Month: June 2020

Today, we are Engineers!

Morning boys and girls, we are going to get creative and use what we have around us to engineer and build wonderful constructions today! We are going to discover 2D and 3D shapes as well as problem solving and physical skills.

The best building activities do not need fancy or expensive supplies – You can do this fun and challenging activity at home with your family.

Let’s take two objects to connect and join and transform these into shapes, letters, numbers, buildings and so much more!

What you will need:-

For the stick:                                                      For the connector:

*Cocktail sticks                                                     *Marshmallows, jellybeans, gummy sweets

*Straws                                                                  *Peas

*Spaghetti                                                             *Pieces of apple

*Lollipop sticks                                                    *Play dough/ clay/ blue tac

Once you have chosen your objects, (try not to eat any!) you can start to construct your creation. If you are using cocktail sticks remember to risk assess and be safe!

 

 

Can you tell us what shape you have made? How many sticks did you need? How many connecting pieces did you use? How many do you need to make a square? Can you make the first letter of your name? Can you create a 3D shape?

Have fun Engineers!

For the grown ups

To build a solid structure you need a design, the right number of pieces, a solid base, creativity and imagination. These objects from around your house will encourage your child to think about their build, count how many pieces they need, talk about shape, number, make predictions, solve problems and HAVE FUN!

Teddy Bear is hungry and loves cookies and sweet treats. Can you use your counting skills to feed him ? How many treats does Teddy want ?  Can you recognise the number and count out loud the number of treats you are giving him ?

 

 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/teddy-numbers

How much cookie did teddy eat? Did you count them all ?

Hope you had fun.

Hello from the Discovery Zone!

We hope you are all having lots of fun and staying safe. We are missing you all so much and wanted to leave you some of our Discovery Zone activities for you and your family to enjoy this week. Make sure to leave us a comment and let us know how you get on.

From Annemarie and Claire xx

Today, we are Architects!

Your challenge: –

*To gather loose parts around your home and garden. These can be resources such as rope, cardboard boxes, string, wood, old sheets/material, pegs, branches/sticks, old bike wheels, tyres, empty plastic storage crates, off cuts of guttering etc.

* Look at what objects you have found and using paper and a pencil start to plan what you want to build. Look at what shapes you have, how will they fit together? Do you need something to hold it all together? Will it balance? Is it safe?

* NOW START TO BUILD, CREATE AND INVENT! We both know how good you all are at risk assessing so make sure you assess as you go and make your creation SAFE! Keep looking back at your plans you have made to check your build and HAVE FUN!

With your loose parts both indoors and outdoors you can create all sorts of fantastic creations! Whether it’s a den, a dolls house, a train, a volcano, a castle … We think it’s going to be AMAZING and cannot wait to see what you invent and create!

Information for the grown-ups!

(A ‘loose parts’ toy, is open-ended; children may use it in many ways and combine with other loose-parts through imagination and creativity.) These loose part objects offer limitless possibilities, they may seem like scrap materials and rubbish but to a child it is endless opportunities of adventure and play. They will take risks, learn from mistakes and problem solve throughout. This will increase creativity and imagination, be physical and active and communicate and negotiate with others.

Have fun and tell us all about your creations in the comments!

 

We all know how to blow up a balloon … but did you know you could blow it up with a chemical reaction?

Put your safety goggles on as you are about to become scientists!

What you need:-

• An empty plastic bottle
• A balloon
• Vinegar
• Bicarbonate of soda
• A funnel

This experiment is excellent for showing off to your family through video call, that you have a trick to blow up a balloon!

Here’s what to do…

• Pour some vinegar into the plastic bottle (about 1/5 of the way)
• Insert the funnel into the balloon and carefully add 2 tablespoons of bicarb inside
• Carefully fit the balloon over the top of the bottle (Be careful not to spill any bicarb in yet!!)
• Once the balloon is secure, hold up the balloon – pouring the bicarb into the vinegar
• Watch as your balloon starts to inflate!

This happens because of the gas produced when the vinegar and bicarb mix together to cause a chemical reaction.

Some things to think about during your experimenting:-

• Predict what you think will happen before you carry out your experiment
• Why did this happen?
• Does it work with other ingredients? e.g. oil? baking powder? salt? water?
• Why does the balloon stop blowing up?
• How tall is your balloon? (Use a measuring tape or ruler to measure the height of your balloon)

This is a great experiment to promote inquiry, prediction, observation skills, critical thinking and don’t forget measuring!

As an extra, I like to draw funny faces on the balloons first so that when they blow up they make my family laugh! Have a race with your family to see who’s balloon will blow up first!

