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Our morning and afternoon nursery children at Howes Road have been very busy since starting Nursery this term. Many have been showing an interest in vehicles and we have been listening to stories and songs about cars, buses and other things that help us to move around. A favourite song is ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ and great fun has been had playing the desk bells which sound like the bell on the bus. Some children have been using vehicles in the paint and looking at their tyre tracks. Others have been exploring the paint with their fingers. The garage and toy cars have proven very popular as the cars go up and down ramps whilst some children have been exploring cause and effect steering wheel toys or completing puzzles.
We also made lots of playdough as part of a group and have been using transport cutters to make shapes of planes, cars, trains and motorbikes. Some have been rolling the playdough in their hands and squeezing it as it is lovely and soft.
We have had fun in the nursery garden, watering the flowers when it has been sunny and jumping in the puddles when it has been raining.
All the returning children from Orchard Brae at Ashgrove have settled well since starting back in August. We have been able to welcome new children to our Nursery and it has been great to see how quickly they have adapted to their new setting. They all appear to be enjoying and becoming familiar within the Nursery environment.
We have been doing lots of sensory activities with painting, gloop and shaving foam. We have also been making vegetable and fruit printing pictures. We have been planting our spring bulbs and enjoying what remains of the “summer weather.”
As the trees are now beginning to change colour we have been exploring this concept as we go for walks in the local community. Some of the children have shown great interest in our apple and plum trees which grow in our outdoor play area and have been collecting them. We have used some of the plums for our snack. Next week we are planning to use the apples to make apple pie.
The staff team at Ashgrove are all looking forward to working with the children and supporting them throughout their time with us.
We were overwhelmed by the response we had to our sensory garden appeal. The donations of resources, time and money have helped to make a unique and already well loved area for our pupils to enjoy and explore.
A huge extra special Orchard Brae thanks to:
The Little City Garden – design and landscaping
Gerbera Designs – landscaping
James Gettka – landscaping
Morrison Construction – access path
Mike Bruce – path
James Millerby – boulders
Jenna Killoh – pallets
Dobbies Aberdeen – compost
Trees Are Us – logs
GI Cladding and Joinery – posts
Clan Miller Construction – slabs and posts
Bissett and Ross – tarpaulin
Alpha Fencing – new gate and fence
MB Landscapes – boulders
Karen Underwood – fruit tree
Karen Robertson – fairy house
James Polson Garden Creations – woodwork sculptures
BFLABDN – art work
Round Table Aberdeen – sponsorship for artwork
Linda Lovie – tactile sensory display
Dulex Paint Aberdeen – paint
Khyber Pass Association – donation
Unison Union – donation
Mrs Ann Thain – donation
Betty Craig – donation
Evelyn Drennan – donation
And last but not least our amazing fundraising families, the Simons and the Cruikshanks.
As the weather gets cooler, classes have been making a bug hotel in the new sensory garden. We have been exploring different plants and textures to make a place where insects can keep warm over the winter. We have used grasses, thistle down and a variety of plants to create a cosy environment for our tiny guests to stay in over the colder months.
We have also been setting up tasks for pupils to help keep our playground tidy, like raking the sandpit. These jobs are great experience and provide a fantastic opportunity to be involved in real work.
We have also been establishing bird feeders outside class and in the new sensory garden.
Our Google Classrooms have gone live! Your child’s teacher will be using Google Classroom to share activities with you but we are aware that some families are waiting on technology and other supports to enable them to access Google Classroom so we will still be posting a selection of activities here too. If you haven’t logged in yet or having difficulty accessing Google Classroom please contact your child’s teacher who will be able to offer you support and advice. Here is a short video to show you some of the exciting things happening on Google Classroom.
If you would like to share how you have got on with our activities, please share any photos via your child’s teacher, through Google Classroom, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Virtual Sports Day:
This week we are holding our first ever Virtual Sports Day and we would like to thank our PE teachers, Amanda and Salvi for organising this. Our Virtual Sports Day will start on Monday 22nd June and we would love for as many of our pupils, families and staff as possible to join in.
