All posts by Mrs Brown

Expressive Arts, parents, Religious and Moral Education

Chinese New Year

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We marked the start of the Chinese New Year and the year of the Tiger with some wonderful celebrations.

It was fantastic to engage with some of our families to help us learn all about the Chinese New Year celebrations; A huge thank you to Gerald’s mum for sharing how this is celebrated in their home using Google Meet and also to Mrs Wilson’s daughter who shared her experiences having lived in Hong Kong for some time.

The children have been learning about some of the ways families may celebrate Chinese New Year and taking part in art experiences, Chinese mark making, dragon dancing and tasting Chinese food to name a few opportunities on offer.

Health and Wellbeing

The Human Body

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The children in the Orchard room have been learning about the human body. The children had been talking about their bodies and taking turns to share their knowledge on the different parts of their bodies. We began by getting one of our peers to lie down on paper so we could draw around them. This would be the shape for our body. We then took turns to say what we had on our faces and draw it into our paper body.

“Eyes.”

“Nose.”

“ Ears.”

“ We wear clothes on our bodies.”

From this activity we moved on to have a look at what was inside our bodies. We used a doll to explore this area.

“We have a heart.”

“What helps us to think?”

“Our brain.”

The children decided they would like to build a skeleton using our body jigsaw puzzle.

“We need a head.”

 

“The body is next.”

“ The hips go onto the body.”

We can’t wait to expand on this topic and do more activities about our body.

Expressive Arts, Religious and Moral Education, Technologies

Diwali

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Recently, the children had the opportunity to learn about and celebrate Diwali. The children were able to choose from different experiences throughout the nursery. 

The children in the Orchard room got to create their own fireworks in the shaving foam and there was lots of discussion . 

“Oh look red, that is my favourite colour.”

“ I like how the colour is splashed all over.”

  “I love fireworks.”

In the Orchard room the children also go to try and make Chapatis. The children did very well following the recipe and listening to what we needed to do. The children were very patient in waiting for their turn.

“We need to pour until it says 100.”

“ I love baking.”

“These taste good ….. I love them.”

The children in the Willow room, participated in a variety of Diwali experiences as they learned about The Festival Of  Light. They listened to the story of Rama and Sita with great interest. The children were keen to ask and answer questions about the story. We discussed ways that we can be kind to each other and how our behaviour can affect others. The children were given time to discuss and share their own experiences.

“I can be kind by helping to tidy the playroom.”

“I can share with my friends.”

Some of the children designed Divas made from clay. The children demonstrated good concentration and followed the instructions well. 

They also had the opportunity to design Rangoli Patterns. 

“Wow look what I made!”

“ Can I take this home to show my mummy.”

Health and Wellbeing, Uncategorized

Introducing lunches

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As of Wednesday 11th August, Glenwood began providing a lunchtime meal to ALL children regardless of their provision.

This means children attending in the mornings will have a lunch before the end of their session, children attending in the afternoon will have a lunch when they arrive in the afternoon and children attending full days will be provided with a lunch instead of bringing a their own packed lunch.

We will continue to provide a small snack mid morning and mid afternoon in addition to this. All meals and snacks are developed in line with guidance to ensure they are well balanced and nutritious and the menus are available in advance. Note: After any holiday the 1st day back will always be the Monday menu and then the normal days will follow.

NURSERY SCHOOL LUNCH MENU – Aug 21- Oct 21

Our experience of providing snacks for children shows that children will often be encouraged by the social aspect of our meal/ snack times to try new foods in nursery which they may be reluctant to try at home so we hope the introduction of a lunch will be similarly successful.

For pupils wishing to access our vegetarian menu the lifestyles form must be completed.

If your child has food allergies/ intolerances, a medically prescribed meal request form must be completed.

Please contact the nursery for further advice regarding the required forms if you are unsure about anything.

If you do choose to provide a packed lunch for your child this should be a healthy lunch with an ice pack to keep the food cool. Sugary and salty snacks are not permitted.

Please note- we are a nut free zone so NO NUTS. We also have a person with significant allergies and so kiwi, grapefruit, pineapple and avocado are not permitted. (Please check the content of drinks etc for hidden ingredients)

   

- Achievement, - Pupils, Expressive Arts, parents, Technologies

Terrific Triangles

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Working with Starcatchers, we developed a creative project on triangles. Children and parents brought lots of lovely triangles from home (thank you). 

Child: “The triangles are all different sizes.  Oh, Look at them, they are all my favourite. I made some at home, here they are.”

Then  …….

…we made more at Glenwood using lots of different materials to decorate.

     

…we cut slots into our triangles. We tried scissors and then saws.

