3-5 Room

Our thoughtfully designed playroom for children aged three to five creates a balance of play both indoors and outdoors.

Our bright and interesting spaces encourage children to become confident through experiencing different environments. Resources are well organised to allow children to make choices about their learning and to develop at their own stage.

The children’s learning is linked to Curriculum for Excellence and ensures a strong focus on health and wellbeing, literacy and numeracy and in developing skills for life.

We work to ensure that parents, carers and the wider community participate and contribute to the life and success of the centre.

Please use the link below to access information from Education Scotland.

You will be able to access links to the curriculum and use their parent zone page.

Education Scotland

ECO schools

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Junk Modelling

The children have been very creative while using the recyclable materials, here the children created cars with wheels that move, each child's car show individuality as they used different materials to decorate, while also learning about managing risk as they used scissors and metal fasteners. By using recyclable materials they have reduced waste as they have created puppet theatres, telescopes, binoculars, cars, dragons and much more.

Each month we choose 2 children to be our recycling monitors. This gives the children the opportunity to risk assess as we remember to stay safe on the pavement on our walk to the recycling bins. This gives the children opportunities to identify the paper and plastic bins and sort the items from nursery into each. To record how much recycling the nursery has collected so far, we record this on a monthly recycling table identifying how many bins have been recycled of paper and plastic, giving children the opportunity to identify the numbers while practising our addition skills. We have been able to dramatically reduce the number of bins recycled, by beginning to recycle within the nursery in our Junk Modelling area within the Art Area and with our 'Paper Free' Tuesdays' & Thursdays'

ECO School - Bird bath & Feeder

In order to attract more birds to our garden, the children created a bird feeder and bird bath using plant pots. Beginning by decorating, building and then finding a suitable place in the garden outside. The children where able to effectively work together as a team, and where keen to discuss what birds eat and which birds they think might visit the garden,

Fairy Garden

The children have come up with some excellent ideas while creating the fairy garden. Here the children created a garden/beach area by using an old garden plant tray in a different way, they chose to add this to the top of the logs for a ''high'' area for the fairies.

The eco experiences develop a wide range of skills across all areas of the curriculum and develop children’s knowledge of caring for living things and looking after the planet we live on.

STEM

What is S.T.E.M?

STEM is an acronym which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

STEM is being recognised now more than ever and is promoted in the environments from early years right through to college and beyond. It is an essential part of a child’s experiences in the early years setting - and not necessarily recognised as can be implemented into all aspects of a child’s learning through a variety of learning experiences.

Children participate in experiences that are adult led, child led and ‘in the moment’ experiences.

Some of the experiences we are provided this year have been simply constructing with magnets, building a volcano, creating phones, opening up electrical equipment (all risk assessed) to building towers, using translucent arts to making play dough and outdoor play and child led building / developing experiences. The continual experiences are helping to develop and mould children’s minds into enjoying experiences that will benefit them in the future. We have children who are “STEM ambassadors” which have been chosen due to their ever growing interest in the area. There are numerous websites, twitter pages and books/magazines which provide lots of information on STEM and how it is used on a daily basis.

We have explored science stories such as weather, space, bird feeding and planting and growing.

We have also engaged parents in some home link experiences with children working with their parents to create robots or rocket ships made with recyclable materials.

STEM contexts can cover all aspects of the curriculum, especially Science, Technology and Maths.

East Dunbartonshire Council has provided training for staff to enhance their knowledge of how they can implement and use STEM in the early years setting. A quote below which narrows down how essential it is for children to experience STEM in the early years is below:

“Enthusing and engaging children from the earliest years in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is at the heart of the Centre’s activity. It was an absolute pleasure to see children exploring STEM in all it’s forms and this work is key to setting children of all ages, both boys and girls, from a range of backgrounds on a journey of wonder, to learn to question, to experiment, to problem solve, to ask why and what’s next.

With some estimates suggesting that 65% of preschool children will work in careers and jobs that do not yet exist, their future is truly one of opportunity”

- STEM strategy minister’s speech, Shirley-Anne Somerville 20th Nov 2017

Heuristic play

Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills (PAThS)

Nurturing lunches

Erin leadership role - New lunch routine

We have recently changes our lunch routine from one lunch sitting to two lunch sittings in preparation for the roll out the 1140 hours expansion within early years – meaning every child throughout Scotland will be entitled to a funded lunch. Therefore, this will mean an increase in every early years’ settings at lunch times and some settings having to create new routines in order to have numerous lunch sittings to accommodate numbers. It is important that this time is a positive experience for all children, creating an environment where children feel safe and comfortable in an environment during a time of change. This change was in preparation for the 1140 hours to help ease in change of lunch routine for the children as well as help to make lunch times a nurturing and socially engaging time for children.

