Week Beginning 22^nd April 2024

We have had another exciting week in Reception.

We started the week by learning about St George and celebrating St George's Day! The children learnt about the story and St George and enjoyed some Morris Dancing in the hall.

This week, we have continued learning about our new topic 'What a wonderful world!'

We have delved deeper into the story of 'Clem and Crab'. We wrote a list as a class of the rubbish we could see on Clem's beach. The children couldn't believe what had been left behind! They then made posters about how we can keep our beaches clean and safe. In the beach area, the children sorted pictures into things that help to keep the beaches clean and things that don't. 

We also learnt about crabs. We learnt that there are hundreds of types of crabs that all look slightly different from each other. The children drew pictures of the crabs and labelled their legs, eyes, claws and shell. We practiced walking around the room like a crab and even learnt a song about how they walk sideways. The children created a 3D wave picture. They used paper and card to make the curly waves by wrapping the paper around their fingers. They then added a boat and a sail to their picture. 

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another wonderful week!

Week Beginning 15^th April 2024

What an exciting start to the Summer term we have had in Reception!

This week, we have been started learning about our new topic 'What a wonderful world!'

In Literacy, we have been looking at the story of 'Clem and Crab'. We carried out a 'hot seating' activity where the children could ask Clem questions about why she liked going to the beach. We learnt that Clem doesn't like it when people do not look after the beach, especially when they leave their litter on the beach. We discussed the dangers of leaving rubbish on the beach and in the sea. There was a beach scene set up in each classroom for the children to explore. After lunch, the children came back to find that someone had left their litter on the beach! They worked as a team to be the 'Beach Patrol' and cleared the beach very quickly! We have used salt and paint to create beach and seaside pictures, created sand sculptures in the sand pit outside, used junk modelling to create our own boats and have used tissue paper to create our own waves.

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another wonderful week!

Week Beginning 25^th March 2024

What an exciting end to the term we have had in Reception!

This week, we have been learning about Easter. The children have thoroughly enjoyed engaging in some Easter themed activities such as decorating their own Easter eggs, creating their own Easter bunnies and making their very own 'Spring Chicken'. We have also been practising the songs 'Spring Chicken' and 'A Tiny Seed Was Sleeping', ready for the Easter assembly we had on Wednesday morning. The children took their spring chickens to the assembly and sang beautifully with KS1. 

We also filled our marble jars this week! The Ladybirds and Butterflies have been showing all of our school values, but especially this month's value of Friendship. As a treat, they made chocolate Easter nests. They thoroughly enjoyed eating them too!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic term at The Stoke Poges School!

Week Beginning 18^th March 2024
 

We have had another lovely week in Reception!

We started this week by learning all about St Patrick’s Day! We learnt about the Patron Saint of Ireland and the symbols used to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, such as the shamrock and the colour green. The children thoroughly enjoyed engaging in some St Patrick’s Day themed activities.

We also carried out a Science Investigation this week! To conclude our learning about Space, we created our own ‘bubbling planets’. The children used baking soda and water to make the paste and rolled it in to a ball. They chose a colour depending on what planet they wanted to make. Finally, they added vinegar with a pipette to their planet and they watched it bubble and fizz away! It was very exciting to watch!

In Literacy this week we have been reading the story ‘Whatever Next’. The children wrote a list of items that they would take in to Space with them. We were very impressed with the vocabulary that the children used after learning about Space the past couple of weeks.

In Maths this week we have been learning about repeating patterns. The children were able to recognise AB and AAB patterns. They created their own in groups using various resources such as the plastic teddies, gems, Numicon and pom poms!

In Geography this week we concluded our Maps topic. The children identified features of a map and then found them on a map of our local area. The children could identify the school, buildings, church, park, play park, pond and more! The Ladybirds and Butterflies have thoroughly enjoyed this topic and we look forward to developing our Geography further in the Summer Term!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 11th March 2024

We have had a wonderful week in Reception learning all about Space!

We started by learning about the planets in our Solar System. We learnt that Mercury is the smallest planet and Jupiter is the largest planet. We also learnt that Venus is the hottest planet and Uranus is the coldest planet. The children enjoyed taking part in a Space themed yoga session where they tried to make themselves small and round like Mercury and, in groups of three, they made Saturn and its rings. 

