This week outside we have been working on our gross motor skills by balancing on the wooden boards, we have also been working on our mathematical language. We have been learning positional language in numeracy, we have been speaking about left, right and forwards. We have had the choice to pick which direction we go when walking and balancing on the boards. 

Towards the end of the week some of the children went litter picking around the Family Centre.

Overall there was not a huge amount of litter outside the nursery building. In total the children cleared 4lb of litter. 

“We might find some cans or tissues. They should go in the bin or bag” BH

“You can’t touch your hand with he rubbish” BH 

“Someone might trip on the rubbish and animals might eat it” ML 

“I got some here” PW

“It will be 4 now” BH

“Some animals and fishes and whales would eat the litter” AH

“The rubbish goes in the bin” AH

“I found a big bottle and I did find some paper and even glass and a dog poo bag and a squished can” ML

This week, we have developed our knowledge of numbers representing a quantity, whilst using the numicon, pompoms and bees. 

Some children explored the concept of addition and subtractions whilst adding/ taking away the numicon and pompoms. 

Throughout the activity the children were developing their 1:1 correspondence, touch counting skills and number recognition skills. 

This week in the block area, the children have been continuing to design and create castles. We have been exploring various Scottish castles and creating our own using a variety of materials and have also introduced 3D shapes.

BF – “It’s one of my 3D shapes I learnt at group time, it’s a cone”

SW – “It’s got triangles at the top and squares at the windows.”

Some children have continued to explore symmetry, shape and pattern and create their own designs using loose parts.

RL – “They’re both the same!”

RS – “It’s like a pattern”

In the small world area, following on from their interest in dinosaurs, the children have shown an interest in the Jurassic period and volcanos, using their imaginative role play skills.

CG – “It’s hot ash in there, ouch!” “Suzy Sheep is sitting in the volcano.” “That one’s spiky!”

RJ – “It’s a volcano, it’s really hot in there and it’s got lava inside”

We followed a simple recipe to make our own biscuits. The children carefully measured the butter, sugar and flour, taking turns to scoop, pour and level the ingredients. We talked about what might happen when we mixed everything together and the children noticed how the texture changed from crumbly to smooth as we combined it in the bowl.
Once the dough was ready, the children used rolling pins to roll it out on the table. This required concentration, coordination and hand strength. They experimented with how much pressure to apply, adjusting their movements to make the dough flatter and more even.
We then introduced biscuit cutters of different sizes and the children were able to choose which size they would like to use. Some selected the larger cutters, noticing they made “big” biscuits, while others chose the smaller ones, comparing them and commenting on which would make “more.”
The children carefully pressed the cutters into the dough and lifted them independently, demonstrating developing fine motor control.

The creative area this week has slowly been turning into a Jurassic world!

‘Can we make a volcano?’ NF

‘It needs to be red and yellow cause that’s the colour of lava.’ BS

‘It’s all sticky on my hands.’ AK

‘Do you know I’ve seen a real volcano before?’ AP

‘We made a real volcano its over there but it doesn’t have real lava coming out of it.’ AP

‘I want to make a t-rex.’ MMc

‘Can I make a hot air balloon.’ MS

‘Do you know dinosaurs lived 55million years ago.’ EB

‘It needs spikey bits.’ AP

‘See dinosaurs, I think they have massive poops.’ MMc

‘I’m making a unicorn, do you know I actually really want to see a real unicorn.’ MMc

‘I’m going to wrap this  round like a big mountain.’ AP

‘Dino poop, I seen that at the movies.’ AC

‘I’ve got brown at the stalk and the leaves are the green.’ MMc

‘Dinosaurs lived 145 16 100 years ago and then what happened the big freeze. Actual looked like a real freeze. Know how the dinosaurs died, they comed and the comet hit and the lava hit and it freezed the dinosaurs.’ AP

‘Do you know dinosaurs are magic? They can fly like dragons. Pterodactyls are the goodest of them all and they fly.’ MMc

‘The funny one has the neck on it.’ AP

‘The dinosaurs lived before humans.’ GMc

‘I’m making this for the dinosaurs. They roar so loudly and knock down trees.’ JG

‘They stomp so loudly.’ AK

‘They have pickles on their faces.’ JG

‘Dinosaurs lived a long time ago, they were really big and also had big feet and they had a swimming pool. The lake was their swimming pool.’ MMc

‘Well I did  watch something about dinosaurs and there was a big fire, it was like a big fireball a long long time ago and all the dinosaurs had only bones left.’ RF

‘They stomp their feet and they roar.’ AF

‘I found a dinosaur in my garden.’ ML

‘I know about prehistoric things. Did you know there is a dinosaur called a terasaur. They are the biggest and there’s all types of them. The biggest terasaurs are even bigger than a giraffe and some can fly. But the biggest terasaur are dinosaurs but they are flying lizards like reptiles and that’s what they are. Dinosaurs eat anything.’ CE

‘We could make dinosaur bones and dinosaur teeth and paint them yellow.’ CE

‘We could call it dinosaur village.’ MMc

This week in the discovery area the children have continued their curiosity of magnetic forces. The children explored directional movement as they positioned their bodies and magnets  to direct the metal ball through the paint to create their directional marks. The children worked together to create their collaborative art work and used positional language to describe their movements.

HC “It feels like the wind” ( magnetic forces)

RF “There is a big metal bit inside”

“ I need to go quite fast to make it move”

MM “ my magic wand is a magnet”

BH “when it spins it means it turns”

This week in the discovery area the children have also looked at the digital artist David Hockney and have made positive attempts to replicate some of his art using our whiteboard interactive screen. The children were able to discuss the art work and say what they liked and disliked and explored the visual elements within their mark making such as line, colour, and pattern.

RL “ this one is of trees, they have patterns on it-this is a spotty bit”

BS “I need to go on a chair for my long lines”

“I’m already an artist, I draw pictures for my mummy at home and she loves them”

“There is little blue dots and lines”

NF “I don’t like that one- I don’t like the big blobs”

“I like the one with the trees and sun”

“ I’m doing big marks for the trees”

In the sewing area the children have been using lists to plan and make choices in their day. They have shown an interest in creating their own characters and puppets, using paper to design and tracing their ideas onto fabric to decorate and sew. 

