Week Beginning 2^nd February 2026

This week we have continued learning about penguins and their habitats, and we have focused on comparing the differences between the Humboldt, Emperor and Chinstrap penguins. The children are able to describe the differences between these penguins, including their physical features and their habitats. We listened to the different calls each penguin makes and what they use these calls for. The children are so nearly ready for their ‘flight experience day’ and their expedition to Antarctica in just a few weeks!

On Thursday, we challenged the children to work as a team to see if they could think of 15 facts about penguins! We were absolutely blown away by their enthusiasm, the facts that they remembered and how confidently they could speak about penguins. We were so impressed that we had to increase the challenge to 20 facts because 15 was just too easy for Reception!

We have also been investigating ice and have been freeing the penguins that were frozen overnight in ice, and they have thoroughly enjoyed the story ‘Super Duper Penguin Slide’ and sliding the frozen penguins down the guttering in the water area. The children have investigated how changing the angle of the guttering can make the penguins slide faster or slower.

Well done for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 26^th January 2026

This week we have continued learning about penguins and the polar regions. We compared the animals that live in each polar region as well as the landscape of each region. We learnt that Antarctica is land that can be covered in ice and snow, but the Arctic is just ice without any land, so it is difficult for anything to grow there.

The children have been enjoying recreating scenes from the polar regions in the small world area. They have been using the images from the non-fiction texts to help them build the polar regions with the loose parts too.

In Maths this week, we have been learning about teen numbers. The children have learnt numbers 16-20 and we have been using the Numberblocks episodes to introduce each one.

Outside this week, we have been playing the game ‘The Floor is Lava’. This has been testing the children’s balance and co-ordination skills. They have really enjoyed being creative and finding a variety of ways to play the game safely.

Well done for another fabulous week of learning.

Week Beginning 19^th January 2026

This week we have been learning all about penguins! We have learnt some amazing facts about penguins, such as:

• They have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm in the freezing temperatures.
• They live in big groups called colonies.
• There are over 17 species of penguins. The smallest species stands at just 12 inches and it is called a Fairy Penguin.
• They huddle to keep warm.
• All penguins that live in the wild will live south of the Equator. 

We also learnt the life cycle of an Emperor Penguin. They start as an egg, then hatch and become a chick, then when they shed their grey fluffy grey feathers they become a fledgling and then an adult penguin. The children have thoroughly enjoyed exploring non-fiction texts about Antarctica and have created their own drawings of penguins using charcoal as well as their own 2d penguin. 

On Tuesday, we celebrated National Penguin Awareness Day! We enjoyed waddling around the school like penguins, we took part in a penguin huddle in the hall and even did our penguin dance!

 

In Maths this week, we have been learning about teen numbers. The children have learnt numbers 11-15 and we have been using the Numberblocks episodes to introduce each one. The children have also been using these teen numbers in their learning time. There were some keys with numbers of dots on them and locks with the teen numbers on. The children had to count the dots on the keys and then match it to the lock. They found that when they had counted correctly and identified the correct lock, they could use the key to unlock it!

Well done Butterflies and Ladybirds for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 12^th January 2026

This week we have been learning about the polar regions and the animals that live there. We learnt that The Arctic is at the top of our planet and Antarctica is at the bottom. We compared the animals that live in both polar regions and learnt that polar bears and reindeer live in the Arctic but that penguins live in Antarctica. 

In Drawing Club this week, we have been using the book 'Lost and Found' as a stimuli. The children have drawn and described The Boy and The Penguin, as well as the different weather the pair faced on their journey.

The vocabulary words learnt this week in Drawing Club:

• Confused

• Accompany

• Misplaced

• Dejected

• Consulted

• Miniature

• Constructed

After reading the story, the children were tasked with making a new boat for the Boy and the Penguin’s next adventure! They used the junk modelling to create their boats and then sailed them in the water trays.

The children enjoyed using a mixture of shaving foam, PVA glue and paint to create their own ‘puffy paint’ snowmen and snowflakes. They have also been very busy designing their own suitcases and packing a suitcase for a trip to a cold country.

Well done Butterflies and Ladybirds for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 6^th January 2026

What an exciting first week back we have had!

This week, we have been learning about Winter. We have learnt that the daylight hours are shorter, the temperature drops, some birds and animals migrate to warmer places, people wear clothes such as gloves, scarves and hats to keep warm and that some animals hibernate for the winter. We also discussed how to keep safe in icy and stormy weather.

It has been very cold this week and the children have thoroughly enjoyed playing in the snow as well as exploring the ice this week. They have also been enjoying creating polar scenes in the small world area and have been using photographs from non-fiction books to help them create their scenes.

We have also been learning about New Year. We have learnt that this year is 2026 and we have been thinking about our dreams and goals for the coming year. It is wonderful to hear the children speaking confidently about their goals and about their achievements so far. We are very proud of our Ladybirds and Butterflies!

Week Beginning 1^st December 2025

What an exciting week we have had!

On Monday, we took part in the whole school ‘Santa Dash’. It was great fun to run or walk alongside our friends, our buddies and our families. It was a fantastic morning and we thoroughly enjoyed getting in to the Christmas spirit as well as raising money for The Florence Nightingale Hospice.

