Whalsay Early Years

Rolling down hills @WhalsayY this morning. Developing vestibular systems and proprioception as well as being lots of fun for both children and adults! @szwishart @PlayScotland

Self directed free flow play in response to hail shower today. Children @WhalsayY in control of their learning and free to start, stop and change their play when they choose and in response to their environment. #responsiblecitizens #childrensmentalhealthweek @szwishart

A walk to the pier as requested by a group of children. “We’ll see the ferry!” “Peerie boats and massive boats”, “labsters!” Our experiences are part of our environment. @WhalsayY we build on children’s interests and make the most of our local environment for learning. #spaces

Building New York City skyscrapers @WhalsayY. Fantastic discussion, team work and problem solving as well as care and precision. #blockplay @szwishart @NAEarlyYears

@Lauren_Smith444 @szwishart They do! :-)

@WhalsayY @szwishart Thanks for the tag! The oranges look like they smell delicious 🍊

Developing a tripod grip through our play @WhalsayY. #prewritingskills @szwishart @Lauren_Smith444

We live in a fishing community. Using blocks to represent structures from our real lives helps us explore our world. Including design elements that are more intricate reveals our ever growing cognitive understanding of spatial awareness. #stagesofblockplay @szwishart @ElcShetland

A morning @WhalsayY building friendships, sharing interests, thoughts and ideas and connecting through #play indoors and out. @playscotland @szwishart @NAEarlyYears

Soaking water into sponges and squeezing it out. A great way to develop our hand and finger strength and dexterity as well as learn about absorption. @szwishart @Lauren_Smith444 @NAEarlyYears #emergingliteracy #naturalscientists

Block play @WhalsayY building a “garage”. Developing many maths skills, science and engineering knowledge - measure, balance, comparison of shape and size, awareness of weight. Team work, problem solving and becoming aware of gravity. #learningthroughplay #blockplay @szwishart

Developing numeracy through play today @WhalsayY. Using lots of positional language…up, down, forwards, backwards, beside, between, first, second…and experimentation with speed – sitting on some of the jackets made us go down the slide very fast!! #numeracythroughplay #outdoors

A trip to our local shop this week. We noticed many familiar features as we walked (fishing boats, the hall, Roger’s garage, our houses and more!) We spoke about these, sharing our stories, building knowledge of our island community and awareness of the world around us #belonging

More wonderful water play today @WhalsayY Scooping water, "snipping" water between fingers and thumbs, pouring water from pots and twisting the tap to control the strength of flow. Developing our pre-handwriting skills naturally. @szwishart @MegLaurenson #emergingliteracy

A morning spent exploring and “hockin in d ebb stanes” at our local beach. Developing our physical and cognitive skills and sense of place in an interesting and motivating environment #islandlife #uniquesetting #realisingtheambition #responsiblecitizens @szwishart @NAEarlyYears

Outdoor water play @WhalsayY exploring forces, speed, direction, filling, emptying and much discussion. Led to a big puddle forming downhill. Two feet jumping, body awareness, turn taking became messy mud soup and pies #responsiveadults #outdoorlearning #curiousity @NAEarlyYears

A blog about some of the ways we are trying to develop curiosity in Whalsay ELC #Realisingtheambition blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/sh/whalsayearl…

@WhalsayY We're keen to learn about where food comes from We ask lots of questions “What boat caught this fish?” “Do bananas grow on trees?” “Why are eggs orange inside?” Today we learned about looking after pigs and what they provide for us #activeconnections #learningincontext

Busy fingers and hands creating our own pictures @WhalsayY today. Developing fine motor skills through cutting, sticking, twisting glue, picking up small objects. Showing and sharing our creative ideas on paper. Using resources around us as inspiration too.

“Loose parts enhance children’s ability to think imaginatively and see solutions, and they bring a sense of adventure and excitement to children’s play”. (Dale and Beloglovsky) #SummerOfPlay We have lots of loose parts play resources on our website 👉playscotland.org/play/playful-l…

Our first day back in Whalsay nursery has been lovely. It's been a day for re-connecting with friends, making new ones and sharing our thoughts and ideas with each other through play.