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Down at the Salvation Army polycrub, the bairns planted sunflower seeds in the pots they had decorated, fed the goats and looked for hen’s eggs.

Our preschoolers took their grown-ups through to the canteen for lunch.  It was lamb stew followed by ice cream so there was an added challenge of eating up the stew before the ice cream melted.

Here is a selection of the remainder of our play and learning from the week.  The bairns have made lots of kites and tested them in the windy garden.  They have also made bread and sugar-free banana muffins.  We had relaxing yoga in the quiet room and explored the playpark.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5, rated)

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We started our music session this week by stretching our bodies.  We practiced for our leavers graduation  around the piano and in groups on the benches.  The bairns chased the grown-ups around the hall for then ending to Bananas in Pyjamas.  We finished off with Head Shoulders Knees and Toes and then presented Mrs Garrick with a handmade thank you card and pot of flowers before she heads off for her well earned holidays.

The bairns have been sorting out our polycrub this week by digging up a ripened kale heart and planting beetroot, kale and daisies.  We also had a trip to the Salvation Army polycrub where the bairns planted radish seeds, watered the flowers and fed the goats.  There were also lots of eggs to count from the hen house.

We had the fire pit out this week, starting off by going over the safety rules.  We created a circle of safety with old flour which meant that the bairns had to stay outside the circle so they were a safe distance from the fire.  The bairns had a turn with the flint to see if they could create a spark.  Then it was time to light the fire.  Once it was going, the bairns toasted bananas and marshmallows using long skewers.

We were delighted to see so many families attending our Nursery Sports Day.  There was lots of chat beforehand about the different coloured teams and the kind of races.  Mrs Ritchie had a couple of new races including a galloping race.  Afterwards, the bairns were discussing their favourite moments.  “My favourite race was the egg n spoon race.”

One of the bairns brought in a coconut to crack open.  The bairns worked together, using different tools including a hammer, screwdriver and scissors to open the coconut. Some of the bairns tried it with mixed opinions……. the discussion led to thinking about other coconutty things like shampoo, oil and soaps. Taking the coconut to the water tray they used it as soap adding real soap to make bubbles. ‘It smells nice.’ ‘This feels smooth,’

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

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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During  music this week, the bairns showed off their dance moves in a game of musical statues.  We moved around the hall to the music and practiced for our graduation ceremony.  Heads, Shoulder, Knees and Toes was our finale and it was so fast!

The preschoolers had their first experience of lunch in the canteen this week.  They lined up at hatch to receive their main course and then to the pudding station.  They ate their lunch together and then cleared away their scraps into the bins, before putting their trays away.

We sat in the outdoor for our Bookbug session this week, starting with the Hello song and some nursery rhymes.  The story this week was “The Grinny Granny Donkey”.  The bairns joined in by completing some of the rhyming words of the story.  We also used the stretchy blanket for Five Fat Peas in a Pea Pod Press.

Our transition PE session included finding a P1 partner for a clapping game, catchy and working in small groups for pattern movement and recognition.

The bairns’ outdoor play has included lots of role play games, water play and construction.  They have used the large tarpaulin to create a wind shelter and also used it hide inside and travel around the garden in a small group.

We had two visits to the Salvation Army polycrub this week.  During the first visit we planted flowers, met the friendly goats, fed the chickens in their new home and tasted a fresh strawberry.  During our second visit we planted radishes and cabbage, decorated a sunflower pot and fed the hungry goats.

Here is a selection of the remainder of our play, learning and development for this week.  We tried making popcorn using dried sweetcorn but it didn’t go to plan.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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During our music session, we moved our bodies in time with the music by changing our movements related to the piano sounds, practiced for our graduation concert and finished with some relaxation music.

The library van was back again and we returned our books from last time and picked out some new titles.  The bairns chose stories and a fact book all about big cats.  The bairns stamped the date on the inside cover so that we know when they are due to go back to the library before the summer holidays.

The bairns’ interest in Up Helly Aa continues.  This week they have made a galley from an old cardboard box, using paint to decorate and added a head and tail.  They cut out shields and axes and marched around the nursery, including the garden singing the Up Helly Aa song.

