This week we have been making the most of the lovely weather and there has been lots if interesting play outside. The children have been exploring the water tray outside and making creations at the mud kitchen using the water. We are all excited as we wait for the arrival of some caterpillars which we will watch turn into butterflies over the next few weeks. The Pre-school children went on their second visit to P1 on Wednesday and this time were making a sea picture using crayons. The children who are starting P1 at Murrayfield will be meeting their buddies this week as they make a short trip to the nursery. They will continue to visit over the next few weeks to get to know the children.

This week in the nursery the children have been exploring the new fish pebbles in the water tray and cleaning the house corner with the new toy hoover. We filled the outdoor water tray which the children enjoyed, especially when it was emptied creating a river along the path. The children who will be starting school next year had their first transition visit which was a great success. During their visit they listened to the story of “Ten Little Pirates” and made their own seagulls. The Primary one children were keen to help the nursery children to complete their task.

It was lovely to welcome all of the children back and hear all of their holiday stories. We also welcomed some new children into our morning and afternoon sessions. All of the children have been enjoying exploring the nursery and meeting up with their friends again or making new ones. This week Miss Clarke joined the nursery team in the afternoon and will also be working in the nursery on a Friday morning. She has quickly be come part of the nursery team and has enjoyed getting to know the children. Next week we will be focusing on encouraging the children to make good use of the writing table, especially mark making.We will continue to extend the children’s knowledge of finger patterns as part of their developing number knowledge.

Remember the nursery and school will be closed on Monday 1st of May for a public holiday and on Thursday 4th May for inservice.

This week the children in the afternoon have been having a great time being hairdressers. They have enjoyed putting ribbons in hair and offering tea and coffee to customers. In the morning the children have been using the big bricks and paper to create computers for a pretend office. They designed keyboards and drew pictures onto the computer screens. We have been talking to the children about Spring and looking at plants and bulbs. This week the children have been drawing pictures of themselves and trying to write their names. Next week we will be focusing on rhyme as well as encouraging the children to explore other types of work in their play.

This week the new house corner resources have been extremely popular with some fantastic imaginative play going on, especially with the baby dolls. The children have been learning about things that are safe to put in their bodies and things they should not touch or put near their mouths. As we are entering Spring we will be looking at plants and growth over the coming weeks. Outside the mud kitchen has been cooking up some not so delicious cakes, biscuits and pies which the children have enjoyed making with mud. The den building has also been popular with the children reading books outside in their dens.

This week we have been exploring patterns with the children. We looked at patterns on our clothes and on animals. We then took this further by looking at patterns outside in the playground. At the water tray there has been patterned socks for the children to match and sort which they have really enjoyed. At the art table they could explore painting patterns with different colours of paint. The big book planners will be available next week for you to see what they have been up too. We are moving on to looking after our bodies next week.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Scottish Futures Trust and the Care Inspectorate are developing design guidance for early learning and childcare service providers. They are looking for the views of parents and carers about the important aspects of child care services. See below for the link which will take you to their survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NFSZWCV