Some of the children have been helping Ms Lafferty to create a new wall display for our sewing area. 

This week we have been exploring numeracy and mathematics outside through different games. We have been using our gross motor skills to get the basketballs and footballs in different nets, we split ourselves into teams and kept score of our points by using tally marks. We have also been working on our mark making skills and reading different types of dice. In doing this we created a game where we circled the number or the amount of dots we had, we were able to match the dice to these.

This week at the discovery area the children have continued their interest in magnets and have tried some fishing with magnets. The children made positive attempts to capture the letters and numbers and differentiate between the two. Some of our learners were also able to differentiate between upper and lower case letters. There was also curiosity as to some of the magnets that had mathematical symbols which we will continue to explore. 

HC “Now I’ve got two numbers and one letter now”

JK “I’m getting all the big letters”

AY “I’ve got a big A at the start of  my name and a little a at the end”

NM “Looked I catched my letter-its red

In the creative area this week we’ve been busy, making collages with various recycled materials. FM created a lovely bird and I.C-I made a detailed aeroplane.  

At the water table the children have been washing the ‘babies’, and we’ve been discussing the importance of keeping our bodies clean, linking to Health and Wellbeing.

In the malleable area the children explored malleable materials while revisiting key themes and ideas from The Tiger Who Came to Tea. They investigated volume and capacity through practical play and engaged their senses by tasting flavoured tea. Using iPads, children researched tigers, learning where they live and what they eat. They sequenced tigers by size, using mathematical language related to size and measure, and shared discussions about what they eat for their own dinner or tea.

Through sensory mark-making activities, children hunted for letters and numbers in flour, developing early literacy and numeracy awareness. While exploring gloop, they created shapes, letters, and numbers, strengthening fine motor control and supporting early writing skills.

Children developed fine motor skills through threading activities while practising number recognition. They explored numbers that come before and after, sequenced numbers from 0–20, and matched number patterns, supporting their understanding of number order and relationships.

Children experimented with sculpting and moulding clay, developing hand strength and creativity. Some children created the initial letter of their name, leading to discussions about letter sounds and words that begin with the same sound. Children shared and talked about their design ideas with others, supporting communication and confidence.

Using balance scales, children compared size and measure and made predictions about which side would be heavier. They learned that the quantity of objects does not always reflect weight and applied touch-counting skills and one-to-one correspondence during the activity.

Children developed hand-eye coordination while engaging in the tower game. They practised subitising, touch counting, and number and colour recognition as part of their play.

During block play, children strengthened hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills as they explored which size elastic band would fit on each block. They compared the size of elastic bands, created colour patterns, and used touch counting to find out how many bands were on each block. Children also explored numbers as quantity by identifying who had the most bands.

This week in the block area the children have been talking a lot about castles and have made their own using different sizes and shapes of blocks. We had a look at some pictures of real life castles in Scotland and spoke about who might have lived in them in the past or present. The children really thought about their models and considered how they could make the walls, doors, windows, and other details including a moat, bridge and towers.

We also continued to talk about symmetry this week and some children used the mirrors to look at the reflections of their structures before creating the other side. Some children were able to create large scale models with a line of symmetry also.

This week in the block area, we have been continuing to build small scale model houses. We have also been beginning to explore symmetry using the larger blocks. 

AE “My mummy tells me about symmetry at home with my lego.”

ZB “No jumping in the castle!”

FMcG “Only 4 persons in here!”

Some children have started to show an interest in 3D shapes and are beginning to discuss their properties when exploring the cards and the blocks. 

ML “It has 4 sides too, that’s the same. That one is longer. It’s pointed.”

This week in the discovery area the children have been exploring the five basic senses. They first went on a senses hunt and recorded what they could see, hear, smell, touch, and taste within the playroom and demonstrated excellent observation skills. The children made positive attempts to record their findings through their mark making and were able to use descriptive language to communicate what they had found. From this the children then had to guess what was in the magic bag but without using their sight, relying on their other senses and showed excellent focus and concentration. The children also took the opportunity to share their likes and dislikes when it came to smell and tastes.

SC “It feels rough and smooth at the same time, it could be a circle because I can put my thumb in it” (wooden cup)

MM “Textures means different feels”

CE “ It’s bumpy, not heavy and its making a crumpling noise-I think its a cricket” (tin foil)

AE “I like the smell of diesel”

MK “Our nose helps us smell- I like the smell of cheese”

ML “ It smells like the lavender fields in Amsterdam”

Also this week in the discovery area the children have continued their interest in magnets and using magnet tiles to create their constructions. We introduced metallic loose parts for the children to add additional details to their creations and create some transient art. The children showed excellent creativity and problem solving skills whilst they explored forces through construction.

AS “I’m putting bells on mine- jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way!”

MG “It’s not metal, I know because it doesn’t stick”

SW “I’m putting it on the black bits because that’s the sticky bit”

KN “I’m making a monster with lots of eyes and lots of legs”

In baking this week the children have been looking at traditional Scottish recipes as we celebrate the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The children were tasked to share, take turns and use their measuring skills. The children looked at the ingredients they needed for the shortbread, and they  asked lots of questions around the process.

‘Why does the butter look so fluffy when you add the sugar?’

‘The flour is soft’ – R

‘The flour is fluffy’ – JK

‘The sugar is a bit hard’ – FMc

‘I can smell the butter’ – OC

They experimented with kneading and rolling the mixture and also took responsibility for what hygiene steps to take before they began, for example;  washing their hands and putting aprons on. The children talked about the different shapes of their various shortbreads. One  child recalled their grandparents having shortbread with their cup of tea.

