Reception

Let's Connect

We enjoyed our Let's Connect teddies bear picnic this week. The children all brought their teddies in and enjoyed talking and playing with our guests. They talked about their teddy bears and what they were called and why they were their favourites. The children and our guests then enjoyed a lovely picnic which had been prepped and made by our older children (Year 5 & 6). 

Little Cities

We were very excited to welcome Little Cities into our hall on Wednesday. The children had great fun exploring different jobs they could all do. We had firemen, checkout people, vets, hairdressers, builders and many more exciting things. It was a great opportunity for the children to role play in a variety of different roles. 

Sports Week 

We have had a very busy week filled with all things sports. On Monday we had an athlete in to visit who told us all about her sport and how we could keep healthy by taking part in different exercises. We all joined in and had great fun! On Tuesday it rained and we had to cancel our sports day :( but we still did lots of exciting activities! On Wednesday we attended a yoga event and then we took part in a variety of field events, in which we all earned lots of house points. On Thursday we attended a street dance workshop which was lots of fun!

Throughout the week we also discussed the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet. We talked about the importance of eating lots of fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates and then adding in some protein, dairy and small amounts of fats. We discussed that it was okay to eat sweet treats as long as they are part of our balanced diet. We then tried a variety of different foods, it was great to see the children trying new things even if they weren't too sure. 

Father's Day celebration

We held an event where we invited the adults in our lives in to represent the celebration of Father's Day. Before the event we talked about how we all had different families and that every person was unique. On the day an adult came in to enjoy watching our singing and even got to eat a yummy breakfast with us too. We also played spot the difference and completed word searches. It was a lovely morning. Thank you to all those who attended. 

Wesak Learning Day

Today we went to assembly to learn about the celebration of Wesak, upon our return we found a cheeky monkey sitting in Miss Martin's chair. It had a note with it saying that all his mangoes had gone missing and that he needed the children's help to find them. He explained that once they had found all the missing mangoes he would tell them his story. 

The children did a great job of finding the mangoes and writing down all the locations, we then read the story of the Monkey King. We learnt about kindness and how thoughtful he was to others. The children were then given a challenge to write down some words about the Monkey King and the children thought of some fabulous words. Some children even decided to make the Monkey King a new home out of junk modelling. 

Snails

The children have loved finding snails in the garden, they have named them, taken care of them and ensured they had plenty of food nearby. They also learnt about the importance of putting the snails back to where they found them and ensuring that they are covered so birds don't try to eat them. The children then decided to have a snail race, Mrs Lee helped to set up a special course for the snails to race on. The children watched carefully as the snails made their way to the finish line. The children recorded who came first and last. 

Mrs Dean then bought in her African Land Snails and taught us all about them and how they are different to our garden snails. We even had the chance to hold them and ask questions. 

King's Coronation

We had lots of fun in the lead up to the King's coronation. We learnt about what a coronation was and how King Charles would be the King of England. The children played maths games, trying to match the amount to the number on the crown, they went on a hunt for crowns in the outside area and had to make note of where they found the crown and they made and created their own crowns too. The children also thought about what they would do if they were King or Queen. 

Wedding Mania

One of the children in our class had attended a wedding and shared the photos with the rest of the class. The children were very excited about this and wanted to create their own wedding. They made invitations, decorations, designed a wedding cake and even ensured that other members of staff were invited. We set up outside and the children made sure there were signs and everything was in the right place. One person was the celebrant, other children were guests and some children were the bride and groom. Afterwards the children enjoyed a wedding breakfast (snack) and got to dance their first dance together. They all enjoyed listening to different music whilst dancing with their friends. 

Summer Term 1

We were very excited to return to school after the Easter break. We arrived to school to talks of treasure and pirates. We read the story Pirate Pete and then in our small groups we looked at using the junk modelling boxes to create different pirate things - the children decided to make a pirate ship with the sea in the background, a treasure chest and a desert island. They thought carefully about the boxes they were using and the materials they would need to make the different things. 

In their other group the children created different treasure maps and then we wrote instructions for others to be able to use the treasure maps. We are looking forward to seeing what other things will happen in our classroom over the coming weeks. 

Caterpillars to Butterflies 

We waited very patiently and made sure we were very careful around the caterpillars but eventually after almost 3 weeks they turned into chrysalis. We enjoyed observing the caterpillars as they hung upside down and the cocoon was formed around them. We then had to transfer them to their new home in the butterfly netting, we had to be very careful around them as they were so delicate. 

As the end of term was drawing nearer our final day of school was on us and Miss Martin explained that it was likely that the butterflies would come out at her home over the Easter holidays. With just an hour to go before hometime we were absolutely amazed to watch one of the butterflies emerging from their chrysalis. It made its way onto the netting and then a red liquid started dropping out of its wings. It was so exciting to see! Although we could not release the butterfly it was so special to see it coming out. The rest of the butterflies emerged at Miss Martin's house over the Easter break, although she had hoped that some might be able to stay with her in the end it was too long and not fair on the butterflies. So every butterfly was released into the local area and we are looking forward to spotting them in our outside area over the coming months. 

