Early Years – 27.06.2022

July 1, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson 2 Comments

(7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Our day out started with a fun trip on the bus to the Outpost in Burra. We split into two groups so that we could visit all the animals. We saw the goats, emus (Kylie and Jason) and the wallabies. The bairns were keen to feed the animals and the emus were especially hungry. Then it was time for George and Hetty the pigs to have their snack. The bairns commented on their big teeth. We also saw the colourful birds in the aviary and the rabbits, tortoises. Unfortunately, the chinchilla was hiding. We had a quick snack and then headed back on the bus to the Meal beach.

When we arrived at the Meal beach, it was pretty windy. Some of the bairns braved the elements and went for a paddle in the sea. There was also lots of digging, filling and pouring of sand. The high sand dunes were also great for sliding.

We took the bus to the Fraser Park in Scalloway and stopped for lunch. After a quick refuel there was a little time to play on the park equipment. The bairns explored the different activities on offer, making good use of their gross motor skills.

Our end of term party was a lot of fun. We started with games in the quiet room, including Pass the Hedgehog, Duck Duck Goose and Musical Bumps. Then there was a special visitor who brought his ice cream truck. This was inspired by the bairns’ imaginative play throughout the year “Who wants ice cream, ice cream?” After ordering their ice cream, one bairn commented “This is so awesome” and another said “best day ever”!

To end the term, the bairns asked for a water fight. The bairns voted for a film and we watched that while enjoying snack.

Happy holidays!

Early Years – 20.06.2022

June 24, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

As part of their life cycle, it was time to release the tadpoles back into the burn this week as some had started to develop legs. The bairns carried the tadpoles down in buckets and discussed where would be the best place to let them out. The bairns chose a good spot which we can revisit to check on them and we hope to see more tadpoles there next year.

We were delighted to celebrate our wonderful pre-school bairns at their graduation this week. We have loved getting to know their personalities, likes and dislikes over the last two years. We are incredibly proud of all their achievements and wish them all the very best going into Primary 1 after the holidays.

We held a stay and play for our pre-school parents to visit the nursery setting. The bairns loved showing off their favourite places to play. It was lovely having parents back in nursery after such a long time. We are looking forward to more visits next year too.

Afterwards, parents joined their pre-schoolers for lunch in the canteen. The menu of fish and chips, followed by cake and custard was a big hit.

Early Years – 13.06.2022

June 17, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(7 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)

We introduced Pantosaurus this week – what’s under your pants belongs only to you! We watched the Pantosaurus video which explains the Pantosaurus rule. We also named body parts for a girl and a boy and learned some new names too. A discussion about the PANTS acronym and thinking about what it means empowers the bairns to know what is appropriate. Some of the bairns designed their own colourful pants.

We held our annual Sports Day this week with four teams competing, made up of bairns from nursery to Primary 7. The bairns designed and made signs for their team, using their team colour. There were running races, egg and spoon, sack races and a three-legged race with family members. Congratulations to everybody for taking part and bringing so much fun to the day. Parents and P1/2 bairns provided cheers throughout and it was great to have them along to join in with the fun.

Tower building has been a popular activity this week. Not only does this build on fine motor skills but also problem solving, literacy, technology, imagination and team work skills. Sometimes it’s even more fun to watch the tower fall!

Early Years – 06.06.2022

June 10, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(8 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

We had two great visits to the burn this week. The bairns filled their buckets to see how the water splashed into the burn from up on the bridge. This woke up the trow (troll) under the bridge which prompted us to revisit the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff when we got back to nursery. We also had some inquisitive friends checking in from the park next to the burn. One bairn commented “I’ve got a theory, I think the cows like us!”

Our woodwork bench is always a popular destination. The bairns use real tools to build with wood, nails and recycled items. We also have a message centre close by which is often used to mark make on the models created at the workbench.

On the way back from the burn, the bairns collected natural resources to add to our mud kitchen provision. Honing their fine motor skills, the bairns cut up and used the ingredients for recipes including soup and fish & chips.

We have harvested some more items from the polycrub, including strawberries, garlic and leeks. Be sure to check our honesty cupboard soon. We also had a visit from Dave of the Salvation Army with a very generous donation of plants.