We refreshed the playdough and this time the bairns added in dandelion heads and leaves.  They also picked some small yellow flowers from the broccoli in the polycrub.  Before adding the plants to the playdough, they tore them up into smaller pieces.

During our bookbug session, the bairns listened to a story called “One Goose Two Moose” about groups of geese and moose trying to line up.  They got in such a muddle with the geese in the moose line and moose in the goose line.  The bairns gathered on the stone pit lid, under the stretchy blanket for Grand Old Duke of York.

The preschoolers visited the P1/2 classroom as part of their transition.  They took part in Drawing Club.  Miss Hunter gave them three words to think about while drawing – gobbled, ignore and destroy.  The bairns drew monsters and their pictures have been added to their nursery folders.

The preschoolers partnered up with the P1 class for gym.  They headed out to the multicourt for games including Stick in the Mud and Catchy.  The bairns played ball games, passing to their Primary 1 partners.

Here is a selection of the remainder of our play and learning from the week.  The bairns have tried lots of ways to crack open a coconut!  After a few tries they decided they need to cut off all the hairs.  Then they used a brick, a hammer, scissors and eventually a screwdriver did the trick to crack it open.  They tasted the coconut water but there were not many fans.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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We extended the bairns interest in sliding by adding two large cardboard boxes to the hill.  The bairns were able to slide down the hill at a much faster speed, trying out different materials to see which was the fastest.  We also planted some flowers in the our new planter made by the Primary 6 bairns.

Our preschoolers had a chance to visit their new classroom this week.  They explored the resources, took part in activities featuring the letter s and  drew a picture on the smart board just like Miss Hunter’s.

We have started the Wir Ain Peerie Bodies sessions this week with the book ‘What We Have’ which explains the similarities and differences between boys and girls’ bodies and provided the anatomically correct names for body parts.  We drew around a boy and a girl on big pieces of wallpaper and then the bairns named all the body parts.  We also watched the ‘Pantasaurus’ video from the NSPCC website which uses appropriate language to explain that what’s under your pants belongs only to you.  It also introduces how bairns can talk to a trusted adult and the difference between a good secret and a bad secret.

The chicks have been growing well this week, gaining more feathers and trying to escape!  We’ve added a net over the box.  The bairns were keen to have another chance to hold them, especially now that they are so much more fluffy.

Here is a selection of the play and learning that has taken place this week.  The bairns have been engaged in building masterpieces with blocks and the marble run, playing games, taking photos and choosing their snack on the iPad and doing yoga.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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We had an outdoor Bookbug session this week, ending with our favourite number rhyme – Five Fat Peas in a Pea Pod Press.

Now that the chicks have hatched, the bairns have been looking after them by making them pictures, checking on their water & food and reading them stories.  The bairns have also held them, if they wanted.  They used gentle hands, with one on top and one underneath so the chick felt safe and their wings were covered.

We had such warm weather this week that it was the perfect time for more water play.  The bairns filled up spray bottles and imagined that their den was on fire.  They used their bottles to spray the fire and put it out.  They also sprayed the fence, using the decorative lids as targets.  When they sprayed the dry ground, they noticed how it changed colour and that the water traveled down the hill.  We moved the Chinese Writing Paper outside onto the fence and the bairns added water vertically, chasing the drips down the page.

To extend the bairns’ interest in rolling and trajectory play, we used the large tarpaulin as a slide on the steepest hill.  “This is the best day of my life!”  “I think we should do this every day!”

Our outdoor play has included taking up some old produce from the polycrub and adding it to the mud kitchen, using chalk to mark our heights on the fence, digging in the sand pit, making wild bracelets using masking tape and found items from around the garden, painting on large pieces of wallpaper. making our own bubble wands, ball games and den building.

This is a selection of the remainder of our play and learning from the week.  The bairns have continued their interest in making circuits.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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We revisited our movement to music using hopping, tiptoeing and large strides.  The bairns used the benches to practice their rowing for Row Row Row Your Boat.  We had some interesting moves during Everybody Do This including the splits!  We finished off with Head Shoulders Knees and Toes which got faster with each round.

Our play and learning outside this week features obstacle courses, relaxation, muddy puddles, feeding the hens, digging in the sand, running a very busy ice cream shop and lots of ball games.

