Author: Miss Paterson

Bom dia!

COMING UP

Green + Purple group Blether today at 2pm. Join us if you can!

FRIDAY = In Service Day (Blog post and some activity on Teams)

MONDAY + TUESDAY  = Holidays (No blog post nor Teams activity)

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week with the tagline ‘Express Yourself’. We invite you to think again about what makes you and your family unique and special and how you can express and share this. Today we will think a little about family near and far as well as traditions.

A.

Talk about all the different places your family live in and try and find them on a map. You could start with a map of Glasgow… then Scotland… then the UK… then Europe and maybe the whole world! Where is the furthest away place you have family living? Does your close family live near by and extended family like aunties and cousins further away? Does your family mostly live close together or spread apart over the country or the whole world?

Maybe you could find a globe or atlas and look up the countries where you have family. Are some of them very far away? I wonder what its like living there? And how long it would take to get there. Have you any photos that the family have sent? Maybe you could visit them one day!

Why don’t you draw, write, cut or  stick to record some of the things you have discussed and found out?

B. Katie Morag is a little Scottish girl who lives on an island. She is lucky to have lots of people in her family who love and care for her. Can you think of all the people who love and care for you?

Katie has two grans – Grandma Mainland (who she doesn’t see so often) and Grannie Island (they spend lots of time together) – and she loves them both. Watch this story about them and think about what is the same/different about the two grans. What makes each of them special? Is there someone in your family like either of the grans? Could you create a book about you and them doing something together?

C.

Each country has its own traditions. In Denmark 🇩🇰 when you are a a child  and it is your birthday you have a special birthday cake called a Kagemand (cake man) or a Kagekone (cake woman). This is what it looks like.

The cake is made from pastry and covered with sweets to look like a person.
Can you design your own Danish birthday cake, maybe you could draw it or paint it, choosing which sweets you would use to decorate it? 🤔 You might even want to bake a cake or use other foods to create a special person.

Do you have special foods you like to make or eat for a family celebration? Why don’t you choose one as a special treat and write a shopping list to buy all the ingredients before you make it?

D.

Next week many of us will mark Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day by eating pancakes. In some other countries this day might be called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.

In Poland, it is another day that week which is important – Fat Thursday. On this day people follow traditions by eating not pancakes but lots of doughnuts! At home, school, work – doughnuts, doughnuts everywhere! Miss Paterson thinks the best ones are the traditional ones with rose-flavoured jam and she is looking forward to eating some next week.

Doughnuts can be make at home in very hot oil but most people buy them in shops. Here is how thousands of doughnuts are made in a factory every day. Listen out for interesting words like hopper, nozzle, rotating… I like the sound of a ‘shower of cinnamon’! Do you? 🙂

E. Every family is unique and special. In nursery we learn about festivals that different people celebrate and some of the traditions they follow. You can find out about many festivals here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/lets-celebrate

F.

The words we use and the way we communicate in our own family is very special. How do you family say Hello and Goodbye? Maybe you could film a short video of you to post on Teams to say Hello to your friends in another language. Perhaps you could count to ten or tell us about your favourite toy or food in a language that your family uses.

G. 

Why don’t you draw or write something for someone in your family to remind them how special they are to you and how much you love them?

H.

Why don’t you all work together to make and plan a piece of family art? It may be transient art where you get an old picture frame and different interesting things such as stones, beads, gems, feathers, sticks etc. and see if you can create a family portrait. You can take a photo before the image disappears.

You could put items in a paper bag that represent each family member. A small toy, paper in someone’s favourite colour, a teabag, a picture… You then pull the items out one at a time and talk about what they represent and why it is important to that person.

If you wish to create a keepsake of this time you could use some of the above items and store them in a jar which you could decorate; stick them onto a collage image; create an object with air- drying clay and incorporate some of the smaller treasures you have picked out.

I. Why don’t you use this time to start some new traditions that you can look forward to in years to come? For example, one of your friends celebrated her special fourth birthday this week with a sleepover in her big sister’s room. What a lovely idea!

Ohayo gozaimusu!

COMING UP

Pink and Red groups Blether today at 1pm.

Green and Purple groups Blether tomorrow at 2pm.