Our new lunch sitting times are : The first lunch sitting 11:40am and the second sitting 12:15pm. Pack Lunches and hot lunches are together in each sitting giving children free choice of where they would like to sit and who they sit beside. For hot lunches, we encourage the children to discuss the menu options available with their parents to know which lunch option they have chosen. We put table numbers on each table to encourage number recognition for children to know which table number they are based on the lunch option they have chosen. As first sitting is taking place the children for second lunch sitting will have the opportunity for outdoor play, or other play experiences within another part of the playroom.

In order to try create a homely environment for the children at lunch time we tried to create a calm and nurturing atmosphere using neutral coloured tablecloths and utensils to allow children free and easy access to the resources they need for lunch. In preparation for lunch the children help to set up the tables with tablecloths and table numbers. At lunch time we promote independence and self help skills, encouraging the children to serve their own lunch independently and safely. Staff are at each lunch table to support children if support is needed to help serve lunch and at lunch sit with the children engaging in different discussions.

The children have settled well into the new changes to the lunch routine and have been enjoying the new changes. Lunch is a more calm and engaging time for children and staff, with children engaging in more discussions around foods and choices in the menu with staff as well as promoting independence skills serving their own lunches independently daily.

Some of the learning that is promoted over lunch can be seen below:

Number recognition - table numbers
Free choice
Discussion of different foods- likes and dislikes.
Self help skills - serving, pouring, cutting.
Number recognition - table numbers
Free choice
Discussion of different foods- likes and dislikes.

Useful links:

Setting the table:

Food matters:

Outdoor play

We have been working to create a space that is an extension of the indoor environment that offers rich and meaningful learning opportunities for the children.

The story so far...

We have created a story corner/cosy corner in the garden where the children can go to to access stories and literacy based resources.

We have created a literacy resources box to store games, books etc. This means all staff will be aware of where to find resources to set out for the children/change from time to time. The children are now familiar with where these resources are kept and are making great use of the story stones, books and story bags, re-enacting their favourite scenes and creating their own stories.

We have placed environmental print and familiar nursery rhymes around the garden for children to explore, promoting them to recite them and creating conversations about what their favourite rhymes are. I have already seen the benefits of environmental print in the garden e.g in the construction area where real signs were placed the children were curious often asking what certain things/words mean, this is helping them develop their vocabulary as they are learning new words like caution, danger etc.

We developed expressive art outdoors with access to more arts and crafts outdoors (now have an art resources box) children have recently been making great use of large Perspex board, marking and writing names and letters on the board, developing those important fine motor skills using a range of tools and paintbrushes of different sizes.

Planning various activities that promote early literacy. During bird watching week the children were learning the names of various different birds and drawing pictures of them the children then went on a hunt for them marking them off on a list and made bird feeders to attract more. The children have also been using magnifying glasses to look for insects and we have been learning about the different species of insects.

We have developed a multi purpose area that is used for musical instruments outdoors, the children have been playing the instruments outside and singing some of their favourite nursery rhymes they have been displayed some even making up their own songs. This is sometimes used as a den and a quiet space.

The children have showed an interest in developing the mud kitchen. We moved the kitchen into an area that the children felt that they would have access to mud. We added numeracy and literacy opportunities to the area including number lines, measuring jugs, scales, recipe cards, and chalk boards. The children have also been developing maths and science skills by measuring and weighting the resources, seeing cause and effect through use of different materials.

Through role play opportunities the children have been building positive relationships with staff and other children. The children have been experiencing messy, creative, sensory and imaginative play as well as the benefits of being outdoors in the fresh air. The children develop their social skills by working together to keep it tidy and make sure resources are put back in the correct place

Outdoors we offer a safe and secure area where our children can seek out challenge and take risks. Children participate in risk assessing daily and staff aim to build confidence by using positive language as they interact with them.

They are experiencing the thrill and excitement of speed on the bikes through play on pedals programme where they learn about bikes, develop balance and control as well as other skills they need as they learn to ride a bike correctly.

After consultation with the children and help from parents we have been den building and new garden tools and wheelbarrows were purchased, which the children have been using to tidy and develop our outdoor area.

Working with children and parents new resources were introduced to develop our construction area. Wheelbarrows, hard hats, vests are being used and children are actively engaged creatively, solving problems, negotiating as they play in this area. Real tools are being introduced and staff will work alongside children as they develop confidence using them safely.

The children have been working together very effectively to help tidy our outdoor area . They have been using the garden tools and wheelbarrows as they clear borders, turn over the soil, and remove any litter. As well as developing muscle strength, coordination and other physical skills they are becoming more aware of the ever changing outdoor environment.