We had a visit from Childsmile to apply flouride varnish.  The bairns listened to the instructions in the quiet room and remembered that the varnish tasted like bananas.

During our visit to the polycrub this week, the bairns planted sprouted tatties, cauliflower and fed the goats.  We also saw lots of new lambs and a couple of calves.

Early literacy is enhanced through the use of text, mark making and fine motor skills development.

We have had a very exciting addition to the nursery family – 6 chicks made their way out of their shells this week.  The bairns have been marking off their countdown calendar each day.  They have drawn pictures, read stories and watched with interest to see the chicks hatching.  The chicks are now in their new home in the outdoor room where they will stay until their feathers develop before heading off to their forever home with one of our families.

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

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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We were delighted to welcome back Mrs Garrick for our music session this week.  We started with the welcome song, including actions.  Then we moved our bodies while listening for the changes in the music – tiptoes, large strides and hopping.  We paired up for A Sailor Went to Sea so that we could clap our hands together.  We carried this on by sitting across the benches in small groups to row our boats.  Heave, Ho! The bairns were keen to volunteer for Everybody Do This with one bairn standing at the front and everybody copying their actions.  The bairns took turns to be up at the front.  We tried out a new song for our graduation concert – it’s under wraps until June!  The bairns asked for Bananas in Pajamas and the Up Helly Aa song to finish up.  They marched around the hall and then lined up at the door while singing.

The play in the outdoor room this week has been varied and has included measure, technology and expressive arts.

The bairns have been engaged in a lot of outdoor play.  This has included cop-operative play, trajectory play and role play.  We also had a fun session at the playpark.

We’ve made another trip to the Salvation Army polycrub to plant more sprouted tatties, neeps and beetroot.  The bairns also potted on seeds including tomato plants.  The bairns had a chat with the goats who were roaming around outside.

We viewed the eggs that we are hatching in the cupboard by shining a torch through the shell to see if there was anything inside.  The bairns could see  movement and noticed an eye going past the side of the shell.

The pre-school bairns are continuing to build their confidence during transition, being supported by their buddies.

We held our bookbug session outside this week, starting off with the hello song.  We moved onto rhyming with Hickory Dickory Dock using puppets and then the bairns listened to a story called The Very Cranky Bear written by Nick Bland.  The bear was trying to get some rest but his friends thought he needed cheering up and offered him what they thought would cheer him up – a lion’s mane, a moose’s antlers and a zebra’s stripes.  Sheep saved the day by using her wool to make a pillow for the bear so that he could have a comfy sleep.

We made the most of our trip to the Folk Festival concert by starting off our adventure rock climbing at Da Sletts.  We also had snack there and then headed off for our next adventure.  We had a quick play at King Harald Street playpark and then made our way to Mareel for the concert.  The bairns waited for the musicians who came through the crowd holding a bunch of bananas!  The musicians interacted with their audience by asking questions about the instruments – highest note, lowest note and longest note.  “I loved dat concert.”

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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It’s so lovely to see the bairns coming back from their holidays and building on their friendships.  They work together to create games, look after the nursery and have fun.  The older bairns help support the younger ones to follow the nursery routines.

We had our first delivery of the term from Tesco to stock up our snack cupboard.  The bairns greeted the delivery person and unpacked the boxes, placing the items on the table.  There was lots of discussion about the size, shape and weight of the fruit.  Once everything was unpacked, it was time to put it all away.  The bairns worked together to put the fruit in the fridge and fruit bowl, crackers in the cupboard and wraps in the freezer.

The bairns asked if we could have a play in the big hall.  After a short run around, they used different kinds of balls to play games, bounce and shoot for the hoop.  Afterwards, everyone was so hot, we cooled down with yoga in the quiet room.

We have started our weekly visits to the Salvation Army Polycrub again.  The bairns turned over the raised bed, taking out the weeds and found carrots from last year which they fed to the goats.  They planted peas and our sprouted tatties.  Then they added crushed up egg shells for drainage in the soil.  They potted poppy seedlings and tomato plants.  The bairns also met a brand new lamb.

