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Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 8

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Soft Play (Monday)

We took a trip down to the Cunningsburgh Village Club on Monday morning.  The bairns explored the soft play area, the vehicles, created models using the magnets sticks, took the babies for a walk in their prams and played Connect 4.  We had a quick snack and then it was back to playing.

Christmas Party (Tuesday)

To get our bodies warmed up for the party, the bairns played Freeze Dance on the smart board.  Then we all gathered in the quiet room to take turns for Pin the Nose on Rudolph.  We had a party snack before heading though to the hall for more fun and games, starting with Musical Snowflakes.  The bairns sat in a circle for pass the reindeer, listening for the music stopping while keeping that reindeer moving.  Instead of an egg and spoon race we held a snowflake and spoon relay, using polystyrene chips!  We split into four teams and took turns to carry our snowflake to the basket and run back to our team so the next person could have their turn.  We finished off the games with Christmas Corners, Duck Duck Goose and Musical Statues.

Building (Monday – Friday)

There has been great interest in building structures using loose parts.  The bairns have explored height, stability and created a fishing boat in the outdoor room for use in their imaginative play.

Visit from Mini Mrs Claus! (Tuesday)

We had a lovely visit from Mrs Meadows and Lauren, who was dressed as Mrs Claus.  The bairns were excited to see them both and find out how Lauren was growing.

Advent Calendar (Monday – Thursday)

The bairns have been listening for the first letter of their name to see if it’s their turn to open the advent calendar.

Bookbug (Wednesday)

For our last Bookbug session of the year, the bairns joined in for lots of nursery rhymes and songs.  The story this week was Ten Little Elves, who were on a mission to rescue Christmas but they met a yowling yeti and a grizzly polar bear, among other things, on the way.  The bairns worked together using the stretchy blanket and then huddled underneath during Grand Old Duke of York.

Visit from a Furry Friend! (Thursday)

One of our bairns has a new addition to their family – a beautiful black Labrador puppy named Obsidian.  He came for a visit to nursery and the bairns were keen to give him a pat on the head, feed him treats and learn about how to be safe with small dogs.

Drawing Club (Tuesday – Friday)

Taking advantage of the long table set-up, the bairns have drawn lots of doodles, written their name, made marks and told each other about their drawings.  “Look, a triangle.”  “I did my cat.”  “This is my dog.”

Gift Giving (Thursday)

We gathered in the quiet room for the annual visit from Mrs Malcolmson the Elf!  The bairns listened for their name and gave each of their friends a cheer when they went to collect their present.

Trip to the Kirk (Friday)

We were invited to attend the local kirk for a Christmas themed story.  The bairns learned about the meaning behind a candy cane which represents the shepherd’s crook and when turned upside down is the same shape as the letter J for Jesus.  The bairns listened to the story of Jesus’ birth and how the shepherds saw a bright light and heard of the birth of Jesus.  We also sang Away in a Manger.

Delivery for the Sheltered Houses (Friday)

We created calendars for the sheltered housing residents using a picture of the bairns gingerbread houses that were placed in Specsavers’ window.  The weather was not in our favour but the bairns got on their Christmas hats, carried jingle bells and sang their way around the houses.

Harvesting Vegetables (Friday)

We have harvested lots of vegetables from the polycrub and added them to the honesty cupboard.  The bairns have pulled up cauliflower, brussel sprouts and carrots.

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of the play and learning from the rest of the week.  A particular highlight being an impromptu concert with Trevor and the school bairns in the hall.  It made us feel very festive.

We hope you all have a magical festive season and we can’t wait to hear your news from Tuesday 7th January when we return.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 7

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Concert (Monday)

We were delighted to see so many families attending our concert.  The bairns did us proud from start to finish.  Thank you to everyone that was there to support the bairns.

Winter Stay and Play (Monday)

Our Stay and Play was busy with the bairns showing their grown-ups around the setting, stopping at the winter activities and catching up with friends.  The bairns decorated ice cream cones like Christmas trees, coloured in crackers, made cookies with the glittery playdough, painted pictures, tried to break the animals out of the ice, posed for pictures in the cardboard cutouts, played Christmas games on the smart board and made a tree out of Lego.

