In these unusual days we have faced it may be worrying that your child is not learning about numeracy and maths but please be assured that maths is everywhere. Maths is in the time that you wake up and go to bed, the number of stairs you climb, the shape and colour of the sun, moon and stars, the pattern on your socks and the money in your piggy bank. It is in the cakes you measured ingredients for, baked and then divided into equal parts. Maths is the symmetry in a butterfly, sorting your toys and jumping up and down and spinning around. It is in the number rhymes you sing, the games you play and the in the bedtime books you read. Your child is learning through everyday day routines and play. Help their curious minds by asking questions. Turn the what?, why?, how? questions back on them. Let their little minds explore, experiment and have fun learning.

We will soon be posting some fun numeracy and maths activities you can do at home if your child chooses.

Here are some useful links to numeracy and maths websites:

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/topics/numeracy?page=2

It has been another busy week in the nursery.  There has still been a lot of interest in the ocean, particularly saving the sea animals from pollution.  The main focus has been on plastic pollution and its effects on the ocean and how we can be more proactive at reusing, recycling and using less disposable plastics.  We introduced a new eco- green bin in the nursery to collect any disposable plastics that we cannot reuse.  Please encourage your child/ren to continue “saving the oceans” at home.  The children have been busy making ocean pictures with rollers and paint.  A wall display is currently being put up and will continue to evolve each week.  We are looking for some disposable plastic (forks, cups, bottles, packaging, bags) that you may have at home, litter pick from the environment, or if you are lucky enough to visit one,  from the beach.  This will encourage your child to talk about reusing and recycling and we can use them for our display.  If you do visit a beach, please clean up at least 2 pieces of plastic and take photos for us.

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The Christmas season has arrived and it has been all go in the nursery.  The Christmas Fayre was a big success and all of our Penguin canvases sold out.  We will let you know the final total raised ASAP.

All the nursery staff would all like to say a huge thank you to all of the children for all their hard work when performing their nursery nativity “A Miracle in Town”.  I think we can all agree that they were wonderful shows both morning and afternoon.  Also a big thank you to everyone who attended the nativity to support our nursery children and helped them learn their lines and songs.  And of course a thank you to the parents who took time out of their schedule to help us on the day.

It has been a fun filled week in nursery with lots of Autumn activities.  The children have been using their senses to investigate Autumn leaves at our investigation station.  There has been lots of talk about their colour, size, shape and the noises they make.  We have also been using leaves collected by some of the children to make prints with paint.  These will be displayed on one of our walls shortly.  Please look out for them.  A floorbook has also been started with our Autumn topic.  You are welcome to stop and have a look and add any photos or comments your child has made about their learning or Autumn fun you have had at home.

Next week we will continue to look at Autumn.  We will also be having Halloween activities on Wednesday. Your children are welcome to dress up during their nursery session. It will cost £1 per child and all children will receive a goody bag.  Please remember NO masks and NO weapons.  These may scare some of our children.

It’s been yet another busy week in Nursery!! We have some aspiring chefs in the house and playdough areas, making some imaginative dishes with real vegetables, herbs and playdough.  In the investigation station we have been further exploring different herbs, including basil, thyme, rosemary and coriander. The children have been chopping and snipping the various herbs and grinding them to release their different aromas.

Following on from posting our letters at the postbox (for donations to our Loose Parts play), the children have been very busy at the mark making table writing letters. Some have been posting these letters in the nursery postbox for the “postman” to collect and deliver.  Next week we will be discussing our address, including door number, street name and town. Does your child know where they live??

We have also made a start in re-vamping our Muddy kitchen area. We have moved our kitchen to a different location, giving us more space to install beds for planting. We would be grateful for any donations of soil, seeds and volunteers would be warmly welcomed. You never know, Mrs Sharkey might even make you a cup of tea.

Just a wee reminder that the nursery will be closed on Monday 7^th May and Tuesday 8^th May.

It has been a cold and snowy week and the nursery children have been making the most of it.  Outside the children have been using their senses to discover and explore.  They have been building snow people, throwing snowballs and making snow angels.  Some children even had the opportunity to go sledging in the school grounds.  With buckets and spades they have been digging and filling, helping with their mathematical skills.   Ethan commented, “My bucket is full to the top”.  They have also been using their feet, bodies and garden toys to make prints around the garden.  Some children used their senses to describe the snow:-

“It’s crunchy”, said Grace.

“It’s slippery and cold”, commented Fraser.

For those children who found outside a little too cold, some snow was brought inside to the water tray.  Polar bears and penguins were added for some role play.  This also let the children discover what happens to snow when it comes inside.  “It’s melting”, commented Cassidy.

Please remember when it’s cold outside ensure your child is wrapped up in appropriate clothing and please put their name on everything.  We encourage independence in the cloakroom and things often end up in the wrong place. Check lost property for any items that may be missing. Please ensure that your child has a change of clothes each day including socks.  Unfortunately we are running low on them again.