There will be 8 challenges for you to try at home and you will have the whole week to complete as many challenges as you can. Each challenge will have a short video clip which will include a demonstration of the task and suggested equipment to use. Challenges can be copied, adapted or you can even devise your own.
If you would like to participate, please check your child’s ab-ed.org email where you will find an invitation to join and access the Virtual Sports Day Google Classroom.
Story Of The Week: The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
This week’s story is a wonderful shimmering underwater adventure – The Rainbow Fish. Troughout this story, the Rainbow Fish gradually realises the importance of friendship and sharing!
Using the link below you can watch and listen to the story:
Education Scotland, in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council, produced a Resilience Alphabet full of fun think, say, do activities designed to promote resilience and develop coping strategies. There are a series of activities for each letter of the alphabet, so pick a letter and give it a go!
Here is a learning grid for Life Skills. It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help develop and promote your child’s independence in a range of household and life skills tasks.
These activities are only suggestions and we would recommend that, where appropriate, you adapt these activities to meet your child’s ability level.
Here are some fun activities for you to try at home this week.
If you would like to share how you have got on with our activities, please send any photos via your child’s teacher, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Story Of The Week: ‘Hamish The Highland Cow’ By Natalie Russell
This week’s story is all about Hamish the very hairy Highland Cow who hates having baths and doesn’t like getting his hair cut!
Click below to watch and listen to the story on YouTube:
This week we are going to continue looking at animals known as minibeasts, which you can find in your garden or local area. Here is some interesting information about minibeasts. The download links can be found below each activity.
Education Scotland, in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council, produced a Resilience Alphabet full of fun think, say, do activities designed to promote resilience and develop coping strategies. There are a series of activities for each letter of the alphabet, so pick a letter and give it a go!
Here is a learning grid for Life Skills. It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help develop and promote your child’s independence in a range of household and life skills tasks.
These activities are only suggestions and we would recommend that, where appropriate, you adapt these activities to meet your child’s ability level.
Learning Grid: Get Active!
Here is a learning grid for Getting Active! It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help promote physical activity both in and out of the home on a daily basis.
These activity are only suggestions and we would recommend completing one activity each day. However, we would love to see what other creative ways you and your family are using to Get Active daily!
Links to YouTube Channels and websites can be found below.
Here are some fun activities for you to try at home this week.
If you would like to share how you have got on with our activities, please send any photos via your child’s teacher, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Story Of The Week: ‘Hole At The Bottom Of The Sea’ By Jessica Law
This week’s story is one of our favourite Barefoot Books stories. Sing along and see what you can find at the bottom of the sea.
Click below to watch and listen to the story:
The book study below has some great activities for you to try at home based on the story.
Links and additional documents to support the activities can be found below.
Activity 1: Sea Creature Characters
These characters can also be downloaded using the link below:
This week we are going to continue looking at animals known as minibeasts, which you can find in your garden or local area. Here is some interesting information about minibeasts. The download links can be found below each activity.
Education Scotland, in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council, produced a Resilience Alphabet full of fun think, say, do activities designed to promote resilience and develop coping strategies. There are a series of activities for each letter of the alphabet, so pick a letter and give it a go!
Here is a learning grid for Life Skills. It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help develop and promote your child’s independence in a range of household and life skills tasks.
These activities are only suggestions and we would recommend that, where appropriate, you adapt these activities to meet your child’s ability level.
Learning Grid: Get Active!
Here is a learning grid for Getting Active! It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help promote physical activity both in and out of the home on a daily basis.
These activity are only suggestions and we would recommend completing one activity each day. However, we would love to see what other creative ways you and your family are using to Get Active daily!
Links to YouTube Channels and websites can be found below.
Here are some fun activities for you to try at home this week.