FRIDAY = In Service Day (Blog post and some activity on Teams)

MONDAY + TUESDAY  = Holidays (No blog post nor Teams activity)

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week with the tagline ‘Express Yourself’. We invite you to think again about what makes you and your family unique and special and how you can express and share this.

A. 

Can you write your name? Maybe with an adult’s help. Names are important, you might like to discuss with your child why their name was chosen and who chose it. The children may also enjoy finding out and talking about their second names or any pet names they may have from either you or relatives and friends. What does your name mean? Do you share it with anyone else in your family? If you have access to a baby name book, or wish to look online it may be interesting to read out what your and your children’s names mean and to learn their country of origin.

B.

Imagine you were meeting someone you had never met before. What 5 things would you tell them about you? Could you write a list or draw? Here are some ideas:

I am kind when…

I am brave when…

I get sad when…

I am happy when…

I get annoyed when…

C.

Experts agree that affirmations can help young children feel confident and cultivate a positive self-image. Here are some daily affirmations you might wish to try, depending on your child’s unique character and needs.

“My feelings matter.”
“I believe in me.”
“I like myself.”
“I’m going to have a good day.”
“I like to help my family.”
“I have the words I need.”
“My brain is powerful.”
“I like to keep trying, even when things are hard.”
“I learn from my mistakes.”
“Every problem has an answer.”
“I am the only me in the whole world.”
“My family loves me so much!”
“I get better and better every day.”
“I care about others.”
“I am never alone.”
“I have great ideas.”
“I am surrounded by love.”
“I am everyone’s friend.”
“I am my own person.”

D.  Try these ideas from the ‘Resilience Alphabet’

E.

We all have families, both big and small, near and far. They are the people we share many memories with, and the people who know us best. Each family is unique, so why note celebrate your special family ties by creating a family tree? Think about these questions when creating your tree:

• Who is in your family?
• How many people are in your family?
• Where do your family live?
• How old and what are the names of your family members?
• Do you have any pets in your family?

Why not try looking out some family photos, maybe it will bring back some fond memories, and you can talk to your child about family they not have seen for a while or even met! If you are able to, use these photos in your family tree!

F.

While creating your family tree talk to your child about how every family can be different. Some children may only have one parent or have two mums or be living with their grandparents.

Here is a story to help your child think about different kinds of families:

G.

Here are lots of questions about family to ignite discussion that will also develop other literacy and maths skills, depending on the direction your child takes this in.

How many people are in your family / live in your house?

Who is oldest – put in order oldest to youngest – Or height

Who has the longest name? How many letters? Who has shortest name? How many letters? Can you write your name and the names of other people in your family? Do you see the same letters in your name to people in your family?

What are their likes and dislikes? What colour are their eyes? What colour is their hair? Do you share any of these? How could you record the eye and hair colour of people in your family?

H. Can you join in with some singing and actions?

I.

This past year its been difficult to see our friends and family who live far away or even close by, as much as we would have liked to. You could try sending them a hug in the post so they can open it up and feel like they are getting a special hug just from you! If they don’t live far away you could perhaps go a walk to their house and post it through the letterbox.

Begin by tracing each of your hands on the paper, then cut each hand out. Now have fun decorating the hands (decorate both sides). You could use paint, markers, glitter, or whatever you have at home.

Take some ribbon or a long strip of paper and measure how long the distance is, when you stretch your arms out really wide, as if you were going to give this special person a huge hug! This shows the length of your arms ( and your hug)  Using tape or glue secure the ribbon to each hand. You or your adult can write a special message on each hand or just write, “A hug from (child’s name).”

Buongiorno!

We look forward to a picnic with some of you today during our blether sessions. Blue + Yellow groups at 11am and Orange + Aqua at 1pm. Picnic blankets at the ready!

Today we invite you join us in a number adventure. Many of you LOVE numbers and are fantastic at spotting and using them in all sorts of ways. Here are a few more ideas to stretch your knowledge and skills.

A.

Do you know who lives here? He’s very famous. That’s right, it’s the Prime Minister. Have a look 👀 at his door. Can you see what number is on it?
Do you know what number you have on your front door? Have a look 👀 and try and write it down. When you are next out for a walk have a look at the house doors and see if you can spot a number. How many different ones can you see?

B.

