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Early Years 2023-24 Term 1 – Week 4

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We headed to the Village Club for a new musical experience this week.  Joy Duncan is providing drumming sessions for the rest of the term.  First, we learned that there were two rules in drumming class – only use palms on the drums and listen to Joy so you know when to start and stop drumming.  The bairns were asked if they knew where these drum were from “Africa”.  We learned the names of the drums too – djembe, tam tam, panlogo, boogaraboo and doon doons.  We explored using different parts of our palms to make sounds on the drums.  The bairns took turns to go freestyle on the drums too.

Mrs Garrick joined us back at the school hall to continue our music session, where we moved our bodies to the changing beat, going fast or slow, with big steps or small.   We revisited Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes which might have been the fastest yet!  Afterwards, we lay down, relaxing our bodies from our toes to our heads.

Our indoor/outdoor room play this week has included trains, fire fighters, the floor is lava, telling jokes, stormy seas, sand angels, jumping, musical statues, hide and seek, catching the green-toed stingy monster, caring for baby and a car wash.  These experiences have promoted gross motor skills, co-operative play, risky play and creativity.

After our exciting gingerbread man hunt last week, we extended the bairns’ play by making gingerbread playdough.  Molding the dough aids fine motor skills needed for early literacy.  There is no end to the creativity of what is produced at the playdough station.

We were really lucky to visit the library van when it came to Cunningsburgh.  The bairns were curious to see what would be inside. The librarian explained that there were different areas of van for fiction and non-fiction, books for every age and books about Shetland.  The bairns shared what they were interested in and looked out some books to take back to nursery.  Each book needed to be date stamped and the bairns were keen to offer their help!  We took the books back to nursery and had a read out in the sunshine.

Here’s a collection of some of the other play and learning that has happened this week.

Early Years 2023-24 Term 1 Week 3

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During our music session this week, we expanded on what we had learned last week by introducing German words for our Good morning/Good night song.  Next we tried hand dancing.  Then, we moved in time with the piano music, matching up our actions with the rhythm by doing running, walking, jumping and freezing.  You’ve heard of air guitar but have you seen air ukuleles?!  We strummed our air ukuleles whilst listening to the beat.  We revisited our postman game at the bairns’ request.  Then it was time to relax, listen to our breathing and think happy thoughts.

One of the bairns shared that he had made gingerbread men at home and a few of the bairns agreed we should make nursery gingerbread men.  The bairns measured out the ingredients, mixed them up in a big bowl and rolled out their dough before using big cookie cutters to form their gingerbread men and women.  They were decorated with pumpkin seeds and popped into the oven.  There was much speculation whether they would sneak out and run away.  However, the next morning they were nowhere to be found.  The bairns listened to the Gingerbread Man story for clues, exploring the setting for evidence and finding a old lady, old man, horse, cow and fox.  The bairns realised that at the end of the book the Gingerbread Man was in water so they took their search party to the outdoor room water trays and were successful in finding one missing gingerbread man who had left a note “Save us from the fox!  We’re in the oven!!”  We discussed how it was safe to check the oven this morning because it wasn’t hot.  The bairns opened the door and found the missing gingerbread men and women.  There was much excitement that they had been found and we could have them for snack after all.

We were delighted to welcome back Claire from Bookbug.  The session began with rhyming songs including Row Row Your Boat and Five Little Ducklings.   The bairns played a popping pea game called Five Fat Peas in a Peapod Press using a piece of stretchy green fabric.  “It popped right in my face!”  Our story this week was Hello, Is That Grandma? about a little boy who was trying to phone his Grandma but lots of different animals answered the phone.  They couldn’t speak for long because they were busy making things for Grandma’s birthday party.  At the end of the book, it was time for the party and Grandma received all her gifts.  Mum was on the phone and the little boy said “no phoning at the table”!

The polycrub yielded more produce this week, including, carrots, onions and beetroot.  The bairns make sure that the vegetables and plants have enough water using watering cans and the hose.  The bairns have been using large loose parts in their outdoor play.  The blue barrel has been used for hiding games and the piping for testing water flow.  The bairns are always happy to chat to their friends at the fence that have moved up to Primary 1.  We took the opportunity to visit the school playground and the bairns explored the equipment and space.  Now that the galley has moved to the lower playground, the bairns were keen to explore their interest in Vikings at a new location.  There was a lot of co-operative play at the running ring, pushing the ring around and taking turns to sit on and be spun.

Our airport play has continued into this term.  We were very lucky to receive a box of old airport equipment and the bairns have been using it in their play all over the setting.  They set up a security area in the quiet room before boarding the plane.  We’ve travelled to Majorca, Africa and Dinosaurland.  We used the smartboard to view the airport camera at Aberdeen Airport.  The bairns could see the planes landing and taking off and used this to extend their play.

Early Years 2023-24 Term 1 Week 2

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We were delighted to welcome Mrs Garrick back for music.  We started off with our good morning song which lots of the bairns remembered from last year.  Mrs Garrick asked if anyone knew any other languages.  One of the bairns sang a short song about a cow in Spanish.  Then we all learned a new song called Bueno Dias/Bueno Noches.  We mixed it up by singing Twinkle Twinkle to a different tune.  Once we learned the rhythm, we added in actions – walking, hopping, jumping and running.  We formed a  circle for a postman game with the song Early in the Morning.  Our wind down on the mats focused on slow breathing.  We sang Happy Birthday to Mrs Malcolmson to finish.  During the remainder of the day, the bairns made their own shaker instruments using loose parts.

Our outdoor learning has been varied again this week.  The sand pit has been turned into a construction site, airport and mermaid beach.  The bairns have been engaged in different types of trajectory schema play including using hoops to roll down the hill and placing vehicles on a guttering pipe at an angle.  The bairns also enjoyed creating their own helicopter game using walkie-talkies, head phones and other electronic items.

The bairns are often engaged in ice cream shop play.  We made cloud dough using hair conditioner and flour, testing out the ratios to make the best consistency for ice cream.  It was also time to make a new batch of playdough.  The bairns used their knowledge of colour mixing to create purple playdough.

In addition to the trajectory play, the bairns have also been exploring the positioning schema.  The bairns are encouraged to express their creativity in ways that mean something to them.   Mark making happens all over the setting which aids early literacy.