Tag Archives: Christmas

Early Years 2023-24 Term 2 Week 9

December 22, 2023 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Before our party, the bairns got the table ready for snack by setting out the plates, cups and napkins. We went through to the hall to start the games. The bairns decided we should change up Duck Duck Goose with a seasonal version called Santa Santa Reindeer. We had an exciting round of Pass the Reindeer – keep that reindeer moving because if you’re holding it when the music stops, you’re out! The bairns had chosen characters for the corner game – Santa, snowman, reindeer and elf. Then it was a nursery favourite – musical statues. We got into teams of five for a snowball and spoon race. Our last game was party blower snowballs and it was full of fun and excitement. We went back through to nursery to refuel with our party snack. The games continued with Pin the Nose on the Reindeer.

We set out a mixing/baking provocation and it didn’t take long for the bairns to decide to create their own version of the Great British Bake Off. The Great Cunningsburgh Bake Off was born! A couple of the bairns went round with a clipboard asking their friends if they would like to take part. Once the list of contestants had been finalised, it was time to start baking. The bairns decided to make cookies. During their bake, the judge would come round offering words of encouragement. The bairns created their cookies independently, only needing help to read the steps of the recipe. There were some interesting flavour choices too!

After the cookies had been baked, the judging table was made ready. Mr Clark joined one of the bairns to complete the judging panel. They sampled the cookies one by one. Some of the comments made were “Really love that one with the chocolate in it”, “I think it’s minty, I wasn’t expecting mint” and “I think I need a drink”. As the judges were sampling the cookies, they tested them to hear their snap. When it come to choosing a winner, there was a clear favourite with the judges agreeing which cookie was the tastiest.

The bairns came up with a great idea for our calendar delivery for the residents next to nursery – rustic wreaths. Mrs Smith brought in her collection of dried flowers, berries and foliage and we gathered bits and pieces from the nursery garden. The bairns used wet glue to attach their elements, creating beautiful one-of-a-kind wreaths. Once everything was dry, we photographed the wreaths to make the calendars.

The bairns made up pockets with a tea bag and chocolate biscuit to go along with their calendars. Then it was time to head out for delivery. The bairns sang songs from their concert performance – Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.

We were delighted to welcome back Eleanor Hutcheon, Local STEM Co-ordinator for a session focusing on engineering. The bairns listened to the information and used the Kapla blocks to build towers, make letters and numbers, create steps and used their imagination to make shapes including a person, a spider and a house. They also used the blocks to make and solve sums.

Our Advent calendar is getting pretty empty now! We had three more boxes to open at the start of the week. The bairns have been coming together to see who will open the next box. We pull out a name from a dish and the bairns sound out the letters to read the name.

We had our Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings followed by apple crumble and ice cream this week. There were crackers to pull, party hats to wear and plenty of jokes to share. What do you get it you cross Santa with a detective? Santa Clues! Between courses the bairns played pass the parcel, trying to unravel a tightly wrapped Santa. Afterwards we gathered in the quiet room for the gift presentation. Each bairn listened for their name before collecting their parcel. We hope you love what’s inside but don’t wait until Christmas Day to open the wrapping.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. We are already looking forward to hearing all your festive news next term from Tuesday 9 January.

Early Years 2023-24 Term 2 Week 8

December 15, 2023 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

We held our annual Christmas concert this week and the bairns were all superstars. We started by jingling bells as we entered the hall and then sang Jingle Bells, followed by a welcoming Merry Christmas song that included signing. The bairns took to the drums for an African-inspired tune that we learned with Joy Duncan during our drumming sessions. We went back to our Shetland roots next with a rendition of Boanie Tammy. Then the bairns played various instruments for Santa Went Riding with his Reindeer. To finish, the bairns went Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and ended with We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

We were delighted to see so many parents and grandparents at our Winter Stay and Play. The bairns proudly showed off their nursery, taking their grown ups around to see their favourite spaces. We loved seeing how much fun you all had decorating trees, taking tinsel selfies and exploring the outdoor room.

