All posts by Mrs MacPherson

Developing Numeracy and Fine Motor Skills During Snack

The children independently select and prepare their own snack in the nursery. They are developing skills across the curriculum –  remembering the sequence of tasks to be performed – washing hands, posting snack name, selecting a plate and cup. They are developing number recognition and counting skills as they check the signage to see the quantity of each item to choose.

The children have the opportunity to use knives to spread butter or to chop soft fruit increasing their fine motor skills. They also have the chance to think about basic maths concepts as we discuss cutting the banana introducing vocabulary half, quarter, equal and whole.

Childsmile Visit from Mandy and Alex

Today we had a lovely visit from Mandy and Alex who helped us learn about looking after our teeth.  We learned what makes our teeth feel sad and all the things we can do to keep our teeth healthy.

The children discussed their knowledge and understanding about sugar inside our food and drink making our teeth feel sad.

Archie shared.

“Sweets and juice are bad cause they have sugar. The sugar fights on your teeth.”

 We should limit the number of times our teeth are under acid attack by having food and drink containing sugar at meal times.

Joshua and Amelliah told us you need to brush your teeth two times – in the morning and at night.

Samuel explained.

“You get germs on your teeth that make them sore.”

Connor added.

“Brush your teeth or you get cavities.”

We were reminded about the best tooth brushing routine.

Use a dry brush and apply toothpaste.

We joined in  the rhyme.

” Not a lot – just a spot of toothpaste.”

Remember to spit out the toothpaste when you finish brushing. “Toothpaste is for teeth not for tummies.”

Don’t rinse your mouth with water as you want to keep the toothpaste on your teeth. The fluoride continues to protect your teeth after you brush.

Amelliah remembered. “Toothpaste has magic powers.”

“Then clean your brush -tap,shake,rack!”

Mandy from Childsmile advised -visit your dentist twice a year.  Fluoride varnish can be applied to children’s teeth at the dentist from 2 years to 5 years 11 months. If you don’t have a dentist call 01592 226555 who will be glad to help.

Promoting a Growth Mindset in the Nursery

The nursery children have been learning about their brains. Melissa brought in a model of the human brain so we could take a closer look!

There is a display in the corridor sharing our learning.

At nursery we promote a growth mindset. The children are learning that as we practise, make mistakes and listen to feedback we make connections in our brains . The more connections we make the greater the opportunity to make our brains grow and we increase the ability to improve and learn new skills.

Jack talked about his brain.

“It helps you to learn to write your name.”

William has been developing his numeracy skills.

” I was practising putting numbers in a row.”

Archie uses his growth mindset to encourage himself to learn new skills.

“I can put my coat on but I can’t do my zip yet.

I am practising doing my zip.”

What We are Learning about Harvest Time

The children have been talking about the fruit and vegetables they have been growing at home and in the nursery garden. Other children have shared that they have seen combine harvesters in the fields around the village or on their farms. The children have begun developing this interest on our current Learning Wall. We would love to hear how the children are continuing this interest at home.

We tasted some of our produce and bought some broccoli at the local shop after seeing it was being cut in the field at the village. The children helped to prepare it for snack. They were developing their fine motor skills, numeracy skills and health and well being as they discussed  eating the healthy snack.

Our new starts are enjoying learning new routines and independently selecting and serving their own snack.  They are developing their decision making skills and are encouraged to try different foods with their peers. Afterwards they enjoyed washing their own dishes and brushing their teeth. The children are thrilled at the opportunity to develop their independence.

 We welcome  families who would like to come and share experiences and skills with the children in the nursery. Please let nursery staff know if you would like to do this.

Bookbug Sessions September to October

Welcome back! We are resuming Bookbug activities from Monday 4th September 2017. We would love to see parents, grandparents and carers .  Please encourage members of the community to come along – all are welcome to attend and share the free story, song and rhyme sessions with their babies , toddlers and pre-school children.

Monday 4th September

Monday 11th September

Monday 18th September

Monday 25th September

Monday 2nd October

 

9.15 am till 9:45am

And

12.45 pm till 1.15pm

 

Transition Visits With P6 Buddies

The P6 buddies have been visiting the nursery getting to know the children, developing positive relationships and building confidence which will help them settle in Primary.

The children worked together using loose parts in the garden to build dens. This gave all the children the chance to share ideas and problem solve.

The den building led onto developing a shop where the nursery children wrote prices and sold items to their buddies, developing their understanding of money.

The buddies and nursery children enjoyed sharing their ideas of how the sand could be transported.

Design problems – connecting the parts to get a square.

Beach Kindergarten May 2017

This month we have explored the beach in a variety of weather conditions. The children have been learning about safety in the sun remembering to wear sun hats and sun cream.

Team work building a channel to direct the water along the beach.

Joy! Sharing an experience with friends trying to jump the waves at the right time. Connor wondered why the water kept coming back.

T

We explored the rock pools. We found crabs and sea snails.

Developing literacy skills on the wet sand.

Nursery Transition Playground Experiences

The nursery children accompanied by their P6 Buddy and a member of the nursery team will have the opportunity to share playground experiences with the current P1 children. The children can bring a small snack if they wish (e.g. cut fruit/ treat size snack).

Morning Session 10.40 a.m. to 10.55 a.m.

Afternoom Session 1.00 p.m. to 1.25 p.m.

Wednesday 31st May 2017

Friday 9th June 2017

Monday 12th June 2017

Thursday 22nd June 2017

Playground Experience 31st May 2017

The nursery children enjoyed their first playground experience. They were building confidence becoming familiar with a new environment and sharing space with older children.

Saul shared.

“It was exciting and good. I played ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘Tig’.

Freya described her visit.

” I played ‘Duck Duck Goose with Mya.”

Brodie had great fun.

“I was jumping on and off the tyre with my buddy.”

We are becoming familiar with new routines. We can bring our own small snack and we learned to join the line and return to class.

Lennon discussed his experience with Mrs Coggins.

” We played ‘DuckDuck Goose’. I liked playing with all the children.”

The P6 buddies supported the children and encouraged the nursery and P1 children to play together.

Outdoor Fun Day – Buddy, Parent and Nursery Child

The nursery will be holding an outdoor fun afternoon on Friday 19th May from 2-3pm when children going to P1 will enjoy activities with their P6 buddies. Parents are invited along to join us which will give them the opportunity to meet their child’s buddy and spend some time with them.

Please come to the nursery door to collect your child or meet us in the grass area beside the nursery garden at 2pm. We look forward to seeing you.

Should you be unable to attend, please speak to the nursery team and an alternative time can be arranged for you to meet your child’s buddy.