Bells Brae Nursery

Week Beginning: 29th June 2026

Our story of the week is Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae.

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

Our song of the week is Down in the Deep Blue Sea. Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Week Beginning: 22nd June 2026

Our story of the week is Not Like the Others by Jana Broecker.

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

Our song of the week is I Am Special.  Click on the link below to sing along to the song.

Children have had the opportunity this week to plant seeds to grow their own flowers.  The children listened to instructions and had to use their concentration skills to follow each step including scooping the soil, creating a small hole for their seed and planting the seed.  The children discussed the importance of why seeds and plants need sunlight and water in order to grow.  Staff discussed with children and made comparisons between the nutrients in the soil and in the food we eat in order for us to grow, some children then found it easier to understand this information and the concept of needing nutrients to grow.

“We water them”.    “I planted seeds with my Granny”.    “I was planting, and I can take it home”.    “We need to do seeds to grow some flowers”.    “I holding da shovel”.    “Holding da seeds”.

Some children also helped to harvest some vegetables they had planted seeds for recently.  They were keen to take some radishes to try at snack time.

“We grew this from seeds”.    “We needed to water them”.

Children have been busy playing board games with their peers recently.  They particularly enjoyed playing ‘eels and ladders’ and took turns with their friends.  Some groups chose to play using the coloured side while others chose to use the side with numbers and had to recognise and count the spots on the dice to move.

“Red, pink, yellow”.    “I got 3”.    “1, 2, 3”. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5”.    “I got the crab”.    “A ladder”.    “My turn next”.    “Can we play this game now”?

Groups of children have been showing a keen interest in completing jigsaw puzzles, at times completing the larger jigsaws with their friends.  Some of the jigsaws were too big for the table so the children took them to the story corner to complete so they had more space.

“I need help”.    “Can you help”?    “This one’s too tricky”.    “This one goes here”.    “This is an excavator”.    “I did it”.    “I want to do the princess one”.

Children have been busy in the block play area working both individually and in groups with their peers.  Children displayed teamwork and co-operation skills whilst learning to share with their friends.  They used their imagination to use the blocks in a variety of ways, including using the blocks like dominoes and creating a spiral design.

“I’m going to start it”.    “Not yet”.    “Is it ready now”?    “No”.    “Now it is ready, can you take a photo”?    “We were making a circle to fall”.     “My friends help me”.

Children have been practicing their scissor skills by cutting out items in magazines and sticking them onto paper to make their own scrapbook of things they like.

“Cutting some papers”.   “I put in my picture”.    “I love this”.    “We’ve got this at our house”.    “I would like a slush maker for my birthday”.    “16 pounds”.

The Nursery received a special delivery of tiny caterpillars recently and the children are very keen to observe the changes each day.  We have been discussing lifecycle and each stage the caterpillars would go through to turn into a butterfly.

“It was caterpillars”.   “They were small, now they’re big hairy caterpillars”.

Week Beginning: 15th June 2026

Our story of the week is The Eyebrows of Doom by Steve Smallman.

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

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

Reminder

A reminder that the Nursery Class Photo will be taken on Tuesday 9th June.

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!