Month: September 2022

This week at Oakburn we have been celebrating Maths week with a range of different activities and provocations. We have been learning about counting, measuring, pattern, data analysis, shape, symmetry ,colour and much more!

STEM area

Previously in the STEM are we had been looking at the body and body parts. AH told me “my eyes are blue” so we decided to create a chart to record how many people had a certain colour of eyes.
The children took turns looking in the mirror and making a tally mark next to what colour of eyes they had. After the children counted how many tally marks were on each colour.

In the art area we have been focusing on pattern. The children used a range of materials – paint, glue, foam shapes and loose parts. They were able to copy and create their own pattern!

In woodwork the children have been experimenting with everyday items to measure, compare and investigate sizes.  The children have been exploring the language used when talking about measurements such as long, short, tall and longest.  We used measuring tapes, rulers and non standard units to estimate and measure length.

In block play we have been exploring 3D shapes. We have developed our problem solving skills as we have recreated these 3D shapes using wooden blocks. The children showed excellent understanding and knowledge of 3D shapes 🟦🟢🔺

we have also been exploring stage 5 of block play (Symmetry and Pattern). We have been discussing symmetry and what makes something symmetrical. The children have been using mirrors to explore symmetry through reflections and creating their own symmetrical structures!

In the home room we have been learning about money. We looked at and identified different coins and notes comparing the similarities and differences in size and shape. We made our own shop and had to use the coins to buy different food and count the money into the till

Some of our children went on an outing to Tesco this week to buy some ingredients that we needed for cooking. On our walk we identified lots of different numbers – on houses and on buses. Once in Tesco the children identified numbers on the price tags for food and on our food bill at the end of the shop. The children were involved in counting out the money and putting it in the self service machine.

In small world we have been exploring size. We used the book ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ talking about small, medium and large. The children got involved making porridge for the bears. A small amount for baby, a medium amount for mummy bear and a big amount for daddy bear.

We also used other objects from around the nursery to compare sizes. Measuring which was the biggest and which was the smallest.

Outdoors we have been exploring counting using 1-1 correspondence. The children identified the number on the number line then went to find the corresponding number of objects to place on the line.
In the construction area children were scooping, digging, filling and emptying buckets of mud and water. We discussed concepts such as full/empty and discussed volume.

This week in the gross motor area throughout numeracy week we have been focusing on colours! The children helped me set up different coloured markers and then went on a treasure hunt around the whole centre to find objects that matched the colours. The children displayed amazing memory recall skills to remember where particular objects were that matched. They also worked together as a team to find some of the more difficult colours such as orange! Fantastic work everyone ⭐️

Acorn Room

The children have enjoyed using Mr Potato Head 🥔 to practice our counting. How many eyes does he need? How many do you have? This has sparked many conversations about our body parts and features. Using our numbers we have practiced counting from 1 all the way to 5! This has also encouraged fine motor skills and turn taking.

We have been exploring songs and rhymes with numbers in them. The children enjoyed counting from 5 down to 1 while singing “5 little speckled frogs” and joined in with all the actions.

I set up a numeracy provocation to allow the children to explore number and shape. The children were able to recognise the 2D shapes and identify these.

 

 

Fine motor and Malleable area

We have had a super busy week! So much wonderful learning going on in our malleable and fine motor areas.😀 We started the week with a beach, which brought much excitement! How cool is it to have a beach scene indoors?! Lots of filling, pouring, scooping and building of sand castles!

We explored the concept of shape on Tuesday, using a variety of media. We included a number square to help us count the sides of each shape. Some children used the smaller blocks for sequencing which was very impressive!

Later on in the week we used the tweezers at the malleable table to pick up play dough. It proved to be a tricky business at times! Again we gave our fingers and hands a good workout!🙌

Measure had been a feature this week too… We used rulers and tape measures to measure lots of different things. We discovered the snake was much longer than the bus!🐍

Expressive studio

This week in the art area we have been exploring Mosaic art. We have been using paper, scissors and plastic to create our own mosaic. The children used scissors to cut up different shapes to stick on their paper to make their own design this helped to develop their fine motor skills. The children then matched each shape on to the mosaic on the whiteboard.

The courtyard

In the courtyard area, the kids are continuing to explore different sports! With a focus on hand-eye coordination, the children have had the chance to experience golf and tennis. 🏌️‍♀️ 🎾 By making big targets for our mini golf course, the children worked on hitting the ball with our homemade golf clubs.  Through concentration and perseverance, the children displayed great confidence getting the ball into the hole! On the tennis front, the children have been transferring the hand-eye coordination skills that we have been working on over the past few weeks by getting the ball over our net. It’s clear to see how quickly the children have grasped and developed their skills in such a short space of time. They are all doing so well in all aspects of this area 🤩

The village

Upstairs in the village I have been developing the sensory area. The children have been loving exploring space with the projectors and backdrops, looking at their reflections in the mirrors and expressing their feelings. The children  were  exploring their senses through different materials and lights.

 

STEM area

In the steam area we have been super busy learning about the body. We have been learning about all of the different parts of the body and where they are and what they do. We have made a cardboard cut out of a body and are going to start to label it 💀

Small world area

This week in small world we have been exploring our fire fighters 🔥🧑‍🚒

The children have been rushing to emergency’s, practicing our stop drop and roll and learning about things that are hot and we should touch. 😀 the children were even talking about how if you ever need help we always phone 999 📱

We have also been to a magical land filled with unicorns 🦄 fairies 🧚‍♂️ and knights 🐎. They have been fighting dragons and protecting princesses. We have had a lot of fantastic sharing and imaginative ideas this week

Junk modelling/woodwork station

The beauty of junk modelling, the children have been busy using recycled materials to construct with. The children were given the freedom to build what they wanted with the simple addition of resources such as tape and glue. The final designs were “ flying campervan” “sewage system” “tower block” and a “race car”.  The children used their problem solving skills, imagination and creativity to build their designs

Construction area

This week in the Construction area, we have been exploring stage 3 of block play (Bridges and Pathways). We have been exploring building bridges and passageways using the wooden blocks. The children have also been exploring measuring these in different ways by using measuring tapes, tape measures and numbered planks. We then explored size as we compared our towers to our own heights and explored if our towers were taller or smaller than us. 👷‍♂️🚧👷

2-3 room

This week in the garden we have been very busy. We used our creative minds to make bubble mixtures and pipe cleaners to create coloured bubble wands 🫧

Over in the mud kitchen we have been busy creating smoothies using grass, leaves and left over vegetables 🥕🫑 and our very own version of chocolate mud cake 🍰!  The children have enjoyed putting their fine motor skills and imagination to work chopping and mixing to create their masterpieces 🧑‍🍳!