This week in literacy we have been celebrating Rabbie Burns. We have read books about his poems, Scottish history and landmarks to introduce them to people from the past. “Did he live a long long time ago?” Learning Scottish words such as bairn, greetin, tatties, neeps, loon, quine, auld, and heid which has brought great hilarity to the literacy area. We chose to focus on the song 3 craws which introduced the children to more Scottish dialect. “It’s fly not flee”, “I live in Scotland”, “potato is a tattie”, “it’s not greetin for his maw its crying for his mummy”. So watch out for your bairns coming hame to sing about 3 craws and ask for neeps and tatties for their tea!

https://www.google.com/search?q=bookbug+3+craws&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari&safe=active

This week in the malleable area we have been working on developing our fine motor skills. We have been practicing spreading, cutting, using tweezers, spraying and making marks using different tools.

During outdoor play, the children took part in making bird pancakes, which provided a meaningful opportunity to develop their fine motor and spreading skills. As they used utensils to spread the mixture, they practised controlled hand movements, grip and coordination, building strength and dexterity in their hands and fingers. The activity also encouraged concentration and independence, as children carefully managed the tools and materials. This hands-on, purposeful experience supported physical development while engaging children in a practical task connected to caring for the natural environment.

This week in the art area we have been exploring symmetry. The children started off the week by creating designs using a folded piece of paper. They explored how their patterns can be replicated on to the other side of the paper by folding it over and pressing down to transfer it. We discussed the concept of a line of symmetry and looked at some examples of this.

Later on in the week we then extended their learning by setting the challenge of creating their own symmetrical pictures. We used mirrors to support their understanding and discussed how we needed to use the same shapes and colours on both sides. The children made some lovely transient art pictures using the frames and different resources. 

This week the children went for a walk to Mearns Library. On the way, we spoke about safety. The preschool children paired up with the ante-pre children to show them how to stay safe when walking on the pavement next to a busy road.

We walked through the field and then onto the main road. CC told their partner to “stay on the inside of the pavement because he was little and it was safer.” The children stayed together in a line as we walked along the road, around the car park, and into the library.

While in the library, the children followed the rules by staying quiet. They chose some stories, which we read together in the library. After each story, the children shared their views, talking about what they liked and anything they didn’t like.

This week in discovery we have been exploring symmetry using the Top Marks app 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/symmetry/symmetry-matching. This helps the children develop an understanding of mirror image, matching properties and line of symmetry.

Today, the children were in the sand pit digging holes to create a loch (lake) with pathways leading into it as rivers. The children collected some water, but when they realised it wasn’t enough, Mr McIntosh brought the hose so they could observe what flowing water looked like.

As the water poured into the sand pit, the children used their problem-solving skills to direct the water from the starting point to the loch they had created. They noticed that the water was not flowing properly because the sand was blocking its path. To solve this, the children dug trenches to form rivers, allowing the water to flow in the direction they wanted. They also built dams using walls of sand to prevent the water from flowing the wrong way.

Working together, the children successfully made the river flow around the entire sand pit, creating an island in the centre. Some of the children then found plastic balls and placed them in the water to observe the direction of the flow, further exploring how water moves.

In the home corner, the children explored a variety of vegetables through hands-on measuring and weighing. They carefully sorted the vegetables by size and used the balance scales to make predictions about which ones would be heavier or lighter. This playful activity encouraged curiosity, problem-solving, and early mathematical thinking as the children tested their ideas and talked about what they noticed.

This week, the children have been exploring spatial reasoning and structural sturdiness by designing both large-scale environments and small-scale models. While building with the larger blocks the children have been creating structures, during these experiences they practiced gross motor coordination and collaborative problem-solving to ensure their “buildings” remained stable and balanced.

 The children have also been working with the dollhouse, allowing them to refine their fine motor precision and engage in  narrative role play, demonstrating an emerging understanding of proportion, interior design, and social roles.

This week in the sewing area the children have been practicing their weaving. Weaving on a cardboard loom helps young children develop fine motor skills, hand–eye coordination, and concentration. The simple, tactile process supports early problem-solving as children learn patterns and sequences, while also encouraging creativity and self-expression. Weaving can be calming and confidence-building, giving children a sense of achievement as they create something of their own.

In the art area this week the children have been making some winter pictures. We discussed the recent change in the weather and looked at some books about weather. We learned how colours can often reflect different weather types (e.g blue and grey for rainy and stormy, and yellow for the sun) and we considered this when making our pictures.

Leading on from our discussion of colours we also mixed some paint together to make some new colours that we could use in our pictures. The children also experimented with how to make their colours lighter or darker.

This week in the block area we have been using our creative and imaginative skills, we have been exploring interior designs. We have created living spaces in our dolls house and designed each room. We have also been moving our design process with the bigger blocks to create our own wardrobes and bedrooms and even added small details, such as where we put our shoes at night. 

We have explored space with our rocketship, working on our fine and gross motor skills by moving the parts of the spaceship and adding in different loose parts to decorate their spaceship. 

The children have been exploring the ice that they found in the outdoor area due to our recent cold spell. The children spoke about how it was water and that due to it being very cold it became ice. The children then tried cold water to melt it and then used warm water and found it melted quicker with warm water.

In the hall we had some football sessions with the children playing the warm up bean game and then doing some control with the ball. The children dribbled round some cones controlling the football and then shot the ball into the goal.

This week in discovery one of the children discovered that the magnetic tiles ‘stick’ to the metal tins. This sparked an interest in finding what else is made of metal in nursery. We carried out a ‘metal hunt’ around nursery with a magnetic tile, finding lots of different objects. This started conversations about what things are made of. It also prompted queries about why something looks like metal but the magnet wouldn’t ‘stick’. Google came in handy!!
Some children used this new knowledge to create models such as “a metal birthday cake” and “a big castle with turrets”. 

We will continue to explore this topic to support developing early understanding of forces, sorting and matching, language and vocabulary, imagination, creativity and design. 

Over the past few days we have been making trips out into the woodlands and into our local park. The children have been exploring ice and telling stories of ice skating. We spoke about how ice comes to be on the ground and on surfaces of different things and then how it goes away! There were also discussions around food for the birds as they couldn’t get into the frozen soil to get the worms out. The children also recalled past visits to the woodlands and things that had changed in the environment, such as the mushrooms disappearing/changing appearance.

