Bells Brae Nursery

Data Handling – Creating a pictograph of eye colours

Children used a mirror to check the colour of their eyes and looked for the matching colour of eyes to put on the chart.  Children enjoyed looking at their own eyes in the mirror and speaking with their peers about their eye colour.  Staff encouraged the children to check and discuss the different quantities of colours on the pictograph.

“There’s not very many green”.    “My eyes are brown too”.    “That is green like mine”.    “I was the first blue, see my eye”.    “Mine are blue”.

A group of children and staff went for a walk to the shop to buy eggs as we needed eggs to do some baking.  The children used their knowledge of keeping safe whilst walking to the shop and used the lights to cross the road over to the shop.  The children checked the eggs were all ok before purchasing and discussed why we wouldn’t want to buy damaged items.

“The eggs all aren’t cracked”.    “They look good”.    “2 boxes”.

The children helped to pay for the items by handing over the money to the cashier and used their manners.

“Thank you”.    “Can we have a bag please”?    “Getting eggs”.    “We’d run out of eggs”.    “You’ve got to pay for them, if you don’t you get trouble from the Police”.  “We try to find the eggs”.    “To buy dem eggs”.

Groups of children have been busy helping staff to do various baking activities recently, including baking banana and oat cookies.  The children used their counting and measuring skills to weigh and count the ingredients they needed.

“Can I mix the flour”?    “I bake cupcakes at home, we need to whisk them, they need loads of whisks and eggs”.  “They need eggs”.    “I make hot chocolate cake with strawberries with my Mam at home”.   “I do baking at my home and I help Mammy make dinner”.

Fun outdoors!

Children were busy outdoors mark making with chalk.  A staff member began to draw a hop scotch and children then joined in to create a hop scotch for everyone to enjoy.

“Do number 10”.    “Can I have a turn”.    “I drawing da numbers”.    “Hopping, I hop all the time”.

Children have been taking part in a data handling activity, being provided with clipboards and pencils to gather data from their peers.  Staff created two different sheets, one with the colours of cars and one with methods of travelling to Nursery.  The children asked their peers and staff to answer the questions and were shown how to make a tally mark in the correct box.  Afterwards staff helped the children to check how many there were of each colour of car and discussed which had the most.

“It’s white, because it has the most lines”.    “Most people travel by car, I have 2 cars”.

We had a range of mark making activities outdoors which encouraged the children to develop their fine motor skills.  Children practiced drawing shapes, numbers and letters.

“I made a circle”.    “It’s an E”.    “I’m doing a love heart”.    “I’m writing my name”.

The pre-school children thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Lerwick Fire Station on Wednesday morning. As we set off from the nursery to begin our walk, the weather was dull and misty but by the time we returned, the sun was shining brightly.

We received a very warm welcome from Liam and Ryan, who kindly gave up their time to talk to us about their roles as firefighters, the equipment they use and of course to show us the fire engine. The children were delighted to have the opportunity to sit inside the vehicle and learn more about how it is used during emergencies. They were particularly fascinated by the cutting tools used by firefighters to free people trapped in damaged vehicles and listened carefully as these important pieces of equipment were explained.

One of the highlights of the visit was the opportunity to hold a fire hose with Liam’s help and aim the water at a traffic cone. The children waited patiently in line for their turn and were excited to experience the powerful force of the water as it sprayed from the hose. We also enjoyed watching Ryan demonstrate how the fire engine’s water tank is filled from a hydrant.

Liam showed us his uniform and breathing apparatus and explained how they help to protect him and keep him safe while carrying out his duties. The children were excited to have the opportunity to sit inside the fire engine, which seemed very high up. While in the cab, they enjoyed using a walkie-talkie to speak to the nursery staff standing nearby, which added to the excitement of the visit.

We also had the opportunity to see the flashing lights and hear the siren, which was very loud and exciting for the children. Before returning to the nursery, each child was given a sticker to remember their special visit to the fire station.

