All posts by Mr Edwards

Baking Autumnal Cookies!

October 18, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

As the days grow shorter, there’s no better time to get creative in the kitchen with your little ones. Pumpkin cookies are not only a delicious treat but also a fantastic way to engage our children in hands-on learning. Baking helps develop fine motor skills, introduces basic math concepts, and encourages sensory exploration.

Using a freshly scooped pumpkin, the children removed the seeds and helped prepare it for roasting in the oven. Once it was perfectly cooked, Derek created a deliciously smooth pumpkin puree, ready to be used in our baking.

The first step of the recipe was measuring out all the ingredients. For early years children, this is a great opportunity to develop important math skills. Weighing and measuring help them understand quantities, recognize numbers, and begin to grasp basic concepts of volume and weight. Plus, they love the hands-on experience of using measuring spoons and scales! “We need 100” “2 big spoons”

With everything prepped, it was time to mix all the ingredients together, watching as the flour, spices, and pumpkin puree blended into a soft dough. The children took turns mixing and exploring the different textures. We even explored solids becoming liquids by melting the butter. “It’s like soup” “It’s hot”

Next, we shaped the dough into small balls, rolling them carefully with our hands, and placed them onto the baking tray, ready to bake in the oven. The excitement grew as the cookies began to take shape and the delicious smell of pumpkin filled the room!

All ready, look at our fantastic cookies snack 😃

Check out our easy recipe below and enjoy a sweet, memorable autumn activity with your little ones!

110g room temperature butter

(dairy free or regular)

165 g light brown sugar

100 g white sugar

120g pure pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

270g gluten free all purpose baking flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

0.25 teaspoon cinnamon

0.25 teaspoon salt

60 g chocolate chips

Article 1
Everyone under 18 has all these rights.

Article 28
You have the right to education.

Creative movement, Creativity, Digital Technology, Expressive Arts, Outdoor Learning, Snack, Technologies

This weeks summer learning at a Cart Mill!

July 12, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

This week at Cart Mill, we explored a wide variety of activities across all our rooms. Take a look at what we’ve been up to!

In the discovery room it’s been an exciting week exploring forces. We were highly engaged with an activity using balloons attached to cars. It was lots of fun using our observation skills to identify if the air coming out of the balloon was strong enough to move the car back and forth, enhancing our understanding of motion and forces.

In the garden the weather has been kinder this week, allowing us to enjoy the outdoors more. With Wimbledon underway, we decided to have our own tennis tournament and learn all about this exciting racket game. Exploring our technology skills we watched a game of tennis on the smart board, discussed the rules, and then took turns playing on our makeshift court. This fantastic activity kept our bodies active and helped develop our motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. No Wimbledon experience is complete without strawberries! Our children in the Home Room were busy chopping them up for us to enjoy. Yum!

Lots of fun was had creating enormous bubbles in our garden! Everyone enjoyed this sensory experience immensely. Using washing-up liquid and water, we mixed our own bubble solution and used our fine and gross motor skills to create fantastic bubbles. We then explored cause and effect by blowing the bubbles and popping them with our fingers.

In the home room at the playdough table, we have been experimenting with our playdough recipe and created some delightful chocolate playdough. By adding vegan drinking chocolate to the playdough mixture, we crafted a fantastic sensory experience to explore. The rich scent and smooth texture of the chocolate playdough added an extra layer of excitement to our play. Using loose parts, we created imaginative models, enhancing our creativity and fine motor skills. We also enjoyed spreading the playdough to see how thin we could get it.

In the studio we engaged in mark-making using a variety of paints and tools, providing a rich and creative environment for us to express ourselves artistically. Lots of fun was had through exploring patterns using rollers, discovering how different pressures and movements could create a wide range of textures and designs. Using sponges, we experimented with shapes, learning how to manipulate the tools to form circles and squares. Paintbrushes allowed us to delve into our own unique styles, mixing colours and creating beautiful creations. This activity not only enhanced our fine motor skills but also encouraged us to think creatively and express our emotions and ideas through art.

