January-February

Check here to see a selection of the latest photos from January - February 2022:

February 2022

Going Bananas!
It's Fairtrade Fortnight and the children have been looking out for the Fairtrade logo again, singing banana songs with actions, and thinking about the journey of a banana to reach our supermarkets.

Some of them have also been busy making Banana Pancakes, using Fairtrade ingredients, which they shared with their friends whilst watching the story of Pablo, the Super Banana.

Later the children painted this big Fairtrade Banana Tree, using brushes and hand prints. They also drew some great copies of the Fairtrade logo and talked about what it means:

Bananas come from...? "Trees, but not in this land - hot country!"
"They don't get much money."
"Farmers get more money for Fairtrade."

Amazing Art!
Outdoors this week, some of the children were playing Police games, using the cars and bikes plus lots of imagination and great vocabulary.

Afterwards, CE drew this fabulous detailed picture of a police officer.
Well done!

Textiles Technology: Fabulous Fabrics!

The children have been very interested to explore and experiment with different tools and techniques used for making textiles. These have included looking at Weaving, Cross stitch, Embroidery, Knitting and Sewing.

Some of the children touched some real soft wool from a sheep, and then twisted it on a spindle. They also looked at a bobbin like the one in the song "Wind the Bobbin Up", and inside a sewing box. They were very excited to help make beanbags together using an electric sewing machine, selecting their own favourite fabric, then carefully helping to work the pedal and levers, and filling their beanbags with rice. They showed great turn-taking skills...
"Wool comes from a sheep." "Those are pins." "That's knitting."

Afterwards the beanbags were put to great use for practising throwing and catching skills (even if one did end up on the roof...).

Exploring fabrics & tools

Making Beanbags: Choosing our fabrics
"I like the owl one." "I choose the gold. " "The bee one!"

Measuring our fabrics

Pressing the pedal, fast and slow, the children learned that electricity makes the sewing machine go. They sewed their seams, then carefully filled their beanbags with rice. The sewing machine was very popular, so we will try making other things on it soon.

The finished product

Catch it if you can!

Weaving and Cross Stitch

Over and under... great concentration at the loom.

Needle practice

A bit of accessorising...

Making Bags: our next sewing project was stitching some bags - drawstring bags and bags with handles.

Carefully pressing the pedal to make the machine go.

A useful drawstring bag to hold lego

The children selected the different patterns and fabrics they wanted to use for their bags, and they cut ribbons and lace to make the handles, before helping to stitch the seams by operating the pedal and levers. They were very proud of their finished products and eager to take them home.

Exploring the materials

"It's for my Mummy, to put her make up in."

And after a busy day, what better way to unwind than some yoga stretches with Miss Baikie and Meddy Teddy, followed by a full body relaxation. Aaaaaah.... 🙏🏼

Science:
Exploring the Wonder of Space

The children were really enjoying the story of Little Moon and following him on his journey around the galaxy past different planets.

"That's the red planet."

"I don't like the black hole..."

Building on this interest, we have been finding out more and making a giant frieze of our solar system together.
"Mercury is nearest the sun."

"I made Jupiter."

"Earth has lots of water on it."

"The sun is a star."

"The sun is a giant ball of hot gas."

The children also love watching and listening to the Solar System song. You can watch it at home here:

Later the children designed and added their own rockets, with their faces on them.

"I'm drawing the moon... and a shooting star."

Rocket Role Play...

Making our own 3D rockets

❤️ Love is in the Air...❤️
This Feb 14th, we have been reading "Guess how much I love you", and talking about what a heart symbol means. The children used their drawing and observation skills to create beautiful heart repeat patterns.

Heart Pasta Threading:
developing fine motor skills and exploring pattern & sequence

Many Ways with Clay:
At the clay modelling table, some children chose to make clay hearts and decorated them with coloured sand and buttons. Others made exciting individual model designs and tried out all kinds of interesting different techniques, using a combination of clay, hands, tools and water. They experimented with the properties and possibilities of clay and came up with many great original ideas of how to use it.

Tools & Techniques

"I'm chopping it up."
"I'm cutting in half."

Patting it flat

Patterns with a Fork

Rolling it and slicing it

D used the wet clay on the roller to roll patterns on to card. He also discovered that twisting a pine cone into the clay makes a great spiral.

"Use water to smooth it."

Imprinting
"What does this tool do?"

Digging into the resources

A very clever use of a piece of wire to shape the clay around - all the artist's own idea!
"Look, I've made a foot!"
"Next I'm going to make a snake."

"Look I made a bird!"

Another practical craft the children continue to practice in is Woodwork.