…we found we could make 3D shapes by connecting them together and we could make lots of different shapes. 

     

…we took some outside and made a traffic jam with lots of cars.

…we were thinking about our community and neighbours and being ‘intergenerational’. So we made some into bunting and delivered it to our friends with a card. We wrote:

“We are thinking of you and hope our triangles make you happy”.

Parent: “I really liked the idea of the triangles and having something to work with my child at home and bring in. It made me feel more connected to the nursery at this time when we can’t come in”. 

Literacy and English, Numeracy and Mathematics, Technologies

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY

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Through play opportunities children can experience a range of resources that support their ICT knowledge and understanding.

CHOOSING ICT TOYS

In Glenwood, the children can choose ICT from a choosing book. The children chose a voice recordable game which supports children’s numeracy and literacy skills.

TORCHES

During their learning the children were interested in the shapes and patterns made by the light and shadows outdoors in the sunshine. To re-create shadows indoors light from a torch was projected onto a hanging sheet. The children used their bodies and open-ended resources to explore shadows, identify shapes or people from behind the sheet.

BEE-BOT

The children programmed a small robot to move forward, backwards, left and right movements to move around the floor. A programmable toy can support literacy and numeracy skills.

REMOTE CONTROL TOYS

Using remote-control toys children learn about cause-and-effect. As they play as they work out which buttons make the car go in each direction. The children set up an obstacle course with ramps to drive up and down, or tunnels for them to drive through. This is a great way to develop a child’s hand-eye co-ordination. Some of our remote control toys are operated by the iPad.

INTERACTIVE BOARD

An interactive smart board allows images from a computer screen to be displayed onto a classroom board where the children can interact with the images directly on the screen using a tool or even a finger.

IPADS/TABLETS

Ipads are available as part of the nursery’s continuous provision and children are encouraged to use them to record their achievements and share it with others using the ipads.

IMAGINARY PLAY

During their imaginary role-play children are provided with old ICT equipment. Children are observed in the home corner using the ICT in real life situations i.e. an office, a train or even a trip to space.

EXPLORING ICT AND HOW IT WORKS

Taking apart old pieces of everyday ICT equipment to look at what is inside and how it works is a popular activity. Children explore the inside of old clocks, computer boards, telephones and CD players.

Expressive Arts, Sciences

Sensory Play

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The children have been making potions, adding, mixing and pouring a variety of liquids and solids during their sensory play. During their sensory play the children are developing a range of skills and processes such as problem-solving, enquiry, experimentation, researching and investigating.


“The ice is cold. It’s melting when I pour the water on it.”

“I can smell chocolate and coffee.”

“I am squeezing it. It’s frozen. The heart is melting.”

“I’m pouring it. Look! It has bubbles.”

Did you know ?
Sensory play activities naturally encourages children to explore and investigate through their senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing.
Hands on sensory activities can be set up at home using a variety of sensory materials found around the home or garden.

A few ideas to try at home-
Go on a walk and encourage children to explore textures in nature
Close your eyes and listen for sounds in the home or outdoors
Cooking activities or tasting new foods
Messy play using materials such as mud, water, sand or paint.

Some of the benefits of Sensory Play-
Stimulates the senses
Develops muscles in hands and arms
Develops creativity
Awareness of shape, space and measure
Language development
Mark making
Experimenting and sharing ideas
Developing relationships
Can be a calming experience

Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and English, Numeracy and Mathematics, Technologies

Loose Parts

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Did you know, Loose Parts have no specific function or goal?

They can be moved, arranged, designed, taken apart and more!

Using loose parts the children explored patterns, building, and teamwork. By using the blocks, small cuts of wood, guttering and some cardboard boxes, they were able to build a house with a chimney and talk to each other about the placement of the resources!

There are a variety of resources lying around within your home that can be utilised as loose parts such as:

  • Pots and pans
  • Spoons, sieves and mashers
  • Tin foil
  • Sheets
  • Sticks, leaves
  • Plastic bottles, bottle tops

Check out the poster for more ideas!

When children interact with loose parts, they enter a world of “what if” that promotes the type of thinking that leads to problem solving and theoretical reasoning. Loose parts enhance children’s ability to think imaginatively and see solutions… the use of loose parts is open ended and limitless!

Expressive Arts, Religious and Moral Education, Uncategorized

Happy Diwali

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We have been exploring the festival of Diwali.

Diwali is the five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world.

The children have been busy creating ‘Rangoli’ pictures, making lanterns and reading books about the festival and why it is celebrated!

