Why is that chair there?” What is that ribbon for?” Staff supported then children’s curiosity. They searched for clues and noted down what they could see. The found a large footprint in the pile of flour beside the broken chair. The three bears were there too. The children compared the size of their shoe to the footprint and noticed the patterns on their own shoes. One child pointed to the pattern on their sole and said, “I’ve got circles on my foot.”

The children thought it was Goldilocks who broke the chair! But through detective work they discovered that Goldilocks foot was smaller than the print found at the scene. The children made a copy of the print and interviewed various suspects.

The mystery continues ……….

Storytelling with Props: Bring Favorite Stories to Life

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Setting the scene and acting out Goldilocks and the Three Bears with props is one of our all time favorite story telling activities in Arthurlie Family Centre. Have you ever tried storytelling with props? We loved turning a book into a play.

The children in the Alley Bally Bee Room have been making resources for the traditional tale Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. They made a bed with a slide and ball pit for Baby Bear, a soft bed for Mummy Bear and a lumpy bed for Daddy Bear. Then the beds made from recyclable materials were used to retell the story.

Welcome to our Jungle in Ally Bally Bee Room

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Children have taken part in collecting resources for our jungle area collecting mint leaves, anise seeds and branches from the woods, going on jungle animal hunts around the playrooms to find other animals and books. There are lots of different textures and loose parts in our jungle to create imaginative ideas. Children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring a variety of animals and taking part in role pay with peers. We have also added some African drums! Come and join in the fun!

 

Did you know that blowing bubbles can have a calming effect on children?

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The exercise of blowing the bubble encourages children to practice deep breathing which has calming effects on the body. The activity of blowing bubbles is also good for strengthening muscles in the mouth.

How to make bubble paint

Put a squirt of paint and a squirt of washing-up liquid into a container. Add a little water and mix well until the mixture is runny enough to blow bubbles with. Using the straw, blow into the mixture until the container is so full of bubbles that they rise above the top rim.

 

 

       

DIY Outdoor Games to Make with stones

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The children have demonstrated their knowledge of matching and number order using the number line on a piece of wood and number stones.

Games don’t have to come in a box and they definitely don’t need to be battery operated to be enjoyable. Sometimes the best games are the simplest. Playing games outdoors using natural materials can support children’s learning.

 

Where does this go?

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The children have been sorting and labelling the resources.

The children have been exploring their new nursery environments after their summer break. To support the children’s learning the children and staff have been taking photographs of the resources to label the storage drawers.

The loose parts stored near the sand are now easily returned to their correct storage drawer.

The children were heard discussing the labels. “That’s a picture of the shells.  The shells go in there.” “I found a lid in the sand. It goes in the bottle top drawer.”

Did you know

Young children start sorting early on when they put their toys in colour-oriented piles. Colour is just one way to sort items. Here are some other sorting groups the children have been demonstrating during their play in nursery.

  • Size
  • Shape
  • Texture
  • Length
  • Type of objects

 

 

 

Explore Patterns, Grow a Math Brain

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There are many natural opportunities for pattern play with children in everyday activities.

In nursery the children were engaged in a pattern game on the smartboard. “I know the next shape. It’s a triangle.” The children repeated the pattern during the game helping their friends with the next shape or colour in the sequence.

The children then used plastic coloured monkeys to explore patterns. “That’s a purple monkey then its green next.”

Things to try at home

Finding Patterns Children often identify repeating patterns naturally occurring in their environment such as stripes on a shirt (red, yellow, blue; red, yellow, blue).

Creating Patterns. Encourage your child to create patterns by arranging coloured blocks, crayons, different sized objects, or stringing beads and more. You can also invite them to create patterns in their physical movements such as “jump, jump, clap; jump, jump, clap.”

 

 

Glasgow is set to be transformed into a giant sporting arena and cultural festival site for 11 days of jam-packed action from 2 August.

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At nursery the children have been researching the Glasgow European Championships 2018. The children enjoyed listening to the story of Bonnie the Seal, on the smartboard, who is learning about different sports.  The Bonnie the Seal story inspired the children to then made their own games. Some children decided to make a golf game using a bucket, a paper ball and a kitchen roll tube. “Look I can hit the ball in the bucket.”

Glasgow’s George Square will be at the Centre of Festival. During the Championships there are ticketed events some of which are free. The sporting action will also be on shown on the big screens.