We ventured outside the nursery to visit the park and explore the large field behind us. At the park, we enjoyed playing on the swings, developing our balance on the wooden beams, and building our confidence on the large slide. The field provided ample space for running and playing games. We participated in running and crawling races with our peers, promoting physical fitness and teamwork. These outdoor activities were fantastic opportunities for us to develop our motor skills and enhance our social interactions whilst enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

Come back next Friday to see what fun learning activities we get up to next week!

UNCRC Articles: Our activities this week align with several articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC):

Article 13: Freedom of expression
Article 31: Leisure, play, and culture
Article 28: Right to education

Literacy, Snack

What’s cooking in the Cart Mill Kitchen

May 31, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

This week in the snack area, we’ve been exploring foods from around the world, sparked by the children noticing that the fruit we eat comes from different countries. Our focus this week was on making pitta bread and hummus, a delicious snack enjoyed in many Middle Eastern countries. We looked online to find a recipe we could follow. Let’s find out how we made them. 😃

Step 1: Making the Pitta Bread

First, we used scales to measure the ingredients, Weighing out 350g of gluten-free flour, we added it to a bowl. Next we used a jug to measure out 300ml of natural yogurt, adding it to the bowl along with a pinch of salt and 2 tsp of baking powder. We mixed them all together with a wooden spoon to create a simple dough.

We then used a rolling pin to roll out the dough into small circles, ready to cook. Doing this helped develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Once cooked, the pitta breads were ready to taste at snack time.

Step 2: Making the Hummus

We combined chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in a blender, taking turns to measure out the quantities needed.

Next we turned on the blender mixing them until we achieved a smooth paste. At first we noticed that the consistency was a little thick. Using our problem solving skills one the children suggested adding water. We added a little water at a time till it was perfect to try with our freshly baked pitta breads. The process expanded the children’s vocabulary and helped them follow multi-step instructions.

Take a look at some of the fabulous comments bellow.

“It’s mixing together”

“It’s evolving”

“I think it will be smooth”

“It’s mixing really fast”

The children enjoyed both the process and the delicious results, learning about foods from around the world and exploring new cooking techniques.

I wonder what we could make next week? If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comment box below. 😃

Article 1
Everyone under 18 has all these rights

Article 28
You have the right to education.

Snack

Homemade Cart Mill Crumble!

May 10, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

In the bustling kitchen of Cart Mill, our young chefs have been busy making their very own apple crumble from scratch. Working together they have transformed simple ingredients into a mouth watering dessert. Let’s dive into what they did today.

Ingredients:

Fresh, crisp apples
Gluten-free flour
Butter (Homemade of course)

Cooking Steps:

Peeling and Chopping Apples: With careful guidance and a trusty peeler, the children skilfully removed the apple skins supported by an adult to ensure every apple was perfectly peeled. Once peeled the apples were diced into tiny pieces ready to be cooked till nice and soft.

Making Homemade Butter: The kitchen was full of excitement as the children embarked on a butter-making adventure. Filling a container with double cream, and a few marbles they were ready to begin. Woking together they shook the contents for a very very long time, but their persistence paid off. When we opened the container what did we find….BUTTER!

“It takes a very very long time”

“look its butter”

“Butter comes from cows”

“You make butter with milk”

Creating the Crumbly Crumble: With homemade butter in hand and flour at the ready, the children blended the two ingredients together. Displaying excellent fine motor skills they rubbed until a crumbly concoction emerged. It will be a perfect topping!

Layering and Topping: As the final step, the children layered the cooked apples into a dish. Adding generous sprinkles of the crumble mixture on top they were complete and smelling delicious!

Now, with their apple crumbles assembled they are ready to take home for baking until golden and bubbling. We wrote our names on the lid so we could identify them at home time. Well done team!