Numbers are EVERYWHERE – They are not just for counting but for giving us information! They help us tell the time,what house we live at, how fast cars can go, how much something costs and SO much more. Can you go on a number hunt around your home or local area and find some numbers? Here are some ideas to think about! Where can you spot numbers outside? Look up high and down low. Can you take some photos of what you find? What about indoors? Here are some examples I found. Can you see the numbers? Which ones are they? Perhaps you can identify some letters too.

• Do you know what the number is?
• Can you count to that number starting from zero?
• Can you count backwards from that number?
• Do you know the number before and after?
• What does this number tell us?

C. 

Get creative with numbers. Draw,write, stamp or make a collage with numbers from magazines and leaflets that might be in the recycling bin. What kind of image will you create using mainly numbers…? Maybe you could make some numerals outside by laying out sticks or stones or by writing in the snow.

D.

You can learn through songs, games and clips with the Numberblocks here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks

Or maybe with the Numberjacks instead:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWKuiktSh-V3E4ysPU0VC3Q?pbjreload=102

E. Here we can see ‘El Nombre’ (The number, in Spanish) write numerals in the sand. Why don’t you do some sensory play and write numbers in a tray of sand/salt/oats/shaving foam?

You could do challenges like:

• write your age
• write the number after X
• write the number before X
• write the number between X
• write your house number
• write the number one more than X

F. How many fingers do you have on each hand? And how many altogether? Can you play a game of ‘Show me’? Choose a number from 0-10 and try to find different ways of showing that number using your fingers. What about numbers greater than ten? Do you have any ideas? Here is a video to share the numbers 1-20 in Makaton, a special language which uses words and signs we make with our hands and bodies.

G.

Play a board game that requires the roll of a dice (subitising), moving a counter (counting on/back), or collecting pieces (counting and information handling). Not only do these games rely on and develop mathematical thinking and language, they also promote turn-taking, perseverance and concentration.

H. Join in with some counting songs. Maybe you can create one of your own in English or another language you use at home.

Here’s a song we all know and enjoy singing together. But in another language since it’s Languages Week Scotland. It’s in Polish. Is it similar to the version we usually sing?

Here are the numbers to 10 in four languages. Can you join in?

I. Lots of you have ideas about exploring big numbers. Here is a story called ‘How Big is A Million?’

J. There are lots of number and counting games you can play at Topmarks.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting

K. Here is a guided meditation with Jaime – Cosmic Counting

Bonjour!

COMING UP:

* Braidbar Nursery Blethers this week:

Please remember that you are welcome to join us at another time if the designated group time doesn’t suit your family.

*Diary dates  – Friday 5th February = In-Service day

– Monday and Tuesday 8th and 9th February = Holidays

Did you take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch at the weekend? We’d love to know what you saw and heard. Maybe it led you to find out more about birds. Please share with us on Teams. Today we invite you to develop early literacy, numeracy and other skills whilst looking at birds again.

A.

This is a picture of a bird called a Chaffinch. Birds have different parts like beaks and claws. This picture has words on it. They tell you what the different parts are called. Can you ask someone to read them out to you? Can you draw a picture of a bird and label it using the picture to help you?

Maybe you could draw a picture of yourself in the same way and label the parts of your own body as you name them. Add as much detail as possible. You might want to do this in your special learning book, if you still have it at home.

B. Practise counting, numerals and problem solving with Owl: https://nrich.maths.org/12744

C.

On Teams, Miss Paterson described magpies collecting and hiding treasures in her garden. In this hide and reveal game, your child can practise the skill of subitising. This games can be played with stones, pasta shapes, lego bricks or any other small pieces that can easily be covered by a bowl. This skill can also be practised with more regular formations that can be found on dice, playing cards or dominoes. Quite simply, the objects should be hidden, uncovered and your child should say how many WITHOUT doing 1-1 counting. Start with one and see how far you can go!

D. This week is National Storytelling Week. Why don’t you begin by looking through your books and finding stories which feature birds? You could read some of them and perhaps some non-fiction books about birds too. Using what you know, why don’t you tell your own bird story? It could be about a real bird. A superhero bird. A bird from another planet. It might be that you use your imagination to create a story about birds that visit your garden….You could draw, write or act out your story, maybe making a puppet of the main character. We’d love to hear and see what you come up with.