STEAM Week - Science experiment

We conducted a science experiment where we had 3 different tins which were the same size but contained different things. We compared the tins with the lablled tins to see if we could work out what was in each tin. We then used a ramp to roll the tins down to see which one went the furthest. We decided that the chickpeas and chopped tomatoes went the furthest. 

STEAM Week - Visiting the ICT Suite

We made our Mother's Day cards using the paint programme in our classroom. Later on in the week we then learnt how to use the mousepad on the laptops to create a picture using paint. The children had to practice selecting a colour, holding down the button whilst painting and some even learnt to create shapes and rub out mistakes. The children all enjoyed using the computers and learning about the rules of the ICT suite. 

STEAM Week - Making Bread

This week we re-read the story The Little Red Hen so we could remind ourselves about how flour was made. We then made our own bread, we used flour which was already mixed with yeast, added water and then had to knead our bread. Afterwards we had to leave the dough to rest for 5 mins, then we decided on what shape our bread was going to be and then mould it into shape. We then left it to rise for 30 minutes and then it went into the oven for 20 minutes. We then ate our bread with butter. It was delicious! 

Mother's Day Breakfast

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast with our adults in celebration of Mother's Day. The children sang a special song and then served their adults some pastries for breakfast. It was lovely to see so many adults attending and enjoying our morning. 

The Caterpillars Have Arrived

We have been reading the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children have sequenced the story and learnt the story too. We talked about what happens in the life cycle of a caterpillar and we discussed the arrival of the caterpillars. On Monday (6th) the caterpillars were delivered, we had to listen carefully to the instructions on how to look after them. We have been observing them daily and are waiting in anticipation for them to turn into chrysalis. They have been getting bigger, longer and fatter each day! 

Mărțișor – March 1, 2023

Two children came to school today with red and white bands on their jumpers. We were unsure what the ribbons represented so as a class we did some investigation as to what they meant and we found out that:

Mărțișor is celebrated on March 1 in Romania and other territories where Romanians live. The holiday celebrates the end of the dreary winter months and the beginning of spring.

Mărțișor is derived from the word ‘Mart’ an old folk word for March, literally meaning ‘little March.’

In Romania, Mărțișor symbolizes the arrival of spring, and it is celebrated every year on the first day of March. At the core of this holiday is the martisoare, a red and white interwoven band that is named after the holiday. Those who wear it are believed to be protected by the magical powers of this band.

Some children then decided that they wanted to make some bands for themselves. They used the string to make red marks and then worked with an adult to create the loop, some stuck them to their jumpers and some stuck them to their own made books. It was great finding out about different traditions. 

Police Visit

We have been looking at the different jobs that people have and those who help us in our community. We were very lucky to have a police office visiting us. He showed us all the different parts of his uniform and explained why he had to wear them. We got to ask him questions about his job and then got a tour of his police car. The children loved pressing the buttons to make the siren go and wearing the special police hat. We look forward to meeting other people and learning about their jobs. 

Feel Good Week

This week we have been thinking about ways to make ourselves and others feel good. The children have been learning about taking care of themselves by doing exercises and keeping active, they have also been learning about how we are all unique and have different families. We also have been learning about the importance of taking care of our environment, especially picking up our rubbish and putting it in the bin. 

On Wednesday we had visitors who came and played games with us, read us stories, coloured with us and chatted with us. We then had an afternoon tea together. It was lots of fun and we loved having time to read and talk with other people.

Lunar New Year

This week we have been learning about the Lunar New Year. We looked at the celebrations that take part in China as well as around the world. We first learnt about how the new year is celebrated, we talked about the similarities and differences to our celebrations. We then looked at the story of how the different years were decided, we were all either Roosters or Dogs. In our small groups we made lanterns, created some numbers in Chinese writing like we saw in the video and then we tried some different foods. It was lovely to see that some children even continued their learning at home and others decided to build a large scale dragon of their own.

Hand-printing pictures

We were making a card for Mrs Adamson using our hand-prints and were very excited about this. We then decided to investigate and find other images and pictures we could make using our hand prints. As part of our small group we looked at a range of pictures and discussed how we could create these using our hand prints. We had to think about the colours we needed and try putting these onto our hand in the right place. We discussed not using too much of one colour as otherwise it gets wasted. The children then all chose their own pictures and made these during small group. They also then tried to make their own pictures during their Exploring Time. 

Snow Much Fun!

We were very excited that we had a week of snow to play and have fun. We enjoyed building snowmen, creating snow flurries and investigating the best materials to use as sleds. We looked closely at the snowflakes and even made some of our own snowflakes using our scissor skills. 

Art Day

The children had a fun day recreating the ‘Surprise’ picture by the artist Henri Rousseau. We made our own large scale picture. They all had different jobs, either creating the leaves and grass, painting the tiger, cutting out different parts or even making the tiger’s teeth!
In the afternoon we then thought about the different kinds of animals we may find in the jungle. We looked at different pictures and then the children chose an animal to make on their own paper plate. We had parrots, elephants, crocodiles, tigers and monkeys!

A few children then thought about the different paintbrushes they were using to paint their own tiger faces.

We then shared our work in assembly.