Enjoy being scientists and don’t forget to leave a comment and tell us all about your results!

Have fun!!

 

Morning Everyone, it is the outdoor people again.

We all know that you all like to run around, climb, jump and dance when outdoors. We know that physical exercise is good for you and keeps you fit and your body healthy.

We know It is not so easy to get outside that at this time. So here’s a few psychical exercises to get you moving and grooving and get your wiggles out!!

Spell out your name and do all the exercises for each letter!! Good luck if you have a long name!!!

Here’s a Link for jump start Jonny – his free energiser videos will get your blood pumping!! The one rule with jump start Jonny is that you have to get everyone involved! Including mum and dad!!!

https://www.jumpstartjonny.co.uk/free-stuff

Here is a link to get set Tokyo – This is a programmed created by the British Olympics and Paralympics to get people moving! The link has multiple activities online where you can log and track your activities!

https://www.getset.co.uk/travel-tokyo

Please send us a picture or leave a comment if you take part in any of these exercises and tell us what one was your favourite!

Also let us know if there’s any other exercises that you have been taking part in that you have been loving!!

Scones 

Scones are yummy and so easy to make.  Did you know you can develop mathematical concepts just by making them?  Use the recipe below to measure and weigh your ingredients, adding more or less ingredients if needed.  What happens to the dry ingredients when we add milk? How many scones can we make from our ingredients?  Are some of our scones bigger than the others ?  Have you made enough to share with everyone in your family ? Go on try these today and share your scone experience with us all.

This is the recipe that we use in the nursery.

1. 350 g of self raising flour

2. Quarter tea spoon of salt

3. 1 tea spoon of baking powder

4. 85 g of cubed butter

5. 3 table spoons of caster sugar

6. 175 ml of milk

7. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

8. Mix all together and shape

9 Place on a baking tray

10. Bake for 10 mins at 160 C until golden

11. Enjoy 🙂

What fillings are you going to put on your scones I like jam

Calling all parents and carers! We know the past few months of home learning haven’t been easy and we are keen to help. So to get a better idea of how we can do that, we are running a short home learning survey for parents and carers of pupils at Renfrewshire schools and council-run nurseries.

It’ll take a couple of minutes to fill out and asks how you are accessing home learning, the equipment you are using, and any issues you have experienced. We’ll use the results to work out how we can better support you next term, as pupils will still be learning at home on some days.

You can fill out the survey here
http://orlo.uk/u7y6p

If you have questions or need more info, please see our detailed home learning website Q&A
http://orlo.uk/y4ntr

New P1 induction session will take place across the 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd June (in small groups). We have started to call parents individually today and will continue to work our way through the list. We will let you know over the phone your allocated date/time.
We can’t wait to meet you all ❤️🌈

Have a look on our school website. The Primary 1 team have left a message for all our new entrants.

 

 

Hi everyone, a little message from your outdoor ladies …

We were thinking about all of the wonderful learning that was taking place in our garden over the past few months. The messy maths area was used lots and you all showed a lot of interest and knowledge whilst using this area.

A note for parents

Numeracy is everywhere if you look at the world through the eyes of a child…it is so much more than just counting and adding!

Loose parts can at first appear to be a pile of rubbish however it can be a wonderful resource to use with children. It captures their imagination and is like treasure that they can explore on their own and create their own learning.

Loose parts can be anything – lids, stones, bark, shells, kitchen roll tubes, ring pull, sticks, flowers anything you can think of.

Now back to the children!

Exploring weight

You can use loose parts to explore weight, seeing what items weigh more or less, how many of item (A) weighs the same as item (B). This encourages the children to use mathematical language such as heavy/heavier, light/lighter, more, less etc.

Sorting items

Sorting items is a great way for children to explore loose parts. They can sort items into different categories – by colour, by type of item by size or even counting out a specific number of items.

Exploring Patterns 

Patterns are everywhere, on the road, driveways, on cereal boxes, everywhere. Loose parts allow children to explore patterns and create their own. Here are some examples.

Symmetry 

Loose parts can be a great way to explore and learn about symmetry. It allows children to create their own image and pattern and begin to explore how to create the symmetrical image. Here are some examples.

Alison used natural items she collected from her daily walk to create an image that she wanted to copy symmetrically.

Creating images

Encouraging children to use their imagination and giving them the opportunity and freedom to be creative allowing them them to make and create works of art. Allowing your child to explore loose parts independently helps them to build confidence, use their imagination and promotes a sense of pride in their achievements. Here are some examples…

Please leave a comment and share what you have created at home.