LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Please find below the rhymes for our 'Christmas Movie'

HOME LEARNING - DECEMBER 2020

Hi everyone, The staff at Houston EL&CC have created some fun experiences for children to take part in whilst self-isolating. We would love to see your Christmas activities. Please find below the EL&CC email address, feel free to send over photos or if you have any questions for your child's keyworker do not hesitate to get in touch at houstonenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk. Also included are some of our rhymes for our ‘Christmas Movie’. We would ask that you go over the rhymes with your child encouraging them to speak loud and clear. Hopefully when everyone returns safe and well, we can start PRODUCTION!

A BUSY WEEK AT HOUSTON EL&CC

What a busy week at Houston EL&CC. The children were learning about Remembrance Day and made their own poppies and watched a short video about why poppies are important. Mrs Laird brought in some very special medals from during the war which belong to her family, the children had the opportunity to look at the medals and were gentle and careful whilst holding them. The children observed a 2-minute silence at 11am. They all stood quietly and took time to remember. Some of the children had been talking about Pudsey Bear and Children in Need, there were a variety of experiences on offer for children, they create their own Pudsey masks and used their fine motor skills to pin Pudsey’s different body parts together. All children were given the opportunity to vote for a new EL&CC logo designed by their friends. The children used a counter to represent their vote and placed it beside their favourite drawing. Once all the votes are placed our winner will be announced.

STAYING SAFE DURING FIREWORKS

The children at Houston EL&CC have been learning about fireworks and how to be safe whilst firework displays are taking place. Some of the children were excited to be watching the fireworks from their home and a few were having fireworks of their own. At Houston EL&CC the children were using powder paint outside to create their very own firework displays. Discussions took place about how to stay safe whilst watching fireworks. Inside the children were using salad spinners to make firework pictures and some children made their own rockets using some a variety of materials. There were lots of Rocket Races taking place in the garden and children were measuring how far their rockets flew. There was a special snack in store…the children made popcorn to recreate the popping sound of fireworks. They listened carefully and chatted about how loud fireworks could be. Then of course they ate some delicious fresh popcorn.

A SPOOKTACULAR WEEK AT HOUSTON EL&CC

The children at Houston EL&CC had a fun-filled week participating in a variety of Halloween themed experiences and taking part in different experiments. Some of the children created their very own spooky house and used torches to enter….if they dared! There were lots of stories being told in the spooky house and the children enjoyed listening as well as telling their own stories. Outside there were lots of experiments taking place. The children helped to make a pumpkin sick and different ingredients were used to blow a balloon up. The children added a Mentos mint to fizzy juice and waited patiently to find out what happened. It was spectacular to see. The children also had the opportunity to make their own potions using things such as: frog eyeballs, witches snot, dragon toenails and lots of other disgusting ingredients. There were lots of creative children who decorated their own pumpkins, spider’s webs, ghosts and monster bags using a variety of crafts and paint. Some of the children also enjoyed scooping out some pumpkins and carving them creating scary faces. On Friday most of the children dressed up for a day of fun at our Halloween Party, we had, witches, superheroes, cats, and lots of other interesting costumes. The children enjoyed a day of ‘dookin’ for apples, playing party games including musical statues and musical bumps finished off with a delicious Halloween snack.

ENTERTAINMENT EMPORIUM

Mrs Smart and some of the children have been very busy creating an entertainment Station in our garden. The children used a variety of tools including a drill to create a stage in the Entertainment Emporium. Ribbon was used to create a bright and colourful backdrop ready for the children to perform. The children sourced different items from around our nursery including pots, pans and wooden spoon to make their own exciting instruments exploring a variety of sounds. The children have been making their own music as well as singing and dancing as part of the performances.

AUTUMN 2020

The children have been learning about Autumn and the changes to our environment during the change in season. They have been busy making their very own Autumn tree using a variety of paint and crafts. Most children have enjoyed collecting leaves out walking in the local community and from the nursery and school grounds. The children have been learning about the different varieties of leaves which have fallen from the trees and comparing them by colour and size. The children have used a variety of mathematical skills whilst counting the leaves and matching them to numbers on the ground. There was a lot of excitement when a spider was found out in the garden. The children enjoyed using magnifying glasses to look at the spider up close and decided to look for more outside on a bug hunt. Some of the children have been enjoying discussing the weather daily and have been recording their findings and displaying it on the wall, creating a talking point amongst many of the children.