Simoa came to the park and there were lots of discussions around how to keep themselves safe, such as around dogs, around water, sticky feet and staying with a trusted adult.

‘Not touch the doggies as they might bite you’ – YK

‘Guys do this if you see a doggy’ – JW

‘We no walk out the gate as you might get lost forever’ AP

‘Not run or you fall and you bleed and ambulance come out’ – KN

‘We could hold hands because you have to hold hands when you’re walking on the pavement, you might slip on ice and your bottom will get all ice’ -AL

‘Look to see there were no cars and it was safe to cross’ -BF

Why is a zebra crossing called a zebra crossing? ‘Because it’s black and white stripes like a zebra’ -BF

‘Look the mushroom, it burned’ – MB

‘Miss Goldie do you remember that was a hill and I put an X there’ -JW

‘Oh no it makes noisy cracks and I can see the water’ – JW

‘We’ve found a plain bit of water, let’s try and crack it’ – JW

This week the children have had a truly magical time attending the Crookfur Christmas Carols and visiting Santa’s Grotto, filling the nursery with festive cheer and excitement! Our carols were followed by a warming hot chocolate and a sweet treat! A huge thank you to all our parents for coming along and supporting the event — your involvement helped make it a memorable and joyful festive celebration for everyone!

This week we had our fun and festive Santa Dashes! The children and adults dressed up, listened to some Christmas music, played games, ran together and enjoyed some Christmas cheer! This was a wonderful opportunity to promote both physical activity and holiday spirit! Here are some pictures!

This week in the malleable area, the children have been exploring different seasonal smells that you might smell more of at this time of year. We have been exploring these smells within our play dough, so far we have had vanilla and cinnamon, salted caramel, ground ginger and hot chocolate play dough. We have had lots of fun using our problem solving and critical thinking skills when guessing the different smells. 

“Look my gingerbread man, he has eyes and a smile” RJ

“Chocolate – decorate the leaf now” QC-I

“It looks like a sausage roll, but smells like chocolate” SS

“I’m making cookies for Santa” BF

“1 cookie, 2 cookies,3 cookies, 4 cookies, 5 cookies, 6 cookies, 7 cookies, 8 cookies, 9 cookies, 10 cookies!” AR

“I added the flour… it feels quite hot” ES

“Cinnamon” ES

“I made a snowman” ES

“ I want to make a Christmas tree… I want to make a baby Christmas tree” KQ

“My mummy has a Christmas tree” KQ

In the literacy area this week we have been continuing to explore weight and size through parcels. The children have been role playing a post office which we are now transforming into a Christmas workshop. The children are currently voting on the name of the workshop, by doing this they are exercising their right to their voice being heard (article 12). The children have also been writing and creating cards, practising mark making of familiar words. 

This week in the sand we have been exploring weight and balance! We have been using our large balance scales to compare the weight of various items around the nursery. Here are some lovely quotes!

“When I put more in it went up by itself, you need to get more sand to make it go all the way to the  floor” YK

“ I moved this button and it made this one go down when I pushed it up that one went up again, now they are both the same” YK

“It’s not balancing because it’s moving, when it don’t move it’s balancing” MM

“Can you help me lift the bucket, I’m pouring a little out but it’s too heavy” AK

“ I had the most but A had it up so we don’t even know who is the winner” MM

“What would happen if this one was heavy and that one was heavy , they would go in the middle?” JW & IR

“It’s not working that one has a big bit of sand and that one only has a tiny bit” AK

“Mine is almost at the top that one is further down” JW

“I know,  we can put that one on the top, then that one on. That’s definitely going to be the heaviest” JW

“This one is high, this one is not heavy. That one has gone down and this one up” SS

“We are going to write down how heavy it is, ok shall we measure them. Yours feels really heavy” MS

This week in the block area there has been lots of creative construction going on. From tunnels to bridges, bat caves to castles and snack shops to towers. There has been lots of problem solving, risk assessing, creativity, collaborative and imaginative play. The small world resources and loose parts have been used within these structures to bring imaginative play to life. 

Following conversation with the children and observing their play, we decided the area needed to be bigger to allow more children space to play and to accommodate the larger constructions, obstacle courses and ball runs. So far this has proved to be successful bringing in more children with big ideas. 

In the creative area, the children have been developing their fine and gross motor skills, whilst mark making, with Christmas baubles and non standard mark makers. The children took turns of talking and listening, as they discussed the festive season and what their Christmas trees looked like. In addition, the children learned that people celebrate a variety of festivals and that not everyone celebrates Christmas. Some children shared ways in which they celebrated Eid. The children enjoyed describing their creations, to their peers.

In the water area, the children choose to create a ‘winter themed’ provocation. They were challenged to use the tongs and small scoops, to count quantities of Pompoms and bells, then match them to a value of up to 10.. Some children decided to ‘feed’ the sea lions, penguins and polar bears, quantities of ‘food’. Furthermore, the children learned how water can change from water into ice. They discovered that it related to the temperature being above or below 0 degrees.

We have been exploring how asteroids made craters on the moon and testing which ball or rock would make the biggest crater.  This develops the children’s mathematical and scientific skills of prediction, observation and discussing of findings.

“If you drop it like this it will make a bigger explosion cause it’s harder.” Clark

“Sometimes you can see the moon in the morning.” Hamish

“When a meteor zooms and crashes, some of it falls to Earth.” Sam

This week in the literacy area we have been explored weight through parcels. We have been measuring, estimating and ordering parcels in relation to the weight and size of them. We have also been using appropriate descriptive language such as heavy, heaviest, heaviest, light, lighter and lightest. We have created a post office which the children are exploring as a role play experience.

In our malleable area there have been lots of conversations about the sun, moon, stars and planets this week. We have used a range of materials and books to support and extend this learning interest.

“Last night I saw a banana moon.” Harris

“I want to be an astronaut.” Luke

“Ice is colder than snow.” Eilidh

“Mars is cold.” George

“I’ve drawn the biggest planet.” George

This week we had some more of our East Ren football taster sessions within Crookfur Family Centre, these can be followed by a one-off taster session at a Mini Kickers session within their community programme. The children enjoyed working on their football skills. Here are some pictures below!

