Fine Motor Skills (Monday-Friday)

The bairns have explored lots of activities relating to fine motor skills this week, including model building, baking, drawing, playdough, hammering, Lego and painting.

Multicourt (Monday)

The bairns visited the multicourt this week for some gross motor activities.  They played ball games and a Christmas version of Duck Duck Goose which they renamed as Snowman Snowman Santa.

Party and Gifts (Wednesday)

The bairns played lots of party games which they had chosen earlier in the week – Pass the Bauble, Musical Ice Statues, Christmas Corners, Snowman Snowman Santa, Christmas Floor is Lava and Musical Snowflakes.  After a party snack, we gathered around the fire in the quiet room and the bairns received their Christmas gift from the staff.

Delivering Christmas Cheer (Thursday)

The bairns have been busy making 2026 calendars for the sheltered housing residents next to the nursery.  They used pictures from their lightbox designs to create their calendars.  We dressed up in festive gear and headed around the houses with our jingle bells and fine voices!

Kirk Visit (Friday)

We visited the local kirk and heard the Christmas story told using Pass the Parcel.  The bairns listened to the story, joining in by clapping along to the music and passing the parcel along to their friends.

Advent Calendar

We’ve continued opening our Advent Calendar using the first letter to find out the person of the day.

Polycrub Visit

We were delighted to be invited down to the Salvation Army polycrub.  The bairns started with a nativity story which they brought to life using a stable background and decorative stickers. Even the adults joined in by dressing up like Mary, Joseph, a shepherd, an angel and a wise man.  We split into the two groups, with one going to the playcrub and the other having snack, before switching over.  The bairns were loving the ball pit and tried out lots of the sit-on vehicles.

Bookbug

Claire and Bookbug were back this week.  The bairns joined in with nursery rhymes, songs and a Christmas-themed story.  We sat together using the stretchy blanket and it was a super stretchy version of Five Fat Peas, with lots of giggles on the pop!

Tiny Visitor

The bairns had a tiny visitor this week when one our nursery bairns brought in their brand new baby sister.  The bairns took turns to hold the baby, using gentle hands and quiet voices.  They commented on her tiny hands, comparing them to their own hands.

Christmas Lunch

The canteen provided an excellent Christmas denner of turkey and all the trimmings.  We gathered around one large table and asked our friends to help pull our festive crackers.  There were jokes, paper hats and lots of lovely chat about the cracker toys.

Concert

The bairns did us all proud at our Christmas concert.  Thank you to everyone who could make it along to support them.  Don’t forget your fly swatters!

Winter Stay and Play

The bairns have been looking forward to the stay and play all week, asking “Is it today?” “Is it today?”  “Is it today?”

Playpark

We took a trip to the playpark after our busy festive morning.  The bairns loved chasing each other, twirling and taking turns on the zip line.

Enterprise Event

The bairns have been busy preparing for the enterprise event and we can certainly say it was a success.  The bairns decided that they wanted to raise money to buy a cardboard cutter.  With that target in mind, the bairns made jam, chutney, fire starters, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and beetle drive game packs.  We were also delighted to receive a batch of homebakes including mince pies and shortbread from a nursery granny as a thank you for the food for her hens which comes from the leftover scraps at snack and lunch.  Thank you to everyone who came and supported us – we are please to say we raised enough money for the cardboard cutter and it has been ordered.

***The small amount of leftover items from the stall will be available in our honesty cupboard from today.  Get them now, before they’re gone!***

Big Blocks

The bairns have been working together to build large structures from the big blocks.  These have included pirate ships, houses and houseboats.  They have used the loose parts such as hats and cushions as props.  They travelled on their pirate ship to a treasure island.  Their journey was a success because they found “treasure and a potato!”

Germ Experiment

The bairns engaged in a science experiment about germs and how we use soap as a forcefield to protect our skin.  The bairns took turns to shake pepper (germs) onto a plate of water.  They placed a finger into the water to see what would happen.  “Da germs are on me!”  Then they used a different finger to dip into soap and then into the germs to see the reaction.  When they dipped their soapy finger into the pepper, it quickly dispersed in a circle to outer edges of the plate. “Look, it’s moving away.”

Advent Calendar

We started opening our Advent Calendar this week causing great excitement.  When a name is picked, the bairns have to figure out the name using just the first letter.

Gym Hall Fun

We explored the gym hall equipment again for our final session, with the bairns’ confidence growing.  They tried climbing higher and lots of them climbed across the horizontal ladder on large climbing frame.  Their independence was on full show – “No, I do it by myself.”