The Purple group went on an Autumn Walk, exploring their local environment, hunting for signs of Autumn.
We successfully found conkers, pine cones, beautifully coloured leaves and lots of sticks.
When we returned to Nursery, we matched, sorted and counted all our findings #mathsweekScotland
We created different autumnal scenes using the leaves, pine cones and sticks from our Autumn Walk.
Inspired by our Autumn Walk, the children have been fascinated to learn more about Autumn. We have been reading books about Autumn, ‘The Very Helpful Hedgehog’ and ‘Christopher Pumpkin’ were voted our favourite by the children this week.
Inspired by these books the children have been using their imagination, creating their own stories, retelling the stories and recalling their favourite parts and characters.
We have some beautiful Autumn provocations to inspire us and allow the children to explore and encourage their interests and expand their knowledge.
After reading The Gruffalo’s Childtogether, the Red group children were excited to create their own puppets and put on shows using characters from the story, and characters of their own. They experimented with torches to create lighting effects in their cardboard box theatre.
The Reds have also been very creative at building houses with peas and cocktail sticks. At the Junk Modelling table the Yellow and Pink group children came up with all sorts of innovative ideas, creating “a flag”, “a drum”, “a butterfly”, “a robot”, “a Dino Detector”, “R2D2”, “a bubble palace for tiny wee invisible people” and “a hamster run“. It’s amazing how many ideas emerge from a bit of rubbish, some tape and string…
A flag created at the junk table was tested out and flown in the wind outside.
Creative ideas with Rice:
“We made a cake with candles. Shh, it’s a surprise!”
Creative Cookery: making banana smoothies. They were “yum!”
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.
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 chopping apples and plums from the trees to find their seeds. We have been talking about harvesting and where different foods come from: ”Carrots and potatoes grow in the ground.” “Apples and pears on trees.” “That’s wheat… it gets made into Weetabix!”
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.
David Hockney’s autumn woods
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 Parkfor 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 Numeracywe have been learning about pattern. At Together Time the children identified, described and matched different animal patterns. They practised their aim and number identification with this Beanbag number game. Watch them in action!
If you would like to sing our Autumn Song with your child, here are the words (the tune is The Farmer’s in his Den). Have fun!
Autumn time is here, autumn time is here, It’s getting very chilly now, ‘cos 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.
The Purple Group have settled back into Nursery life really well. We have been establishing old and new friendships, following routines and learning lots of exciting things.
We have been spending a 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. The children 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 Red Grouphave 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.
Nature is fascinating!In Arran Building, the Pink and Yellow group children have been showing great curiosity about sea creatures, so we’ve been learning more about Ocean Worlds in various ways : “Can we read this big book about shells?” “What is this fish called?” We’ve 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.” “That’s a whale shark. It’s the biggest fish.” “Look, I’ve caught two anchovies.”
”I caught a number 3.”
The children explored with their senses as they felt the scales of a real mackerel and described what they observed: “It’s cold and slippery…” “…green and blue, shiny, feels soft…” ”Tail helps it swim. That’s the bit that the eggs come out… that’s the fin.”
Rock Pool role play and nature investigations with bladderwrack seaweeds and shells. “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:
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.
“I saw jellyfish floating in the water on my holiday.“ ”They’re soft, yellow and red” “They have tentacles“ ”This one’s a baby” “Look 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.
Take a look at our BusbyFlix! Open the PowerPoint by clicking on the picture or title above. Play the slideshow and select a book. Here you will find some of your favourite books read by some of your favourite teachers…
The Red Groupare 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.
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 buildingthe 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&Greengroups coming soon – so keep your eye on the blog!
Keep up to date with what we're getting up to in nursery!
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