Embedded Files
7.5.25
We have been learning what a seed needs to grow. We read the story of Jaspers Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth and decided we would try and grow a beanstalk just like Jasper. the children identified that we would need, a pot, trowel, soil, seed and watering can to plant our seed. In our groups we took it in turns to help fill the pot and plan the seed. We made a chart to record how much our beans have grown each day. We will measure them using the measuring cubes and compare with all the other groups to see whose bean has grown the most.
After looking at some books about planting beans we noticed that there are different ways that a bean can be planted e.g. in a jar, in a bag and in eggshells so we decided we would create an experiment. We have planted beans in all these ways and will monitor what happens over the next few weeks.
29.4.25
For our numeracy focus this block we have been learning about measure by length and height, exploring tools for measure through play and using vocabulary such as longer/shorter, taller/smaller etc. We have been using the measuring cubes to measure ourselves and each other, counting how many cubes tall we are and comparing each others height.
We have also been using measuring tapes to measure different items around the nursery and find items that are smaller than or taller than.
3.4.25
There has been lots of excitement this week as we discovered the frogs have been very busy in the nursery pond laying lots of frog spawn. This has been a fantastic learning opportunity for the children to see first hand. We decided to make our own pond in the nursery using a tuff crate, discussing what we would need to make a pond, the children decided we needed logs, stones, water, frogs, tadpoles and frog spawn. We soaked some chia seeds to create some very realistic frog spawn. We also used a variety of media and techniques to create frog spawn art work. 🐸
20.3.25
This week in nursery we have been starting to learn about Spring and discuss some of the signs of spring that we can see happening around us. We have been learning about spring flowers, the names of flowers and discussing some of the parts of the flowers. We have also been looking at the blossom that is growing on the trees at the moment. This inspired us to make some art based on the blossom. We used lots of fantastic vocabulary to describe the blossom. We also developed our fine motor skills to roll playdough into little bits of blossom to stick onto twigs. 🌺
12.3.25
We were very lucky to have a visit from some of the fire fighters from Haddington Fire Station today. We had the best time exploring in the fire engine, finding out about some of the equipment they have in the fire engine and what it is used for, and we even got to have a go of the hose!! The children asked questions and listened well to information.
We had the best afternoon with these real life superheroes!!
A huge thanks you to all at Haddington Fire Station who came along and a special thank you to Owen's dad Craig for organising!! 🚒🔥🚒🔥🚒🔥
10.3.25
Our literacy focus this block is to -
Talk about familiar events and characters in texts and pictures.
Retell a familiar story in different ways
Empathise with familiar characters and talk about their feelings.
Make judgements about familiar characters and events in texts.
We have been reading some familiar tradition tales such as Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Cinderella, The Gingerbread Man etc. The children have been discussing what a character is and identifying who are the characters in the story. We have also been empathising with some of these familiar characters discussing how do you think they would feel in various situations in the story. We made puppets of some familiar characters and characters we have created to retell familiar stories and invent some of our own, sharing our ideas with each other and listening and responding to others. We have even put on some puppets shows for each other.
Can you identify some of the characters in your books at home?
Who is your favourite character? Why?
How do you think some of the characters in your favourite stories from home would feel in different situations?
Can you retell a story to a grown up at home?
4.3.25
We have started to learn about people who help us, what is their jobs and how they help us. This week we introduced some emergency vehicles, dress up and equipment that may be used by firefighters, police officers, doctors and nurses to the block area. There has been some fantastic discussions about their roles, the equipment they use and what it might be used for and how we can help keep ourselves safe. The children have been giving their ideas and opinions on how they would like to develop the area and what resources we could use.
At the art table we used a variety of materials such as boxes, bottle tops, pipe cleaners, lollipop sticks etc to create our own emergency vehicles. We were developing our meta skills such as collaborating, leading, focusing, communicating , problem solving and creativity. We also painted some pictures of some emergency vehicles using fine paint brushes and adding detail to our work.
27.2.25
This week in nursery we have been learning about shapes. We introduced the children to some 2D shapes, we discussed the name of the shape, how many sides and corners the had and used vocabulary such as straight, curved, round etc. to describe the shape. We used the shape finders to find shapes in the environment around us. We recorded our findings by taking photos and drawing pictures and displaying them in a book which we will share at group times. At the gluing table we have been making shape monsters using a variety of 2D shapes and exploring shape through the playdough, water and sand play.