On Tuesday, we had a very exciting day! Father Christmas and our class Elves paid us a visit! They had decorated the classrooms, left us letters and even put an advent calendar up on the wall for us! The children loved seeing some Christmas characters on the doors, decorating the Christmas trees, and thoroughly enjoyed exploring a range of Christmas activities throughout the day! The Butterfly Class Elf is called Jingles and the Ladybird Class Elves are Olly and Ivy.

This week we have been enjoying lots of Christmassy activities! The children have been making Christmas decorations for the role play corner and making Numicon Christmas crackers by showing number bonds to 10! We have also been very busy making lots of Christmas arts and crafts for our Christmas Market on 16^th December, as well as practising our songs and poems for our performance!

Well done Reception for another fantastic week!

 

 

 

Week Beginning 24^th November 2025

This week we have been learning about the artist Guiseppe Archimboldo. He was an artist who was alive nearly 500 years ago and he used seasonal fruits and vegetables to create portraits. The children have had a go at creating their own self-portraits in the style of Archimboldo.

In the outside area, the children have been building obstacle courses. They have been using the large whiteboard outside to plan their course before using the construction and ‘huff and puff’ equipment to create them. They have thoroughly enjoyed timing each other and creating a leader board for the fastest children to complete their obstacle course.

The children have also been busy learning some new Poetry Basket poems. So far we have learnt 12 poems and the children have a fantastic recall of them. We have started learning our Christmas Poetry Basket poems and songs ready for their first big performance in the hall!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for a fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 17^th November 2025

This week we have been learning about woodland animals. We learnt that some woodland animals are nocturnal, which means they sleep at night. We also learnt that some animals hibernate in the winter. The children have created their own collage owls and have learnt about different species of owl. We couldn't believe the size of some of them – The Blackiston-Fish Owl has a wingspan of up to 2 meters! We also learnt that some owls can see over 2 metres away in the dark! We read 'The Leaf Thief' which is a story about a squirrel who lives in a tree and the leaves keep disappearing!

This week we read the story 'The Leaf Thief'. The children became detectives and used the clues to work out who the leaf thief was. We found out that the thief was actually the wind! The children have created their own leaf themed suncatchers with paper plates and autumnal coloured tissue paper. We discussed how some trees change in the winter and lose their leaves. These are called deciduous trees. Some trees keep their green leaves all year round and these are called evergreen trees.

 

On Thursday, we took part in the whole school ‘Cross Country Competition’. Each child or ran, or walked, with their Year 6 Buddy to earn team points for their team colour! We were so proud of the children’s resilience, determination and sportsmanship!

Well done for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 10^th November 2025

We have had a very important week learning about Remembrance and our school value for this month: Respect.

We know that many years ago there were two World Wars in which lots of people sadly lost their lives. Every year on 11^th November, we remember those who fought and lost their lives, and those who continue to help protect our country. We wear poppies as a symbol of Remembrance and the children have enjoyed engaging in some poppy themed activities. They have decorated poppies with red paper and tissue paper and have printed Duplo poppies with paint. We also made our very own Remembrance Poppy Field in the sand pit. On Tuesday, we had a whole school Remembrance Day assembly and held a two-minute silence as a mark of respect. 

 

In Drawing Club this week, we have continued using the story ‘What’s in the Witch’s Kitchen’ as a stimulus. This week we have been learning about the setting of a story and the children have drawn and described their favourite part of the Witch’s kitchen.

On Friday, we celebrated ‘Children in Need’ and ‘Diabetes Awareness Week’. We learnt about how the charity ‘Children in Need’ helps children all across the UK to feel happy and safe. We also learnt all about diabetes. We even had an assembly on Thursday about diabetes, and Freya told the children all about her Diabetes Superpower! On Friday, the children enjoyed engaging in some spotty Pudsey Bear themed activities and loved dressing in spots and blue clothes. They also created their own ‘Superpower Badges’ to show what their super powers were!

Well done for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 20^th October 2025

We have had a fabulous first half term at school!

We have been learning about Halloween this week and how different people celebrate it all over the world. The children have been making their own Halloween potions in the mud kitchen using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, using hammers to improve their fine motor skills by hammering nails and golf tees in to the pumpkin and they have thoroughly enjoyed exploring and describing the pumpkins! We have also been learning about the artist Yayoi Kusama. She is famous for using polka dots to decorate real pumpkins as well as paintings of them, with polka dots! The children have had a go at creating their own Yayoi Kusama inspired pumpkins. They have also created charcoal and pencil sketches of pumpkins too!

This week we have also been learning about the festival of Diwali. We learnt that it is celebrated all over the world and that it is known as 'The Festival of Light'. The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Diwali and have made their own Rangoli patterns with the loose parts, Mendhi patterns with powder paint and have used paper plates to make their own Diya lamps.

 

We have also continued our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘j’, ‘v’, ‘y’ and ‘w’ sounds. The children have completed some rainbow writing to practise forming each sound and the phonics booklet for these sounds will be sent home today.

Well done for a wonderful first half term of learning!

