When you are out a walk with your adult or in the garden, see if you could spot any minibeasts!

Lift up a log, stone or plant pot and see what might be hiding underneath.

Creative Arts, Family, Fine motor skills, Learning at home, Loose Parts, Mark Making, Sensory Play, Technology & Construction

Family Learning

March 19, 2020 Mrs Toman 2 Comments

Learning at Home

Below are some fun activity ideas that could be done at home.

If you wish, you could share pictures of your learning in your learning journal.

Act Out a Story

Act out a scene from one of your favourite books. You could use costumes, props, make your own puppets and even set up a stage!

Mark-Making

Find interesting materials to draw and write with. These could be messy materials like paint and mud.

Make Play-Dough

Make playdough with

2 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbs. oil and 1 cup water. Add food colouring, glitter or herbs and spices.

Missing Number

Write out a line of numbers (e.g. 0-10). The adult should cover a number for the child to figure out which number is missing.

Loose Parts

Find interesting objects like bolts, marbles and pine cones. Use them to make groups of 5s etc.

Junk Modelling

Use up some of the items in your recycling bin to make models. These could be robots, buildings or inventions.

Counting Games

Counting tins in the cupboard, estimate the number pasta shells in the jar and count the steps in the house.

Threading Pasta

Make some jewellery using string and pasta. You can decorate your shells with paint or glue and glitter.

Watch the Clock

Keep an eye on the clock for o’clock times. Have a think about the time of day that you do different things like have your meals and go to bed.

Matching Coins

Find some money and sort the coins into matching groups. Can you recognise the £1 coin? Practise spending your money at the shops.

Sensory Play

Fill bowls with different sensory materials like rice, jelly, gloop (cornflour and water), soapy water and cereal. Play in them all, try to describe how they feel.

Take Photographs

Take photos of different scenes. This could be family, your toys, plants or interesting patterns.

Below are some useful links for online resources:

https://www.storylineonline.net/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-songs-index/zhwdgwx

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/get-squiggling-letters-mobile

https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/fun-ideas-learning-at-home/fun-ideas-ages-3-4/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/curations/nursery-rhymes

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting

https://www.funwithspot.com/

https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html

http://www.bobthebuilder.com/en-gb/activities/more

http://www.kidspsych.org/index1.html

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/offer

https://www.science-sparks.com/science-and-stem-challenge-cards/

http://www.vooks.com

http://www.bigbrownbear.co.uk/magneticletters/index.html

https://resource-bank.scholastic.co.uk/

https://www.learningandexploringthroughplay.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga

https://www.abcearlyyears.org.uk/index2.html

https://www.robinhoodmat.co.uk/learning-projects/

Apps

The Hello Atlas

Bookbug

BBC iPlayer Kids

Alphablocks

Numberblocks

Community, Creative Arts, Family, Imaginary Play, Mark Making, Natural World, Outdoor Learning, Performance, Technology & Construction

Welcome Spring !

March 18, 2020 Mrs Toman Leave a comment

Below is a selection of the Spring banners our children created to decorate the hall for our Daffodil Tea. They practised their Spring songs to sing to parents and visitors and thus helped raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Well done to all the children and a big thank you to all who supported the event!!

Community, Mark Making, Natural World, Outdoor Learning, Science, Sensory Play

Super Science

March 17, 2020 Mrs MacLeod Leave a comment

The children have been busy investigating and discovering through lots of exciting Science Experiments during STEM fortnight. They have been testing, describing, asking questions and observing results.
“I’m wondering what would happen if…”

Adding the vinegar…	….and bicarbonate of soda to make a gas to blow up the balloon.
Magnet experiments: “You can make it move from under the table!”	Our new BUG HOTEL. Who will visit….?

Making Bird Food with raisins, maize, mealworms and lard.	Studying the different bird species.
Adding the thread for hanging the feeders.	The children loved watching Professor Eco

Wandering Water and Colour Mixing Experiments	“I am wondering what would happen if we mix blue and red…” “It makes purple.” “We need the paper to test it.”
“What happens if we do it like this?”	Using droppers to create patterns with the colours we mixed.

Creative Arts, Eco Learning, Literacy, Mark Making, Natural World

Saving the Planet

March 11, 2020 Mrs MacLeod Leave a comment

As part of STEM fortnight, the children have been reading Greta and the Giants (the story of Greta Thunberg). In the Story Box they explored which animals are endangered through habitat destruction and made their own signs to say “Stop”, “Help” and “Save Our Planet.”

The children created a frieze from the story – making a forest, drawing the giants, people and houses, and writing signs.

Exploring the Story Box	String printing to make the jungle grasses

“I want to make a Stop sign.” EH
“We’ve drawn the giants.” EP
“This is all the houses.” FD
“That says Help.” SF
The giants “smashed the trees… I drew all the people – the big people and the little people.” LM
“Litter” (is dangerous for sea turtles) MF
“Did you know that in China they are chopping down the bamboo that pandas need to eat?” IMM
“Orangutan! That’s King Louis. What do they do in the trees?” EH

Family, Literacy

Author Visit for World Book Day

February 29, 2020 Mrs Toman Leave a comment

Local author (and Busby Nursery mum!) Breea Keenan and illustrator David Nichol will be taking part in World Book Day celebrations, presenting their brand new rhyming picture book Nessie’s Selfie on Friday 6 March.