Bikes and Games in the Hall (Tuesday)

We divided up the hall so that the bairns could use the bikes in one end and play ball games in the other.  The bairns threw the balls to each other, bounced them, tried to get the ball into the basket and rolled them on the floor.  On the bikes, the bairns, used the bell, practiced stopping and starting, maneuvered around other cyclists and turned the corner.

Advent Calendar (Monday, Wednesday & Friday)

The bairns have been listening for their name being pulled out to open the advent calendar and waiting patiently to open their box.

Christmas Lunch (Thursday)

The bairns and staff enjoyed Christmas lunch together.  The canteen staff prepared a delicious meal of roast turkey, carrots, brussel sprouts, roast tatties, stuffing, pigs in blankets and gravy.  We all waited until everyone had a plate and then pulled our crackers together.  The bairns also enjoyed a second course of jelly and ice cream.

 

Moana 2 (Friday)

The bairns went to Mareel to see Moana 2 on a whole school outing.  We got the bus from the top of the road into Lerwick and then headed to Screen 1 to watch the film.  There were plenty of laughs and some great songs too.

Big Play with Primary 6 & 7 (Friday)

The Primary 6 & 7 pupils came into the nursery for an afternoon play session.  The nursery bairns were keen to show them their favourite areas and make sure they were staying safe at the workbench.  It was great to see the peerie ones showing the big ones how to climb up the wall in the outdoor room!

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of the remainder of our play and learning from the week.  The bairns have been engaged in a game in the outdoor room all week which starts with a jump from the big blocks onto the cushion and then they play dead!  “I gonna jump.  I gonna die.  Just pretend”  The doctor was called to see if they could find a heartbeat.  This usually meant that the patient would spring back to life!  The bairns have used gentle hands, props from the doctor’s box and found out that the heart pumps blood around the body to keep the other organs alive.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 6

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Bookbug (Wednesday)

We had a Bookbug session this week, starting with the Hello song.  The bairns joined in with the actions for Incy Wincy Spider.  Next the bairns suggested different moves to do while saying their name – shake, jump, turn, run, sway.  When they heard the word stop, they had to freeze in position.  The bairns did Two Little Dickie Birds and Two Little Caterpillars with the actions.  Claire read a lovely Christmas story called A Very Snowy Christmas about Big Mouse and Little Mouse on Christmas Eve and what happened when it started snowing.  The bairns wondered if Claire had brought the stretchy sheet.  They all took a piece of the edge, pulling it tighter and tighter until it went pop!  The bairns huddled under the sheet for Grand Old Duke of York and then it was time for the Goodbye song.

Advent Calendar (Monday – Friday)

Each day during December we will be opening our Advent Calendar.  We added the bairns names to a basket and will pick out a random name each day.  The bairns listen for the first letter, trying to figure out who has been picked out.  The lucky person takes their box to the table to open it and find the surprise.  Their friends are keen to see what’s inside too.

Tesco (Tuesday)

We had a Tesco delivery this week to stock up our snack cupboard.  The bairns helped to take in the items and set them on the table.  They sorted them out into their different areas – fridge, freezer, cupboard or fruit bowl.

Outdoor Play (Monday – Friday)

The bairns explored the outdoor area by balancing, digging, climbing and jumping.

Den and Slide Building (Monday – Friday)

We received a generous donation of a den building kit and the bairns have been engaged in building many structures throughout the week.  They have used fine motor skills to attach the poles to the connector balls, co-operative play to discuss their ideas and form a plan and great listening to put all the pieces back into the box to keep everyone safe and so we don’t lose any between the floorboards.  The bairns also used the large blocks to build a slide.  They experimented with different ways to getting from the top to the bottom using their bodies and vehicles.

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of the rest of our play and learning from the week.  The bairns have been engaged in numeracy games, Christmas role play, building towers and turning the smart board into an office.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 5

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Music (Monday)

We continued with our Christmas concert practice and matching our singing to the notes played on the piano. Mrs Garrick was the conductor, when she waved her hand we all had to stop! It was a bit tricky but after a few practices we got it!

Secret Christmas Mission (Tuesday)

We headed up to Lerwick with a small group of bairns to decorate the window at Specsavers.  The bairns placed in the gingerbread houses, added their snowflakes and snow above and filled the bottom of the window display with bubble wrap and a blanket of snow.  While they were at Specsavers, the bairns tried on some glasses and had a special visit from Tommy the cat!  We would be very grateful if you could vote for our display on Facebook.  Sorry, we can’t provide a link due to the Council’s Web Filter Software.

