As it now becomes darker earlier in the afternoon, we have been looking at ways to access the outdoor environment safely. The children have been given the opportunity to use different light resources such as torches to continue their play. The children investigated light and shadow through this experience.
TCH 0-01a – I enjoy playing with and exploring technologies.
SCN 0-04a – I have used appliances and I am learning what makes it work.
The children have been using the small iPads to take pictures of shape and numerals throughout the playroom. They were able to share with their peers and staff their findings and begin to talk about what shapes and numbers they had took images of.
Technologies 0-04b – I enjoy using a camera to take photographs.
Numeracy 0-02a/0-03a – I explore numerals. (nov planning)
Numeracy 0-16a – I explore shape. (dec planning).
Using the promethean board and the drawing feature on seesaw, the children have created their own people and shape monsters using the drawing and shape tools.
Links to curriculum:
NUM 0-16a – I am creative with 2D shapes and 3D shapes. (planning – Dec).
Technologies 0-03a – I use software to create pictures.
The children have been really enjoying our new digital camera to take pictures of their friends and objects/items in the room.
Technologies 0-04b – I enjoy using a camera to take pictures.
This term the children have been exploring and enjoying a variety of digital resources kindly donated to us by our families and the community. These new additions have inspired lots of imaginative role play! The children have been pretending to create work on the laptops, chat with friends, and even speak to their favourite characters as they act out different real-life scenarios. Lots of the children have enjoyed tapping away on the laptop keyboard. We added a TV to our 3-5 room home corner. Some children shared what they like to watch at home on the TV and we created a TV guide and pictures to add to the area so the children can change the channel to display what they would like to watch.
Technologies 0-01a – I use different technologies through play.
In line with our current literacy planning and October’s UNCRC focus, which surrounds World Mental Health day, we looked at the benefits of using the outdoors, walking and moving our bodies as a method of boosting our mood 😃
We used the promethium board and Google Maps to locate the nursery and trace routes digitally using the board pen to some known places we could walk to opposed to taking the car. 🚙
We explored how to access the internet by identifying the google chrome logo and were introduced to using the keyboard, learning that the letters we typed sent information to the computer 💻
⭐️ Curricular links ⭐️
🔴 LIT 0-13a – I mark make / I use small tools
🟢 HWB – 0-15a – I know that being active keeps me healthy.
🛜Technology 0-01a – I enjoy playing with and exploring technologies to discover what they can do and how they can help us.
🛜 Technology 0-12a – I explore materials software and tools to help solve problems and plan
To celebrate the Festival of Winter Walks underpinned by our UNCRC focus on play, outdoors and being active and to learn about different technologies we took a morning walk around the school grounds. During this we identified many forms of technology from fire alarms, speakers, electric gate openers and electric car charging points and took pictures of these on our iPads to document them.
During this we spoke about the benefits of being outdoors with children voicing the benefits and playing in the natural environment around them.
⭐️Curricular links
📱Technologies 0-05a – I enjoy playing with and exploring technologies to discover what they do and how they help us.
🟢 Health and Wellbeing 0-015a – I know that being active keeps me heathy.
🍁Adventure in the woods🍁
This morning we had a lovely walk to the woods to collect some autumn treasures. We used a checklist to see what woodland wonders we could find, all of the children were able to find leaves and we all enjoyed watching them fall off of trees.
During our scavenger hunt we came across a QR code, after scanning the code we were provided with information on taking notice of your surroundings and ‘grounding’ yourself. This was supported by SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) Most of the children were able to answer and identify at least one sight, sound or smell within the woods. This experience gave us time and space to think about our surroundings, gather thoughts and create a calming environment.
Working in line with our story of the month, we set up an experience for the children to sit on a log just like the broomstick, and listen to our story of the month “Room on the Broom”, some of the children joined in and finished some of the sentences and identified which item the witch would lose.
As today is world mental health day 😀 we have been discussing different strategies that can clear your mind. We explored different types of exercise such as bike rides, climbing, running and some children went out on a wellbeing walk. We have also used digital technology to encourage physical activities such as dancing and yoga. By exploring these different methods gives children more of an understanding about how important mental health is, which supports our UNCRC monthly focus. This also links in with our Eco monthly focus on transport emissions, where children are aware of alternative ways to travel to nursery or school.
This week the children have been learning about ‘Change and Adapt’ through difference experiences to celebrate ‘British Science Week’.
In the creative area the children were involved in junk modelling. We looked at some pictures of animals and different environments, thinking about how creatures are suited to where they live. The children chose junk modelling and collage materials to create their own animals. Including different body parts like legs, tails, mouths and eyes.
The children used cookie cutters dipped in paint to print animal pictures. As we made our pictures we discussed how the different animals are suited to the environments they live in.
We accessed the internet and discovered many of the birds are busy at this time of year adapting their environment to support incubating eggs and raising their young by building cosy nests. Following on from this, the children had a go at creating their own nests outdoors.
Outdoors we have been exploring the change in weather and the seasons throughout the year and the impact this can have. We explored different leaves, flowers, pinecones and petals, we used these to discuss and identify which season we think we are in and also identified which season each of these items would be from. We used these loose parts to make some transient art pictures, allowing us to make and remake different pictures.
The children took part in a volcano experiment. Beforehand we discussed what a volcano is and what might happen and how this will change the environment after it erupts.
The children took part in underwater yoga, copying the poses from ‘Cosmic Yoga’ on YouTube. The children were learning how aquatic animals adapt and change in their environment for e.g. octopus and fish use camouflage changing colour to help them blend in with their surroundings.