We would like to thank Liam and Ryan for making the visit so enjoyable for both the children and staff. It was a wonderful way to spend the first part of our morning. Before we left, Liam and Ryan gave us an important homework task and asked us all to check that the fire alarms in our homes are working properly.

‘I loved being at the fire station.’

‘My favourite part was sitting inside the fire engine.’

‘I’m going to be a fireman.’

‘The siren was too loud for Miss Moar.’

‘Holding the hose was so much fun.’

‘We need to go back another day.’

‘The boss has a white helmet.’

‘Fireman Sam does the same job.’

We were delighted to welcome Niall and Laura to the nursery this week. Their visit provided the children with an exciting opportunity to explore an ambulance and learn about the important work carried out by paramedics.

Before heading outside to see the ambulance, Niall and Laura explained how paramedics help people who are ill or injured and may need to be taken to hospital. They also spoke about the important features of their uniform, including the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS badges. The children were interested to discover that the uniform has several pockets, which are used to store essential items such as a penlight and gloves.

The children were thrilled to see inside the ambulance and learn about some of the important equipment it carries. They saw oxygen tanks and a special monitor used to check a patient’s heart rate and oxygen levels. We also had the opportunity to see the ambulance stretcher up close and some of the children volunteered to be strapped in to experience what it might be like for a patient being transported to hospital.

During the visit, we learned about splints and bandages and how they are used to help people who have been injured. The children listened with great interest and asked several insightful questions, which helped to deepen their understanding.

A very big thank you to Niall and Laura for taking the time to visit us and share the important work that they do. Their visit provided the children with a memorable and valuable learning experience that was enjoyed by everyone.

‘This is so much fun!’

‘I’m going to tell my dad about this.’

‘Paramedics take people to the hospital.’

‘You dial 999 to get help.’

‘Look at my bandage!’

‘I liked the flashing lights.’

‘The siren is so noisy!’

Week Beginning: 8th June 2026

Our story of the week is That’s My Flower! by Alice Hemming.

Click on the link below to view and listen to the story. Please note that the title in the link is different (Don’t Touch That Flower!) but it is the same story.

Our song of the week is A Little Seed. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Sports Stay and Play

What a fabulous morning of sunshine we got for our recent Sports Stay and Play!  The children had been busy practicing previously and were keen to show their families the skills they’d learned.  Children moved around 5 different activity stations in small groups with staff members.  Children learned to line up and wait their turn at each station.

“We do jumpy”.    “The egg and spoon race”.   “Jumping”.    “We was doing 5”!    “We doing da beanbags in da hoops”.

“We throwed it over our heads”.   “We also did tiny balls and hold it by running, when we done it we throw it in the basket”.

“We put our feet on the line and we jump”.    “Da long jump”.

“It’s Sports Day”.  “My Mammy and Daddy at Sports Day with me”.    “I did jumping”.

“Throwing da bean bags”.    “Sports day”!    “I jumped like 5 metres”!

“Run with an egg”.    “Throw”.    “Run”.

It was lovely to welcome so many families to the stay and play and into the setting afterwards for a well earned snack after all the busy sporting activities for the children!

Week Beginning: 1st June 2026

Our story of the week is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

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

Our song of the week is Caterpillars Only Crawl. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Karen and Martha welcomed the pre-school children to the library yesterday for an engaging Bookbug session. We sang lots of action songs and rhymes together and also learned a new song called Shake and Stop, which we are keen to start singing during our together time at nursery. The children had great fun teaching Karen and Martha Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar, a different version of the well-known nursery rhyme.

Martha read the story Never Take a Bear to School, which is a rhyming book about the experience of starting school. The children listened very attentively and responded well to the story. Bookbug also joined the session, helping everyone with the Hello and Goodbye songs. The children were delighted to see Bookbug and excited to receive a Bookbug sticker to take back to nursery at the end of the visit.