Indoor/Outdoor Room Play (Monday – Friday)

The bairns have been engaged in building and motion activities this week.  Using the large wedge blocks, they tested different cylindrical items, noticing their speed and distance travelled.  The bairns have also built dens and towers.

Outdoor Play (Monday – Friday)

As well as harvesting our miniature cauliflower, the bairns have been working collaboratively to create a ghost trap.  There was some ice left in the tuff tray and the bairns explored different ways to break it up, using hammers, screwdrivers and their hands.

Special Visitor (Thursday)

Mrs Meadows came for her first visit with baby Lauren.  The bairns were delighted to meet the baby and tell Mrs Meadows all their news.  They used gentle hands after making sure they had washed them with soap.

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of the remainder of our play and learning from the week.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 4

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Music (Monday)

We were busy practicing for our concert this week during our music session.

Outdoor Play (Monday – Friday)

The bairns have explored the cold weather this week.  They have made snow angels, transported the snow, slid down the path and used different vehicles in the snow.  We added some red food colouring to water in a spray bottle.  “I’m going to spray the whole garden.”  The bairns noticed that the path became more slippery after each slide down which meant they could go even faster.  “Woah, that was fast!”

It’s Christmas! (Tuesday)

We got the Christmas tree down from the laft and the bairns set it up and went about decorating with baubles and tinsel, finishing off with a star on top.  The bairns have been dressing up with Christmas headbands and elf shoes.

Small Block Play (Monday – Friday)

The bairns have been engaged in small block play, building towers and cities.  This promotes fine motor skills and the concepts of stability and height.

Special Christmas Mission (Weeks 3 & 4)

We have been tasked with a special Christmas mission to decorate the window at Specsavers.  The bairns have created gingerbread houses out of cardboard and used loose parts from around the nursery to draw around for the windows and doors.  A huge thank you to Trevor for helping us with the cutting.  The bairns used white paint and silver glitter to decorate and then added vellum behind the windows for a frosty look.  The bairns have also made triangle trees and added texture with white splatters using large sticks.  They wrapped wool around a couple of the trees and added more glitter.  The bairns created handprint snowflakes for the sky above their village.

Volcano Part 2 (Thursday)

After finding out how to build their volcano from a video, the bairns painted the volcano this week in preparation to add the ingredients for the eruption.  They used a funnel to add the bicarbonate of soda and red food colouring, before taking turns to squeeze the vinegar into a jug so it could be poured into the top of the volcano.   “It’s science.”  “Wow!”

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of the reminder of our play and learning from this week.  The bairns have engaged in role play games including babies and Christmas, read lots of books. built a Viking galley, created an obstacle course, showed off their exercise moves, baked biscuits and played Floor is Lava Dinosaurs.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 3

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Music (Monday)

We wheeled the piano into nursery this week for our music session.  The bairns gathered round and began singing scales from low to high.  A few of the bairns volunteered to stand at the front for Everybody Do This so that their friends could copy their actions.  Some of the actions were very energetic from hopping and jumping and others were slower, matching the tempo of the music.  We practiced for our concert and then brought up our heart rates with Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes.  Afterwards, we relaxed with the Zen Bowl to finish.

Childsmile (Tuesday)

Nikki from Childsmile visited to perform toothbrushing.  The bairns found their toothbrush using the icons and then followed the instructions.  Afterwards, they were keen to show off their shiny gnashers!

Numeracy (Monday – Friday)

The bairns have shown a keen interest in the number blocks.  They have chosen different ways to explore the numbers by creating hiding games, making sure the number blocks are in the right order and matching up the colours.

Volcano (Wednesday – Friday)

The bairns have been interested in making their own volcano.  We gathered the supplies, including an old milk bottle and newspapers.  The bairns scrunched up the newspapers and added them to the outside of the milk bottle, making sure to leave the top open.  We discussed why masking tape was better than Sellotape because the paint would stick to the masking tape.

Remembrance Day (Monday)

The bairns learned about Remembrance Day by watching Poppy’s Day which told the story of a girl called Poppy attending her first Remembrance event and what the poppy that many people wear represents.  “Poppy Day is remembering the people who died in the wars.”