If you would like to share how you have got on with our activities, please send any photos via your child’s teacher, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Story Of The Week: ‘Shark In The Park’ By Nick Sharratt
This week’s story is about a young boy, Timothy Pope, who goes to the park to try out his new telescope. What will he find?
Last week, we looked at slugs and snails. In keeping with our Story Of The Week, ‘Shark In The Park’, we are going to look at animals known as minibeasts, which you can find in your garden or local park. Here is some interesting information about minibeasts. The download links can be found below each activity.
Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week. Education Scotland, in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council, produced a Resilience Alphabet full of fun think, say, do activities designed to promote resilience and develop coping strategies. There are a series of activities for each letter of the alphabet, so pick a letter and give it a go!
Here is a learning grid for Life Skills. It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help develop and promote your child’s independence in a range of household and life skills tasks.
These activities are only suggestions and we would recommend that, where appropriate, you adapt these activities to meet your child’s ability level.
Learning Grid: Get Active!
Here is a learning grid for Getting Active! It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help promote physical activity both in and out of the home on a daily basis.
These activity are only suggestions and we would recommend completing one activity each day. However, we would love to see what other creative ways you and your family are using to Get Active daily!
Links to YouTube Channels and websites can be found below.
All the staff at Orchard Brae are missing seeing all our pupils every day and we are always eager to see and hear what you’ve been up to. We love seeing what everyone has been busy doing while they are at home and we have some wonderful photos and videos to share with you this week.
If you would like to share what you have been up to at home, please send any photos or videos via your child’s teacher, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Working Hard
We’ve been delighted to see how well some of our pupils have been working and learning at home .
There has been lots of work on this week’s story ‘The Snail And The Whale’, listening to the story, making seaside inspired pictures and creating seaside sensory tubs. Some pupils enjoyed taking their daily exercise at the beach – I wonder if they managed to spot any whales? One pupil even managed to find a seaside themed treasure trove when he was out for a walk!!
Others have been busy practising their writing or simply taking part in a familiar school routine such as circle time and some enjoyed exploring science and technology by making their own sensory bottles .
Some of you have been enjoying listening to stories, and the Bedtime stories shared on the school website and Facebook page have been a nice way to see some familiar faces and hear some familiar voices from around the school!
Making Music
It’s been a fun, musical week, listening and joining along with your favourite tunes!
Out And About
We’ve loved seeing where you’ve been visiting when you’ve been out and about in your local communities.
Getting Active
You’ve all been busy this week exploring different ways to keep yourselves active from swinging around, bouncing about on balls and on the trampoline, climbing trees, enjoying a bike ride with your family or working on building your core strength.
And Always Remember…
We love seeing all your smiles and even during this difficult and strange time it’s important to have fun, whether it’s on your own exploring nature…
…playing with your favourite toys…
…or simply chilling out and having some sensory fun.
Remember to make some wonderful memories and have fun with those you love.
We can’t wait to see what you get up to next week!
Here are some fun activities for you to try at home this week.
If you would like to share how you have got on with our activities, please send any photos via your child’s teacher, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Story Of The Week: ‘The Snail And The Whale’ By Julia Donaldson
This week’s story is about an adventurous snail who longs to see the the world and his unlikely friendship with a whale.
In keeping with our Story Of The Week, ‘The Snail And The Whale’, here is some interesting information about slugs and snails. The download links can be found below each activity.
Here is a learning grid for Life Skills. It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help develop and promote your child’s independence in a range of household and life skills tasks.
These activities are only suggestions and we would recommend that, where appropriate, you adapt these activities to meet your child’s ability level.
Learning Grid: Get Active!
Here is a learning grid for Getting Active! It contains 16 activity ideas for you to help promote physical activity both in and out of the home on a daily basis.
These activity are only suggestions and we would recommend completing one activity each day. However, we would love to see what other creative ways you and your family are using to Get Active daily!
Links to YouTube Channels and websites can be found below.