At Cart Mill, cooking is all about fun and teamwork! Making apple crumble together not only filled their tummies but also explored new skills. Cheers to their cooking adventure!

………………………………………………………………………………

Article 1
Everyone under 18 has all these rights

Article 28
You have the right to education

Article 29
You have the right to education which tries to
develop your personality and abilities as much as
possible and encourages you to respect other
people’s rights and values and to respect the
environment

Outdoor Learning

The Cart Mill Campsite!

May 3, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

This week at Cart Mill, some of the children have enjoyed building dens, sparking discussions about camping. To further explore this interest, we decided to embark on a fun learning experience by pitching a tent and creating the Cart Mill Campsite!

First, we worked together to set up the tent, following the instructions and learning about its different parts along the way. Through this activity, the children not only learned practical skills but also developed important social skills such as effective communication, sharing responsibilities, and supporting each other.

We began by carefully laying out the tent, taking our time to select the perfect spot and ensuring that it would fit just right. With teamwork in full swing, we joined the tent poles together and skilfully threaded them through the fabric, gradually bringing the tent to life

We focused on securing the tent to the ground by hammering the pegs firmly into place. Working together, we used our strength to make sure each peg was secure. One of our group stressed the importance of this, saying “It will keep it from blowing away in the wind”

One child suggested making a campfire, remembering how they had learned it at forest school by rubbing sticks together. Excited, some of the children got busy gathering sticks from the garden and creating the pretend campfire to cook on and keep warm.

The tent became a provocation for imaginative play, allowing the children to explore role play camping adventures, fostering creativity, storytelling, and role-playing skills. We even gathered around for some campfire songs, with “10 Fat Sausages Sizzling in a Pan” being a firm favourite, helping the children practice counting backwards from 10 to 0.

Some of the children gathered inside the tent for a story. The children chose a book that sparked a discussion about what jobs we could so when we grow up. Take a look below at some of the suggestions.

“I want to a builder”

“I want to be a king”

“I want to be a dragon”

“I want to a teacher”

“I want to be a builder like dad”

“I want to be a princess doctor like the story”

” I want to be a vet and look after dragons”

It was a fantastic experience that combined learning and fun, fostering a love for camping and outdoor exploration in our little Cart Mill campers. 🏕️🔥🎶

(Article 12) (respect for the views of the child)

(Article 28) (right to education)

Article 29 (goals of education)

Article 31 (leisure, play and culture)

Creativity, Expressive Arts, Literacy, Outdoor Learning

Creating The Cart Mill Scarecrow!

March 28, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

In our garden adventures on Wednesday, we dove into the beloved story of “The Scarecrows Wedding” by Julia Donaldson. Inspired by the tale, one of our little minds proposed an exciting idea – let’s make our own scarecrow to protect our plants from hungry birds!

”The birds like to eat fruit so they maybe will eat our seeds”

Excitement bubbled as we brainstormed what we’d need, just like in the story we got to work and wrote some lists. These included:

Straw
Clothes
Hat
Scarf
Head
Legs
Face

With our list in hand, we turned to the internet for guidance. Click the link to try building a scarecrow at home. How to build a scarecrow

Today was the big day! We gathered our supplies and got busy.

First, we stuffed some old clothes with straw to make our scarecrow’s body. We made sure everything was nice and secure.

Next came the fun part – creating the face! We discussed facial features together and gave it some eyes, a nose and a big friendly smile. We also gave it some lovely Cart Mill branding.

Once the body and face were ready, we used sticks from our willow tree to give our scarecrow a strong frame. Then, we proudly placed it in the garden to stand guard over our precious veggies.

As we admired our handiwork, one question remained: What should we name our new friend? Suggestions flew around, each more imaginative than the last. It came to a vote and we decided on Harry!

With our scarecrow watching over the garden, we wrapped up another day of fun and learning in our outdoor classroom. 😀

Article 13 (freedom of expression)

Article 31 (leisure, play and culture)

Article 28 (right to education)

Uncategorized

Planting fun in the Cart Mill garden!

