Bells Brae Nursery

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 paterns – 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”.

Week Beginning: 18th May 2026

Our story of the week is Jack and the Beanstalk retold by Iona Treahy.

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

Our song of the week is Fee-fi-fo-fum. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Week Beginning: 11th May 2026

Our story of the week is Night Monkey, Day Monkey by Julia Donaldson.

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

Our song of the week is Day and Night Opposites Song. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

The children took part in sports day practice, trying out 5 different activities.  They listened to instructions and took turns at each activity.  The children used their gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination, trying over arm and under arm throws, balancing and running.

“I throwed really high”.

We have recently purchased an outdoor magnetic board along with magnetic numbers and letters suitable for outdoors.  Children have been busy using the magnetic board in a variety of ways including trying to make their names using the letters and playing guessing games, quizzing their friends on each letter.

“M is my letter”.    “I could make my name”.    “My turn”.

Groups of children have been using their imaginations whilst playing outdoors in the mud kitchen and whilst digging in the quarry area.  They’ve used their fine and gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination during play whilst scooping and transporting gravel between areas.  In the mud kitchen children have used their creativity and gross and fine motor skills whilst mixing mud, sand and plants together.  They’ve played a variety of imaginative games in the mud kitchen, including families.

“It’s an excavator”.    “I’m making a house”.

Children took turns to make big bubbles outdoors and enjoyed observing and discussing the different sizes of bubbles they could create.

“It’s a massive one”!

Week Beginning: 4th May 2026

Our story of the week is Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold by Nicola Baxter.

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

Our song of the week is When Goldilocks Went to the House of the Bears. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

To encourage hopping activities staff began to draw shapes with ascending numbers on the ground outdoors.  Staff drew shapes and numbers up to 10 and some children decided to continue this by adding bigger numbers on the end, “11, 12, 13”!  Some children copied the numbers and shapes alongside the originals.  Staff modelled hopping from one shape/number to another on one foot.

“I can hop”!    “Look 1 foot!    “It is wobbly”.    “I am balancing”.

On a walk in our local community the children were encouraged to identify 2D shapes in everyday objects. We saw a stop sign with 8 sides, the children suggested it was a hexagon.  We spoke about how a hexagon has 6 sides and an octagon has 8 sides”.

“Square, the sign is square, it’s got 4 sides”.    “No, it’s a rectangle”.    “Love hearts in the window”.    “Circle, wheels”.    “Semi-circles on the wall”.    “Triangle in the grass, it has 3 sides”.

Children engaged in play with peers using foam blocks in the indoor/outdoor area.

“Do you want to build a tower”?    “We’ve made a boat”.    “Let’s knock them over”.    “This is very tall, you have to hold it”.    “That was awesome”!

Staff provided a tray of sand and added diggers and cars.    The children enjoyed spending time digging in the sand with the vehicles.  Children then added water from the mud kitchen so the following day staff set up a tray again but this time added half water and half sand.

“It’s a beach”.    “It splash in the water”.    “Need a dumper truck”.    “We need clean water”.

Staff set up a water tray with different coloured water in squeezy bottles, a variety of vessels and some pipettes.  Children were supported to learn to squeeze the bottles to release the colours and squeeze the pipettes under the water to fill them and then release before squeezing again to release the liquid. This provided a great learning experience to develop their fine motor skills for pre hand writing.

“It’s purple”.    “Blue and red”.    “I made blue”.    “There’s black”.    “We need more water”.    “I doing potion”.    “I made my potion into purple”.    “It’s filled up”.    “We have orange”.    “Would you like some red”?  “Yes, please”.

Children enjoyed taking turns to play a shape monster game on the interactive whiteboard.  The children had to try and feed the shape monster the matching shapes.

Last term the children chose to create a Tesco shop for the role play area and their second choice was hairdressers.  Staff discussed with children if they would still be interested in creating a hairdressers and they were keen.  The hairdressers has been really busy this week with children really focused and engaged during play.  Children used real life scenarios to inform their role play, working together and sharing the hairdressing resources.

“Can you do my hair”?    “Can I have this please”?    “Have to wait your turn”.    “I’ll write you down”.    “What colour hair you want”?    “I’m sitting here until I get my hair done”.

Week Beginning: 27th April 2026

Our story of the week is The Perfect Fit by Naomi and James Jones.

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

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

Week Beginning: 20th April 2026

Our story of the week is The Enormous Turnip retold by Irene Yates.

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

Our song of the week is Pull the Turnip (to the tune of London’s Burning).

Week Beginning: 13th April 2026

Our story of the week is Simon Sock by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet.

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

Our rhyme of the week is Let’s Put on Our Socks (to the tune of Hickory Dickory Dock).

Hickory dickory dock

Let’s put on our socks

We’ll walk around

Without a sound

When we put on our socks

Hickory dickory dock

Let’s put on our socks

We’ll tiptoe around

And won’t be found

When we put on our socks

Hickory dickory dock

Let’s put on our socks

We’ll slide around

The slippery ground

When we put on our socks

Hickory dickory dock

Let’s put on our socks

We’ll dance around

And jump and bound

When we put on our socks

Staff prepared a Spring craft activity which involved the children having the opportunity to cut out a picture of a watering can, drawing straight lines to create stalks on their plants and using chopped up straws to make flower shapes with paint.

“They are making the flowers”.  “Using paint to paint the flowers”.

“Look, it’s painted now”.   “I need a brush, I don’t want messy hands”.  “Painting the egg”.  “They are rolling it round and round”.

Children regularly have the opportunity to use wheeled vehicles outdoors.  Children take turns with their peers on a variety of vehicles which helps to develop their gross motor skills.

“Riding a bike outside”.

Staff created a cosy reading area in the indoor outdoor room for all the children.  We added a variety of books and children were keen to use books in a different environment.  Children joined staff in singing songs such as ‘the wheels on the bus’ as staff read stories to them.  The children used their language and social skills whilst they listened as staff read stories and joined in by sharing their thoughts throughout the stories.

“Reading a story together”.

“The library, to read and sit down”.  “They have somewhere to sit, even for a small person”.