Like cookery and working with clay, woodwork is another great way for children to learn by doing. These practical occupations were taught from the 1850s by the early education pioneer Friedrich Froebel to increase children's confidence and sense of wellbeing. Learning through doing encourages a "can do" spirit and the children are always highly motivated to try using real tools. This month they have been building up their skills by carefully focusing on using the screwdriver and hammer, as well as sanding wood and creating their own models.

Screwdriver technique

Sanding

"I'm making a squirrel."

Outdoor Escapades: a tough mud obstacle course...

Team work to create a water channel

Whisking it up in the water tray

As part of Languages Week Scotland, the children are learning about languages, dances, songs, foods and flags from all around the world.

Our nursery staff will be sharing simple phrases, songs and stories across several languages including French, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Urdu, Hindi, African, Gaelic and Scots.

To kick start our celebration of language, we have been celebrating Scots to link with Burns, our National Bard, and we will continue with sharing other languages throughout the upcoming weeks. There will be a celebration of foods eaten in different cultures and a home learning follow-up which you can join in if desired.

We have chosen two Rights from the UNCRC which we feel fit with the focus of our Language activities over the next weeks.

Article 30: Every child has the right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people in the country where they live.

Article 31: Every child has the right to relax, play and join in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

Playing some games in French with Miss Cairnie

Home Learning: how you can join in Languages Week at Home

Family Learning Activities

Dear Parent/Carer,

We have organised a fun filled couple of weeks to celebrate Languages Week Scotland. As part of our focus, we are offering families the opportunity to work together on a challenge from home. We would love to see how creative you can be with Language and Cultural experiences.

These are only a few ideas that the whole family can enjoy, and you’re likely to come up with some brilliant ideas yourself that you might be happy to share with us for our Nursery blog. Family challenges this year include exploring the great abundance of cultural identities that we celebrate in our setting by sharing our languages in song, rhyme or story, getting excited about food and where it comes from and how it might set our palettes alight, and tapping into your creative energy to design and make your favourite famous building (using junk modelling) from anywhere in the world.

Once enjoyed we would invite you to take a picture of your work and either tweet it, email it to the school mail or bring photographs into nursery.

Challenge 1:
Sharing our rich cultural languages

Get your thinking caps on and find a way of sharing ideas with family members in a virtual way to hear them sing a song, rhyme or tell a favourite story from their own childhood and heritage. It would also be wonderful if a member of your family was able to write down a rhyme in their own language for us all to try out, share and learn from in nursery.

Challenge 2:
Getting excited about food

It’s time to get excited about food from different cultures! We will be exploring food culture within the nursery setting but we would also love to see and try out and share your favourite family recipes.

Challenge 3:
Make a favourite famous building from junk modelling

A chance to use your skills of selecting and measuring, creatively designing, experimenting and testing, cutting and shaping, gluing and attaching, manipulating and finishing, by using a wide variety of junk modelling materials from home. What shapes, elements and materials will you use to create your masterpiece?

Some suggestions of famous buildings that might inspire you are the Taj Mahal, the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour, The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, The Colosseum in Rome, The Sydney Opera House, The Glasgow Armadillo.

There are also some lovely ideas in this link from our Modern Languages department at East Renfrewshire Council to explore our emotions in the French language -

https://glowscotland-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/gw12patersonjoanna_glowmail_org_uk/EZLCA6eB3jJCj88ADxQr0MQBT06v26POwSlrXiagwIbWGA?rtime=r7pfA-Tf2Ug

If sharing any of your work on Twitter, please use the hashtags #scotlandloveslanguages and #eastrenloveslanguages

On Thursday the children made a Greek salad, and tried out some Greek dancing
(minus the plate smashing...)
Cooking together gives the children great opportunties to manage risk and challenge, and to understand process and where foods come from. It encourages motivation and the development of independence and interdependence skills. In the sharing of the food with all their peers afterwards, it also promotes a sense of pride and belonging. For the inventor of the kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel, it was one of several real life practical occupations considered to be hugely valuable to child development, and it remains so today.

On Wednesday, Mrs Ahmed taught the children some phrases in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi including these colour names.

They also tried on some traditional costumes and then continued practising Movement to Music skills, this time copying the moves of Asian dancing. They did really well and loved the feel of the music!

Our Mehndi Hands Designs

A fun way to develop mark making and fine motor skills

And finally, some of the children helped to chop and prepare the ingredients of a delicious Asian rice dish for everyone to taste, smelling the herbs and learning how to use cutting tools safely.

Yum... tucking into the finished dish

On Monday we sang French songs and tried croissants. On Tuesday we talked about Italy, listened to some Italian opera music & Italian nursery rhymes, and also made Pizza Margherita (featuring all the colours of the Italian flag) for everyone to try.

Chopping our fresh ingredients - basil, tomatoes & garlic - for the tomato sauce

Adding a tin of tomatoes...

Squeezing in some tomato puree

Stirring

Mashing

Grinding black pepper

"This is how we chop herbs... I love cooking!"