March 5, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

As the weather warms and signs of spring appear in our Cart Mill garden, last year’s bulbs are starting to bloom, adding bursts of colour to our outdoor space. Excited by this transformation, we’ve begun planning and planting for the year ahead.

Take a look at the mind map some of our children created recording their ideas for the 2024 garden.

The children eagerly shared their ideas for this year’s garden, and we’ve picked out seeds to sow based on their suggestions. Planting seeds isn’t just about digging in the dirt; it’s a chance for the children to learn how plants grow and how to take care of them.

In small groups, we’ve talked about what plants need to thrive. Some children mentioned “mud,” “water,” and “sun,” while others brought up tools like “spades and diggers.” Their enthusiasm and knowledge are growing alongside the seeds we’re planting. Through this hands on experience, we hope to develop a deeper connection to nature and a sense of responsibility for caring for our environment.

Take a look at the photos and children’s comments of todays planting. 😀

”Can we grow chillies so I can give them to my granda! He loves spicy”

“This seed is like a dried pea”

”Will they grow tall like a beanstalk?”

”You need to pat them down nice in the soil so they grow. We will need to give it water”

Respect for the views of the child (Article 12)

Health and health services (Article 24)

Education (Article 28)

Digital Technology, Literacy, Modern language, Special Event

Languages Week Scotland!

February 5, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

Last week at Cart Mill, we participated in Languages Week Scotland, a wonderful initiative aimed at celebrating the diverse languages within our centre and around the world. Take a look at some of the activities:

During our daily group time, we kicked off the day with greetings in different languages – Bonjour, Hola, Merhaba, and Ciao plus many more. The children had a great time trying out these diverse hellos, turning language time into an engaging experience.

We infused technology into our story time, exploring stories in Spanish and French. ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ took on a language twist, and the children even grasped counting to three in both Spanish and French – quite impressive!

Wednesday brought a delightful surprise – one of our parents very kindly visited the centre to read a story in Gaelic. The children enjoyed learning animal names in Gaelic, making the session an enriching language journey.

Thursday saw a visit from Camembear when we sang songs in French and talked about the French words that we already knew. We then asked how to say some of our favourite things in French. Our favourite one was the French for sweets – bonbon – because they are good good!

Finally, on Friday afternoon, we held a grand Book Bug gathering! We sang songs in French and Gaelic, and the children selected different languages to welcome Book Bug. Some even remembered to say hello in French or Spanish, showcasing their newfound language skills. We were then treated to some story telling in Polish.

Languages Week wasn’t just about words, it was a week filled with smiles, curiosity, and a lot of language fun. Here’s to our fantastic little language explorers! 🌟🌍✨

UNCRC ARTICLES

Article 8: Right to an identity

Article 28: Education

Outdoor Learning, Special Event

The Big Bird Watch

January 24, 2024 Mr Edwards Leave a comment

Throughout the week in Cart Mill, the children eagerly engaged in preparations for the upcoming RSPB Big Bird Garden Watch. A small group of children enthusiastically participated in a hands-on activity, crafting bird feeders. Using provided materials, they mixed bird seed with natural fat, carefully scooping the mixture into cases to let it harden. The process not only provided a fun activity but also served as a perfect opportunity to explore cause and effect, observing the fascinating transformation of the fat from a liquid to a solid state.

Despite the challenging weather conditions this week, preventing the children from venturing into the garden for bird watching, a collaborative decision was made. The children decided to set up a bird feeding station just outside the window, offering them the chance to enjoy bird watching from the warmth and comfort of the indoors. Positioning themselves strategically and armed with signs, they eagerly awaited the little visitors to the Cart Mill garden.

For those interested in joining the excitement of the Big Garden Birdwatch scheduled for the upcoming weekend, a link is provided for more information. RSPB Link This initiative encourages participants to connect with nature and contribute to bird conservation.

UNCRC ARTICLES

Article 28: Education