This is a very different start to the summer term !

Mrs Dunnett and Mrs Duncan have been missing you all 🙁

We have enjoyed receiving  your news via the emails that families have been sending in to balmullops.enquiries@fife.gov.uk.   We have been replying to each email received recognising the learning and sharing ideas for next steps.

We will post a selection of photographs received from families on the blog  maintaining privacy by not identifying the children in the photographs. Please advise if  you would prefer your photographs not to appear on the site. 

We received lots of lovely examples of children learning outdoors  through play.

Developing numeracy /gross motor skills/turn taking playing hopscotch.

Being creative/ problem solving/ story telling.

Using the outdoor environment as a stimulus for art.

Olivia is creating  her own book of flowers developing her emergent writing skills and sharing her knowledge about the features of books.

 

Offering a variety of tools and materials to create helps the children to develop their fine motor and pre writing skills as they represent some of their ideas and learn to communicate information.

These experiences through play directly relate to the curriculum development we normally record in your child’s Personal Learning Plan.

Early Level Writing

‘I can make marks on paper and other surfaces using different materials’

‘I can explore making shapes, patterns and symbols’ Lit 21b

‘I am beginning to use a variety of tools for mark making to communicate my information’

‘I can make marks and symbols on paper and other surfaces to represent some of my ideas and communicate information’ Lit 9b, 26a,31a

‘I am beginning to attempt to make marks and symbols that are familiar to me’

‘I can write some letters that are familair to me -e.g. letters from my name’ Lit 12, 13, 21a

 

 

We had some lovely examples of children exploring craft, design and engineering as they used different materials to construct models.

 

We are looking forward to sharing your learning next week. Maybe you saw something interesting on a walk or in a story. Mrs Duncan saw  a funny little door. Who might live in this tree? Could you use your imagination and draw a picture of the character and what inside might look like ?  Do you know any stories where the characters live in a tree?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hope you have all been enjoying the moments of sunshine.

Learning opportunities in the garden are a great way to enjoy getting fresh air in addition to our daily outdoor exercise session.

A paint brush and water are great for mark making – explore this by making shapes and patterns to challenge each other’s skills. Take the opportunity to highlight what you see – “A triangle with 3 sides…”

Prompt the children to share  and develop their learning…where has your picture gone?…leading to early science discussions about evaporation.

Make transient art outdoors using sticks, stones and shells.

The Bookbug app is great to sing along with and for checking the lyrics and tunes for new rhymes and songs. The children love leading the ‘Sing it Bag’ sessions at nursery – why not build up your own bag of song prompts over this period – you could use small toys/ household items or a drawing .

Can you guess the rhyme for this picture?

 

Layla sent in this brilliant picture for a Bookbug favourite song – can you guess it?

(Answer at the bottom of the post)

 

Thursday 12noon  2nd April 2020

Watch Blair Drummond Safari Park Live -meet the meercats!

Last week one of the nursery children had her question answered during the discussion – VERY exciting.

https://facebook.com/blairdrummondSP/vide

More animal fun!!!

Great to hear families are sharing links on the Parents Facebook Page – please get in touch if you are not on the closed parents facebook group.

Google search for an animal. You just click view in 3d and then it gives you an option to view in your own space

 

Answer :Here is the Beehive Song

Hello to all our nursery families – Mrs Duncan and Mrs Dunnett have been missing you all ! We hope you have enjoyed sharing activities in the Early Years Family Learning Booklet  emailed on Monday 23rd March 2020.

One of the activitiy packs featured The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Bookbug facebook page posted a link sharing the author/illustrator Eric Carle reading this story on Youtube. The children have been developing their knowledge about the work of  authors and illustrators.

Search- YouTube Puffin Books Eric Carle.

Other favourite authors can be found on the Puffin Books site!

Have you spotted lots of spring flowers on your daily exercise walk or growing in your gardens?

These beautiful flowers are growing in a flower box on South Bridge in Cupar. Can you remember the names of the flowers? Maybe you could use a book or the internet to find out? Can you draw a lovely picture of the flowers you see on your next walk? Keep your drawings and turn them into a book to share when we next see you.

 

 

 

 

The children and families took part in activities  to raise funds for a visit by  Clydebuilt Threatre  who performed ‘Gingerbread Man’.

