January -
April 2024
w/c 29 April 2024
Curiosity and Creativity with Clay:
After looking at different objects made of clay, some of the children enjoyed exploring and creating with wet clay, each following their own original ideas, which included imprinting the clay, adding water to it, feeling and describing it, and modelling carrots, a unicorn, a human, a pineapple and a rabbit.
Investigating
"I want to make a boat."
Imprinting
"The water makes it slippery."
"It's a human."
"My unicorn."
Baking: the children made some yummy scones which they buttered and jammed for afternoon snack.
Expressive Arts:
Inspired by Pablo Picasso's colourful portraits, some children tried creating their own self portraits using pen, paints and mirrors. They produced some impressive results! As Picasso said, "Every child is an artist."
"First I used the pen, then the chalks, and then paint."
w/c 22 April 2024
Marvellous Mark Making
The children have enjoyed lots of fun opportunities for spontaneous mark making, drawing and writing in both our indoor and outdoor environment. Wonderful use of different resources to represent everyone's own ideas!
Fun, Sunny Outdoor Play
Everyone enjoyed being outside in the beautiful sunshine this week. We played Hide and Seek and What's the Time Mr Wolf, as well as playing in the sand, developing ball catching and cycling skills. Being outside in the fresh air helps benefit brain and body functioning, and improves health, social and emotional wellbeing. Plus it's so much fun!
risk assessing while developing
gross motor skills - let's jump safely!
It's dinner time!
Rhyme of the Week - Pat a Cake
We listened to some rhymes and choose to vote between Polly Put the Kettle On and Pat a Cake. We used duplo blocks to vote and then counted the towers to find out which rhyme received the most votes.
I wonder which one has
the most votes?
'1, 2, 3, 4, 5'
Library Visit
It was the Red Group's turn to visit Busby Library this week. We enjoyed fun stories read by Peter, picked books and scanned them to bring back to nursery.
w/c 15 April 2024
Welcome back and we hope all our families enjoyed the Spring break!
We Are Artists
Inspired by our beautiful flowers, the children enjoyed creating their own flower artwork on canvas. Budding artists in the making!
Outdoor Fun!
creative cooking in our
mud kitchen
'putting the sand in the wheelbarrow and flattening it out with the shovels'
literacy
'we're writing what you get in the restaurant'
STEM WEEK
Welcome to our Stem week (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The children have been investigating and exploring how the body works, gradients, and cause and effect. It was lovely to welcome families to our daily Stay and Play sessions.
Experimenting with gradients
'big one got even faster, the bigger one makes them go faster, it's higher'
'that's going to be so slow, it's small'
We then investigated using other objects to put down the ramps - do they move at different speeds?
We added small ramps at the bottom to help boost speed
Exploring How The Human Body Works
Planting Our Seeds
We Are Engineers
Dig, dig, dig
This week we have been weeding to get our garden ready for Spring. It was lots of fun digging up the weeds and shaking off the mud!
Lots of great sharing and turn taking so everyone could take part.
Gardening is a fun rewarding experience and can help children develop numerous skills.
physical (digging, planting, weeding, watering)
stimulating children's curiosity
social and emotional skills
'it was making me happy'
'I just pulled it out'
The Floor is Lava!
Lots of imaginative play in our block area. The children worked as a team to build a bridge so they could avoid the 'lava' on the floor. What a fun idea to develop physical, teamwork and risk assessing skills.
Watch you don't fall in!
'it's a zoo, this is the carpark'
'a legendary house, there's protection around it'
'I'm fishing!'
'the mysterious wall, no-one knows what's behind it'
STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
As part of our STEM week celebrations we had a visitor who brought in some Indi Bots this week. Indi Bots introduce children to the very basics of screenless coding. The children worked in collaboration with each other to organise the coloured tiles into a maze for the bot to follow. They were not told what the tiles did but instead were allowed to play with them in order to try and work it out for themselves. They very quickly worked out that each coloured tile gave a different code to the bot instructing it to move in a certain way or direction and then they were able to program it to move around their own maze. This was a fantastic opportunity to see the amazing problem solving and team work skills our children were showcasing. Mr Hull said he will bring the bots back again as we had so much fun!
Having fun developing fine and gross motor skills
Sewing Stars
This week the children enjoyed making purses in our sewing area. We had lots of beautiful fabrics to choose from as well as buttons and lace for decoration. Everyone did a great job waiting for their turn and listening carefully to when they had to press the pedal. We even had a chance to put the bobbin on the machine! We also sewed buttons on our purses independently using needles and thread. Wonderful skills!
choosing our fabric
fine motor skills
hand eye coordination skills
problem solving
creativity
life skills
our wonderful creations
Woodwork and Junk Modelling
More wonderful woodwork designs this week and the children also chose to be creative using junk modelling materials. This led to a conversation about the type of materials the children were using and that we were recycling -
'if you're done with it, people can use it' S
'I'm going to use nails to put the legs on'
'it's getting in, keep trying my best'
'this could be the fur'
'I've made binoculars'
'super rocket so it goes
super fast'
'my space helmet'
'flames for my space rocket!'
