The Red group have been really busy developing our literacy skills, including gross and fine motor skills. We have been using loose parts outdoors and indoors.
Wonderful Weaving
Creating Recipes
BookBug Visit
Scissor Skills
Category Archives: Outdoor Learning
Super maths with green and blue
Over the past few weeks the children in the Green and Blue group have enjoyed learning all about shape and numbers. Have a look at all the fun experiences we took part in while developing our early numeracy skills.
The children sorted and identified shapes whilst taking part in “tap tap” and transient art activities, they then used these shapes to make objects.
They have also used a variety of media to make shapes, including paint printing and mark making in shaving foam.
Blue and Green group took part in number activities and displayed confidence when counting out and matching corresponding numbers with picture cards.
The Latest Action with the Reds! 💥☄️
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 been 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.
The Red Group Rev into Action! 🚘
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, the children 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 Group 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.
Back in the Swing of it! ☀️🌋🦕
It has been wonderful to see all the smiling young faces back at Busby ELCC and to welcome all our new children into the ELCC family.
In these early weeks the children have settled in very well, enjoying one another’s company and trying out all that is on offer.
In Arran building the Pink and Yellow groups are currently based in the Katrine playroom. Here many of them have shown a strong interest in dinosaurs, so we have been reading lots of dinosaur books and facts, making fossils in moulds and salt dough bones, and creating a dinosaur landscape with a working volcano….
Making Fossils
Painting our Dinosaur Landscape
Making an eruption (with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda)
The children have also been enjoying lots of sensory experiences with ice shapes, sand, shaving foam, herbs, petals and water.
Making play dough for the day
The children love their regular sessions outdoors and in the MUGA , developing and showing off their physical and creative skills.
Rainy days not a problem…
Exploring the Gruffalo story sack (Literacy) and experimenting with Shapes (our current Numeracy focus)
At Snack time we wash our hands, then choose our snack if we’d like one and chat with our friends.
At group times we have been playing Spin the Bottle and talking about our feelings using stories, character puppets from Inside Out, and by placing our names on our Feelings Board.
COMING SOON….
News of the Red, Blue, Purple & Green groups coming soon – so keep your eye on the blog!
Look Who’s Growing…!
Hello everyone,
We hope you’ve been able to enjoy time outdoors in the good weather we’ve had. There have been a few rainy days too, which helps plants and flowers to grow, and gives animals and birds a much needed drink, or bath…
As Spring starts to move into Summer, new life has been growing fast, like these beautiful wild lupins and buttercups that have sprung up at Darnley Dams.
How many different colours of flower can you see?
Have you spotted any baby birds or animals about?
There are baby robins, blackbirds, blue tits and sparrows all coming out of their nests just now.
Baby robins hatch from blue eggs like this one.
At first Mum and Dad Robin feed their babies in the nest like this. (Look at those 3 hungry beaks…!)
When the baby robins grow bigger they learn to fly.
About now they look like this, with a speckled tummy.
(Their tummy does not turn red until they are older).
They are about the same size as Mum and Dad, but more fluffy…
Mum and Dad will now be teaching them how to look for food. Until they learn how to do this on their own, Mum and Dad still sometimes feed them beak to beak in the bushes.
(Mrs MacLeod was lucky enough to see this happen in her garden.
This is her “pet” robin taking some food for his 2 babies.)
And if you live anywhere near a big pond, at this time of year you might see baby ducks (ducklings), or baby swans (called cygnets) like these ones. Cygnets are grey and fluffy when they are little.
How many cygnets can you count here?
Have you or your family been watching BBC Springwatch in the weekday evenings? It shows you all kinds of amazing animals and birds that are being born all around the country. To give you a taste, take a look at the short video below, Woodland Wonders, with sights & sounds from the woods. It’s so peaceful to watch just before you go to sleep… Click on the green text link.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08fqgk0
Watch and see which animals & birds you can spot…
and Listen…. What different sounds can you hear…?
If you have any photos of interesting things you have seen growing, please send them in via Twitter or the school email.
We could put them together to make our own gallery of what is growing all around us…
And how about you?
Have you grown in the Spring too?
Have you learned to do new things like the young birds?
Let us know!
500 Mile Challenge
We have set a challenge for all of our families and staff to contribute to- with a shared goal of walking 500 miles. If every family and member of staff managed to walk 2 miles over the course of the week (starting from Monday 15th June), then we would reach our target!
What do we need you to do?
- plan a route together. This may be 2 miles all at one time or a series of shorter journeys.
- Take a photo or video clip of you completing your 2 mile walk (this should only be 10 seconds or less)
- We will use these photos and videos to create a whole school montage
- Wear something yellow and black for our ‘Buzbee’ theme
- Tweet us @BusbyPrimary using the #BPS500miles
Hopefully by Friday 19th June, we will reach our 500 mile target!
It’s Time for Superheroes Sports Day!
On Thursday June 4th it is time for our
Superheroes Virtual Sports Day!
