March - April
April 2022
Busy Bees
"These bees are tiny and these bees are very big!"
The children have spotted bees outside and so we have been learning more about them. Some children already know some facts about bees:
"Bees make honey"
"Bees have wings"
"Bees are yellow and black"
"Bees are stripy"
We have been finding out about why bees are so special and important. The children learned that the number of bees in the world is going down, and so some bees are in danger of becoming extinct or disappearing. This affects the world we live in as many of our fruit and vegetables will not grow without bees. We will be finding out more about how we can help to save bees and help them to thrive.
Numeracy
We are learning about numbers 'more than' and 'less than' by playing a bee game.
What is one number less than 7? "I know it is 6!"
We are finding all the number 1's and placing the bees on them.
Well Done! You followed the instruction and counted out no more than 1 bee on to the flower!
Digital Literacy: Sounds
With support the children were able to match the correct sound to the correct picture. Great effort everybody!
'P for Pen or P for dog?' "Pen!"
'C for Cap or C for Sack?' "Cap!"
'R for Rat or R for Mat?'
"I think it's rat!"
'S for Sun or S for tap?'
'S for bag or S for six?' "Six!"
Construction
Look at the models we have been building in the block play area, showing brilliant teamwork skills. We are being so creative and imaginative!
"They are all diamonds!"
Great Work
at the Woodwork Table
Wearing our safety glasses to keep us safe
Sanding the wood to make it smooth
Placing wooden shapes and hammering them in
Wow, look at our hammering skills!
The finished products. What great designs!
"It has a watering can and a flower on it!"
Our Exciting Visit from the Fire Brigade
A huge Thank You to our local firefighters, who came to our nursery to teach us more about fire fighting. We were allowed to see and hold lots of equipment kept in the fire engine, including looking through a thermal camera, trying on helmets and sitting up high in the truck. We learnt the number we need to call if we see a fire. Best of all we got to try out the very powerful water hose - what an exciting morning!
Sensory Science: Making Recycled Paper
Ever wondered what happens to paper after we put it in the recycling bin?
Some children have been learning how paper is recycled by experimenting at creating their own paper.
First they chopped up old paper and tissue paper, then soaked it in a little warm water, adding in a spoonful of glue.
Next they worked hard mashing the paper into a pulp. To remove the water they mashed and pressed the pulp over a sieve, then placed it on a mesh screen, made from a wire coathanger and old tights.
Lastly they squashed it even flatter using a rolling pin over a cloth, then laid it out to dry.
Cutting
Pouring
Mashing to a pulp
Adding glue
Squeezing out the water
"It's rainbow paper."
"Can I draw on it?"
Sensory Science: Making Rainbow Dust
We created Rainbow Dust by mixing Epsom salts, table salt and a little food dye, then giving them a good shake. The children were excited to experiment with creating all the colours. Now we can put our Rainbow Dust in the water tray and use it for pouring, measuring, mark-making... and whatever else grabs our imagination.
"Red and blue make purple."
"It's glittering."
"It smells nice!"
"Blue and green make tortoise! Turquoise."
"I made tortoise too!"
"It's ice cream...."
Getting into Character
The Dress Up Bag has led to some fantastic imaginative play and story-telling among the children.
"I'm raccoon boy." "He runs like this..."
"I'm a French fry.... a chicken nugget."
"He says Ore-a, Ore-a, Ore-a.... That's how he talks!"
Some of us took to the Cat Walk...
"I'm Skeleton Sundrop and he is Skeleton Moondrop."
"I live in a golden Freddy house."
"He has a black face here and white here."
Sunny Snack Time
We've been enjoying serving ourselves healthy Snack in the Outdoor classroom, overlooking our garden.
Green Fingers
We are busy building up a new garden at the side of our nursery, where we will plant fruit trees, vegetables and other plants, and tend to our plots together. The children started by helping to plant two apple trees and also sowing some wild seeds to create a Wild Flower Garden, which we hope in time will attract many bees, butterflies and other bugs.
Investigating the seeds
Transporting compost
Scattering our seeds
Watering the seeds
Tree Planting
Feed The Birds
We can hear lots of birds singing in the trees around the nursery, and we know that they will be having babies at this time of year. (We looked at some eggshells found on the ground). So, to help feed them, we made up Bird Food by mixing suet, oats and raisins with chopped apples and apricots. The children showed great chopping skills and were also good at kneading the ingredients to bind them together using fat. We then moulded the mixture around pine cones to hang in the trees. Some of the children recalled the method from the last time we did it in the winter.
