This week the Yellow and Pink groups have been taking part in a range of different Literacy experiences.
They loved their Bookbug session with Mrs McInnes, where they were reading Shark in the Park on a Windy Day and practising rhyme together through song and puppets.
Later they gathered around the Story Box to take part in reading the seasonal classic “Room on the Broom” with plenty of props.
“We need to add some red fire for the dragon!”
“WHOOSH! They were gone!”
The children have been focusing on the initial letters of their name, identifying them and tracing them using Transient Art objects like green pasta, play dough, beads.
“That’s my letter. It’s a D.”
“We both start with A!”
They also experimented with different forms of mark-making, using a range of utensils.
The children are using Name Stones to identify their names when they arrive each morning.
Category Archives: Fun
September Days with the Yellows and Pinks ššš
As Summer turns to Autumn the children have been learning about what is growing and changing with the seasons. The Yellow and Pink groups have been exploring Autumn through song and role play, making leaf prints, counting conkers and acorns, and choppingĀ apples and plums from the trees to find their seeds. We have been talking about harvesting and where different foods come from:
āCarrots and potatoes grow in the ground.ā āApples and pears on trees.ā
āThatās wheat… it gets made into Weetabix!ā
Autumn role play corner in the Katrine Room.
The children painted an autumn frieze after looking at art by David Hockney, Gustav Klimt and Andy Goldsworthy. They wanted to make bats and fairies to add to the forest and glued on real leaves.
They later designed Autumn fairies using wooden pegs and leaves.
Chopping apples and plums, using hammer & nails to create squash hedgehogs, and designing leaf people.
Using leaves to copy a repeating pattern and create designs.
This week the children wanted to make a Safari Park for wild animals. They were fascinated to read the brochure from Blair Drummond Safari Park and tried drawing their own maps of it.
They also modelled a cave for the bears using Mod Roc with balloons, powder paint and water.
In Numeracy we have been learning about pattern.Ā At Together Time the children identified, described and matched different animal patterns.Ā Ā They practised their aim and number identification with this Beanbag number game. Watch them in action!
If you would like to sing our Autumn SongĀ with your child, here are the words (the tune is The Farmerās in his Den). Ā Have fun!
Autumn time is here, autumn time is here,
Itās getting very chilly now, ācos autumn time is here.
The leaves are falling down, the leaves are falling down,
Yellow, red and gold and brown, the leaves are falling down.
The animals gather food, the animals gather food,
Nuts and seeds and juicy fruits, the animals gather food.
The farmers gather crops, the farmers gather crops,
Peas and beans and broccoli, and we can eat them up.
Purple Group Adventures
The Purple Group have settled back into Nursery life really well.Ā We have been establishing old and new friendships, following routines and learning lots of exciting things.
We have been spending aĀ lot of time outdoors, accessing all aspects of the curriculum.
We love getting our wet suits on and exploring in the rain.
We have been exploring symmetry through a variety of different experiences.Ā The childrenĀ created butterflies and used transient art to develop their awareness of symmetry in their local environment.
Making tea in the water tray stimulated our senses. We have enjoyed taking part in a lot of different sensory activities across the playroom and outdoors.
The Latest Action with the Reds! š„āļø
The Red Group have been having plenty of Outdoor Action recently, experimenting with herbs in their Mud Kitchen, and practicing their throwing, catching, balancing and other physical skills.
Using a rope and recycled bottles of water, the Reds investigated forces, weights and volume. They tested their problem-solving skills as they used a pulley to hoist up the water.
“This is the Machine Maker.”
Watch the children creating a conveyer belt process with the tubes and bark pieces, using teamwork and imagination.
Indoors the children have been exploring Numeracy using autumnal natural objects, and in Literacy they have beenĀ really enjoying the story of The Disgusting Sandwich, using Hanen techniques and exploring the meaning of descriptive words.
Technology
We have been exploring technology using the Beebots, sending them in different directions.
We have also used the App pictured below on our iPads to work out how to say words and phrases in different languages.
Fishy Things going on… š
Nature isĀ fascinating!
Ā In Arran Building, the Pink and Yellow group children have been showing great curiosity about sea creatures, so weāve been learning more about Ocean Worlds in various ways :
“Can we read this big book about shells?ā
“What is this fish called?ā
Weāve been reading fishy stories & books of facts to discover about different types of fish, like lion fish & deep sea angler.
We made our own Sea World, then designed fish and fishing rods using magnets and paper clips. Watch us trying to catch them!
“We need to make some seaweed for it.ā
“Thatās a whale shark. Itās the biggest fish.ā
“Look, Iāve caught two anchovies.ā
āI caught a number 3.ā
The children explored with their senses as they felt the scales of a real mackerel and described what they observed:
āItās cold and slippery…ā
ā…green and blue, shiny, feels soft…ā
āTail helps it swim. Thatās the bit that the eggs come out… thatās the fin.ā
RockĀ Pool role play and nature investigations with bladderwrack seaweeds and shells.Ā “It feels slimy” (seaweed)
“I’m being a whale shark… This is a baby stingray.”
“I can hear something in the shell….I found a limpet!”
Expressive Arts:Ā
The children have also been expanding their creative skills by trying out different art techniques including collage, printing, and paper marbling with inks and oil. They used mashers to print turtles and clay to model starfish and other creatures.
We practiced numeracy skills through some fishy games.
“I counted 8 shrimps!”
Sink or Float: In Science experiments, we made jellyfish with balloons and string. When filled with air alone they floated too high. One of the children suggested it would sink more if we added water inside, so we did… We also tried adding a little oil and sand.
āI saw jellyfish floating in the water on my holiday.ā
āThey’re soft, yellow and redāĀ āThey have tentaclesā āThis one’s a babyā
āLook what it’s doing. It’s making a current….a whirlpool.”
More Science experiments: trying out salt to melt the frozen icebergs, and making ocean slime.
BusbyFlix
BusbyFlix
Take a look at our BusbyFlix!Ā Open the PowerPoint by clicking on the picture or title above.Ā Play the slideshow and select a book.Ā Here you will find some of your favourite books read by some of your favourite teachers…
The Red Group Rev into Action! š
The Red Group are currently based in the Lomond Room in Arran building. They have been eagerly exploring the characters in the exciting story of Supertato and have been role playing his adventures and daring rescues.
In Early Science experiments, Ā the children Ā tried different ways to free the peas from inside the frozen ice, adding salt, hot water and using various tools.
The Red Group have also been studying different vegetables and talking about how and where they grow. Then they made their own vegetable characters using different resources and re-enacted some of the key story scenes from Supertato.
“My favourite bit is when Supertato runs!”
“They put him in the jelly…”
“He wanted to kill the vegetable market…”
At group times the Red GroupĀ have been enjoying songs with actions, story-telling and talking about their feelings.
Outdoors they have been busy catching rain, puddle splashing and investigating forces with ropes (after reading the story of the Invisible String.)
Mixing powder paint with rain and experimenting with colour.
Using gloop to play and experiment with colour and shape.