'a space ship'
I'm A Little Teapot
The children voted for 'I'm A Little Teapot' as our rhyme of the week. Some children provided illustrations to help us choose and we sang songs with actions altogether.
Talking Tubes
Look at one of our fabulous new resources! Talking Tubes have valuable sensory element. They allow children to talk over distances and adds an auditory and sensory element. We are having so much fun talking to our friends!
Shopping Time!
The children are continuing their interest in money by extending their play with shops. All sorts of goods being sold at our shop today using real money. On the production line children assembled components to make very colourful cakes. Quality control were on hand to measure size and weight. What a fun way to develop our numeracy skills. Many thanks for the donation of kitchen scales!
World Book Day Celebrations
In Busby Nursery Class we recognise and value the great importance of reading for enjoyment. We encourage our children daily to curl up with a book of their choice through our weekly trips to the local library and well-resourced book shelves that reflect the children’s interest in the nursery. World Book Day was just another opportunity for us to get cosy in our jammies and enjoy a good story together. We were lucky enough to welcome in one of our parents who also happens to be a great author. He talked to the children about his work and how he enjoys reading and creating stories. We would like to extend our thanks to Mr Donnelly for sharing his love of books with the children. Miss Paisey also joined us to read some stories in French. The children were engrossed in listening to some of their favourites read aloud in a different language. The light board was also a big hit as children used it to create different scenes from the Gruffalo demonstrating super creativity and understanding of what they have read.
Bonnyton House Care Home
Bonnyton House Care Home is an assisted living residence in Busby. The nursery children will be making regular monthly visits in small groups to Bonnyton House to play and learn alongside the residents. Thank you to our parent helpers for coming!
Road Safety
We are finding out how to cross the road safely. We now know how to 'stop, look and listen' when walking outside, and that the Lollipop person helps us cross the road safely too.
This week at Busby Nursery Class....
Messy Mark Making
Mark making is a physical, sensory experience that allows children to develop the gross and fine motor skills required for pencil control and writing. This may just look like a lot of messy fun but it the perfect way to strengthen and develop our muscles further.
Busy Baking Banana Bread
We have had lots of discussions about recycling and looking after our environment in Busby nursery. When our bananas arrived not looking their best we decided to reduce waste by baking with them instead of throwing them out. The result was some delicious banana bread with edible letter icing, yummy and educational! Baking is a fantastic way to develop our mathematical skills of weighing, measuring, counting and timing.
Money, money, money!
The children have been showing a keen interest in money play. They started creating their own money out of paper and building shops in the construction corner. This then progressed on to using, recognising and counting real coins.
“This is 10. I have this one in my house.”
“I have more money than this, I have one million dollars in my house.”
“This coin is the shiniest.”
There was real engagement and interest in using the money to buy and sell items in Mrs A’s shop. What good fun!
The Wonders of Woodwork
Wonderful creativity and imaginations on display this week in our woodwork area! Inspired by a friends unicorn creation, some children designed their own unicorns while others created cats, toy cars and a house. Future engineers in the making as we design our creations and problem solve during the process.
'it works, I can pull it!'
'I thought this house would stay up and it did!'
'it's a hard bang, little hard taps'
'I'm tapping it straight'
The Red group visited Busby Library this week. They enjoyed listening to stories and picked books to read in nursery.
We've had a fun week taking part in lots of exciting experiences and were delighted to welcome some family members at our Stay and Play. Thank you for coming and lovely to read such positive feedback. Everyone had a great time!
Experimenting with water last week led to the children being curious about what else they could add water to. 'Sand!' was the choice and lots of fun investigations took place pouring water into it to discover what would happen to the sand.
'let's make quicksand!' H
'it disappears, it's gone into the sand' S
'it goes into the sand, it disappears, the sand gets all smooshy' V
'we dig a hole and put water in and more water in' J
imaginative play
science
experimenting with changing properties of water
problem solving
teamwork
'I'm doing crosses, this is for danger so they can see it' J
It's baking time, aprons on!
The children love to bake and enjoyed the opportunity to bake cupcakes and make jelly. The children showed great listening skills to follow recipe instructions. Everyone was curious why the jelly was going in the fridge and what it would be like afterwards.
happy helpers!
sieving the flour
adding ingredients
pouring the mixture into the cases
let's put them in
the oven!
baking in the oven and smell delicious
decorating fun
'we were making jelly by putting hot water in' N
great mixing!
'it was slimy, wobbly' N
We made slime! Slime creation and play is a fun way to develop dexterity, strength, fine motor control and hand-eye coordination skills. It provide opportunities to learn science skills and find out what happens when we mix ingredients and stretch slime.
'look how long it stretches!' V
Creative builders
'this is my car' V
imaginative play
wonderful teamwork!
Splashing in the puddles!
The rain can't stop us playing! There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. The children loved splashing in the puddles and kept dry with our waterproof suits and wellies. We added fairy liquid to make our puddles bubbly. We then found chalks in a puddle and noticed the different colours. This led to wanting to change the colour of the puddles - I wonder how we can do that? 'put paint in them!' and so we did!
