Bells Brae Nursery

Story of the week: Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Story of the week: Elmer by David McKee

Role Play

Playing hairdressers with their friends.

“Can you dry my hair”    “I need some curls”    “Brush my hair please”    “We need to pay”.

Craft Area

We have a range of items available each day for the children to use their imaginations and creativity to make crafts.

If you have any craft items such as ribbons, buttons, gems, paper or anything the bairns could use for cutting up or crafting with, we’d be appreciative of any donations to keep our craft trolley topped up!

Junk modelling items are available on a daily basis. Children can make their own individual items or at times they like to create a large junk model with their friends.

“Gluing to the box”.    “Making a model”.

Mark Making

There are mark making opportunities throughout the setting from chalkboards outdoors and in the indoor/outdoor room, our Message Centre, the craft area, marking making in sand and many more!

Outdoors

We have had all weathers at nursery recently from pouring rain and puddles to sunshine!

The children had a great time in their suits and welly boots jumping in big puddles created by the rain.

“Watch this”!    “We are making waves”.

The children were keen to have somewhere to play with dinosaurs so a messy play tray was created.

“A t-rex”.    “This is cereal”.    “It’s spikey”!

Indoor Play

Children have been learning about sharing and taking turns with their friends.

“Let’s make a tower”.

Children have been interested in looking at books in the story corner and retelling the stories with friends.

The Runaway Pea

“He’s been in the toaster”.

We were delighted to welcome everyone back to nursery this term and also welcome some children to their very first week at nursery. The children have been settling back into the nursery routines and the returning children have been modelling these routines for the new starts at snack time, lunch time and together time.

Prior to the Summer holidays the children had been checking on the plants they had helped to plant in the school polycrub so on our first day back we all went for a walk to the polycrub to check how much they had grown over the holidays. We couldn’t believe how much they had grown, the tomatoes were even taller than the grown ups!

Creating imaginative drawings on the interactive board using lots of details.

Baking Scones for snack

The children mixed, measured, poured and cut out the shapes for the scones.

Working collaboratively to create towers and bridges indoors and outdoors using a variety of construction.

We have lots of puzzles, jigsaws and games to choose from in our social area.

The children have shown a keen interest in playing the Shopping List game, encouraging each other during play and learning about taking turns.

Small world play in the social area.

Every day we have paint and craft items available for children to create with on the easel or at the craft table.

Creating their own individual decoration for their Learning Story folder to give them a sense of ownership and help them to identify their Learning Story.

“I am trying to make a sand castle but it keeps falling down, I tap it but it falls again”.

“It’s a sunny day”.    “We go in one end and come out the other”.    “I can see you”.

Children have been developing their gross motor skills and co-ordination when playing football, catching and throwing the balls outside.

“Football, I like to kick the ball”.

Outdoor Fun!

The children have been so busy outdoors since returning to nursery, they’ve had a great time whether there are puddles to jump in or the sun is shining! We have lots of waterproof cosy suits to wear outdoors so the children can have fun in the rainy weather or when taking part in water play. We support and encourage the children to become independent when putting on or removing their suits or wellies for outdoors.

“Suits makes us able to go outside when it’s wet”

Having fun in the home corner with friends, preparing food and looking after the baby dolls.

Graduation 2024

Our 2024 Graduates put on a fabulous show for their families this week with brilliant singing and signing of two songs they’ve been busy practicing this term.

We hope you all have a fun filled Summer and a great start to Primary 1!

We look forward to welcoming all our returning children back to nursery in August!

Sports Stay & Play

The children all did incredibly well during our Sports Stay & Play. They waited so patiently for their turn, listened carefully to instructions for each event and moved round the events brilliantly with their group.

Egg & Spoon

Long Jump

Throwing beanbags into the hoop

Number Zig Zag Relay

Overhead Ball Throw

We practiced our sports activities in the gym hall!

We are delighted the Borrowing Library has been so well used this term!

A reminder that if you currently have any books on loan, it would be much appreciated if these could be returned by the end of term. This will ensure we can have the Borrowing Library fully stocked ready for the start of the next academic year.

African Drumming with Joy

The children have had the opportunity to take part in two African Drumming sessions with Joy recently. The children began by learning a call and respond game and exploring different rhythms. The children really enjoyed these sessions, listened well and were keen to replicate the rhythms and hand movements that Joy demonstrated.

The children have been mark making with their fingers in sand and on whiteboards with pens.

Pouring and filling in the water tray to develop hand eye coordination and exploring nature in the indoor/outdoor room.

The children used their fine motor skills to fill up water sprayers themselves and spray on the walls outdoors. “We are painting the walls”. They then used large paintbrushes and buckets of water to decorate outdoors.

The children built bridges with pallets and wooden planks. They practiced their balancing and helped one another to cross the bridge safely.

The children had a great time in the rainy weather with their suits and boots on! There was lots of puddle jumping and investigating bugs including snails, slugs, woodlouse and spiders which appeared whilst it was rainy!

Den building outdoors using pallets, fish boxes, floats and barrels.

Working cooperatively and using problem solving skills to reroute the water from the tap into the container.

Making their own individual cards using finger painting, choosing which colours they would like to use and the message they would like to include inside.

The children practiced cleaning and drying their brushes whilst exploring colour mixing and using dabbing techniques to decorate a cardboard box together.

Using a variety of construction toys to build “the Eiffel tower” and “Scalloway Castle”, inspired by the photos of the buildings on the wall.

The children have been fascinated to observe the changes in our caterpillars as they’ve grown bigger and bigger and formed their chrysalises. The children were delighted when they arrived at nursery one morning recently to find that the butterflies had begun to emerge from their chrysalises, two even emerged right in front of our eyes!

“He’s coming out of his cocoon”.      “It’s orange and brown”.

“The next one will be beautiful”.       “It’s flied off his cocoon”.

The children watched quietly as the butterflies emerged and were keen to share their news with friends.

We had two lots of butterflies who emerged a few days apart so there was lots of excitement when it was time to release the butterflies outdoors once each group had arrived. Many of the butterflies spent time in the playground, often landing on the children, much to their amazement!

“Letting the butterflies out”.   “Setting them free”.   “It’s on me”.

“Wow, it’s flying away”.    “Bye bye butterfly”.