All posts by Miss Keith

Expressive Arts

Nail Designs and Patterns

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As the children enjoy hammering in nails we had a think about what we could do with the nails when they were in the wood.  The children  thought about shapes and patterns they could make with the nails and then use wool to weave round them . Firstly they made their pattern or character on the wood providing them a opportunity to develop their mark making skills.

When the pattern was ready we then got the hammer and nails out. We have learnt that if we use the pliers to hold the nail it helps protect our fingers. We then placed the nails round the edge of our design and carefully hammered them in.

When the nails were in place we started to wind our wool round the nails . This part was quite tricky and definitely helped develop our hand-eye co-ordination skills, increasing our manipulative skills and dexterity. All the children made a great effort with this part of the task.

The children began to notice shapes within their designs “ look there is a triangle in my cherry pie”. “ I have a circle in my unicorn”.

Other children made the choice to use different colours of wool to wind round their designs. Look mine is a Easter bunny. This looks very pretty. The children worked very hard on their designs. Well done this was fun !

Expressive Arts

Creative thinking at the tinker table !

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Today we have been looking at some of the loose parts around the tinker table and what we could create with them. We placed our favourite pieces into a tray and decided we would use the hammer, nails and wood glue.

Tinkering is a playful way to explore or solve problems through the direct experience, experimentation and discovery with materials and tools.

The children decided what they would like to make “I am going to make a couch”  “mine will be a windmill”.  As with every activity, children’s ability and engagement can vary. Some of the children are confident to use the hammer and nails . We were also able to use the wood glue to add on some of the smaller loose parts.

The children were very engaged and worked well together discussing their ideas and sharing the tools and resources.
The children were very happy and proud of their creations. We look forward to adding in more loose parts and resources to expand our knowledge and building skills.

Article 12 – You have the right to be listened to and taken seriously.

Literacy, Snack

Fun Fruits

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Today we have been looking at different fruits. At snack time we have discovered how juicy some of our fruits can be. We chose the fruits we thought would be the juiciest; strawberries, lemons, limes and oranges.


We then cut our fruit in half this gives us two pieces . The orange was a bit difficult to cut and we had to use the knife in a sawing motion. “ Look I did it “

The next job was to use all our muscles and push the fruit onto the squeezer and when we twisted it round and round the juice started to fall into the container. We enjoyed watching all the colours drip into our glasses . “ I like the red one “ “ orange is my favourite “ .

We discovered that some of the bigger fruits produced more liquid than the smaller ones. The children were able to look at the glasses we had filled and put them in order. “ The strawberry one is the littlest “ and the “orange is the biggest”

After all the juice was squeezed we practiced our pouring skills and filled our own glasses with juice so that we could enjoy some tasting.

We did have some funny faces when we tried the lemon and lime but the juices were all finished and enjoyed. We will look forward to some more exciting times with our fun fruits .

Digital Technology, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Special Event

Big Garden Birdwatch

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This week we have been preparing for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. We discussed why birds might come into the garden. “It’s for seeds, we have some in my garden”. We then decided to to make our own bird feeders and hang them up on a branch.

The birds might need a drink as it’s been very cold and all the puddles are icy, so we made the birds their own drinking bowl “Let’s put sticks near it so they can stand on them”.

We then did some research by looking at some of the information sent to us by the RSPB which showed us lots of pictures of the birds that might visit our garden.  “ I have seen some of these birds, that’s a magpie”.

It was very exciting watching for the birds. Some were far away so we used our binoculars. Then we could see some birds sitting in the trees and on top of the houses. We then thought about where else we could see the birds so we went for a bird watch walk.

We collected our bird watch recording sheet and set off.  I will hide in the trees like a bird watcher and see if the birds come near me we have to be very quiet 🤫. Look I saw a blackbird let’s mark it on the sheet .

We managed to spot magpies, blackbirds, crows and blue tits. We all had a turn of recording the bird we had seen on our RSPB sheet, it was great fun!

The children are continuing to watch for birds in our garden and are independently recording them in our nature corner.
If you would like to join in this weekend the RSPB ask that you record the birds that visit your garden within 1 hour and then you can upload your results at rspb.org.uk/Birdwatch using the code BH35.

Everyone has worked very hard recording the information and have had great fun developing their skills of mark making, data collection, fine motor skills, health and well being and lots more. Happy bird watching everyone!

Expressive Arts, Outdoor Learning

Rainbow 🌈 Puddles

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Today in the garden we had lots of puddles and yesterday we had seen a lovely rainbow in the sky. So, we decided to try and make our own rainbow using chalk and the puddles. We had to put wellies on for this! We chose the colour we wanted, dropped them in the puddles and squashed the chalk with our feet.