'lots of bubbles!'
'it looks like lava'
What can you create in our block area? The children are co-constructing and negotiating as they create structures together. Great turn taking, creativity and co-operative play everyone!
'I'm closing the door'
'I've got 2 chimneys, I need a
triangle for the top'
'it's for sick animals'
Rhyme of the week - the children voted for 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'
Creating Kadinsky Inspired Art
We are artists! The children are finding out about the artist Kandinksky and using his work as inspiration. The children enjoyed choosing from shapes, chalk pastels, coloured pencils and paint to create their own artwork. The children are experimenting with different materials and using new methods and techniques, such as shading pastels with their fingers, to achieve their desired effect. Wonderful skills and creations!
'that's my hearts'
'I used the chalk to make
hearts, I was spreading it
with my fingers'
Child Led Creativity
The children were talking about mermaids and this led to them making their own ocean scene using a tuff tray and ocean animals, and creating mermaids and fish using art materials. Great problem solving skills as they worked out how to make tails and arms for mermaids!
'I'm painting my mermaid's tale'
'I did it, I made my
fish tail!'
'we can use a stick to make mermaid arms'
'I'm making a turtle, he's green'
Parachute Games
We were using our large muscles to shake the parachute and had lots of fun playing games together! This also develops team-building skills, co-operative play, problem solving and helps build friendships. We also had to listen and follow instructions - well done everyone, look at all our happy faces!
Junk Modelling
What can you create with cardboard boxes? The possibilities are endless! The children have been developing critical thinking skills through junk modelling. What wonderful imaginations - take a look at some of the children's creations.
'my pirate ship'
'a turtle and a cat'
'a timemachine'
Experimenting with gradients
Lots of opportunities for curiosity and enquiry in our block area as we are experimenting with gradients. I wonder if the truck will move the same way going up the plank?
Mindfulness
We are developing our relaxation skills by taking part in mindfulness experiences. We were getting quite sleepy on our comfy mats - great focus everyone, you are learning valuable skills to help keep you calm and relaxed.
Thank you to everyone who came to our Bookbug Stay and Play. It is always lovely when family join us!
We have a new rhyme of the week - Three Craws.
Nursery Rhymes are a great way to introduce and develop the early language skills needed for reading and writing.
Together we have enjoyed exploring and playing with the patterns and sounds of language and will continue to have fun with our rhymes helping the children feel confident with words. Each week in nursery the children will learn and new rhyme which they can share with you at home.
Three craws sat upon a wa’,
Sat upon a wa’, sat upon a wa’,
Three craws sat upon a wa’,
On a cauld and frosty mornin’.
We had Orkney oatcakes and Scottish cheddar for
Robert Burns Day snack - yum yum!
Creativity
The children experimented by using cars rolled in paint and moving them across the paper to create tartan - what lovely designs they created!
'Tartan looks like a rainbow'
'I used the cars to make the lines'
Storytelling Fun
The children took part in lots of collaborative and imaginative play re-telling stories using props.
Wonderful storytellers and teamwork!
Role Play
The children are showing an interest in menus and shopping lists, and are developing their literacy skills by writing their own. We then selected what we would like to eat from our cafe - what would you like to order from our menu today?
Setting The Table
We are developing life and indepence skills by setting the table for lunch. Great job everyone, you have made sure all your friends have cutlery, plates and a glass.
Brilliant Building
This week we've witnessed wonderful creations in our block area. Block play has numerous benefits and allows children to co-construct and work together.
Turn taking
Sharing
Encourages self-reliance
Problem solving
Imagination
Creativity
Social and emotional development
Maths
Nurturing Imagination - role play fun!
Our role play is a popular area and supports children to develop their language and social skills by acting out and making sense of real-life situations. It is also so much fun and lets children be creative and use their imagination!
Child Led Learning inspired by hearing children's voices
The children are helping with our new floor books - what would you like to do or find out about in our art area? The children are telling us lots of wonderful ideas!
Recording Data
We are recording how many children are in each group today - great teamwork!
Happy New Year! It's lovely to welcome the children back and hope everyone enjoyed the festive break. We've had a fun week - have a look at some of the exciting experiences the children have been taking part in.
Exploring properties of ice.
Brrr, our garden is frozen! It's been so cold everything is covered in ice. The children went outside to explore and find different shapes and sizes of ice - look at what we found!
'look at my circle, I can see through it!'
'I found a diamond'
'the toys are stuck with ice!'
IMG_0673.MOVSewing Skills
The children love it when we bring our sewing machine out! We are using our measuring and creative skills to create our own bags.
Sewing is fantastic activity that nourishes creativity, life skills, fine motor and hand-eye co-ordination skills.
What a wonderful design!
Super Stories!
We love stories at Busby Nursery and have lots of different places where we listen to them.
We also like to write our own stories. V told a story and drew all the pictures himself - you are an author and an illustrator, amazing skills! You also said what the blurb was at the back of the book. What a wonderful story book you have made!