“These Patterns are nice, I’m going to make one” CW

“I can copy this one I think. Actually no,  I will do it myself” LW

“Pattern” FM

“My pattern has loads of colours just like the book”. AK

“We are making rangoli pictures and cutting them out” AB

“I like the one in the book with the glitter, that’s what I want to make” LM

 

Expressive Arts, Sciences, Social Studies, Technologies

Volcano Fun!

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Over the past few weeks, the children have been investigating dinosaurs and where they lived.

After using different reference books the children decided that the dinosaurs must have lived with a volcano.

We used the internet to investigate what makes volcanos erupt.

We decided to make our own volcano using a plastic bottle and paper mache. We used bicarbonate of soda, washing up liquid and vinegar to make lava.

“Can you make dinosaur land?” Sorley

“Look at the lava, it looks hot and dangerous.” Fraser

“The dinosaurs lived along time ago, they are now extinct.” Zachary

“Will it explode?” Scott “No it will erupt, because the lava gets very hot, you know.” Maria

    

Numeracy and Mathematics, parents

Maths Week Scotland

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We celebrated Maths Week Scotland by taking part in many mathematical activities both indoors and out.

We went on a Maths Walk in our local area and spotted numbers, shapes and patterns all around us.

Our Family Fun Bags took maths into our families’ homes as they made playdough and used the playdough for mathematical activities such as measuring, counting and number rhymes.

- Pupils

Welcome back to learning in Glenwood!

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We are delighted to have re- opened and to welcome back our children. We are operating slightly differently in two separate playrooms but the fun, friendships and fantastic learning experiences continue!

The Meadow Room

“I’ve built a model of our new nursery.” Lucia

Busy cooking  in our outdoor kitchen.

“Look, there are bees on those flowers.” Cameron

Wow, look how much our chestnut tree has grown!Drawing and writing together.

Modelling with clay. Using the computer to play games.

“Rrrrr, look at the T-Rex!” Benjamin

The Willow Room

” We found a woodlouse!”  Yousuf

 

Exploring the pulleys.

Revisiting my learning journal. and sharing my news-  “I got a new hamster” Flora

Sand play.

Painting a picture.

Sharing stories.

 

Expressive Arts, Sciences, Uncategorized

Remote Learning- Sunflowers and other plants

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Mrs Brown writes-
I have been keeping a close watch on my sunflowers since I planted my seeds and I am delighted with how much they are growing. I had to replant them into bigger plant pots and I have now planted them in a sunny part of my garden near a wall for protection from the wind. Every few weeks I measure their height. In the beginning I  used a ruler to measure their height but now they have grown a bit taller I need to use a measuring tape. I  record their height on a growth chart.
Perhaps you have been measuring the height of your sunflowers. Are they taller than Mrs Brown’s? We would love to see how tall they have grown.
While in my garden I  got a bit annoyed because I spotted some weeds growing. Then I remembered weeds are just wild flowers growing in the wrong place and I recalled the fun I had as a child with wild flowers …..

Buttercups As a child I loved picking buttercups and holding them under the chin of friends and families. If you could see yellow under their chin it meant they liked butter. Why not try it to see if your family like butter.

Daisies Everyone loves making daisy chains. Not only are they very pretty, making daisy chains is great for hand eye co-ordination and fine motor skills.

Dandelions Although dandelions make me a bit cross when they grow on my lawn, they really are fascinating. You can see their life cycle over a short period of time as they change from yellow flowers to dandelion clocks with their fairy-like seeds. As a child  I liked to pick the yellow flowers and flick their heads off, saying, “Mary, Queen of Scots, got her head chopped off!” (although we all know what they say about picking dandelions…) I also recall counting “one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock…..“ as I blew the seeds into the air and watched them fly away in the wind, ready to find a new place to grow.

I love this transient art idea ‘borrowed’ from Carlibar nursery, for making a dande lion picture. Why not try making a picture with items you find in your garden.

- Pupils, parents

Remote learning- We’re Going to go to School Soon… week 4

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Wow, we have now reached week 4 of our transition to school programme and I know many of you have been taking part in lots of the activities. Very soon you will be invited to come to Glenwood as part of a small group and we will be doing a few of the activities together.  We look forward to seeing you!

Don’t forget to keep a record of the activities you select each week- perhaps photos, drawing and comments in a jotter or scrapbook.

We’re Going to go to School Soon Week 4

- Pupils, parents

Remote Learning- We’re Going to go to School Soon…. week 3

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It has been great to see all the learning our pre-schoolers are sharing as they take part in our school transitions programme based on the story,  “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen.

Keep sharing these by tagging us and your primary school on Twitter.

Here are the suggested activities for week 3…. As always, remember you don’t need to do everything suggested or spend a long time on this. Simply pick the activities which suit your child’s interests and a do a little bit when it suits you  throughout the week.

3. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt- week 3