E. Watching videos without language helps your child to focus on other visual clues that are important for early reading skills. You can help them to make predictions or ask and answer different types of questions e.g. What happened? What will happen next? How do you think he feels? What would you do if..?

F. Here are some action rhymes and songs. Repeating these and being able to recite rhymes is a valuable skill in early literacy development.

G. We know that birds lay eggs. Can you use some reading  and measure skills to follow an egg recipe this week?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search/recipes?q=eggs

H. One bird we often see in towns and cities is the pigeon. Why don’t you join Jaime and Nelson the pigeon to move your body on a yoga adventure? Namaste!

I. Can you count back from 10 with these birds? Can you begin from an even higher number and count back? Maybe you could use a visual number line to help you get started.

J.

Suba udasanak!

COMING UP:

*RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

* Braidbar Nursery Blethers next week:

Please remember that you are welcome to join us at another time if the designated group time doesn’t suit your family.

*Diary dates  – Friday 5th February = In-Service day

– Monday and Tuesday 8th and 9th February = Holidays

Today (and on Monday) we invite you to connect with nature and investigate the wonderful world of birds. In the suggestions below there are many ways to develop skills in collecting, using and sharing information, which involves aspects of literacy as well as numeracy and maths.

A.

Here is a bird that you may see outside when you go for a walk or from your window. Do you know what its name is?  It’s a Robin. We can tell this because it has a red tummy or breast. Can you find out some more information about Robins? Where do they live? What do they eat?  You can go to a book about birds, if you have one, or Google, try the RSPB website, to find out more. It would be great if you can share what you find out on Teams, maybe through a video, drawing or a book of your own creation!

B.

Can you name parts of a birds body? Some body parts are special just to them and not shared by other animals. For example, feathers, beak and wings.

Think about a bird’s beak. Whereabouts is it on their body? What do they use it for? How does it move?

Why don’t you gather different utensils like tongs, clothes pegs, chopsticks etc. and try and pick up different things like twigs, seeds etc. to see how birds manage to gather, collect and eat all with their beaks! This is a great activity for fine motor development as well as developing and valuing perseverance!

C. What kind of home do birds live in? Where do they build these nests? What materials do they use? Why? How do they build them?

Can you find out any more about birds’ nests?

Maybe you could use some of the treasures you have collected with your ‘beaks’ to build a nest. Gather different things like twigs, leaves and pinecones, get some playdough and create a nest!

Perhaps you could build a nest with Lego or use large construction materials or cushions to build a nest big enough for a large bird like an ostrich, or a pterodactyl…or a small child!

D.

Perhaps you could use other materials to make a collage picture of a bird’s nest, rather than a model. Practise cutting, tearing and shape recognition along the way. Use describing words to talk about the properties of the materials you choose – rough, smooth, fluffy, hard etc.

E.

Last week Simran made binoculars to help her look more closely at animals in her garden. Why don’t you do some really careful bird watching this weekend and find an interesting way to record what you see. We’d love to know of all the different birds you come across. A few months ago Miss Paterson had a pair of goldfinches that kept visiting her garden and she was very excited to see their colourful feathers each time they appeared.

Try printing or drawing some bingo cards with a variety of birds and throughout the day whilst in the garden or on a walk, tick, stamp, colour in each bird when you see it. The first person to fill in their whole card is the winner! It may take you a few days to see all the birds! This link will take you to some bingo cards:

http://www.kidcandoodle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/KCDbirdbingoUSA2.pdf

Here is a picture identification chart that will help you learn birds names. Maybe you can use dots or simple tally marks to keep track of how many you see:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/biggardenbirdwatch/2021/how-to-resources/eng_id-print_at_home–min.pdf

F. If there are not so many birds visiting your garden, perhaps you could attract them with one of these bird feeders.

Please always check for allergens in seed mixes etc.

Got some stale cereal and fruit that’s past its best? Why not try making these Cheerio and Fruit Bird Feeders. It’s a great craft for strengthening fine-motor skills and the birds will love it!

You will need:

-A skewer or thin stick

-cereal (preferably cheerios)

-fruit

-dried fruit

-string or twine

Why not try making a pattern with the fruit and cereal? Or counting how many pieces you can fit on?