Week Beginning 15^th October 2025

We have had a fantastic first full week in Reception! The children have started to settle in and become more familiar with their surroundings. We have enjoyed singing, decorating our names with dabby paints, circle times and exploring all of the activities in each area. We have also been reading the story 'The Dot' by Peter Reynolds. The children have each decorated their own dot and we will be displaying them in the classroom. 

 

We have started our Maths carpet sessions this week and the children thoroughly enjoyed using Cbeebies Numberblocks as a hook for each session. We have learnt how to write numbers 1, 2 and 3 using these rhymes:

"Straight down in a line, number 1 is looking fine!"

"Around and back on the railway track! TWO-TWO!"

"Around a tree, around a tree, that is how we make a three!"

We will be learning about numbers 1 to 10 over the next couple of weeks, including learning the rhymes for how to form each number correctly.

We have also started our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘m’, ‘a’, ‘s’ and ‘d’ sounds. The children have completed some rainbow writing to practise forming each sound and the phonics booklet for these sounds will be sent home today.

We have been so impressed with how well the children are settling in to Reception and we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead! Well done Butterflies and Ladybirds for a fantastic first full week at school! You are amazing!

Week Beginning 6^th October 2025

We have had a fantastic week in Reception with a real Autumnal focus!

The children thoroughly enjoyed their first performance at The Stoke Poges School. They sang 'Under the Harvest Moon' beautifully and performed three Poetry Basket poems too! They then enjoyed exploring their learning environment with their grown-ups. We were so proud of how well they sang and how confidently they performed! 

We had a very exciting afternoon on Wednesday when the Reception children met their Year 6 Buddies! The Year 6 children came down to Reception to join their buddies in their learning time. The Ladybirds and Butterflies thoroughly enjoyed showing their Buddies around Reception and playing in the different areas with them. 

In Maths this week, we have continued using Cbeebies Numberblocks as a hook for each session. We have learnt about numbers 6 to 10 and have learnt the rhymes for how to form each numeral correctly.

We have also continued our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘u’, ‘b’, ‘f’ and ‘e’ sounds. The children have completed some rainbow writing to practise forming each sound and the phonics booklet for these sounds will be sent home today.

Well done for another wonderful week of learning!

Week Beginning 29^th September 2025

What a wonderful week we’ve had in Reception!

We have been exploring Autumn this week! Over the weekend, we tasked our Reception children with collecting some Autumn treasures. It has been so lovely to see the children exploring them and using them for different purposes, such as conkers for counting, picking up acorns with tweezers in the fine motor area and making Autumn recipes in the mud kitchen!

We have also continued our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘g’, ‘o’, ‘c’ and ‘k’ sounds. The children have completed some rainbow writing to practise forming each sound and the phonics booklet for these sounds will be sent home today.

This week, the children have also enjoyed exploring the mud kitchen. We read ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ and discussed the story. The children then worked as a team to create a recipe in the mud kitchen for the Tiger to enjoy. We were so impressed with their creativity!

 

Well done for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 22^nd September 2025

We have had another fantastic week in Reception!

We have continued our Maths carpet sessions this week and the children thoroughly enjoyed using Cbeebies Numberblocks as a hook for each session. We have learnt how to write numbers 4 and 5 using these rhymes:

"Down and over, down once more, that’s the way we make a four!”

"Across, down and round to the end. Number five is round the bend!”

We will be learning about numbers 1 to 10 over the next couple of weeks, including learning the rhymes for how to form each number correctly.

 

We have also continued our daily phonics sessions. We have learnt the ‘t’, ‘i’, ‘n’ and ‘p’ sounds. The children have completed some rainbow writing to practise, forming each sound and the phonics booklet for these sounds will be sent home today.

This week, the children have also enjoyed exploring the mud kitchen and the sand and water areas outside. They have been making sandcastles and comparing size, using the stilts and boats in the water trays as well as the squeezers and juicers to make lemon and lime water and have been making some tasty recipes in the mud kitchen using the herbs in our herb garden!

Well done for another fantastic week of learning!

Week Beginning 15th September 2025

We have had a fantastic first full week in Reception! The children have started to settle in and become more familiar with their surroundings. We have enjoyed singing, decorating our names with dabby paints, circle times and exploring all of the activities in each area. We have also been reading the story 'The Dot' by Peter Reynolds. The children have each decorated their own dot and we will be displaying them in the classroom. 

We have started our Maths carpet sessions this week and the children thoroughly enjoyed using Cbeebies Numberblocks as a hook for each session. We have learnt how to write numbers 1, 2 and 3 using these rhymes:

• "Straight down in a line, number 1 is looking fine!"
• "Around and back on the railway track! TWO-TWO!"
• "Around a tree, around a tree, that is how we make a three!"

We will be learning about numbers 1 to 10 over the next couple of weeks, including learning the rhymes for how to form each number correctly.

We have also started our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘m’, ‘a’, ‘s’ and ‘d’ sounds. The children have completed some rainbow writing to practise forming each sound and the phonics booklet for these sounds will be sent home today.

We have been so impressed with how well the children are settling in to Reception and we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead! Well done Butterflies and Ladybirds for a fantastic first full week at school! You are amazing!