13.2.25
With some of the colder weather recently the children have been interested in learning about how they can help the birds in our garden find food etc. After some discussions we decided we would make some bird feeders and water baths for our garden. We used our step by step bird feeder instruction book to make individual bird feeders. We had to 'read' and follow the instructions, count out the correct amount of ingredients and mix them all together. We also had to learn to be safe when using a candle. We hung our feeders in the garden, we used a bird chart to monitor what kind of birds were visiting our garden, using our bird books to help us identify the birds. We also made a bird hide and binoculars out of tubes so we could observe the birds, we had to be very quiet so we wouldn't frighten them away.
We have been getting creative outdoors to make some binoculars for our birdwatching. We provided a variety of resources for the children to explore. problem solve and experiment with creating their own binoculars. We have been observing what birds are visiting our garden and eating the bird feeders we have been making.
3.2.25
We have been celebrating Chinese New Year in nursery, learning about some Chinese traditions. We particularly enjoyed the chopstick challenge, exploring with Chinese writing, dressing up and creating dragon art.
30.1.25
With all the cold and frosty weather we have had recently it has sparked lots of different discussion around winter weather. The children have shown a great interest in learning about animals that live in the arctic. We used non-fiction books to find out information about arctic animals e.g. where they live, what do they eat? how do they keep warm? etc. We made our own non-fiction book about arctic animals, sharing all the information we have learned. We set up an arctic land in the water tray. We have also set up ice experiments, discovering how ice is made and how it melts.
27.1.25
For our maths focus this block we have been learning about repeated patterns. The children have been copying and creating repeated patterns using a variety of media.
23.1.25
We have been celebrating Burns Day in nursery this week with our annual Burns Supper. The children helped to prepare our Burns Supper and learned new skills by washing, peeling, chopping and mashing the neeps and tatties. We sat at the snack table to eat our Haggis, Neeps and Tatties discussing our likes/dislikes and talking about some Scottish traditions that we know about.
24.1.25
Please click below for home learning. Please remember there is no obligation for you to carry out any of these activities, these are only suggested activities.
Home Learning 24.1.25.docx
10.1.25
As part of our Maths focus this week we have been exploring patterns in the environment. We have been looking at what patterns we can see around our nursery, taking photos and recording this in our pattern book. There are patterns all around us!
This inspired us to make some pictures of our own patterns using a variety of materials to print. We created spotty, striped, and wavy patterns. We also created patterns in the playdough.
We read the story of My Mum and Dad Make Me Laugh by Nick Sharratt. Link below if you would like to listen to this story at home.
https://youtu.be/4rEntnr-iuk - link to My Mum and Dad Make Me Laugh
13.12.24
Some photos from our Festive Fun day...
1.11.24
We have started our Wee Addie's Adventurers which is our Forest Schools programme. This is a nature based outdoor learning programme that supports child-centred learning through play, in a ‘real world’ context, provides young children with freedom to explore, using multiple senses, promotes health and well-being, confidence and physical and emotional resilience, supports the acquisition of knowledge, skills and care for the natural heritage. This will be taught in small groups in 6 weeks blocks over in the woodland area of Neilson Park. Below are some photos from our first visits.
1.11.24
This block we have started our PE sessions, we visit the PE hall once a week. We follow the early moves programme in HPS Nursery where we learn space bubbles, balance and co-ordination, travelling movements and object control. This block we have been focusing on space bubbles, understanding the body and the space in which it moves, looking at self space and general space. We then provided opportunities for the children to use the skills they have learned in the PE hall within real life play in the nursery.
We also learn how to move in an active way, to share why physical activity is good for us and to talk about the need for water and different kinds of food to keep ourselves healthy.
31.10.24
We had pumpkins in the nursery this week. We discussed with the children what they would like to use our pumpkins for. The children decide they wanted to carve some spooky Halloween pumpkins. We also read the story Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper and decided we could work together to make some pumpkin soup. We had to read and follow a recipe and use tools and equipment safely. We also set up a tuft tray with some pumpkins for the children to explore using a variety of tools and scoops, investigating the inside of a pumpkin and using describing words to describe how it felt and smelled. We even used some pumpkins for printing. 🎃🎃
Louie - "It's good soup, it's yummy!"
Daniel - "Yummy! It's Halloween soup"
Brodie - "I've not got to it yet, I'll tell you after"
Mirren - "I love it!"