Welcome to Spring 1

Welcome back to school! We are looking forward to a fun and exciting term. This term we will be looking at using our phonics to write labels and captions. We will continue to use our phonics to read a range of different texts and to continue reading with fluency. 

We will be working on developing our social skills to solve problems independently. We are also working on articulating our ideas and thoughts in well-formed sentences. 

We will be learning to move in a variety of ways and practicing jumping off objects safely. We will also to continue to work on a our fine motor skills, learning to use simple tools effectively. 

In Maths we will be looking at our number bonds to 10, including addition and subtraction facts. 

We will also be exploring similarities and differences between themselves and and others, among families, communities, cultures and traditions. 

Christmas Dinner, Mrs Make-It and Books From Santa

We had a busy time over Christmas, we enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner sitting altogether, we talked about what we normally eat at Christmas and what we are looking forward to. We were also very lucky as we had Mrs. Make-It come in to teach us how to make bracelets and special boxes to keep them in. We had lots of fun designing and making our boxes. 

We then arrived back from lunch to find some presents wrapped under the tree. We were very excited and opened them up to find a book inside. These books are for us to keep and enjoy at home. 

Christingle and Church visit

We were lucky to be invited to visit church and sing some Christmas carols with Reverend Kate. We all sat and listened nicely and joined in with the songs we knew. 

Reverend Kate then came to visit us for a special Christingle service. We all learnt what the different part of the Christingle represented. We then went to an assembly where we learnt the Christian story about Jesus. Afterwards we lit our candles, we thought it looked very beautiful. 

Shape Day

We had a lot of fun on shape day. We spent the morning learning all about the pentagon shape. We found out that it has 5 straight sides, 5 corners/angles and that you can turn it any way and it will still be a pentagon. We also learnt about why shapes aren't pentagons, such as, the lines do not touch or there are only 3 straight lines etc. We then went on a pentagon hunt, at first we found it tricky to find any pentagons around school. However, we soon started to spot them and then found lots in our outside area. 

In the afternoon we went up to visit Year 5, we told them everything that we know about pentagons. We then looked at Tangrams. We had 7 different shapes to work with and we had to try and make a picture. We had lots of fun exploring the shapes and trying to make different pictures. It was lots of fun!

Curling

We took part in a curling competition, we each had 3 turns at pushing the stones onto the target. If we reached the outer part of the target we got 1 point and if we reached the middle we were given 3 points. It was tricky to get the stone to go far enough but also to not push it so hard that it went over the target. We all had a really good try and clapped from our friends and team mates. 

Mark Making

We have enjoyed a variety of ways of mark making. We have looked at using a variety of tools when painting and how the different tools make different marks. We have also enjoyed creating some of our own stories and adding them to our story book. We have also enjoyed exploring with chalk and working with the Year 5 children who helped us with our drawings and writing.

Using the Snack Area Independently 

We have been learning how to use the snack area independently. The children know that they have to wash their hands before entering the snack area, they can then choose which snack they would like and either have water, milk or oat milk to drink. They are learning to use various tools within the snack area and eventually more tools will be added. 

Guru Nanak's Birthday Celebrations

Friday 4th November saw us learning about Guru Nanak, he was the founder of the religion Sikhism. We first of all talked about ways in which we celebrate birthdays. We then talked about how different people have different beliefs. Some of the children shared the things they celebrate with their families. We then watched a video which showed us the story of Guru Nanak. We learnt that he was protected by a snake during the hot sun and that he went into the river for 3 days and came out in new clothes that he gave away to those with less than him. We talked about the kind things that Guru Nanak did and what things we do to be kind. We later read a story called 'This is Our House' which helped us to think of a kindness motto for our class. Our motto was 'We promise to share, use our words, not shout and help each other.' 

Talk4Writing - Little Red Hen

We learnt the story The Little Red Hen, we made up actions to help us remember the story and then created story maps. Here we are retelling the story: 

P.E - Ball Skills

We have been having our P.E lessons with Mr O'Brian and he has been teaching us all about spacial awareness and helping us to move in different ways. This week we looked at ball skills. We had to practice bouncing the ball up and down, throwing the ball and catching the ball. We had to focus on using both hands and each time Mr O'Brian made the task a little bit harder. We are getting better at watching the ball as well as trying to keep in a space at the same time. 

Number Hunt

We talked to the children about different numbers that we might find out and about. We looked at the numbers 1-10 and a few of us even recognised our numbers to 20! We went on a number hunt to see how many different numbers we could find. We found numbers everywhere!!

Our First Week in Reception

Our first week in Reception was all about getting to know one another. We learnt where everything is, where things belong, what we have to do at lunchtime and many more things! We were all fantastic, kind and caring and Miss Martin and Mrs Lee can't wait to do more learning with you all!

Welcome to Reception

We are very excited to get started in Reception. There will be Miss Martin and Mrs Lee in your class helping with your learning. We are excited to get to know you all and find out what your interests are. We love to read and share stories, learn about numbers, learn new phonic sounds and of course play! We will keep in contact with you through Tapestry but on our class page you can find out what we have been up to altogether. 

We can't wait for a fun filled and exciting year ahead! 

Miss Martin and Mrs Lee