 

In Literacy, we have been learning about adjectives. The children wrote adjectives on whiteboards to describe the flowers blooming in the garden. All of the children have painted their own aliens and have written a sentence with an adjective to describe their alien. We were so impressed with their creativity!

In Maths, we have continued learning about doubling. The children can show doubles up to 5 on their fingers and have used Ladybird and Butterfly templates to show the doubles up to 5. 

We have also started learning about Ramadan. The children made a moon and star decoration and we have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the children sharing their celebrations and family traditions. We look forward to learning more about Ramadan in the lead up to Eid al-Fitr. 

Well done, Reception! We have had another wonderful week of learning and fun!

Week Beginning 4^th March 2024

We have had another lovely week in Reception!

This week, we have been learning about maps. Pirate Percy visited again and left us another Geography challenge! The children worked in their classes to produce a 3D map of the school and Stoke Poges village. They used wooden blocks, different coloured material, wooden people and trees, stones, pine cones, wooden train track and paper to create their class 3D map of the School. In their independent learning time, the children then created their own 3D maps and drawings of the local area. 

We have also been thinking about Mother's Day and the special ladies in our lives. The children wrote about why their Mummy is special to them and have even baked a yummy treat for their special lady to enjoy! The children also enjoyed rehearsing for their Special Lady Assembly this week, ready for the real thing on Monday! 

We thoroughly enjoyed the World Book Day celebrations! The children came dressed as their favourite book character and loved engaging in activities linked to different stories. They created their own paper plate story book characters, role played as their favourite characters and some children even decided to write a book! We were so impressed!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 26^th February 2024

We have had another lovely week in Reception!

This week, we have been learning all about birds! We learnt that baby birds are called chicks and they hatch from eggs. We also learnt about the life cycle of a bird.

The children have absolutely loved the theme this week. They have made bird houses and binoculars in the junk modelling area and used them when they went bird watching in the playground. Reception have made their own bird feeders with cheerios and a pipe cleaner to hang in their gardens at home. They have also created some observational drawings of different birds and feathers, looking closely at the patterns they could see.

On Thursday, our school dog Fred came down to Reception with Mrs Sheehan. The children thoroughly enjoyed listening to a story with Fred in the library. We look forward to another visit soon!

Well done for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 19^th February 2024

What a lovely start to this half term we have had!

This week, we have been using the story 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt' as our stimulus in Literacy. We have been so impressed with how well the children can remember and retell the story! We discussed the bear and how he might be feeling at the end of the story, and the children created their own story maps.

Reception received a letter from Pirate Percy asking them to use their map skills to help him identify symbols on his treasure map. We discussed the different symbols, such as 'x' marks the spot and the treasure chest, and the children thoroughly enjoyed finding the symbols on their own maps. We also spoke about compass directions and how Pirate Percy could avoid the shark infested waters! The children then created their own treasure maps in their independent learning time and even found some buried treasure in the sand pit!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another wonderful week.

Week Beginning 5th February 2024

We have had a lovely week celebrating and learning about Valentine's Day!

The children have thoroughly enjoyed accessing a variety of Valentine's themed activities such as writing Valentine's Day cards, making love bugs in the playdough area, printing hearts with kitchen rolls, making love heart paper chains, filling hearts with red words and searching for treasure in the rose water outside. 

We have had a maths filled half term learning about partitioning (splitting a number in to two parts). To conclude our learning, we brought maths alive by making a 'Maths Munch' treat that the children could eat! We used shortbread biscuits, covered them with icing and the children then chose five chocolate drops. they then had to partition the chocolate drops in to two parts and put them on their biscuit. They absolutely loved making and eating their treat!

We have also been celebrating Children's Mental Health Week. On Friday, the children came to school dressed in mufti. The theme of the mufti was to 'express yourself' and it was lovely to see the children expressing themselves. We discussed that we may all be different but that being unique is what makes us special! 

Well done Reception for another fantastic half term at school!

Week Beginning 29th January 2024

We have had a wonderful week in Reception learning all about Lunar New Year!

Reception had a very exciting afternoon! Two special visitors came to tell the children all about how and why they celebrate Lunar New Year! They learned all about the story of Nian the Dragon and how to say ‘Happy New Year’ in Chinese. They even brought a little gift for each child to wish them good fortune and good luck for the year ahead!

On Wednesday, we tried some oriental foods! The children were given the opportunity to try prawn crackers, sweet chilli sauce, rice noodles and sweet and sour sauce. We were so impressed with the amount of children who were willing to try each food, especially the sweet chilli sauce! 