Morgan - It's really tasty. I really like soup"
Maddison - "It's good, it tastes like tomato soup"
30.10.24
We are continuing to learn about autumn and explore autumn leaves. The children have been on an autumn hunt in the garden, this time gathering items to create collages. We used books information books and the smart board to find out information about some of items we found.
We explored natural materials with the playdough creating some fantastic autumn designs.
Some children have been experimenting with writing words and looking at how letters are formed.
We have also been working hard as a team to clear some of the leaves from our garden.
29.10.24
As part of our numeracy focus this week we have been learning to recognise numerals to 5 and 10 and count out a requested amount of items. We have been doing this with our squirrel game. Identifying the number on the squirrel and feeding them the correct amount of acorns.
As a challenge we introduced numerals to 15 and 20.
23.10.24
Whilst the children were exploring different properties of materials in the water tray they started to explore which objects floated and which sank. We provided the children with a range of objects for them to explore. We created a chart so we could record our findings. The children made predictions of what they thought might happen and then we discussed why we thought some objects floated and some sank. This then led onto discussions about boats and how they float on the water. We have made a plan to make some boats using junk form the gluing table. I wonder if they will float or sink?
22.10.24
We have been learning about Autumn, discussing the changes that happen and identifying signs of autumn that we can see. We learned that in the autumn time the leaves change colour and fall off the trees, it starts getting a bit darker, the weather starts to turn colder and some animals start preparing for hibernating.
We have been on a leaf hunt in the garden to see what colours of leaves we could find. Some of the children noticed how different the leaves were by size and shape which sparked a conversation about different types of trees. We also sorted the leaves by colour, size and shape.
We made autumn tree artwork this week. We experimented with different techniques to print our leaves in different ways. We also used conkers dipped in paint to create different prints.
7.10.24 Snack in nursery
Snack time in Haddington Primary School Nursery is so much more than just ensuring children have had something to eat or drink, it is an opportunity for a vast amount of learning.
The children can learn...
Independence,
Hygiene and self care skills
Following a routine
Reading a menu
Counting out a requested amount of items
Identifying numerals
Recognising their names
About healthy snacks and drinks
Develop social skills
Take responsibility for clearing up after themselves
Trying new foods..... to name but a few.
The children are involved in creating the snack menu daily. We do this by using our snack book which is split into categories such as carbohydrates, dairy, fruit and veg etc. this allows for discussion about a healthy, balanced diet. We also follow guidance from Health Scotland and the Care Inspectorate to help create our snack menus. There is opportunity for the children to be involved in the snack shopping choosing items and following shopping lists, this is done online with Miss Forbes.
Being able to plant, harvest and taste foods that we have grown is also a part of snack that we are particularly passionate about. We use our nursery vegetable patch all year round to grow seasonal fruit and veg which we can then use for our snack, this allows the children to explore and discover where foods come from as they choose, prepare and taste different foods.
The children are also involved in preparing the snacks in nursery daily. This may involve developing skills such as washing, peeling, chopping, grating, spreading items or baking. This also allows the children to learn how to use tools and utensils correctly and safely.
We bake regularly in nursery for snack where the children can learn to 'read' and follow instructions in a recipe, weigh and measure ingredients, develop fine and gross motor skills, and communication skills.
Snack is also a fantastic time for the children and staff to sit and enjoy meals together socially, learning how to listen and take turns to talk, share ideas and opinions and ask and answer simple questions.
Please see slide show below for more photos of our nursery snack.
If any parents/carers would like to share any ideas for our snack or recipes that we could use for baking we would love to hear to from you.
02.10.24
As part of our literacy focus this week we have been discussing the story of The Little Red Hen. We drew pictures of our favourite part of the story and experimented with writing some words from the story.
25.9.24
We have been reading the story of The Little Red Hen and learning about the process of wheat>flour>bread. This week in nursery we decided to try and make some of our own bread for snack.
We had to read and follow the instructions on a recipe, weigh and measure out our ingredients and use our muscles to knead the dough.
The children were fantastic at using the balancing scales and weights to measure out the correct amount of ingredients and explain how they knew when it was the right amount.
20.9.24
We have been learning about the process of making flour, the children have particularly enjoyed watching videos of the combine harvester cutting the wheat in the fields and sharing their own knowledge and experiences of combines. Ellie shared with us that her Daddy is a farmer and drives the combine harvester. She also brought some wheat and grain for us to explore and showed us some photos of her with her daddy in the combine.