Early Years – 30.05.2022

June 6, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson 4 Comments

(8 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

We were delighted to welcome everyone to our garden party on Tuesday.

The bairns were keen to help with the garden party prep and this started with baking some biscuits and cakes for our guests. There was lots of measuring, weighing, rolling and cutting to do so it was great to have so many willing helpers.

Then it was time to set up our stalls and make the garden ready for the party.

Let the fun and games commence! Following on from our garden party, the bairns have continued to discuss, build and include royal scenarios in their play.

It was lovely having families back at nursery. We’d love to know your favourite moment from the party.

We have been observing the lifecycle of a butterfly in the setting, the caterpillars arrived in the post and we watched them transform into chrysalis before opening up as beautiful butterflies revealing their brightly coloured wings, feeding them sugar syrup and fresh fruit. This week we set the butterflies free in the nursery garden and watched them flutter away, giving them a wave off for the final part of their lifecycle.

Early Years – 23.05.2022

May 26, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(7 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)

We had a visit from Childsmile this week to apply flouride varnish. As part of their visit, Childsmile used puppets to show what would happen during the application. The bairns were given special glasses to protect their eyes from the light. There were a few interesting faces after the varnish had been applied!

The children have been interested in doctor role play. In order to extend this interest, we provided specific related resources which have been used to listen to heartbeats, bandage broken legs and give injections.

The bairns going to P1 after the summer holidays visited the P1-2 classroom and outdoor area. This provided another opportunity to find out about the resources on offer, explore the environment and catch up with friends.

Early Years – 16.05.2022

May 20, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(8 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)

What a glorious week of weather and we’ve made the most of it, including celebrating World Outdoor Classroom Day with a trip to the beach.

A circuit game was added to the loose parts table which generated discussion on electricity, connections, power, batteries and jobs related to electricity.

We also took delivery of our new picnic benches and have enjoyed snack outside every day this week. The bairns have also found them useful for table top games and included them into their imaginative play by pretending they are school desks.

Early Years – 09.05.22

May 13, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

The bairns have been engaged in lots of gross motor activity this week and we’ve seen jumps in the style of rockets, superheroes and ballerinas.

We love that the bairns love books. We are often asked to read stories but the bairns also choose to take books to cosy spots related to their play, sharing with their friends.

The bairns have been busy adding the plants donated by the Salvation Army to the our polycrub. We’re excited to see how they grow. The bairns also noticed that our strawberries needed to get a bit bigger and red before we can enjoy them.

A popular activity this week involved outdoor painting using daubers and roller bottles. There was a rainbow of colours on display, with each bairn individually expressing their own creativity through their art.

Early Years 02.05.2022

May 6, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson 1 Comment

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

We’ve reached the end of another exciting week which has seen exploration of daffodils and meeting some new furry friends.

The bairns have engaged in lots of daffodil activities, from viewing their composition through a microscope, grinding them with a pestle and mortar, smelling them in the local community to painting them from a mirror image.

During a walk to the muddy puddle place, the bairns had a look around the recently completed Salvation Army polycrub. The bairns shared their experiences of growing in our polycrub and gave tips on removing greenfly. The Salvation Army was very kind to bring us a donation of vegetable seedlings.

We were very lucky to have some caddy lambs visit the nursery garden. The bairns fed them milk from bottles and also had lots of cuddles.

Early Years – 25.04.2022

April 29, 2022 Mrs Malcolmson Leave a comment

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

We were delighted to welcome our new music teacher, Mrs Garrick who led an engaging session featuring Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes, High & Low and Snail on a Leaf. Not only did the bairns sing along but there were plenty of energetic dance moves.

We took full advantage of our outdoor spaces, both within the garden and beyond within the local community. The bairns filled the new planters in the polycrub with soil, went for a walk to see the lambs and enjoyed time in the playground.

We saw many forms of mark making and creativity taking place this week using a variety of resources, including paint, sand, pens and origami. Expressive art is always popular and it’s great to see the bairns engaging in so many different ways.

Just another blogs.glowscotland.org.uk – Shetland site