Winter Bird Feeders

You will need:

85g lard or suet (room temperature)

50g grated cheese

Handful of raisins

Handful of quality bird seed

Child’s knife

Chopping board

Wooden spoon

Mixing bowl

Yoghurt pots or plastic cups

String (cut to desired length)

Sharp pencil

Instructions

1. Carefully use a sharp pencil to make a hole in the bottom of your yoghurt pot.
2. Push a little bit of the piece of string through the hole in the bottom of the yoghurt pot.
3. Ask your grown-up to help you to tie a knot in the piece of string on the inside of the yoghurt pot.
4. Carefully, chop the lard into small pieces and place them into the mixing bowl.
5. Add the grated cheese, raisins, and bird seed to the bowl.
6. Mix the ingredients together using a wooden spoon or your hands.
7. Make sure all the dry ingredients have stuck to the lard.
8. Fill your yoghurt pot up to the top with the mixture to create your winter bird feeder.
9. Wash your hands.
10. Place your bird feeder into the fridge and remove it after one hour.
11. Ask your grown-up to help you to hang your winter bird feeder outside.
12. Watch as the birds enjoy their winter treat!

Take a used toilet/kitchen paper roll, smear with peanut butter or coconut oil, roll in birdseed then hang with string!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/bird-feeder

G. Here is a non-fiction book about birds. That means it is full of facts and information about birds rather than a made up story. We can learn new words and facts when we read non-fiction books. Look at the pages closely. You might want to pause the video. Can you spot letters and words? Numbers? Pictures? All these different things together help us understand more deeply. Why don’t you go and find some of your non-fiction books and see which of these features they have?

H. A song to spot rhyming words and ordinal numbers!

I. Now that the mornings are getting lighter and soon winter will hopefully be turning into spring, birds will start singing again in the mornings and you may be able to hear them. Last weekend Mrs Harris had her bedroom window open and it was sunny, and she could hear some birds singing. It is a sign that spring is coming bringing better weather , hooray!

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-songs/what-bird-is-that/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/curations/radio-little-robin-meets

Good morning!

It was great to see you all doing well and to hear about your favourite toys on our blethers this week. If you have any ideas for a blether focus next week please get in touch on our Team and let us know.

If you would like to share any of your child’s recent achievements with the wider school community please refer to Mrs Friel’s letter/message from Tuesday 26th January.

We saw some interesting water play yesterday with evidence of deep thinking as well as lots of fun. Let’s hope for more of the same today!

A. Yesterday we asked you to think about the many times and ways you use water in your day. This rhyming book gets us to think about the many wonderful things that water can be… Why don’t you act out different parts of the story of water, using you voice and moving your body in interesting ways?

B. How many times will you wash your hands today? Why don’t you keep track with a sticker or simple mark on a page every time you do? Can you remind others in your family to wash their hands throughout the day? Talk about times when we should wash our hands before or after doing something.

C.

Practising mark making and letter formation can be fun with magic painting! Use white paper, crayons, watercolour paints, brushes to do some wax resist mark-making. First draw or write carefully  – you’ll need to lean quite hard – then paint over the top with a light wash of colour. Maybe you could play with an adult or sibling and get them to write letters that you can paint over and identify.

D. Here are a couple of rhymes which mention the sea to sing with your family –

Ring- a –Ring-a Roses

Hold hands in a circle and move to the left as you sing dropping down to the floor at the end –

Ring- a ring a ros-es
A pock-et full of pos –ies.
A – tish – oo, a – tish – oo,
We all fall down

While you are crouching –

Down at the bottom of the deep blue sea
Catching fishes for (child’s name’s) tea
One, two, three!

Jump up, and get ready to start again!

A sailor went to sea

Maybe you could clap or make up your own actions to go with this one?

A sail-or went to sea, sea, sea
To see what he could see, see, see.
And all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.

A sail-or went to chop, chop, chop
To see what he could chop, chop, chop
And all that he could chop, chop, chop
Was the bottom of the deep blue chop, chop, chop.

A sail-or went to knee, knee, knee
To see what he could knee, knee, knee
And all that he could knee, knee, knee
Was the bottom of the deep blue knee, knee, knee.

A sail-or went to sea, chop, knee
To see what he could sea, chop, knee
And all that he could sea, chop, knee
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, chop, knee.

Happy singing time!

E. You might want to investigate how water travels in plants or other materials. Here are a couple of ideas:

F.