CBeebies Radio: “Poppy’s Day” – YouTube

Outdoor Play (Monday – Friday)

The bairns have engaged in lots of muddy play and created a game with a campfire.  They have worked together to develop their play ideas.

Library Van (Tuesday)

On our way to the Library Van, the bairns revisited what we had learned about crossing the road safely from Ziggy.  The bairns stopped on the edge of the pavement, looked and listened for cars before deciding it was safe to cross.  We returned our library books and chose some new ones.  The bairns stamped the date so we know when they have to be returned and then popped them onto our bookcase back at nursery.

World Nursery Rhyme Week (Monday-Friday)

We took part in World Nursery Rhyme Week.  This promotes vocabulary and language development through repetition and rhyme.  The bairns sang Old Macdonald, Five Current Buns, Twinkle Twinkle, The Big Ship Sails and Incy Wincy Spider, adding in the actions too.  We revisited these throughout the week.  We were delighted to have a parent visit nursery to share a nursery rhyme in Polish – Mrugaj Mrugaj Gwiazdko Ma (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star).  The bairns listened to the words and then practiced how to say each line.  We also found the Polish version online which we watched together, saying the words along with the animation, followed by Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in English.

Monster Kickabout 2024 (Monday – Friday)

The bairns from P6&7 visited nursery to tell us about the Monster Kickabout 2024.  They brought colouring-in sheets for the bairns to design their own football.  The bairns went down to the multicourt and learned more about the techniques used in football – tackling, dribbling and ball control.  “The best fun ever!”  “Verrrrrry fun!”  There was a kickabout in the school hall and then the nursery bairns attended the Monster Kickabout Awards Ceremony.

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of the remainder of the play and learning that took place this week.  The bairns have been creative with paint, played lots of board games and celebrated Pudsey Day.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 2 Week 2

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Music (Monday)

After our welcome song, the bairns moved around the hall, listening to the tempo of the music to match up their actions – tiny steps, big strides, skipping and running.  The bairns started practicing for their Christmas concert, using instruments and singing around the piano.  Then it was time for Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes which left everybody out of breath between the singing and  the actions.  Mrs Garrick had a helper for the Zen Bowl to create a relaxing finish.

Fluoride Varnishing (Monday)

The bairns had their fluoride varnish applied this week.  They listened to the instructions to lie down, put on the sunglasses and opened their mouths wide for the brush to apply the varnish.  “See my teeth, are dey shiny?”

Bookbug (Wednesday)

The bairns gathered in the quiet room for our Bookbug session which started with a Welcome Song and then some nursery rhymes.  Claire brought along a Christmas story called Merry Christmas, Gus by Chris Chatterton about Gus the dog who wasn’t very pleased with his present of a cat for Christmas.  The bairns used the stretchy fabric for Pea Pod Press – the pea pod grew and grew and grew until it went POP!  The bairns huddled together on the mat under the stretchy fabric for the Grand Old Duke of York, watching the material move up and down while joining in with the words.  Then it was time for the Goodbye Song.

Big Block Play (Monday – Friday)

The bairns have been engaged in lots of imaginative big block play.  They have built dens, ramps, roads, vehicle cafes, thrones for the Queen and jumping platforms.  During a play session, the bairns constructed a party for trucks that was actually a trap filled with glue.  The bairns co-operated in their play, creating rich imaginative discussions.  “Everyone get out, it’s a fire, it’s a fire!”  “Oh no! It’s fire in the party!”  “Isn’t the fire melting all the sticky glue?”

Water Painting (Tuesday)

The bairns used water to mark make on the fence and concrete outside the quiet room.  They brushed it on and splattered the water onto the wood, noticing how it changed the colour of the wood – “the green is dark green now.”.

Play and Learning (Monday – Friday)

Here is a selection of our play and learning from the week.  The bairns have emptied and put away the Tesco shopping, held a birthday party for a sleepy dog, explored muddy puddles in the garden and played the floor is lava.

Cunningsburgh Early Years 2024-25 Term 1 Week 1

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We were delighted to welcome everyone back after the holidays, hear their news and meet some new friends.  Here is a selection of the play and learning from our first three days back.  We spoke about road safety using the Ziggy series – Ziggy Visits Granny.  The bairns also watched a short video about staying safe on Bonfire Night from the Avon Fire and Rescue Service. Firework Safety with FiDO the Firedog