A fab bird illustration, drawn for a sign at the table.
"I've seen nests up in the trees."
"I love apples. I can do it. I'm good at chopping them."
"We need the sticky stuff now."
"This is a good place to hang them."
Digital Literacy
We have been using the new smartboard pen and doing a variety of literacy activities.
Matching the animal sounds to the correct animal -
"The pig makes this noise!"
Digital literacy game -
"Cat and Hat rhymes!"
"Chair and Bear!"
"It's a goat!"
Practising pen control and overwriting the letters in our name.
"I can write my name!"
Great focus and concentration!
Digital Numeracy
"I am going to draw 3 triangles!"
Overwriting number '2'
"So I need to draw 4 smiley faces?"
Smart Cameras
"We are taking photos of each other!"
Children can share their own knowledge and can teach adults new things too. D showed Miss McFarlane that if you keep turning the camera lens the filters change different colours!
J learned that you can record your voice on the camera - "I am speaking to it!"
F made up her own long story and recorded it!
F then listened to her voice recording - "I can hear me talking!"
GHSC4979.MOVE wanted to record her voice singing a nursery rhyme. "I want to sing twinkle twinkle chocolate bar." She then listened to her recording - "It is loud!"
We are blossoming!
We've been looking at blossom and heather and using recycled bottles to print blossom pictures.
Spring is blooming in our nursery garden and, after their Spring break, the children have been excited to be back and busy exploring and catching up with friends.
Water experiments - pouring and transporting
Investigating volume and capacity
Balancing experiments
The children helped to decorate their play den.
"We can tie this on for a door bell."
"There's a butterfly on it."
"These are beautiful."
"We're making a beach."
"Look at this cake we made (with bricks). It has lots of icing."
It's Fishy Business...
Fishing for numbers in the water tray
"I got number zero."
" I caught the giant rock."
"It's number 10."
Designing fish for the water.
"I like these purple dots."
This led to drawing fish on the Whiteboard...
...and then drawing many more patterns on the board.
Let's take it outside!
Play Dough Modelling
The children made very imaginative patterns and designs, using play dough with coloured pasta pieces.
They also used sticks, pasta and bottle tops to imprint patterns.
"I made a pumpkin."
Clay Modelling
After studying a sunflower and thinking about its different parts, some of the children tried making sunflower models with clay. They rolled and squashed the clay to make petals, and used sticks to prick holes and create the effect of seeds in the middle. Once dry, they painted them carefully.
"I'm doing all the petals."
We wish all our children and their families a very Happy Easter & Spring Break.
See how many Signs of Spring you can spot in the holidays... Enjoy!
Model Making
Wow, look what we have been creating. We have made different models using cloud playdough!
"The playdough smells of apples!"
"I made the Easter bunny!"
"I am going to copy your bunny and make one too!"
"I am making a birthday cake!"
"I am making a bunny too and it's dancing to a song with the friend!"
"The bottle makes it look like a flower!"
Card Making
The children used a variety of different tools/utensils to print Easter egg cards.
"The potato masher looks like an Easter egg!"
Easter Egg Rhyming!
Matching words that rhyme
Matching words that rhyme
"Sun and run!"
"Rain and plane!"
"Sand and hand"
"Eye and sky"
"Shower and flower"
March 2022
Exciting Eggs!
The children have been exploring our Eggs & Nests display, and have enjoyed comparing and contrasting the textures and properties of eggs made out of wood, marble, tin etc. They have been finding out more about different creatures' eggs and playing imaginatively with the birds and their young.
"I like this owl... Nest in tree.."
"My favourite egg is this one. I like the black on it. It's like armour. "
"This one fits in here."
Comparing the sizes of the biggest and smallest birds' eggs in the world
(ostrich and humming bird)
"They hatch."
"The duck has three eggs."
"This one is the mummy" (hen)
"Look at this tiny chick hatching."
"Wow! If you twist it, it spins..."
"This is the heaviest egg, the hard one. It's the Jupiter egg. It's the biggest one and so heavy. It has an animal in it - a big duck!"
"That's the big one and that's the little ones. And that's the Daddy duck with the egg. It's a black and white one."
"Eggs are my favourite. You can't eat eggs 'cos they have animals inside them."
Sensory Exploration & Fun in the Sun
One beautiful Spring day, the children loved experiencing the sensations of walking and playing barefoot in sand, exploring their surroundings with their senses, and feeling the sun and sand on their skin.