One of the highlights of the visit was taking part in the bubble machine activity during the song I Had a Little Turtle. There was lots of laughter and excitement as the children chased and popped bubbles while singing the final verse:

Bubble, bubble, bubble,
Bubble, bubble, bubble,
Bubble, bubble, bubble,
Bubble, bubble, pop!

On the walk to the library, we met a workman on Cockatoo Brae who shared an interesting story about the area’s unusual name. He explained that many years ago, a resident kept a pet cockatoo, which is how the name originated. A picture of a cockatoo beside the house helps preserve this local story.

Some of the children’s reflections included:

‘Popping the bubbles was great fun.’

‘I like going to the library.’

‘Look at my Bookbug sticker.’

‘My mum takes me to the library sometimes.’

‘There are hundreds and hundreds of books.’

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the library. It provided a valuable opportunity for the children to enjoy stories, songs and rhymes while also developing their social skills in a welcoming environment.

The pre-school children enjoyed a visit to the Lerwick Methodist Church this week. We received a very warm welcome from Reverend Steve Charman. He spoke to us about the different things that happen in a church. He explained that churches are special places where people come together for weddings, christenings, funerals and services.

The children were encouraged to look around the church and ask questions about what they could see. Steve responded to their questions and spoke about the features of the church, including the pulpit, organ pipes, paintings, symbols, screens and stained-glass windows.

He also shared a Bible story about building a house on a firm foundation. He explained that just as a strong house needs a solid foundation to remain stable, people should build their lives on good moral values. The children listened very attentively and joined in enthusiastically with a lively action song called Build Up, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

On returning to the nursery, the children were keen to share what they had seen, heard and done during their special trip. We look forward to seeing Steve again next session, as he will be visiting the nursery to share another Bible story and song.

‘Our visit to the church was good fun.’

‘Steve was really friendly.’

‘My favourite part was the singing.’

‘I liked watching the story on the screen.’

‘Can we visit the church again?’

Week Beginning: 25th May 2026

Our story of the week is Pantosaurus and the Power of Pants by Rebecca Gerlings.

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

Our song of the week is The Pants Song. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

The children have been learning about clocks.  They have been practicing using an analogue clock and putting the numbers in the correct place.  We have spoken about the number patterns – 12 + 6, 3 + 9 and about the numbers going in clockwise order.  The children were enthusiastic and keen to learn.

“3 and 9 are partners”.    “1, 2, 3, 4 is next”.    “12 goes at the top, then 1”.    “12 and 6 are number partners”.

To extend learning about clocks staff provided clock templates for the children to make up the clock faces.  Children made the clocks independently by sticking each number down in the correct place, the children also chose what time they wanted their clock to be and staff supported by modelling the chosen time on a clock for the children to copy.

“1 O’Clock”.    “I’m flying through this”.    “5 O’Clock”.

Children have had the opportunity to take part in story sequencing, retelling the story of ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’, which was our story of the week recently.

“Then she went into the house and ate all the porridge”.    “Saying get out of my house”.    “She runs away and never comes back”.

The children have been using picture boards and whiteboard pens to trace over the lines, practicing their fine motor skills.

“I was just doing Goldilocks things”.  “I was doing some stripes and hulas”.

The children showed great excitement whilst observing the changing weather outdoors through the big window.  Lots of children spent time watching the huge snowflakes fall from the sky.  They engaged in conversations about weather and how it changes throughout the day.  Children used a Nursery Ipad to scan our “What’s the weather day”? QR code to check the online weather forecast.

“It’s snowing”.    “It’s all on the floor”.

The children have been practicing and tracing numbers, allowing opportunities to develop their number recognition and the order of numbers.

The messy play sensory tray was filled with oats and staff added bowls and spoons to scoop and fill.  The children used their imagination and communication skills during play by retelling the story of ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’.

“Dis is Dad’s one”.    “Daddy bears porridge”.    “There was the bear porridge, it was in the story”.