Spreading the cooked tomato sauce

More black pepper

Sprinkling the cheese

Ecco! The children loved eating up all their cooked pizzas

Here are links to some fun Italian songs to try at home:

Making Flags: Shapes, colour, pattern
The children were interested in the designs of different flags of the world. They chose which ones they wanted to recreate, carefully studying and copying the patterns.

"I need dark blue next" (for the French flag)

"I'll put mine on the castle."

"It's a stripey one."

"I need to cut this piece."

Some children created their own flag design!

Which country is this?" "It's a hot country."

"I want to do a third one..." "I've made four now."

Numeracy: the children have also been sorting, matching and counting with flags of the world.

"I want to count all the flags, I like counting!"

"There are 3 flags!"

January 2022

This week we have been thinking about all things Scottish and learning about Robert Burns and Scottish customs.

Numeracy - Patterns and Sequencing: the children have been extending their work on patterns by copying sequences and creating patterns based on Scots traditions. They have done this using symbols, pictures, lego and play dough and they have also tried paper weaving to create tartan patterns.

Scottish Cuisine:
A wee taste of haggis and neeps.
"Can I have some more?"

Expressive Arts - Dance: the children had great fun learning how to move their bodies in time to traditional Scottish music & Burns' songs, both fast and slow. They have been learning how to spin, turn and march with a partner and how to link arms with friends for Auld Lang Syne. They especially liked it when the tune speeded up really fast!

Literacy - Scots Language:
Along with Bookbug, the children have been singing the traditional Scottish nursery rhyme, Katie Bairdie. They have also been enjoying reading different books written in Scots dialect and learning some braw new words.

Where have all the children gone...?
Hiding under the Lycra...

Home learning suggestion:
Here is a link to an original composition by our very own Scottish songstress, Miss Cairnie, to entertain you this Burns Night and beyond. Have a wee dance or sing along...

Brilliant Birds

"It's a robin. It has a red tummy."

Ahead of the RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch next weekend, some of the children have been exploring information, stories and props about birds, and finding out more about them.

"This one's a duck."
"An ostrich!"

"What's this one?" "His feet are yellow."

"That's a flamingo." "An owl. They come out at night."

Making Bird Food

The children worked eagerly together to make bird food by chopping up apples & dried fruit and then mixing them with suet, fat & oats.

"I'm putting in more raisins."
"I'll chop up the apple."

We fastened the sticky mixture around pine cones & pressed it into recycled yoghurt pots.

"We can hang them on the trees."
"It's for the birdies."

Now, let's wait and see if any birds come to try them...

The next day, we spotted blackbirds, starlings and a pigeon around the tree, eating some of the food we left!

Home Learning Suggestion: Will you join in the Big Garden Bird Watch this weekend? (Details in the link below)
If you do, please let us know what you see!

Big Garden Birdwatch | The RSPBIt’s fun, free and for everyone. Join in 28-30 January 2022

Mind, Body and Spirit ...

A chance to unwind and calm our minds in one of the children's regular Mindfulness sessions with Meddy Teddy.

Some yoga stretches

Downward Dog pose

Using our balance and strengthening our core with Warrior Pose

in the moment...

Breathing Exercises

And finally... a Body Scan -
relaxing each of part our bodies in turn

Reinventing January Junk

The children upcycled and transformed a load of "rubbish" outdoors to create their own individual models & designs. They showed great imagination and focus as they worked.

Fixing & fastening

Peeling & sticking

Measuring & estimating

Exploring shape & size

Fine motor skills

Pattern & design

Symmetry & colour

Testing Suspension: "Look at this one!"

"Look I made another one of these."

"Look, this can tie to my arm here."

The children were rightly very proud of their personal designs and creations.
"It's my robot." "I'm taking these home."

New Year, New Learning:
Pattern, shape, natural world

After reading and watching stories about Elmer, the children discussed their favourite parts of the stories and wanted to find out more about elephants. They pointed out patterns in the books and were keen to explore pattern and shape in individual small scale designs.

They also collaborated in a communal effort to make a super large scale Elmer.

Time for Tea in the role play corner

Pasta Threading to develop fine motor skills and explore direction

Creative Minds at work

"I've made a house. Two people can fit inside."

"We've built a castle and we've made a surprise tea party for T's birthday."

Robots and Monsters...

Some children said they would like to make "robots" &"monsters". When asked what they needed for arms and legs they replied, "Squares and triangles and circles."

So they were provided with various 2D shapes & mosaic tiles, which they used to create some fabulous robot and monster designs.

Happy New Year everyone!

"We're Going on an Ice Hunt": On our first day back after the holidays, the children were very excited to go on an Ice Hunt outdoors and found that nature had gifted us all kinds of wonderful ice shapes and new learning opportunities to explore...