The children have shown great interest in farm vehicles so we have been using our junk at the gluing table to create our own combines or tractors. The children used books and posters to look at the different parts of the vehicles. They used their problem solving skills to work out what they would need and how they would make it stick.
We used toy tractors to mark make some tractor tyre prints. We rolled the tractors in paint to create our prints
We have also been using a variety of media to create some wheat printing pictures, using rulers, cotton buds and wheat. The children have been recalling some facts they have learnt about harvest.
17.9.24
We are continuing to learn about where foods come from and how they are harvested and grown. This week in nursery we harvested some lettuce from our vegetable patch. After some discussion the children decided to use the lettuce to make sandwiches for snack. We used the equipment safely to chop, grate and cut the ingredients we chose for our sandwiches. We had to wash the lettuce before we used it. The children shared their likes and dislikes using thumbs up/down and gave their opinion on what they had eaten.
Maddox - "crunchy"
Corey - "I took my lettuce out because I don't like it"
Harris - "It tastes goooood"
Oscar - "I don't like it because it's green, but the ham is good"
Owen - "Crunchy! It gives me energy"
Ben - "It's good"
James - "Yum yum"
Henry - "I love it"
The children discussed where they like to go for sandwiches.
James - "You can buy sandwiches at the Tesco shop"
Isla - "I go to Aldi for my sandwiches"
Henry - "I 've been to Aldi before"
Ailsa - "I went in the car to Dunbar. They had to make them. They used a knife to cut it"
Harris - "You know, Costa made me a tomato and cheese sandwich"
Owen - "In the shop they have gloves on to make the sandwiches so they don't spread germs. Do you know, sandwich workers also wear aprons so they don't get dirty food on their tops"
You could try and make your own sandwiches at home with your grown ups. What would you put on your sandwich? What equipment would you need? You could make a list of ingredients and go to the shop to buy them. We would love to see your sandwiches you make or your trip to the shops with your shopping list. You could take a photo to share with us in nursery.
If you would like to share a photo of your learning at home please email it to lforbes@haddingtonps.elcschool.org.uk
12.9.24
As part of our maths focus we have been sorting and matching by colour. The children have been sorting a variety of items into coloured groups. We have also been developing our fine motor skills by using the tweezers to help us group items, it was quite tricky!
4.9.24
We have been doing lots of mark making activities in the nursery this week both indoors and out. We have been using the paint brushes and water to paint/mark make and inside we have been making marks using chalk and coloured sand.
When children are making these marks, they are practising to hold a tool and are attempting to control their marks with their muscles. This enhances their physical development by improving their fine motor skills and helps to develop their hand-eye coordination.
4.9.24
We have been learning about where foods come from, how they are harvested and grown and simple food preparation skills.
Whilst harvesting our peas from our nursery vegetable patch last week, lots of the children had expressed interest in making pea soup with them for snack.
Lily - 'Cook and eat them.'
Aaron - 'Make pea soup. We need water, onions, potatoes and peas. I've made it before.'
Hannah - 'Let's at them.'
Erin - 'Soup'
Oscar - 'Put the peas in a pan, cook them and eat them.'
The children helped to wash and shell the peas. They also helped to wash, peel, and chop the other ingredients using the utensils and tools safely.
Maddison - 'We are making soup'
Freya - 'I'm cutting peas'
Jamie - 'You grab a soup pot and you make some soup and cut some vegetables and then your done making that.'
Louis - 'It's nice, it tastes like soup.'
Natalie - 'It doesn't taste like pea, it tastes like pineapple.'
Kobe - 'Yuck, green soup'
4.9.24
For our numeracy focus this week we have been learning forward and backward number word sequences within 10. We have been incorporating counting into lots of different activities such as hopscotch, 10 green bottles, number puzzles, interactive games and lots of counting songs.
28.08.24
A very warm welcome to all our new children and families and welcome back to all our returning children and families.
For the first few weeks in nursery our main focus has been to ensure the children feel safe and secure in their surroundings. We have been focusing on our nursery values and routines and settling into nursery life.
We have been spending time getting to know each other and building new friendships.
We have been learning our nursery values:
WE ARE KIND
WE ARE HELPFUL
WE TRY HARD
WE DO OUR BEST
WE ARE RESPECTFUL
We have been discussing the importance of these values to keep everyone safe and happy in nursery and how to develop and value relationships and friendships.
Please remember to keep check on the communication page of the website to keep up to date with any correspondence.
Page updated
Report abuse