We had to practise our jumping and balancing skills for this. “I made a violet colour in my rainbow”. The girls and boys wanted to add more water, developing their filling and pouring skills and making different patterns with the chalk. “Mine looks like a unicorn”.

We also added in other resources to create different patterns. This helped the children to practice their mark making. I can use the brush and I can use the paint brush (mop).

Now we have discovered what happens when you mix water and chalk . We look forward to our next mixing with water experiment!

Expressive Arts, Outdoor Learning

We have Snow !

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With the frosty mornings the children have been discussing how cold it has been when they arrive at nursery . Maybe it will snow today and there was a few flakes of snow today in the garden.  So let’s make our own snow !

We had some magic powder which we poured into a bowl and then gradually added cold water and stirred well and “Wow” look what’s happening the powder got bigger and bigger and turned into snow.

Our snow feels like fluff and smells like coconut and is very squishy . It feels a bit warm but real snow is cold !

I can make handprints in the snow it’s like real snow  !

The children had great fun discussing what they could make with their snow.  “ Mine is a snowball it’s like a circle” , we had some snow volcanos, snow cakes and some snow porridge.  The children took turns using the different sized scoops to help them create their snow structures.

When it was tidy up time we decided to put our tray of snow outside in the garden to discover what happens to it overnight . “ l think it will be snowy ice crystals” or  maybe turn into a snowman”. . Can’t wait for tomorrow!!

Digital Technology, Expressive Arts, Literacy

Legends in the Studio

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As it is Scotland book week we have continued to develop the childrens interest in the studio. We have been doing some research about the Loch Ness monster. We have had a look at some Scottish books and watched a short film.

 

The children discovered that the monster lives in Loch Ness and the water is very deep and dark as the water is full of peat from the surrounding hills. We then decided to recreate our our own Loch Ness monsters using the clay.

Our clay is a great way to strengthen the muscles in our fingers and hands whilst developing our fine motor skills and imagination. The children discussed how they would like their own monsters to look, “mine has flippers”   “mine is going to be so big” some of the children enjoyed using the clay tools to make the eyes and patterns on the skin.

We have loved bringing our legends to life and look forward to our next book.

Expressive Arts

Tinker table tools

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Today in the Discovery room we have been learning what we can do with our tools. We have different stages of development and have experimented with resources that give the children their own challenges which helps them all build their confidence and self-esteem.

The children have worked well together as they discussed the different ways they could use the tools. “I am very strong “. While using the tools the children are developing their fine motor skills and hand and eye co-ordination skills.

We had fun finding out which resource was the hardest and which one was easier to hammer or screw in nails . “ I can hammer in nails they look like a face”

With a little help we were able to saw the cardboard tube into pieces this was a bit tricky. We did remember our safety rules  “ I will keep my fingers over here”

 

As always at Cartmill we like to recycle as many materials as possible and after removing all the nails from our pumpkins we chopped them into pieces and decided to give them to birds for lunch.

We look forward to our next introduction to new tools and equipment and what we can build.

 

 

Digital Technology, Expressive Arts

Discovering Maths

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This week the children have been learning about maths and having fun trying out all the different ways this can be done.

The construction block area is always in good use and after we had read a story about 10 little monsters  the children decided to build their own spooky castle 🏰  we have been working out sizes long ones  for this wall and we need shorter ones over here !

We have been counting  12345 as we have posted the counters through the block . We have discovered that some items are too big to fit through the hole.

At the tinker table we have been practising our measuring skills looking at the numbers on the ruler or tape and placing the items in order of size. This one is the” biggest “. We even had a look round the nursery to compare sizes of different resources.
Our loose parts area was full of resources and inspiration . We had a look at a book called Hannah’s Collection and this gave us great ideas. We then made our own designs using loose parts “ I will use the round buttons and make lollipops” and I can use sticks to make a shop.  We had some lovely creations.

As the children also enjoy technology they had turns following the instruction cards to make our “bee bots” move in different directions.  Press this button one time to move forward or this button to go backwards. There is four buttons on mine “look it can go this way “  we learnt that this means it’s moving to the right or to the left.

We have all enjoyed our day in the discovery room. Let’s look out for shapes and sizes on our way home !

Expressive Arts, Literacy

Creativity and Imagination

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Today the children were presented with a tray of interesting resources to explore and design their own models.
With the natural feathers and pieces of wood the children decided to make some animals.  I will make a owl with feathers. The children chatted about owls they have seen at the animal park and what noise they make.

Some of the children chose to make people using pegs for the legs. This is my mummy she is at work.

Todays activity has involved developing fine motor skills such as using scissors and glue sticks also picking up smaller parts especially when they stick to your fingers !

Todays fun at the tinker table has let the children ask and answer questions, talk to each other sharing experiences and ideas. We have extended our knowledge and understanding of how to use a variety of materials.

We have some great animals and models to admire . Well done 👍