Can you use some everyday items and create a boat, ship or raft that will float in the bath? Which materials will be waterproof? Which will join together easily? How will you join them? Can you add or remove something to make your boat more stable and stay afloat? Can it transport some Lego, Playmobil or other figures? We’d love to see!

G. 

Look closely at these paintings of lakes and ponds and talk about what you see. Describe the colours and shapes. Do you like them? What details can you spot? Why does it look like part of the first painting is repeated but upside down? Do you know the names of the plants on the surface of the water in the second painting? Think of your own questions to ask.

H.

Use Lego, wooden blocks or other materials to build a bridge for your toys to cross a river, or the lava that we often try to avoid!

Maybe YOU could be the one to cross by setting up stepping stones, indoors or outdoors. Take care not to slip!

I. Join Jojo and Gran Gran as they go ice skating on some frozen water.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000rr9h/jojo-gran-gran-winter-1-its-time-to-iceskate

J.

Practise your listening skills and find out where hot water comes from. Talk about your ideas before listening then share what you learned at the end. Did you learn any new words or facts. Can you tell an adult what you know at bath time or ask them what they know about hot water?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/do-you-know-hot-water

If you listen to this programme you can find out more about waterfalls. Maybe on Teams Miss Paterson will tell you about when she visited one of the biggest waterfalls in the world and saw something called a lunar rainbow. It was truly magical.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/cbeebies-radio-nina-and-the-neurons-waterfalls

K. Finally, get outside and splash in some puddles if you can!

Kalimera!

COMING UP

• Yellow + Red group blether at 1pm today on Teams
• Green + Orange group blether @2pm today on Teams

** This weekend marks the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch **

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/?sourcecode=BWMITH0230&channel=paidsearch&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpLzYrbC67gIVydPtCh2kzg8FEAAYASAAEgKem_D_BwE

Today and tomorrow we will have lots of suggestions for indoor and outdoor play, all inspired by water! As you play and learn today why don’t you also keep track of the number of times you use water in your day. I wonder if you’ll be surprised at just how frequently we rely on water for all sorts of things. That’s why Miss Paterson sometimes has a little grumble about wasting water when we play with the outdoor tap as it is such a precious resource! 

A.

B.

Ice rescue mission! This is a great cold weather activity for this icy time of year. Simply freeze some little animal figures, lego minifigures or other small toys in an ice cube tray, cup or  clean yoghurt pot filled with plain or coloured water.

I wonder if you think it’s cold enough to freeze them by putting them outdoors? How do you find out how cold its going to be overnight? Have you ever watched the weather forecast with an adult, or maybe they have an app on their phone that could tell you? I wonder what number on the forecast means its freezing temperature. Time to investigate!

C.

Could you make music with water? If you have some glasses of the same shape and size in your kitchen, you could try this experiment with water and sound! Get an adult to help you fill the glasses to different levels using tap water. If you have a little beater from a musical instrument like a guiro that would be perfect, but a  piece of cutlery or kitchen utensil would do would do.

Just as we talk about small, gentle actions when playing the instruments in nursery, you need to do the same here. Notice what sounds are made when you gently tap the glass. Each glass has its own sound depending on how much water has been poured in. Can you describe the sounds using high/low/higher/lower? I wonder if you can compose your own melody and even sing along? Be sure to let us know if you do!

D.

Have you ever noticed how the rain or the spray from a hose, or a spilled cup of water seems to change the colour of a surface and leave marks? Why might this happen on some surfaces but not others?

Why don’t you do your own mark-making with some water painting? Depending on the weather you might choose to do this indoors or outdoors. Maybe you could paint lines, shapes or patterns. Perhaps you could practise some number or letter formation and write your name…

E. 

Water play is an excellent way to develop both understanding and language around capacity and measure. Here are some ideas that could even be incorporated into bathtime.

F.

Who loves bubbles? Here is an easy experiment to make your own in a cup, bowl or plate.

You will need :

·         A jug of water

·         Washing up liquid

·         A spoon

·         A cup/bowl/plate

·         A straw

·         If you have glycerin, you can add that too.

Method:

·         Mix some water and washing up liquid (and glycerin)  together in the jug using the spoon. You may have to try this several times, adjusting quantities, until you get the best bubble mixture possible.

·         Pour a small amount mixture onto the plate, covering it.