This week in the art area the children have been experimenting with large scale mark making. They explored different ways of applying their marks by doing it at a distance with pencils being attached to sticks and by using multiple pens at the same time, helping to develop their fine motor control and hand eye coordination.

In response to the change in weather the children have shown interest in all things icy. To support this curiosity the children explored cause and effect through ice painting and were able to use their big gross motor movements to create their large scale marks. This experience encouraged children to cross the mid line supporting emergent literacy skills.

We explored ice further within the water tray as the children explored their transformation schema as they added materials to change the appearance of their materials. The children  considered time within this experience and were able to make predictions based on their observations as to how long it would take for the ice to melt.

MK ” It will take to five ‘o’ clock”

MM ” You get salt water in the sea”

BH ” Its 30-thats half an hour”

EB “The salt made it stick”

In the block/small world area we have been developing our engineering skills further  by working together to build an even bigger ball run than last week. We used our problem solving skills to work out how high the platform needed to be and how many pipes were required to allow the cars and balls to travel further. We then had to find suitable materials to build a steady platform to reach the height needed. Once we did that we used strong tape, blocks and chairs to join and support the pipes. 

Once it was built it was time to try it out!! The children soon worked out that the best things to use were small balls and cars as they travelled the fastest and furthest distances. Trying out items such as bricks, people and trains resulted in blocked pipes which resulted in more problem solving in how we would get them out. Banging pipes, using metre sticks and heavier cars all did the trick. 

This ball run has been popular with everyone this week so we look forward to seeing where our little engineers take us next. 

This week was Book Week Scotland! Book Week Scotland is an annual celebration of books and reading, where we build upon our existing reading culture and make reading fun for everyone. The theme this year was Friendship. We had lots of exciting experiences planned throughout the week which included Bookbug sessions, discussions around friendships, as well as trips out to the library and local bookshop. Here are some pictures of a few of our outings below!

In the malleable area this week the children have been following their spark of ‘the weather’, we have been keeping track of the ever changing weather. We have been able to see and describe outside as ‘frosty’, ‘rainy’, ‘cold’, ‘wet’ and ’icy’. From this the children have been exploring the concept of change, specifically the transformation from ice to liquid. They excitedly observed the frozen water melting in their hands and bowls, discussing how the ‘hard, cold’ ice turned into ‘soft, wet’ water.

Later in the week, the children’s curiosity extended into a sensory exploration using shaving foam to mimic snow.  Using their senses to investigate the texture, scent, and visual appearance of the ‘snow’. They were able to manipulate the foam, successfully creating their own unique snowmen by using loose parts to create different parts of the ‘snowman’ and other snowy creatures. The children were working on their social skills and developing on their communication and vocabulary with their peers and with a supporting adult. 

“It feels like snow” OH

“Look, two christmas trees, I need to decorate it” YK

“It is kind of cold” CS

“Smushy, smushy, smush” AL

“It’s so soft” RM

“I’m making a snowy mountain” GMcL

“No it’s cookies for Santa” SD

We have been learning about the sun and sources of light and exploring shadows.  The children always amaze us with their knowledge and theories.  

“Your shadow moves when you move.”

“The sun follows you around.”

“Mercury is the fastest planet.”

This week in the block area the children have been creating ball runs using different sized pipes and balls. These started off as simple one piece structures and progressed into more complex runs which needed multiple pipes with blocks and chairs used to support and make them higher. This activity is an early introduction to forces, problem solving and mathematical language such as higher, lower, faster, slower.

In the small world the children wanted to race cars so we used tape to mark out a start line, they chose a ‘ready, steady, go’ person to start the race and decided that there was room for 5 racers at a time. This supports children to work collaboratively, develop listening and waiting skills and also introduces forces. 

In the tuff tray we have been using different measuring tools to see how tall the animals and dinosaurs are. This also introduces mathematical language and shows the children the many ways we can measure.

This week was the start of our East Ren football taster sessions within Crookfur Family Centre, these can be followed by a one-off taster session at a Mini Kickers session within their community programme. The children enjoyed working on their football skills. Here are some pictures below!

In the sewing area the children demonstrated creativity as they worked collaboratively to design and make clothes for the smartest giant in town.

They they drew around Mr McIntosh to create a life-sized outline and named him Mr McGiant

They used mathematical language and problem solving skills whilst using measuring tapes and rulers to measure, compare sizes to find the right  lengths of fabric for the giant’s shirt and trousers and developed fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination whilst cutting the fabric, threading the needles and sewing buttons and ribbon to decorate the clothes.

They created and copied patterns using the book as a reference point and many were able to recall large parts of the story

Children demonstrated perseverance as they took part over several days . confidently communicating their ideas, negotiating roles, and supporting each other throughout.

This week, the children have been discussing the qualities of a good friend. The children decided to draw their friends and reflected on ways that their friends made them happy.  Whilst doing so, the children described the characteristics of their friends. They discovered that everyone is different and unique. Throughout our discussions, the children took turns of talking and listening and also shared strategies that they can use if they are feeling sad or frustrated. 

In addition, the children shared ideas, relating to shape and detail. They decided that circular and oval shapes were best for drawing a head and a body. Some children included triangular shapes for dresses and clothing. Throughout the week, we have also been investigating the differences between the properties of a square and a rectangle. We identified that both shapes have 4 sides. 

The children recognised that it was important to write their names on their art work. We discussed each letter shape, its sound and words that begin with each initial sound. Furthermore, we explored the letters, in our name, during printing activities and whilst searching for our letters, in our alphabet soup (waterplay) activity. The children were developing their fine motor skills, whilst using the tweezers, to transport the letters and whilst painting with various non standard mark makers. This type of activity helps to develop the hand muscles required for effective pen control and handwriting. 