The children thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be part of an audience and watched in fascination as the puppeteer told the story with simple props.  Anticipating what might happen next.

Poppy whispered.

 “What’s going to happen Mrs Duncan?

What’s her doing ?

It might be a ghost?!?….Look her made water!”

 

Olivia enjoyed the dramatic setting.

“I liked the house on the hill and the mountain.”

Jonah was delighted by the drama.

“My favourite bit was when the gingerbread man woke up and broke all the house up!”

 

 After the performance the children had the opportunity to have a closer look at the puppets and props. This stimulated their ideas for making their own puppets in the nursery and developing their story telling.

Ivy shared. “I liked the lady showing us all the puppets.”

 

The children enjoyed celebrating our Scottish culture in the nursery with their families.  The children chose Scottish songs and poems to perform and created their own dance in a Scottish ‘style’ counting 8 beats per movement.

” I was wearing a kilt and a tie! It’s Scottish!”

Shared a very bonny boy.

Olivia described her favourite poem. “Roon Aboot Moose” .

“I loved dancing too!”

I shared that I practised at home showing my little brother Struan.

 

Adam said everything was fun.

“I liked everything!”

“The best part was singing songs (my favourite) ‘Three Craws’.

I was dancing with Poppy…spinning around,patting our tummies, patting our heads, clapping and marching.”

Macy enjoyed dancing with Verity and demonstrated her favourite dance move clapping her knees. “The legs”.

Verity described the dance moves.

“We were spinning round in circles – It made me laugh!”

“I like all the  songs ( my favourite) Shooglie Wooglie.”

Shared a very happy  Ewan.

The afternoon session enjoyed their Beach Kindergarten experience.

Ewan enthusiastically shared.

“I love going on to the beach.”

“I like throwing stones in the water. I like digging big holes too! You just do it with your hands.”

“I was digging so my dog could look for treasure. Gold shiny jewels! “

Layla and Olivia working together as they develop their imaginative role play.

I have the freedom to discover and choose ways to create images and objects using a variety of materials CfE EXA02a.

I can explore making shapes, patterns and symbols CfE LIT21b.

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The morning children enjoyed their first visit this term to the beach.

I explore and discover the interesting features of my local environment to develop an awareness of the world around me.         CfE SOC07a

I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature within different environments and have a played a part in caring for the environment. CfE SOC08a

Roman was curious about the waves.

“Why are the waves getting nearer and nearer?”

You can see how much fun we had exploring the shoreline on a wet St Andrews day from the short video attached.

 

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We enjoyed the last session in the nursery garden with a Teddy Bear Picnic.

Thank you to all of the families who have supported the nursery staff throughout the year. It has been a privilege watching the children develop and grown in confidence at the start of their school journey.

Have a lovely summer!

The nursery children and their families came together this week to celebrate another year of learning in the nursery. The children performed ‘Turtle Tim’ which is a current Bookbug favourite. The children moving on to Primary 1 sang ‘Bright’ which had a beautiful chorus.

We said a big thank you to the P6 buddies for the important role they have played in supporting the nursery children  and celebrated this work with a Buddy Certificate. The children starting school were welcomed into the school by Mrs Coggins and gifted a special gym bag containing a book about starting school and some items that they will find useful.

The children returning to nursery in August were delighted to receive the Bookbug Explorer Bag after an impromptu visit and song session with Bookbug. It was lovely to have all the families sing together.

Thank you to all the families who were able to join us this term. We shared lots of learning activities with families able to interact and benefit from sharing ideas with other families in the nursery.

In the session Exploring Stories Through Play – we used everyday objects to retell familiar stories.

“The more stories children hear, the more they will come to understand how stories work, and the more fun they will be able to have when playing with them.”

PEEP Learning together programme topic handout.

In the topic Exploring Measures we explored

“Children learn about size, length and weight by exploring everyday objects during playful and practical situations”

PEEP Learning together programme topic handout.

We used different sizes of boxes, jugs and bags as we discussed volume and capacity.

 

In the topic Exploring nature 

“Being outside and exploring nature helps children grow and develop as they learn about the natural world around them”

PEEP Learning together programme topic handout.

Using loose parts found in the natural environment -shells,stones and sticks the children created transient art, repeating patterns and symmetrical structures.