It felt like we were at the beach!
"It's my trampoline!"
"How does water feel on them?"
"It's cold!"
"I've made paper."
"Now we can draw on it!"
"We've hidden our feet!"
Barefoot Balancing
Balancing
Burying
Burrowing
Spring is here!
Inspired by planting our own flowers in the nursery garden, the children created their own beautiful paintings using a variety of colours and tools.
"Our daffodils are growing every day, I see them!"
"These are lovely daffodils, they smell nice!"
"I am painting with a fork!"
"I'm not going to do loads of daffodils, I'm just going to do one big one!"
Some of the children helped to write words based on the Daffodil song we have been singing in nursery!
The Daffodil Song...
One little, two little, three little daffodils
Four little, five little, six little daffodils
Seven little, eight little, nine little daffodils
Ten little daffodils growing in a row.
Grow, grow, grow those daffodils,
Grow, grow, grow those daffodils
Grow, grow, grow those daffodils
10 little daffodils grow in a row!
Take a look below at the children's Spring Art Gallery
To paint tulips, daffodils and other spring flowers, they have tried out a range of different techniques, including printing, collage and finger painting.
Terrific Technology
The children have been and are continuing to explore digital technologies to discover what they can do. They are sharing and communicating information with each other. We are so excited to be using the new headsets!
"I can hear her voice!"
"I press the button to record my voice!"
IMG_E8563.MOVWe are using them outside too!
“You can count and I will hide!”
The children are using the headsets to record themselves counting while playing hide and seek!
“Ready or not... here I come!”
Taekwon-do
Thank you so much to Scott for coming in and teaching the children a variety of taekwon-do moves. The children were so enthusiastic and had so much fun!
Benefits
. Improves fitness
. Self confidence/self discipline
. Co-ordination/flexibility
. Self-defence skills
"We were trying to kick our legs very high!"
Strengthening our upper arm muscles
Stretching our arms
Hit
Punch
Smash
Strike
What Very Busy Scientists we have been in Busby Nursery this STEAM Week!
We have been exploring the properties of many different substances - liquids, gases and solids. We have been building and constructing with sticks, magnets, wood and cardboard. We have been planting peas, measuring, reading about our bodies, exploring sounds, testing, observing, predicting, describing, asking questions, and much more...
STEAM WEEK:
Peas and cocktail sticks
Peas and cocktail sticks
The children were using their fine motor skills and being creative - making wonderful structures using cocktail sticks and peas!
" I made a square!"
"I am going to make a triangle!"
We discovered the peas started growing roots! Let’s explore and investigate how they grow!
STEAM WEEK: Balloon Experiments
First pour vinegar into a bottle
Tip 3 spoons of Bicarbonate of Soda into a balloon
Place the balloon over the bottle neck
Watch a gas form and blow up the balloon!
"It's bubbling!"
Rocket Balloons:
In another fun experiment with Forces, we released air from a balloon to make it shoot along the rope.
"5,4,3,2,1.... blast off!"
STEAM WEEK: Numeracy and Mathematics - Measuring
We have been comparing and measuring different heights, and talking about what makes our bodies grow.
Exploring Different Sounds -like bells and rice in a pot...
Our Bodies: We've been reading about our bodies and all the bones inside.
Afterwards, we tried the Skeleton Dance....
Great co-ordination of bodies and skeletons!
STEAM WEEK: Slippy Slime
How do we make slime?
Step 1: We added 1 cup of glue into a bowl.
Step 2: We added 1 tablespoon of baking soda and mixed it into the glue.
Step 3: We added yellow food colouring to the bowl.
Step 4: We then added contact lens solution.
Step 5: We mixed it all.
Step 6: Slime is created!
"It is so sticky!" "I am stretching it!"
"Its soft!" "It's gooey!"
Mixing
Stirring
Flipping
Stretching
Pulling
STEAM WEEK: Making Moon Dough
Moon Dough with Miss Baikie was another great way to explore the properties of different materials, using our sense of touch and smell. By mixing the cornflour and apple conditioner, a really interesting foamy yet firm texture was created.
"Sticky..." "Squidgy...." "Soft..." "Hard..."
More Ways to Do Technology...
Matchsticks with recycled swimming woggles
"A little star..."
"I've made an alien."
It joins, it sticks...
It balances, it rolls...
STEAM WEEK: Mixing our own Paper Marbling Inks
1- Grating coloured chalk
4 - Add more colours
2 - Mix in some oil
5- Float your card on the surface
3- Drizzle it on the water
6 - Lift carefully
See the lovely marbled patterns created!