This week in the sewing area the children have been using loom bands on boards to create pictures and letters of their name, this helps to build on their hand and finger muscles and develop further their fine motor skills. The children have also been continuing from last week sewing buttons onto fabric and using different stitches. Another activity that children have been participating in is tying ribbons onto the board for an autumn colour display. These activities help to improve their fine motor skills and require focus, precision, hand-eye coordination and dexterity as they manipulate small objects.  

We have also had a special visitor to the sewing area, we have been very lucky to have a grandparent of one of our children come in and teach us about sewing, we have been learning the names of different tools used in sewing and all about being safe with needles. Thank you so much for coming in and teaching us! 

“I want to make an angry lion, a fierce and angry lion” JK

“I want to do a love heart, I picked orange thread” AM

“Can I use different colour ribbons? I like the orange, yellow and green ones like the leaves on the ground” AM

“I get big buttons to put on” HS

“I’m just sewing” SG

“Look how long this ribbon is!… mine is longer than yours” AK

The children went into pairs and played “What a Performance” board game. They took turns to roll the dice and moved their character forward the correct number of spaces, carefully counting each square as they went. Each space had a different type of activity — Act, Do, or Say. Mr McIntosh selected the card and read out the instruction for the children to complete. The children carried out a range of fun challenges such as pulling silly faces, walking in a funny way, or thinking of something that begins with the same letter as their name.

The children waited patiently for their turn, showing good listening, cooperation, and turn-taking skills. They demonstrated early numeracy as they counted the dots on the dice and the spaces on the board. The activities encouraged creativity, imagination, and confidence as the children acted out different ideas and expressed themselves through movement and language. They supported and laughed with one another, helping to build positive relationships and social interaction within the group.

In our discovery area this week the children have been building with both magnets and cubes. Both of these help foster core developmental skills. Children engage in critical thinking, problem solving, logical reasoning and learning through trial and error. They are both open ended toys, allowing children to express themselves and build a limitless variety of structures, from castles to spaceships. They are also great for fine motor skill development and hand eye coordination. Building also introduces STEM which offer hands-on introductions to basic principles of science (gravity, magnetism), technology, engineering (balance, stability), and mathematics (geometry, patterns, symmetry, measurement). 

In the block area the children have been continuing to build some large houses and bridges, using their problem solving skills and creative thinking. We have seen some great team work and collaboration.

We have also been exploring numbers in the tuff tray, using the numicon and pom poms. We used the tweezers to add pom poms to the holes in the numicon and then touch counted to find out how many we had. Some children were also able to subitise to identify the number of holes. We then found the matching numbers written on the tray.

We have had a wonderful and somewhat wet time out at woodland this week and had the pleasure of welcoming some of our parents to join us on our woodland adventures! Here are some pictures of our pop in and play woodland sessions.

The children have been developing their curiosity and problem solving skills in the garden as we continue to explore things that change, e.g. colour change, items that float and sink. They have been using their investigation skills whilst making predictions regarding items that will float and sink. 

“I’m doing science.” JG

“I can do it higher than you.” JG

“Red and yellow make orange.” JG & RP

“The sponge is floating.” JG

“It’s deep.” RP

“I can touch all the way to the bottom.” AR

“The bucket is too heavy.” ZG

“This is soo much fun.” BF

“It’s floating cause it has soo much density.” JG

“Mixing colours is so cool.” BF

“If you put more water in it it might sink.” BF

“I want to turn it into yellow. Is that just right?” JW

“I filled it yellow up to the top.” JW

“I squished to number 10.” JW

In the malleable area the children have been using tweezers in a fireworks number match game. The children had to find the numbers in the fireworks, identify them and then match them to the different number boards. Some children chose to group them by colour instead of numbers. As well as helping children to develop their numeracy, using tweezers offers numerous developmental benefits, primarily by strengthening fine motor skills and preparing children for every day tasks like writing!

This week at the sewing table we have been exploring embroidery using embroidery rings and calico. The children have been learning how to thread their needles, tie knots and how to manipulate the needle safely through and back. We provided a range of coloured thread and buttons of all shapes, colours and sizes to allow freedom of choice and to explore their own creativity. 

Embroidery is such a calm and nurturing experience which encourages children to focus and persevere on a task, develop their fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, problem solving and positional language. 

Everyone really enjoyed this activity with some children asking to do it over and over again. It could be a great Santa gift!!

Following on from The Three Little Pigs story and provocation, we have been exploring building bridges and developing our problem solving and design skills to help the small world people cross the river! The children have been using a variety of loose parts, blocks and other resources to build bridges. We have been talking about the different types of bridges and their properties, discussing how they are connected, how steady they are and their height. 

BF – “You’ve got to connect them. The sticks can help or we could use leaves so they can float on them. Stones sink, they’re heavier than leaves. It’s a tall bridge now.”

SD – “I can count up how big it is. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. We need more blocks”

QCI – “It’s a long bridge I’m making. I’m going to make a walking path. They’re sinking, it doesn’t work!”

IQI – “Look at this big bit!”

We have also been exploring designing our own buildings. The children have been drawing their building designs and then bringing the designs to life in the block area. 

RU – “I want to make Elsa’s castle. This is the sides and the walls, this is the sitting room. Let’s check if it’s the right height. I think this castle needs a sign on the door.”

IH – “We need safety hats on”

RP – “I’m drawing my house, I’m a builder. That’s the door here and a window, look, come and see!”

Inspired by Halloween the children have been interested in exploring the story ‘Room on the Broom’ in our literacy area this week. We have been using puppets and props to tell the story, working on our story sequencing and making our own ‘rhyming potions’ by matching the rhyming words. We have also been creating spooky stories of our own, designing front covers and becoming authors and illustrators.

“The dragon comes at the end to make her witch and chips” BF
“She loses her hat first” MM
“Rat rhymes with hat and cat” NP

In the malleable area this week the children have been letter dunking! They have been looking for letters to explore letter sounds and to create both spooky and non spooky words with the support of the adult. The children used their fine motor skills to use the large tweezers to retrieve the letters from the magical potion! The children were tasked to create a name for the game and some of their ideas included ‘the word and letter potion’, ‘pumpkin soup’ and ‘lava rock’. 