·         Take the straw, placing one end on the plate and the other in your mouth. BLOW!

It is best to blow slowly, taking your time. As you get better at making your bubbles you can even try making a bubble tower or placing one bubble inside the other!

You can try this with some paint or food colouring added. Have the coloured mixture in a cup, sitting in the middle of a paper plate or piece of paper. As the bubbles fall over they should leave some interesting marks on the page which may lead to some rich discussion and imagination.

G.  Many people find it calming to be near a river, lake or sea. I’m lucky as I can walk along the river just five minutes from my house and watch and listen to the water, ducks and even the odd heron and otter. Most of us can’t visit bodies of water just now so here are some ideas for indoor water calm jars/bottles that might help you to relax and focus when you need a quiet moment.

6 Ways to Make a Calm Down Jar

H. This music and these beautiful underwater images should help you breath more slowly and relax

Or you could try some sea-themed yoga

H. A watery story to finish today. Where will your river take you? Maybe you could draw and write your own story.

Hyvää huomenta

A. In Denmark, the children sing Incy Wincy Spider but in their own language called Danish. They call the rhyme Lille Peter Edderkop. Would you like to listen to it? 

The first and last verses are the same as our song in English, but the middle verse is all about Peter spinning a web and his mum telling him to catch flies but instead he plays on a swing! Why don’t you watch it again and copy Pospsi and Krelle’s actions? Do any of the words sound familiar?

D. Try to move and control different parts of your body with these ‘around the world’ exercise ideas.

https://youtu.be/vAUCJsbjEQo

https://youtu.be/zodMIu0_CfI

E.

Your parents or grandparents may know some of these dances, music or languages. Or perhaps they know some others. Maybe you do too because they are part of your family’s culture and traditions. Just like every person, every family is unique and special.

Why don’t you talk about the really special and important things in your family? After that you could draw or write about them in an interesting way. This is a chance to practise your drawing skills – focus on lines and shapes – or to think about letter sounds and formation as you write family members’ names. Here are some ideas:

G. 

Learn about food from around the world with My World Kitchen. We’d love to know if you follow any of the recipes!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/my-world-kitchen

Guid mornin!

COMING UP

Braidbar Nursery Blethers on Teams. Join us whenever you can if you are unable to do so at your group’s designated time. We look forward to chatting with you soon!

• Blue + Pink groups 26/01 at 11am
• Purple + Aqua groups 26/01 at 1pm
• Yellow + Red groups 27/01 at 1pm
• Green + Orange groups 27/01 at 2pm

Today is Burns Day and we would like to use it as a focus on Scots language and cultural heritage. Tomorrow we will widen our focus to other countries and cultures and think about similarities and differences. 

I wonder if any of your mummies and daddies or gran and grandas have ever sung you this song, maybe when you were a baby? It is an old Scottish song often used as a lullaby – a song to help a baby get to sleep. There are a lot of old Scottish words in it, I wonder if anyone in your family know what they mean…I wonder if you could find what a bawbee is, and why you would need it to get some Coulter’s Candy…..

B. Follow this link to more songs and rhymes in Scots from the Scottish Book Trust:

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/uploads/store/mediaupload/3823/file/Bookbug%20Session%20Plan%20Scots%20Jan%202021.pdf

C

In Scotland we sometimes use different words for words we know well, like ‘wee’ for ‘small’. Do you know any of these? :

laddie – boy
lassie – girl
crabbit – grumpy

sonsie – happy
bairn, wean – child
tatties – potatoes
Wheesht! – Be quiet!

lugs – ears

heid – head
Do you use these words in your family? Are there any other words that your family use that have different names? What funny Scottish word do you like the sound of?

D.

Can you find any tartan at home? Take a closer look at it and try to describe it to someone. Can a grownup tell you a little about a tartan that is special to your family? Can you show us it on Teams?

Why don’t you create your own tartan, using one of these ideas?

• Paint with toy cars or other vehicles, trying to maintain straight lines
• Use strips of paper to create your own colourful tartan by weaving (Miss Hardie’s video last week) or sticking
• Draw or paint with your favourite tools
• Use playdough to roll thin ‘threads’ then lay out
• Use wool, thread, string or other textiles in a collage

Is there a repeating pattern? How many colours did you use?