On Thursday, we made a pudding that is eaten during the Lunar New Year celebrations. It consists of banana, cinnamon and sugar. Again, we were so proud of the children who tried it! 

 

On Friday, we danced around the school doing our very own Lion Dance. The children made lots of noise with musical instruments and held long pieces of material above their heads, just like they do in the Lunar New Year parades.

 

 

Week Beginning 22^nd January 2024

What an exciting week we have had in Reception! 

We spent Monday and Tuesday getting ready for our adventure to Antarctica. The children had their passport photos taken and we learnt about Antarctic animals and plants. We learnt that trees cannot grow in Antarctica because the roots are too large. 

On Wednesday, the children were so excited as we were going on an adventure to Antarctica! They were given their passports in the lounge. They then made their way to the check in desk, where they met Mrs Skehan who gave them their boarding cards. Once checked in, the children made their way to security where Miss Allen put their bags through the scanner and Miss McDade scanned the children. Mrs Jenkins then took the children to Passport Control where they met Mrs Benians, who stamped their passport. Our Air Hostesses, Miss Wicks and Mrs Harris, then showed the children to their seat on the aircraft. The children had a safety briefing from their Cabin Crew before take off. We enjoyed some in flight entertainment all about Antarctica and even wrote down some facts about Antarctica and Penguins. The Cabin Crew took the children's food and drink order before it was time to land in Antarctica. The children put their warm clothes on that they had packed and we disembarked the aircraft.

The children also had the opportunity to talk to a real-life Pilot. He told us why he wanted to be a pilot, what it is like to fly an aircraft and even let some of the children try his pilot hat on! He told us that the furthest flight he had flown was to Greece and that he flies for British Airways from London City Airport. The children were fascinated and thoroughly enjoyed the visit from Mr Ali.

When we got back to the classrooms, there were lots of Antarctic and penguin themed activities for the children to explore. We made collage penguins, drew penguins with charcoal, packed a suitcase, created some 2D shape penguins, painted with water colours on ice and even tried to balance the penguins on the iceberg on the investigation station. Reception had the most amazing time in Antarctica and onboard the Rainbow Airlines flight from Stoke Poges School Airport. 

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To go on a journey using public transport!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another wonderful week!

Week Beginning 15^th January 2024

This week we have continued to learn about the polar regions and the animals that live there. We learnt that arctic foxes can camouflage themselves by changing the colour of their fur in the winter to blend in with the snow. We also learnt that animals such as whales and seals have a layer of blubber under their skin to keep them warm when they swim in the freezing cold water.

The children took part in another science experiment this week. To experience what it feels like to have a layer of blubber to keep warm, the children used a plastic glove, covered it in lard and then submerged their hand in to cold water. The lard acted as the blubber. The children were amazed that they couldn't feel the cold when they put their hand with the glove on in the water!

In Drawing Club this week we have continued to use the book 'Lost and Found' as a stimulus. The children have designed their very own boat to take them on an adventure to Antarctica. Their designs were so creative and we have been so impressed with the captions that the children have written about their boats.

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To go on a journey using public transport!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another wonderful week!

Week Beginning 8th January 2024

We have had a very exciting first full week back.

This week we have introduced our new topic 'Oh the places you'll go!' In the role play area, the children have thoroughly enjoyed the new 'Travel Agents' theme. They have been printing boarding passes, checking passports and booking holidays for each other all over the world! We are very much looking forward to learning more about travelling the world!

In Drawing Club this week we have been using the book 'Lost and Found' as a stimulus. 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

The children took part in an icy science experiment this week. Overnight, the polar animals had frozen in blocks of ice and the children had to investigate the best ways to free them! They used a range of methods including warm water, salt and hammers. They found that the most effective method was using warm water as it melted the ice quickly. 

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To go on a journey using public transport!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for a fantastic start to the Spring term!

Week Beginning 11^th December 2023

This week we performed our first ever show on stage! The children thoroughly enjoyed performing 'The Night Before Christmas' to their special grown-ups. They sang beautifully and performed wonderfully! They also loved taking their grown-ups round their Christmas Market, collecting all the Christmassy crafts they had been making. 