The children explored the force of the wind today, using the scarves.  This led to lots of discussing and sharing of ideas.  They looked closely at the direction of the wind and talked about where the wind might come from, where it was going and what types of material it might move.  The children suggested what types of wind might move heavier objects – “ a stormy wind” AS; “a whirlwind” JW.

“Make it higher, we can’t lift it up” RP

“It’s sticky!” AAe

“Mine is at the top.” MB

“It’s blowing (the ribbons) like the scarves.” MG

We even made up a magic spell to try to get the scarves to fall down:

“Abracadabra, ziggety zoom, make our scarves fall doon.”

🧙‍♀️Spooktacular Sewing Skills 🪡🧵

Our sewing area is looking super Halloweeny, and the children have taken on an epic challenge: making their very own trick-or-treat bags. The children are developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they concentrate on threading their needles and making those tricky stitches. This activity is a fantastic workout for their concentration and persistence. The children get to be creative designers by picking their own materials, and they’re learning to follow instructions and problem-solve when things don’t go quite right. We are so impressed with their effort, and we know they’ll be so proud to show you and use their unique, handmade bags.

🎃 Welcome to Our Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch!🎃

The sand area has been completely transformed into a gorgeous Pumpkin Patch, and the kids are loving the imaginative play! It’s been non-stop fun mixed with some  numeracy and mathematics. The children are all taking on roles—farmers, shoppers, and shopkeepers—which is fantastic for the development of social skills and learning how to communicate and take turns. For numeracy, they’ve created their own pumpkin patch shop with a till into the patch, turning it into a brilliant chance to practice coin recognition! They are using simple transactions, learning the real-world value of money as they “buy” and “sell” the ‘harvested’ pumpkins. Beyond money, the children have been counting, focusing on numbers 1-10 and sorting the pumpkins by size, small, medium and large.

In our creative area we have been exploring different senses around the seasons of autumn.

Sight: still life in the centre of the table with different texture and objects relating to autumn. 

Sound: Exploring materials that sounds like “crunching leaves.”

Smell: Adding scents, herbs and spices to paint.

Touch: Using different textures of materials to feel and select to create  

In the block area we have been exploring the story of The Three Little Pigs. We used different materials to create houses for the pigs and explored which material was the strongest to use by trying to blow them down. The children were able to use the skill of recall to explain and remember key points throughout the fairy-tale.

“It looks so yellow here” AC

“That’s because it’s Autumn…” GMc

This week we have been out exploring and spending time in our local woodland. The children spent some time talking through some of the safety elements of their trips to woodland and used big ticks and crosses to mark things they thought were safe/unsafe in their surroundings, which led to lots of rich discussion. The children spend time categorising sticks into sizes as well as using sticks to see who could reach the highest height! There was also a game of hide and seek!

This week the children have been exploring different ways to use the large plastic pipes. We have used them when making models such as houses and machines, and explored different ways to balance them. The children have enjoyed rolling different resources down them to see which ones roll the fastest. We discussed size and speed as we explored how to change the gradient of the pipe using the blocks. We also compared this to rolling things down the ramp and discussed why one was faster. The children demonstrated great problem solving and creativity!

In the discovery area at the end of the week the children were curious to explore Sid, our skeleton.   They expressed an interest in the height of the skeleton.   They selected a pole as a guide to measure their height against it.   There was a lot of mathematical language used such as; ‘biggest’, ‘smallest’ and ‘shorter’. The children also used the skill of estimating. Measurements were taken and Sid’s bones were counted!

BS  “206 bones in the body is a lot.”

OH “I am the smallest.”

JG “I am the tallest.”

As we celebrated the festival of Diwali this week in nursery the children created their own Diwali lights using clay and using various resources to decorate them. The children were able to talk about the importance of the candle.

“It’s the light festival and people have them on the path” OH

The children also spoke of seeing the fireworks displays for the festival.

The children have also been exploring different textures and the insides of pumpkins!

This week in the art area we have been creating stone glass windows using cellophane. We have been exploring 2D shapes by choosing and identifying a 2D frame to make our window. Some children have been discussing autumn seasonal colours and we have talked about the changing colours of leaves as the children have been creating  “autumn windows.”

In the water tray the children have been exploring if objects float or sink. They have been collecting and organising information on a table. They have also been using their prediction skills to predict if the object will float or sink.

In the sewing area this week we have been focusing on autumn fun and festivals! 🍂🎃✨

The children have expressed interest in Autumn Leaves, Halloween, and have learned about the festival Diwali. For Diwali, children used wool to weave and thread vibrant, circular Rangoli patterns. This helps in developing fine motor skills for  control and understanding pattern and colour. To connect with autumn and Halloween, the children safely used scissors to cut out foam leaf shapes and constructed spooky spiderwebs. They used risk assessment skills throughout this process and worked on how to hold and use the scissors safely. This developed their hand-eye coordination and their ability to design their own creations, this also  helped them build confidence in their own creativity and ability to solve simple design challenges.

This week in our discovery area we have been focusing on our positional and directional language. We have been following a theme from ‘We are Going on a Bear Hunt’ book. The children have been creating their own maps and then bringing them to life on our real life coordinate grid.

“I’ve got my map we go up, across and back 2 times” JW

“We go down and then up and then this way” FMc

“Were going round the spider wed then down to the forest then up again” ZB

“Across to there and up to the airport and then to the fishes and you go across” SD

“You go this way and it goes down and then back up here then back down” ZG

“You go there and there and there and up and down and left and right then the bears in the tunnel” KN

“That’s the nursery, we go through the very long grass then up the hill then through the very deep blue river. Then through the squelchy mud then into the big dark dark dark cave then we go in. Then we see a big nose, 2 eyes, a smile and 2 legs. It’s a bear! That’s the story of the bear hunt” CS

“I need to do the numbers first. First we need to go past the grass and past the storm. Then the deep cave, there’s a bear in it then up and up a bit and then across at the explosion from the tornado. Then up and across to find the bear” JW

“Can I follow my own map”

“I need blue for the river. Is this how you do an arrow?. Down then a loop the loop then we stop at the arrow. We have to go back then stop at the river then go across the bridge” B

We have also been exploring with our digital technology cars (sphero cars) and using our problem solving skills to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’. The children have been exploring with the mats which make the cars go in different directions and have been using both directional and positional language alongside this.

