Bells Brae Nursery

Week Beginning: 10th November 2025

Our story of the week is Dear Mother Goose by Michael Rosen.

Click on the link below to listen to the story.

World Nursery Rhyme Week was launched in 2013 and is taking place this year from the 10th to 14th November. It promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education. Nursery rhymes are excellent teaching tools and help to support skills in literacy and numeracy in addition to contributing to social, physical and emotional wellbeing.

This year’s ‘Rhyme a Day’ challenge will focus on the rhymes listed below:

• Sing a Song of Sixpence
• Humpty Dumpty
• When I Was One
• I Hear Thunder
• Two Little Dickie Birds

Halloween

During our first week back at Nursery we had lots of fun taking part in Halloween activities!

Children have been very interested in making symmetrical pictures by drawing around half an outline on folded paper and cutting it out to make a whole picture.

“Half a pumpkin”.    “2 halves make a whole ghost”.    “Both sides look the same”.    “This line is the middle”.

We had Halloween themed messy play with lentils and coffee beans.  Children chose to collect the coffee beans to count and sort them.  Children counted how many coffee beans it took to make up the same size as a spoon full of lentils.  Children used spoons and their hands to scoop up lentils into jars, they poured and filled the jars whilst commenting on capacity.

“It smells like coffee”.    “Smells like a cafe”.    “Half full”.    “Full to the top”.

We had sensory play exploring the inside of a pumpkin.  Children had discussions with each other and with staff about how it feels, smells and looks.

“It feels slimy”.    “It’s almost Halloween”.    “I have dat pumpkin at home”.    “We’ve got seeds”.    “Many seeds”.

Staff demonstrated how a whole pumpkin can be cut into 2 halves to reinforce their understanding of ‘half’.

“It’s a Jack o lantern”.    “When you chop it you make 2 circles and when you put it back together it’s 1 circle”.

There were lots of opportunities to take part in Halloween crafts.

Children used the interactive whiteboard to draw Halloween items.

Some children chose to wear a Halloween costume to Nursery and some chose to try various Halloween costumes and other dressing up items at Nursery.

“It was Halloween”.

Children enjoyed taking part in large group party games with their friends, playing the corner game, musical statues and pass the pumpkin.

We played musical statues, navigating the space around us whilst dancing to music and waiting for the music to stop to become a statue!

“We was watching”.    “We dancing”.    “I want to dance”.

They played pass the pumpkin where children practiced their listening and waiting skills and followed instructions well.

“We dress up”.  “We played pass the parcel with a pumpkin”.    “I’m a ghost”.

The children have enjoyed visiting the music room to take part in musical activities. They have been developing their listening skills while joining in with a variety of lessons which have included singing, dancing and playing percussion instruments. We have also had great fun learning about body percussion and how different sounds can be created by clapping hands, stamping feet, patting legs and snapping fingers.

A series of lessons based on the song I am a Robot proved to be very popular with the children. We sang the song using a robotic voice while developing our understanding of loud and quiet (dynamics), high and low (pitch) and fast and slow (tempo). The children learned actions to accompany the song and added their own free style robotic dance moves.

‘Let’s dance like a robot.’

‘My robot has a low voice.’

‘Sing loud then whisper.’

‘I am a robot, I go beep-beep-beep-bop.’

‘Slow but it’s getting faster.’

‘A high squeaky voice.’

The children have had great fun being active in the gym hall. They have enjoyed the freedom to move around the open space when performing different movement skills while also listening and responding to the signal to stop. We have also used our time in the gym hall to be energetic when participating in circle games and action songs.

‘Running fast is good fun.’

‘I love going to the gym hall.’

‘Can you catch me?’

‘Crawling like a caterpillar.’

The children have been developing their balancing skills by placing bean bags on different parts of the body such as the head, shoulders, arms and feet. We practised balancing a bean bag while standing still before moving around the gym hall by walking slowly at first then gradually increasing the pace while trying to keep the bean bag in place.

‘Balancing is tricky.’

‘The bean bag didn’t fall off my head.’

‘I am doing a quick walk now.’

‘It fell off, I will try again.’

Week Beginning: 3rd November 2025

Our story of the week is Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival.

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

Our song of the week is Wiggle Out Your Worries. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Week Beginning: 27th October 2025

Our story of the week is We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt by Martha Mumford.

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

Our song of the week is Five Little Ghosts. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

We went on an Autumn walk

We took a group of children on an Autumn walk nearby Nursery.  Children used their senses to see what they could hear, see and feel.

“It’s a walk”.   “I got to collect some leaves”.    “Dat’s Autumn”.   “When we go we picked some leaves”.   “We went on a walk”.  “I could hear birds tweeting”.    “I could see long footsteps”.

We were being safe like Safe Bob by wearing our hi vis vests. We stopped, looked and listened before we crossed the road.

“When I’m walking, we can walk to the leaf market”.  “Hi vis vests on so cars can see us”.

During our walk we found some trees, children developed their gross motor skills and coordination by climbing up and around the trees, whilst risk assessing as they explored.

“I can climb up here”!    “That is too high for me”.    “The leaves crunch”.  “That’s me climbing on the trees”.    “I see some leaves”.

Crafts and Mark Making

We have a variety of crafts and mark making opportunities available at Nursery.  Recently children have been exploring textures and sounds whilst crafting such as scrunching, and mark making using different materials and techniques.  Children have been stamping using junk modelling items, punching holes in their creations and threading wool to make collage pictures.

“This looks fuzzy furball”.  “I’m using a thing to make a square shape”.    “I was doing some crafts, I got some glue and some scissors and some wool”.  “I made a picture”.

“That’s my rainbow”.    “First I need to do a black seed”.    “I want the green one”.

“I’m drawing for my Granny”.

“Doin’ painting, I paint da circle”.

“Making a picture”.    “I need loads of colouring”.    “I’m making a tree”.

Mealtimes

Children take turns to help with setting up for lunch time.  They help to count out the cutlery and glasses for each table.

“I need 1 more to make up 6”.

Children are encouraged to use cutlery at meal times to develop their independence and coordination and fine motor skills and this is available on the table for them to access.

Tooth Brushing

Children take part in tooth brushing at Nursery.  They have their own toothbrush with a symbol and are supported by staff to learn which brush is theirs and are encouraged to complete the tooth brushing routine.  Staff from Childsmile visit twice per term to support tooth brushing in Nursery and also visit twice per year to apply tooth varnish.

“The dentist lady and the smiley face”.

“That’s my one”    “Washing my tooth brush”.    “I’m brushing his teeth, he belongs to the dentist”.

Week Beginning: 6th October 2025

Our story of the week is Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.

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

Our song of the week is The Skeleton Dance. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Numeracy Throughout Nursery

What’s the time Mr Wolf?

The children used the felt numbers outdoors in a variety of numeracy play opportunities.

Children enjoyed playing What’s the time Mr Wolf?  With guidance from an adult they were able to take the correct number of steps.

“2 o’clock”!!    “1, 2, 3”!!

After an adult had written numbers up to 10 on the outdoor chalkboard a child then decided to replicate this by writing these numbers independently.

Some of the children selected the felt numbers and began matching them to the numbers printed on the number snake outdoors, saying the numbers as they added them.

“2, 2, 5”.    “3, 8, 5”.

Children have been using games on the interactive whiteboard, taking turns and practicing waiting their turn.

“Where’s the orange circle”.  “We need 3 spots”.    “I need to get 4 spots”.    “That’s the number 6”.

Focusing on counting the Kapla blocks

“Add on another one on, that will make 39 now”.