Are you ready?
Although we can’t all get together this Sports Day, your Busby ELCC staff are all with you in spirit and have been working out and preparing ideas of how to join in from home. Below is a selection of slideshows & videos we have prepared for you, which we hope might inspire you
(and perhaps also raise a few smiles 😁)
Which Superhero will you be? Which challenges will you try?
Click on the green text links below for our videos and slideshows:
Introduction from Mrs Toman
Here is a compilation of what the Busby Staff have been up to for Sports Day!
Click on the green heading:
Busby ELCC Sports Day
Video Shorts:
Miss Hampton’s Garden Obstacle Course
Miss Baikie’s Paper Javelin Challenge
Mrs Marshall’s Superhero Potato & Spoon
Mrs Marshall’s Cushion Hurdles
Mrs Small’s Sponge Batting
Mrs McCarron ran into a problem with her beanbag, but luckily she has superpowers…
Mrs McCarron’s Beanbag Balance
Recycled Skittles with Mrs McInnes
For more Superhero Yoga, click here:
Avengers Yoga
If you fancy making Thor’s Hammer for a Family Hammer Throwing contest, click on the green text below for easy instructions:
Make Thor’s Hammer
Warming up for Superhero Sports Day
We will very much miss being with you all for this year’s Sports Day on June 4th, but we hope to try and hurdle over a few obstacles by holding a Virtual Sports Day for all our Superhero children.
Superheroes are tough, superheroes are strong, they persevere, they overcome obstacles, they have amazing super powers, they all have a special talent. And we know you are all Superheroes. So we hope you will enjoy taking part in a garden or open space near you or even indoors! As you can see, Mrs Toman and Mrs Small have been busy warming up in the Hub.
We would love it if you can send us some photos of what you do via Twitter or the school email. Costumes welcome, but optional!
There are many different ways to keep fit and healthy and in the run up to Sports Day we will be sharing a few ideas with you all. Below is a link to a presentation about the Muddy Movers programme, which we have been running for the past 3 years in Busby ELCC, followed by a few ideas of how to keep this going despite lockdown!
Just click on the green text link below to view, then get ready for some Superhero action…!
Muddy Movers Virtual Sports Day
Outdoor Classroom Day, May 21st
Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to inspire and celebrate outdoor learning and play. It was born in 2016 with the mission of getting as many children as possible playing and learning outside because:
“Play is not only central to children’s enjoyment of childhood, but teaches critical life skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and creativity.”
Additionally we know that connecting with nature can boost our mental health and well-being and so can be a great way to try and take care of ourselves in these challenging times.
For the past few years, on Outdoor Classroom Day, schools and nurseries have taken all their learning outside for the day. This year in our different circumstances the campaign’s priorities are “to share ideas about connecting to nature and bring people together to celebrate the outdoors.”
The two links below have great ideas on fun, rewarding things to do on Outdoor Classroom Day, May 21st (or any other day!). They include ideas from the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts & the Natural History Museum, as well as ideas for Indoor Nature Activities, Water Fun, Fitness and Weekend Family Fun.
Hope you have lots of Fun!!
https://outdoorclassroomday.org.uk/
Maypole Madness Activity Pack.pdf
In addition below are ideas from your Busby ELCC Team showing some nature experiences the nursery children have enjoyed in the recent past and which you could try at home, including ways to connect with nature both indoors and out:
 Watch the birds and feed them if you can. See how many different types you can spot. Look out for their babies! |
 Take photos of nature you see. You could draw or paint from them and make up your own book of Nature. |
 Mrs Small met this snail when hanging out her washing today. |
 Mrs MacLeod spotted a peacock butterfly in her garden and ducklings on a pond near her house. |
 Make a Hotel (or log pile) for Bugs or paint some Flower Pot people. |
 Use up old spices, oats, coffee, veg etc & water to set up an Outdoors Kitchen & cook up something new… |
 Create smelly potions outside using a little water in a jar and adding some wild garlic (which is out in the woods just now), dandelion etc. |
 Paint a stone for the NHS, or paint number stones or story stones and use them in storytelling and counting games. |
 Plant some seeds in old yoghurt pots, then watch them grow. You can create a water sprayer from an old spray bottle. |
 Have outdoor adventures with toys and write their stories (e.g. “The Ape who didn’t like getting wet…”) |
 Fill different containers with water, freeze, then paint the ice shapes outside, watch them melt and experiment… |
 Go on a Rainbow colour hunt. Can you find something in nature in every colour of the rainbow ? |
 Sort foods into fruit, veg, seeds, leaves, roots etc. Have fun dissecting them, examine their parts, plant some of their seeds. |
 Paint nature indoors or outside. |
 Press flowers between sheets of kitchen roll, placed inside heavy books. (Leave them a day or two). |
 Make a Fairy Garden inside an old drawer or seed tray, indoors or out. |
Find a quiet spot to sit in peace for a while. Lie on your back outdoors, watch the clouds and listen to the sounds…