“It went forwards! (to the bakery)” – JW

“Two green just make it go forward” – JW

“Forward then left” – RG

“Straight and then right” – SW

“I’m going here and then straight, straight, straight” – JW

“Green means go!” – SBW

“Red means stop” – RL

This week in the creative area we have been going on a bear hunt. The children have been retelling the story, while creating their works of art. Some of the materials used were grass, sticks, mud, cotton wool, blue water using pipettes and charcoal crayons. 

EB – “I put the mud on before the forest. I forgot about the cave and the snowstorm”

NF – “They’re running away through the grass. The pool comes next and then the forest and snowstorm” 

FMcG – I got sea on the bear. I think I’ve got too much grass. What else do I need? Oh, I forgot the snowstorm” 

AF – “Do you want to come on a bear hunt with me? I need some wavy grass and water” 

BF – “Squelch, squirch” 

In our outdoor area this week the children have been leaf painting. Leaf painting can help with fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. It also helps foster children’s creativity and self expression. The children have been exploring natures colours, textures and shapes.

This week the children have been filling up their socks with sand and then attached them to the washing line using pegs. We noticed how some socks were heavier than others and we discussed how the volume of sand affected the weight. The children used the language of full, empty and some.

We then introduced the numicon and the children identified that the pieces with more holes would be heavier. We estimated which pieces would be heavier and lighter, and tested it out using a coat hanger to see which way it moved. The children could discuss how we know which is lighter or heavier and we worked on identifying higher or lower numbers. Some pre-school children also joined the pieces together as we explored how to add two groups together to make both sides of the scale equal.

This week in the sewing area, the children have been exploring wool to make pom poms!  The children have been winding wool. Winding wool and performing other early years sewing activities help to build fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and finger dexterity, which are vital for writing and other tasks!

We have also been exploring Halloween and making spooky wool ghosts!

Thank you to those who attended our Grandparent’s Pop in and Play. It was lovely to have our special visitors in to play! Intergenerational work in early years involves creating opportunities for young children and older adults to interact, build relationships, and engage in shared experiences, benefitting both generations by fostering empathy and communication skills in children and leading to improved well-being for all involved. Here are some wonderful pictures.

This week in the sewing area we have been busy making our very own puppets based on characters from ‘The Gingerbread Man’ story. The children drew their characters on foam and then cut them out themselves, before sewing things on to them. They used buttons for eyes, wool for hair and used the thread to make a smiley mouth. Some children took these home and others kept them to use in our puppet show which one of the children suggested we have.

The children decorated our homemade theatre using pens, glitter and sequins and then it was time to start our show! The children had great fun acting out the story and were able to recall the events from the book. They took on the roles of different characters and used different tones when talking as the characters. Some children also made up their own stories and acted these out too!

This week in the literacy area the children have been exploring letters of the alphabet.They continued to match their upper case letters and their case lower case letters (big letters to baby letters). The children also went on a letter hunt around the playroom and the garden and made positive attempts within their mark making to replicate the letters that they found developing their letter formation.

This week in the creative area we have been using the emotion mirrors to talk about and draw how we feel. The children have spoken about what makes them feel happy, sad, excited, angry, nervous, worried and sleepy. We have been looking at the details on our faces and how they change when our emotions change. 

ML – I’m happy when I get peace and quiet.

FM – I get sad when I miss mummy, daddy and my sister.

NF – I get surprised about going on holidays and when it’s my birthday. 

JW – I’m excited that Mrs Howie is in today. 

OC – I get happy when my friends come to my birthday party. 

This week in our outdoor area we have embraced the very wet weather and made use of the learning opportunities rain brings! Even in the wet weather our children like to explore our outdoor area. The children have also been designing and creating at our woodwork bench in our outdoor classroom and you can see some of their wonderful creations below! 

This week in the literacy area the children have continued to show an interest in space. The children were excited to discover that their ladies and Mr McIntosh had taken a trip to the moon and brought back some special moon dust for them to explore. The children engaged in a sensory exploration of the materials they used their fingers and brushes to create their marks. The children attempted to replicate upper and lower case letters, shapes, patterns, and numbers and some of  learners were able to differentiate between the letters and numbers and even match the ‘mummy letters’ with the ‘baby’ letters.

RS “ That’s a picture of Miss Queenan on the moon”

AS “ I’m making a big circle”

FC “I’m making an ‘F’ for Finlay”

This week in the sewing area the children wanted to make their own bracelets for themselves and their friends. They concentrated and persevered as they worked to thread the beads onto the string. We are also beginning to learn to tie knots as we secured our bracelets on to our wrists.

The children have also been working on their independent sewing skills as they made collages with the shapes. They chose which shapes and buttons to sew on to the foam and created their own pictures to take home.

In our small world area this week the children have been further developing their measuring, designing and building skills. The children explored with small world and magnetic tiles, using the magnets to make creations to extend their play. Small world naturally encourages the creation of stories. Adding magnetic tiles allows children to build settings which will inspire deeper narratives. The children were experimenting with building stable structures using magnetic tiles and then spent time figuring out how these interact with the small world characters! 

In our creative area this week the children have been spray water painting with spray bottles containing diluted paint. This is a fun, messy and engaging art activity which they sprayed on to boxes, almost as a target practice! This activity promotes fine motor skill development, hand-eye coordination, creativity, and colour exploration and as you can imagine the children thoroughly enjoyed it! 

We are working towards our Green Flag Award at the Family Centre. This is an internationally recognised achievement for schools and nurseries committed to Learning for Sustainability. Flags can be seen flying outside our schools all over Scotland. We hope to have one flying outside ours in the not too distant future! This week we have been out helping the community and helping to Keep Scotland Beautiful by litter picking in our local area! The children really enjoy going out and doing their bit and there was lots of discussion around how this protects our local wildlife too!