Bells Brae Nursery

Week Beginning: 16th December 2024

Our story of the week is I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford.

Click on the link below to view and listen to the story.

Our song of the week is Santa is His Name O. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

We visited the gym hall where children practiced gross motor skills and coordination. The children were practicing running, jumping, tiptoe and heel walking, throwing and catching balls and kicking with accuracy.

The children have been interested in using the internet to research and explore different flags from around the world. The children used the whiteboard to look at flags of all different shapes, colours and patterns while learning about the wider world around them. Some children commented on the different designs, shapes and colours.

“I’m going on holiday to Thailand”.   “I like this flag the best”.   “I know Scotland’s flag”.   “That’s a funny shape”.

The children used a great deal of creativity and imagination by making various treasure maps together, involving creating islands, pathways, traps and finding treasure.

“Let’s make maps”!    “We start with an ‘s’ for the start and an ‘x’ at the end”.  “x marks the spot”.

A group of children went on a walk to donate some toys and clothes to the charity shop. Whilst on our walk the children remembered their road safety to keep themselves and their friends safe. On our way back we found a painted rock, it told us to hide it if we found it. The children all helped to decide where to put the rock.

“Stop, look, listen”.

The children have been making good use of the new water wall outdoors. Children have been developing their pouring skills, mathematical language and working together to count how many jugs it took to fill a different jug.

“I love this”!    “I’m going to squeeze it out”!    “Number 2 + 61”.

Lots of children were keen to get suits and boots on to splash in the huge puddles!  The children noticed that our pots and shovels were floating along the water, this led to discussion surrounding what floats and what sinks.  Children liked to make the water move by splashing or kicking the water and creating ripples.

Children have been using loose parts outdoors to make obstacle courses, focusing on their balance. They used loose parts to create a rocket which then developed into a climbing course. They worked together showing great teamwork and turn taking.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1”!

Week Beginning: 9th December 2024

Our story of the week is Little Owl and the Star – A Christmas Story by Mary Murphy.

Click on the link below to view and listen to the story.

Our rhyme of the week is Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

The children have enjoyed listening to our story of the week, Puffin Peter by Petr Horacek. The book was part of a resource pack which was borrowed from the UHI STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) outreach programme. The resources were used to explore mathematical concepts and language while applying skills. The children used toy animals which represented the characters from the book by comparing and ordering their weight and length. We used a two-pan balance to investigate weight and a ruler to measure length. The children were very engaged in the activity and it was great to see their enthusiasm for learning while having fun. We will build on this interest by developing further opportunities for the children to explore measurement across the nursery setting and when using the outdoor environment.

‘The whale is heavier because it went down.’

‘The parrot is up because it is lighter.’

‘It’s like a see-saw.’

‘Look, both sides are the same.’

‘The whale is the longest.’

‘The puffin is 6 on the ruler.’

‘The ruler goes up to 30.’

‘I’m going to measure the domino now.’

We are looking forward to a visit from Eleanor Hutcheon next term who will be running STEM workshops for the children using Kapla (construction resource) and Botley (programmable coding robot).

Week Beginning: 2nd December 2024

Our story of the week is Puffin Peter by Petr Horacek.

Click on the link below to view and listen to the story being read by the author.

Our rhyme of the week is There Once Was a Puffin.

Oh, there once was a puffin

Just the shape of a muffin,

And he lived on an island

In the bright blue sea!

He ate little fishes,

That were most delicious,

And he had them for supper

And he had them for tea.

Pudsey came to visit!

We were very lucky to meet Pudsey when he came to visit the school during his incredibly busy day visiting lots of schools and nurseries on Children in Need day!

“It’s all of us”.     “Pudsey Bear helps people”.   “It’s Pudsey Day”!    “It’s Pudsey bear”.    “He helps us”.

Primary 6 held a toy and book sale to raise money for Children in Need so we went for a walk all the way through the school to visit their shop and donate money, helping to raise money for Children in Need. The children did very well waiting for their turn to visit the shop and helped to choose some books and toys to take back to Nursery for everyone to share.

“At the school to look at toys, cause they set up some toys on Pudsey Day”.    “The toy sale”. “Bringing money in”.    “It’s the toy shop”.

On Children in Need day and during the week we discussed who Pudsey is and what he represents. Children also had the opportunity to create their very own Pudsey ears headband!

“Making Pudsey ears”!    “Making a Pudsey hat”.

Week Beginning: 25th November 2024

Our story of the week is The Runaway Pea Washed Away by Kjartan Poskitt.

Click on the link below to view and listen to the story.

Our rhyme of the week is Carrots, Peas and Broccoli (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star).

Carrots, peas and broccoli,

Vegetables are good for me,

For my snack and in my lunch,

Veggie sticks are great to munch,

Carrots, peas and broccoli,

Vegetables are good for me.

The children enjoyed taking part in a variety of activities for Road Safety Week.

We got ready for our road safety walk by making sure that we were dressed in warm, winter clothes before putting on a Hi-Viz vest.

‘We need our boots today.’

‘The cars will see my yellow vest.’

When leaving the nursery, we made sure that everyone was holding their partner’s hand. There was some snow on the pavements so we walked carefully and took our time.

‘A slushy puddle.’

Before crossing Gilbertson Road, we followed the Green Cross Code by stopping at the kerb before looking and listening for traffic.

‘Wait, I can hear a car.’

‘We can cross the road now.’

When it was safe to cross, we held hands and crossed the road while remembering to keep looking and listening.

‘No cars are coming.’

On our way back to the nursery, we noticed the words – Stop, Look and Listen on the pavement next to the school.

‘The words tell us what to do.’

At together time, we met Ziggy who is the Road Safety Scotland mascot. Mrs Goodlad read a story about Ziggy learning to cross the road safely with the lollipop lady. We then learned a new action song which reminded us to use our eyes and ears before using our toes to cross the road.

The children also enjoyed playing interactive online games on the Road Safety Scotland website.

Go Safe with Ziggy – Road Safety Scotland

Halloween Party

Everyone had lots of fun at our Nursery Halloween party! Some children enjoyed dressing up in costumes from home or tried various dressing up costumes available to use at Nursery. They demonstrated team work and developed their turn taking and listening skills whilst playing various group games including corners, musical statues and pass the pumpkin.