The bairns have continued to open our Advent Calendar this week, with many of them being so patient for their turn. The bairns have been cheering each other on during the unboxing.

This is an overview of the learning and play that took place this week. The bairns have been engaged in making their own village, creating the road, shops, a garage and post office. The bairns put forward their ideas for the name of the village, before deciding by majority vote that Sparkles was the winner.

We had the bikes out in the hall for the afternoon. The bairns took turns on the bikes, following the white lines, practicing stopping and using the bell when they spotted a hazard. In the other end of the hall, we played ball games including Garden Scramble, Flush the Toilet, Follow the Lines and Escape the Crocodile. We had to take a walk outside afterwards to cool down!

Early Years 2023-24 Term 2 Week 7

December 8, 2023 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

One of our lovely neighbours donated a whole box of wooden train track pieces. The bairns have been building different tracks all week, connecting the pieces in a variety of shapes and making good use of the space in the quiet room.

We encourage the bairns to look after their nursery by picking things up and putting them back where they belong. We’ve seen lots of great helpers this week. The bairns also help themselves to water during lunch by filling up the jug at the sink. Although, it’s not always tidying – “I’m not tidying up, I’m getting ready for mums and dads coming.”

Here is a summary of the rest of our learning and development for the week. There has been lots of interest in small world play, building and role play.

We’ve been opening our advent calendar each day by picking names out of a hat. The bairns have been keen to see what will be in the box.

One of the bairns asked for a large piece of paper to draw around her friend. We found a roll of wallpaper and the bairns secured it at the corners with heavy items from around nursery. The bairns took turns laying down or drawing. We extended this by comparing the length of the drawings and adding our names.

We have been exploring the gym equipment in the hall and the bairns have been increasing in confidence, trying more adventurous moves and climbing higher. The rope swings have been a tricky piece of apparatus to master but the bairns have persevered and their swinging skills have developed, allowing them to swing with one or two ropes at a time.

The bairns have been engaged in lots of Christmas activities this week. They’ve made cards and pictures, decorated a large Christmas tree with loose parts embellishments, created pin pictures and found out how to cut out Christmas jumpers on a Cricut paper-cutting machine.

Early Years 2023-24 Term 2 Week 5

November 24, 2023 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

We were invited through to the gym hall to have a shot on the apparatus including the climbing bars, rope swings and trampoline jump. The bairns listened to the instructions before setting off to explore all the equipment. They climbed, jumped, took turns, assessed their own risk and had fun. We are excited to see how their confidence has grown next week.

The bairns noticed that lots of little birds were eating our hens’ food and they thought they might need something for the winter. We set about making some bird feeders using pinecones, wild bird seed mix, mealworms, raisins and lard to stick it all together.

This week our visit to the Salvation Army polycrub included taking geranium cuttings and planting them to take home, planting lettuce, feeding the hens with crushed egg shells and old vegetables, visiting the goats and cows and shaking off the soil from some dead plants.

The bairns have been engaged in volcano play, particularly in the sand pit. We discussed the active volcano in Iceland and how far it was from Shetland, finding some photos on the iPad. The bairns were keen to try a volcano experiment, sourcing the ingredients of vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, dish soap, warm water and food colouring. After building the volcano from sand, we added the ingredients to make the volcano erupt. While the bairns were waiting they decided to count, getting all the way to 100.

After the Halloween decorations came down, the bairns were asking about decorating for Christmas. We got the tree down from the loft and after some discussion about how small the box was, we set it up in the quiet room. We added the lights first and then the bairns searched the boxes of decorations to find items to make the tree look beautiful. They placed on tinsel, baubles, nutcracker ornaments and pinned up a Santa sock. Finally it was time to add the star.

Here’s a snapshot of the rest of our week and the learning that’s taken place.