E. What can you find out about Robert Burns by watching this video? Can you share some facts you have learned? Can you ask some questions to find out more?

F. The climate in Scotland means we can grow root vegetables, grains and soft fruits like raspberries. Here are some typical Scottish foods and recipes you might want to try.

Shortbread

Cranachan (whisky can be omitted) : https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cranachan

Cock-a-leekie soup: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cock-leekie-soup

Tablet: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/scottish-tablet

Potato scones: https://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/potato_scones_recipe.php

Why don’t you make porridge or flapjacks using your own recipe and adding special ingredients of your choice?

G. Here are some games in Scots:

https://www.scotslanguage.com/learning

H.  One of your favourite stories in Scots. Can you name the animals?

Moose? Tod? Hoolit?

I. Why don’t you follow the moose and go oot fur a dauner? Here are some ideas for your walk:

Dobroye utro!

COMING UP…

*More live Braidbar Nursery Blethers next week. Please check Teams calendar and newsletter for details of days and times*

*Next Monday 25th is Burns Day so maybe we could all have an excuse to wear something a bit special and find some tartan*

*You may wish to join the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch coming up on 29th January. We are joining in at the hub too! Details on signing up below*

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/?sourcecode=BWMITH0230&channel=paidsearch&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1dbX18Oo7gIV8mDmCh0q4wd5EAAYASABEgI3n_D_BwE

Today we return to the important topic of feelings. Please remember to check the FILES section of our Team where the Storytime folder contains some perfect texts, read by us,  to help you reflect on and discuss feelings with your child.

A. This book reminds us that we all have feelings and that they come and go. Recently we may all have recognised ourselves feeling disappointed or bored more frequently than usual. By staying active, getting outdoors and connecting with friends and family you can alleviate some of these feelings.

B. Looking at someone’s face or how they move their body can give us an idea of how they are feeling. This activity focuses on recognising feelings in others. Draw a simple remote control with different emoji type faces (or put stickers on an old remote) and pretend it controls your face – when
you press ‘happy’ you smile, and so on… Play with someone else and guess each others’ emotions.

C. How we see and feel about ourselves is very important. Tell your child ‘The Amazing Story of You’, beginning when they were very little and reaching the present day. They may wish to join in or take over their story. The idea is to remind them of how they have grown and developed, challenges they have faced and overcome, building resilience to face new challenges.

e.g. “Once upon a time there was a little girl called…” Tell your child about themselves, focussing on their successes: how they tried and tried until they learned to roll over, how they used to pull themselves up on the side of their cot to build their muscles, etc.

You may decide to document this story together with words and/or pictures/photos, maybe in your child’s learning book.

D.  It is okay to feel worried sometimes. Talking about your worries or sharing them with someone can help you to feel better. Try one of these activities to help you when you are feeling worried.

Draw a bag or use an empty one… What worries would you put inside it? Draw the worries or write about them. Share your pictures with someone and talk about it.

Make a worry monster… You can use any kind of recycling or junk materials. Decorate your monster and give it a name. Write down your worry or draw a picture of it. Feed your worry to your monster. The monster will eat it so that you can let it go!

E. Why not try the ‘Turtle Technique’ when you are finding it hard to manage your feelings? As we suggested last time, it can be beneficial to ‘rehearse’ different strategies when your child is calm so they can call upon them more readily when needed.

https://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/docs/TuckerTurtle_Story_Home.pdf

F. Sometimes we have difficulty finding the words to say how we feel. Learn some Makaton for feelings here:

G. Maybe some of you have some left over Skittles sweeties after doing Mrs Elliott’s science experiment .. so here’s a wee game you could play to use them up!

H. Can you listen to what the characters tell us and ‘Name That Emotion!’?

I. Make a list of ten things that make you happy. Can you write the numbers in order then write the rest of the list with your grownup’s help?

Your challenge is to do as many of those things as possible before the weekend is over! The nursery adults will try to do the same and we can share our successes together on Monday on Teams.

The first thing on my happy list is to listen to and dance to this song! 🙂

Grownups, you may wish to access these websites for further information, support and guidance:

https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/coping-with-being-a-parent

https://www.samh.org.uk/about-mental-health/self-help-and-wellbeing

https://www.parentclub.scot/toddler

https://www.parentclub.scot/child