STEAM WEEK:
Sink or Float?
In continuing Science Experiments, the children explored the concept of sinking and floating. They were excited to predict which objects would sink or float, and then to test, observe and record the results.
"The pine cone will float!"
"The apple sank then floated."
STEAM WEEK:
More Technology & Construction
Building with sticks in foam and constructing shapes with magnets.
Exploring the power of magnets
"It's made of metal."
"Look at this!" Moving the coin with a magnet under the board.
STEAM WEEK:
We are Engineers, We are Artists
Don't dump it, reinvent it!
Give children some packaging junk, some tape and a few pens, then watch their creativity flow...
The Bubsy Nursery children were so inventive with this furniture packaging. They leaped into action, becoming inventors and engineers of rockets and aeroplanes. Others converted it into painting canvas and created some beautiful designs.
Engineering work in progress:
First the taping...
Next the fine detail
Fine tuning
Adding colour
"It's an aeroplane... but I can also use it as a pick axe."
"It's an aeroplane with boosters."
"I'm making a water gun."
"It needs this triangle for the top of the rocket, and I need small bits like this for the boosters."
"That's not symmetrical because this side is wider than that one."
"I'm writing my name on it."
The children asked to paint their inventions:
"I'm painting a rainbow pavement."
Mixing and comparing different shades on the colour palette.
"I made purple, and lilac."
"We're doing hearts. We need glue and paint."
A wonderful design reminiscent of Van Gogh's Starry Night.
"It's a spiral shape with spots on it."
Some children converted packaging into art canvas and tried out different artist's tools like palette knives and various brush sizes and tips.
Painting an outdoor Spring frieze
Science: Out of this World... 🪐
Building on the children's continued interest in Space, Science was Great Fun when the children tried the Milky Way experiment.
They tested and observed how milk, food dye and a little soap react together to create moving, blending colours and patterns, similar to the surface of some planets.
Adding a little soap on a cotton bud
Spoons & Tunes
Literacy, Numeracy & Mark Making
The children picked their favourite Nursery Rhymes from our Rhyme Spoons and sang them beautifully. Afterwards they drew characters and props from their favourite rhymes.
They chose "Five Currant Buns", "Twinkle, Twinkle" & "Hickory Dickory Dock."
"Who is coming to the baker's shop?"
"My bun is hot. I'm going to eat it!"
"There's no currant buns left!"
Singing "Twinkle, twinkle" with actions
Drawing currant buns
Drawing the star
Drawing the clock
⭐ Home Learning Suggestion ⭐️
Traditional nursery rhymes are a great way to promote Literacy & Numeracy skills. To help continue at home, why not count the numbers of buns next time you are in the bakers, or on a clear night count the number of stars and then sing about them... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Rock Painting
The children showed great concentration as they helped to paint Number Stones and they also created their own individual patterns on glittery rocks, discussing their colour choices and designs as they worked.
"I love the pink... and the orange."
"I'm going to do the 8."
"Look, I did number 7."
Wonderful Wood:
Continuing with their Woodwork lessons, this week the children created wooden name plaques, selecting wooden letter tiles to spell out their names, then hammering them together in the right order.
More Outdoor Action
The children have had fun developing their fitness, orientation and ball skills during sessions in the MUGA, through a range of different ball practices and parachute games.
Over and under and up and down...
Making Tracks:
Testing out road designs
Wonderful Watercolour Painting
Carry On Sewing...
The Sewing Table continues to be very popular, with lots more children asking to make beanbags and handbags. They have been selecting materials for their individual design ideas, practising scissor skills by cutting threads and ribbons, and operating the sewing machine via the foot pedal.
"I'm going to use the pink lace."
"I wrote my name on my beanbag."
Using fabric pens to decorate the beanbag material .
Filling the beanbag with rice
Choosing materials for the design
"This for the handle."
Adjusting the speed via the foot pedal
Finished drawstring bag
"It's for my Mummy, for her make up."
"I made one with the Scottish flag on it."
Fun in the Sun
On the first day of March, the first daffodil in our garden has bloomed! Spring must be on its way...
Outdoor Bookbug -
Songs in the sunshine:
"One, two, three little jumping stars.."
Pancake Mixture:
whisking the eggs
Mixing the wet and dry ingredients
This Pancake Tuesday we sang "Pop a Little Pancake in the Pan", then enjoyed eating yummy pancakes outdoors, made by some of the children earlier that day.