Breea will read the story to Busby Nursery and Primary One pupils and lead a discussion around its themes of inclusion, equality and friendships. David will talk through the book’s map of Scotland and will also show the children some of Nessie’s Selfie concept artwork.

The children will then be able to colour in their own Nessie monster which they can bring home – so please make room on the fridge for some new Nessie artwork!

To order a signed copy of the book for your child, which costs £7.99, please email: hello@newsofnessie.co.uk to arrange a bank transfer. A signed copy of the book will be delivered to the nursery/school.

Community, Health & Wellbeing, Literacy

Library visits

February 27, 2020 Miss Henderson Leave a comment

Some of the children have been visiting Busby Library this week. They were so excited to learn about all the different activities going on in our local community library.

Peter the librarian read us some lovely books and told us how to join the library.

We voted for our favourite book and ‘Wolfie the Bunny’ won. “I loved the bit when Dot said she would eat the bear from the toes up, it’s a bit scary but funny”.

Health & Wellbeing, Music and Dance, Outdoor Learning

Check Out Our Moves

February 26, 2020 Mrs MacLeod Leave a comment

The children have been very busy and active in gym, working their hearts, muscles and imaginations in Creative Movement. They have been moving it to Jazz music, Swing, Salsa and Techno!


Make your move and copy your friends	Fly like a superhero

They also like to move it outdoors and in the MUGA, where they have been developing their core strength, jumping, balancing and ball skills.

Imaginary Play, Literacy

We are Poets, and We Know It!

February 25, 2020 Mrs MacLeod Leave a comment

The children have been enjoying exploring rhyme through fabulous books like “Oi Frog” & “You Can’t Let an Elephant…”, alongside Rhyme bags, Story props and Rhyme Fishing in the Water Tray. They have taken great delight in generating their own rhymes, inspired by the books, and have come up with some great rhyming lines!

“Miss MacFarlane sits on a darling.”(EK)
“A rocket sits on a docket”(EH)
“A giraffe sits on a path.” (NN)
“Never let a bee come to tea.” (IMM)
“Don’t give a scare to a bear!” (EP)
“Don’t give a coat to a goat.” (MN)
“Don’t let a bear sit on your chair… or your hair” (FD)
“Don’t let a bunny eat your money.” (EC)
“That’s not a song because it’s just words. A poem is a thing that rhymes.” (HN)


“Honey… and money.”	“Pig rhymes with wig!” “The wig is too… BIG!”

“Goat goes in a….boat.”	Fishing for Rhyming Objects in the Water Tray. “Egg rhymes with peg!”
“Tree rhymes with me.”	“What rhymes with petal? That is made of metal!” “And it rhymes with Gretel… and kettle!”

Community, Creative Arts, Eco Learning, Gardening, Literacy, Mark Making, Natural World

Bring on Spring!

February 24, 2020 Mrs MacLeod Leave a comment

The children have been learning all about how things grow, as we look forward to Spring and also our Spring Event next Thursday morning, March 5th.

The children used cupcake cases, paper quilling, chalk, pen, scissors, crayon and glue to create their individual daffodil designs:
“I know a different way to do it.”
“All I did was fold it in and cut it like this.”

“The trumpet part is orange.”
“I’m going to twist it round by myself.” (quilling)

Planting Iris Bulbs: we have planted indoors and outdoors, and are comparing how quickly bulbs grow in the different environments.

“Put a seed in, water it and wait till the sun comes.”
“One of my iris bulbs turned into a white flower.
The other one was yellow.”
“The bulb is round.”
“It has roots.”
“Mine has grown big.”

Rhyme of the Week

Family Learning

Welcome Spring !

Super Science

Saving the Planet

As part of STEM fortnight, the children have been reading Greta and the Giants (the story of Greta Thunberg). In the Story Box they explored which animals are endangered through habitat destruction and made their own signs to say “Stop”, “Help” and “Save Our Planet.”

Author Visit for World Book Day

Library visits

Check Out Our Moves

The children have been very busy and active in gym, working their hearts, muscles and imaginations in Creative Movement. They have been moving it to Jazz music, Swing, Salsa and Techno!

They also like to move it outdoors and in the MUGA, where they have been developing their core strength, jumping, balancing and ball skills.

We are Poets, and We Know It!

Bring on Spring!

“Put a seed in, water it and wait till the sun comes.”
“One of my iris bulbs turned into a white flower.
The other one was yellow.”
“The bulb is round.”
“It has roots.”
“Mine has grown big.”

Singing “Ten Little Daffodils” and imitating how they grow.

As part of STEM fortnight, the children have been reading Greta and the Giants (the story of Greta Thunberg). In the Story Box they explored which animals are endangered through habitat destruction and made their own signs to say “Stop”, “Help” and “Save Our Planet.”

The children have been very busy and active in gym, working their hearts, muscles and imaginations in Creative Movement. They have been moving it to Jazz music, Swing, Salsa and Techno!

They also like to move it outdoors and in the MUGA, where they have been developing their core strength, jumping, balancing and ball skills.

“Put a seed in, water it and wait till the sun comes.” “One of my iris bulbs turned into a white flower. The other one was yellow.” “The bulb is round.” “It has roots.” “Mine has grown big.”

Singing “Ten Little Daffodils” and imitating how they grow.

Keep up to date with what we're getting up to in nursery!

“Put a seed in, water it and wait till the sun comes.”
“One of my iris bulbs turned into a white flower.
The other one was yellow.”
“The bulb is round.”
“It has roots.”
“Mine has grown big.”