Play on Pedals

Hi everyone,

Hope we are all well and enjoying the sunshine we have been having recently.

As you may know when we were last at nursery the children were really enjoying having access to some pedal and balance bikes we had on loan. This was part of the “Play on Pedals” programme run by Cycling Scotland. We have noticed due to the current situation a lot of children have been out on their bikes even more and learning to pedal without stabilisers which is great.

Cycling Scotland have a Youtube channel where there are videos which have elements of the Play on Pedals programme. These videos have different games you can play on your bikes which can help children with steering, balance, control and much more. Here is a link to their Youtube page

They have also released a Bike Scavenger Hunt you can do while out on your bike. There are items on this hunt that you can look out for while cycling and if you see any you can ring the bell on your bike if you have one. Here is a copy of the scavenger hunt:

We hope you enjoy these tips for Cycling and please remember if you are out on your bike to wear a helmet and stay safe! Please send us any photos of your children out and about on their bikes or doing any of the activities above.

Stay safe everyone.

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt

A nursery favourite by Michael Rosen –

Follow and join in the family’s excitement as they push through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise the family get when they stumble across a dark, gloomy cave …

Below is a link to a resource which has lots of ideas on how to explore the story. There are also links to the story on YouTube and how the story can support learning and holistic development.

Were_Going_on_a_Bear_Hunt_3_EYT_1

 

 

 

Handa’s Surprise

Good Afternoon,

Today we thought we would share with you a story we had been enjoying in nursery before we left. It’s called “Handa’s Surprise” and within the story Handa goes on an adventure to deliver fruit to her friends.

Below is a resource which details the learning within the story and also has some home learning ideas on how you can extend the learning, such as making your own Handa’s Surprise book. Some children may be able to tell you about the fruit tasting experience we did within nursery.

If you do not have a copy of the book don’t worry as there is a link within this resource to watch the story on Youtube.

Hope you enjoy this resource and please share any experiences you do from this learning pack.

Handas_Surprise_Story_of_the_Week_EYT (1)

The sun has got his hat on. Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Good afternoon,

Today we would like to suggest that you and your child spend time enjoying the sunshine whilst painting with water. This activity will help to build not only your child’s creativity but the confidence to experiment and to develop early drawing and writing skills.

This activity will prompt lots of great discussion between you and your child. Encourage your child to use descriptive words to describe what they can see- are the marks big/small, long/short, squiggly etc.

It may also be interesting to guess how long the sun will take to dry up the water. 

We hope you have a wonderful time with this idea. Be sure to share your experience with us via email!

Spring Walk Bingo

Hi everyone,

We hope you had a lovely Easter. We thought we would start the first week of our new term with a “Spring Walk Bingo”. You can print out this sheet or just use it from your phone and see if your little one can spot any of these items when you are out and about on your daily exercise, when they find something they can check it off. Be sure to send us some photos of you completing your Spring Walk Bingo we would love to see them.

Click the link below to open the Bingo sheet –

Spring Walk Bingo

a spring walk | end of dafs | sean ireland | Flickr

Hope you Enjoy!

Independence Skills

Hi everyone, hope we are all doing okay as we enter our second week of this very strange new normal. We are missing you all very much! This week we thought we could focus on developing your little one’s independence skills. In our normal day to day life it is so hard to focus on these skills as we are rushing around to get to nursery, school and work. Now life has taken on a bit of a slower pace, for some, its the perfect time to encourage them to dress themselves, put on their own socks and shoes and their coats. Here are some tips we use within nursery to encourage independence:

  • Coats: Hood on and arms in!
  • For underwear its easier if it was a picture on as then the rule can be picture to the front.
  • Sitting down is the easiest way – sit down till you can see your feet and then up to pull them up.
  • For shoes you can make a simple foot mat – draw around their shoes onto a piece of A4 paper, once they have put on their shoes get them to stand on the mat and if they match they are on the right feet!

Here’s a song you can play them to help encourage the process –

Some of these tips are super simple but sometimes simple is best! We would love to see pictures or videos of your little ones putting on their own coats and shoes!

Remember to drop us an email if you need anything at all. Stay safe everyone x

Let’s go on an adventure with Auntie Mabel and Pippin..

‘Come Outside’ is another one of our favourites within nursery. The series aims to encourage young children to learn about the world around them. The theme is something that the children are already familiar with, such as water, wood, paper, boots, spiders, street lamps etc and Auntie Mabel helps to answers those questions that curious little minds have.

Here are a few videos that you and your child may like to visit..

(You might even remember these videos from your own childhood!!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poem for Nursery Children

Here is a lovely poem we would like to share with you all. Nursery rhymes and poems can support the development of language and communication skills from an early age. Rhymes can help them understand and learn about different sounds. This is an important part of developing those early years literacyNursery rhymes and poems can support the development of language and communication skills from an early age. Rhymes can help them understand and learn about different sounds. This is an important part of developing those early years literacy skills.

Poem for Nursery Children