The bairns in the outdoor room were interested in throwing but it wasn’t always safe so we had a discussion about how to throw safely and redirected them.  The bairns came up with their own game.  They used a cone with a ball balanced on top to see if they could knock the ball off.  They also threw balls into a basket.  The games evolved over the week with the bairns shifting to an interest to throw higher.  They used a section of the wall to create a game of throwing the ball into the basket.  The bairns made signs for each of the four levels 0-4.  The next day they made it harder by adding more skittles to knock down.  They kept track of their progress on the whiteboard close by, ticking off each level as it was achieved.  If any of the bairns found it tricky, they added a cable drum to help them reach the higher levels.

We have revamped our self-serve playdough station by adding measuring cups and a recipe book.  The bairns can choose when to make their playdough.  There has been lots of experimenting this week with the consistency of the playdough.  The bairns have also taken responsibility for cleaning up any spillages.

Last week during snack the bairns were discussing where different fruits come from and there was great surprise that raisins come from grapes.  We watched a time lapse of the transition from grape to raisin and found out it would take 50 days.  The bairns thought that was a long time so they came up with another idea to make their own apple juice from apples.  We sourced a juicer and everyone took their turn to add an apple to make juice.  “It sounded like a rocket!”  We made two jugs of juice which we had for snack with our raisins, grapes, plums and prunes.  The bairns compared the textures, taste and size.  “It’s nummy!”

The bairns have had an interest in pirates, making maps and props.  This has also involved a role play game between the outdoor room and garden.  This evolved to include mark making and expressive arts.  Using loose parts, the bairns made a flag and then created eye patches and hats.

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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We were delighted to welcome everyone back after our Easter break.  The bairns were full of news from their holidays and we also had some postcards arrive.  Thank you to everyone who sent us a postcard, we shared them with some of the bairns and have looked at where they had been on the map.

Before we visited the Library Van to return our books, the bairns gathered in the kitchen to take a final look.  They discussed the pictures, emotions and which was their favourite.  In small groups we visited the Library Van, where the bairns searched through the books, picking out their choice to take back to nursery.  They used the date stamp to check out the books.  Once we were back at nursery, they spent some time reading their new books.

We had a visit from Bookbug, starting with the Hello song.  The bairns joined in for rhymes – Humpty Dumpty, Sausages Sizzling in a Pan, Jelly on a Plate and Noodles on a Fork.  The story this week, called If You’re Happy and You Know it, was about lots of Australian animals and included actions and songs.  The bairns shared puppet animals for Old Macdonald.  Then it was time to pull out the stretchy blanket for Pea Pod Press.  The bairns also wanted to used the blanket for Grand Old Duke of York.  We finished up with the Goodbye song.

The bairns remembered how tasty the bread was that we made last term and asked to make another batch.  The bairns measured out the ingredients, mixed it to form the dough and then used the push and pull method for kneading. They couldn’t believe how much the dough had grown whilst it was proving!

A parent asked if we would like to hatch some chicks for their farm.  They delivered seven eggs this week and we gathered round the incubator to see them being put inside.  There was lots of discussion about how long it would take and how the incubator worked.  The bairns noticed that the eggs were different colours and sizes.  Later in the day, they would check on the eggs, looking to see if they were turning.

‘If the eggs are different will the chicks be different?’

The bairns were outside, engaging in building, climbing and role play.  It was also time to start planting some bulbs in our planters.  The bairns used trowels to dig small holes and then they placed the bulbs inside and covered them over, adding in some water too.

‘They will need sun and water to grow.’

The bairns have settled back into their routines, helping to set the table for lunch, fill up the water at snack and folding the clean towels and cloths.  We’ve also had lots of helpers for snack to cut up the fruit.

The bairns were keen to try a disappearing trick using a blanket after watching Mrs Meadows disappear.  They took turns with the blanket, encouraging each other and counting down to disappear.

The outdoor room is always a popular place and the bairns have been engaged in lots of activities this week, from the work bench to the water trays.  They also used very sticky tape to patch up the bottom of the sand pit, before working together to bring in wheelbarrows full of sand to top it up.

‘It’s so much faster with lots of people.’

Here is a selection of the rest of our learning from the week.  We have created lots of pictures and investigated symmetry, helped Trevor test the water temperature, met Mrs Dade’s baby and played lots of games.