On Wednesday we had our Marble Jar treat day! The children came to school wearing mufti with a 'Disney Sparkle' theme, the perfect theme for our Disney loving Miss Warren, who is getting married on Saturday 16^th December! The children designed wedding dresses, wedding cakes and cards for Miss Warren. I'm sure she got a lot of inspiration! We finished the day with a special party to celebrate our Bride-To-Be as well as our Reception children completing their first full term at The Stoke Poges School! Miss Warren will return in January as Mrs Jenkins!

What an amazing first term we have had! We hope you all have a lovely break and we will see you in the new year!

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To explore somewhere barefoot!

 

Week Beginning 4^th December 2023

This week we have been enjoying lots of Christmassy activities! The children have been making Christmas decorations for the role play corner, creating their own design for a Christmas jumper and even 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 next week!

On Thursday, we celebrated Christmas Jumper Day and Reception absolutely loved coming to school wearing their favourite Christmas jumpers! On Friday, we enjoyed watching the Pantomime 'Peter Pan'. We were so impressed with how well the children sat during the performance but also with how brilliantly they joined in with the Panto! Oh yes they did!

 

We are looking forward to our Performance and Christmas Market next Tuesday, and another week of Christmas fun!

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To explore somewhere barefoot!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 27^th November 2023

This week we have had some very exciting visitors. On Wednesday, our Reception fairies paid us a visit! The children were so excited to receive a fairy letter and couldn't wait to reply with pictures and letters about their favourite colours. 

In Drawing Club this week we have been using the book 'The Magic Porridge Pot' as a stimulus. The children have drawn and described The Wizard.

The vocabulary words learnt this week in Drawing Club:

• Enchanted
• Conversation
• Endless
• Despair
• Cease
• Covered 
• Steaming
• Gloopy

We have been exploring the consistency of porridge and what happens to it if we add more water or more oats. The children wrote some fantastic words to describe the porridge such as 'gloopy', 'thick' and 'slimy'. 

On Friday, 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!

We are encouraging children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To explore somewhere barefoot!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 20^th November 2023

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 paper plate hedgehogs by using scissors to cut spikes and painting them brown. 

We also 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 it was in fact... the wind! 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. The children have made their own leaf shaped sun catchers too.

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To explore somewhere barefoot!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 17^th November 2023

We have had a very exciting week learning all about Diwali!

This week we have 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 using coloured rice and used clay to make their own Diya lamps.

In Drawing Club this week we have been using the book 'Little Glow' as a stimulus as it links to our theme of Diwali. The children have drawn and described Little Glow and we discussed a variety of settings in the story where light is used to mark different celebrations throughout the year.

The vocabulary words learnt this week in Drawing Club:

• Glimmer
• Festival
• Reflection
• Pride
• Guide
• Glow
• Surround

On Friday, we celebrated Children In Need. We learnt about how the charity helps children all across the UK to feel happy and safe. The children enjoyed engaging in some spotty Pudsey Bear themed activities and loved dressing in spots and bright colours!

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To explore somewhere barefoot!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for another fantastic week!

Week Beginning 30^th October 2023

What an exciting first week back we have had!

The Ladybirds and Butterflies have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Halloween and how it is celebrated around the world. The children particularly enjoyed learning about how it is celebrated in Mexico. We learnt that as well as Halloween, in Mexico they celebrate 'The Day of the Dead'. This is celebrated on 2^nd November. The children decorated their own candy skulls, just like they do in Mexico!

Reception thoroughly enjoyed their visit from Gerrards Cross Fire Service. They were very excited to explore the fire engine and the tools they had on board. We learnt about the uniform they have to wear and about the different pieces of equipment that they use, such as hoses, ladders and special scissors that can even cut through cars! The fire fighters were operational, which means they could have been called to duty at any time! Luckily for us, this didn't happen until the very end of our visit. It was very interesting to see the fire fighters get ready and climb on board the fire engine. The children waved them off as the fire engine flashed its blue lights and sounded its siren!

In Drawing Club this week we have been using the story 'Room on the Broom' as a stimulus. The children have drawn and described the dragon and the swamp and have even started to write some cvc words about the pictures they have drawn! 

The vocabulary words learnt this week in Drawing Club:

• Whoosh
• Splat
• Scaly
• Horrible
• Passenger
• Addition
• Fiery
• Swoop

We have continued our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘w’, ‘th’, 'x' and 'z' 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 are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To explore somewhere barefoot!

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for a wonderful start to this half-term!

1st November 2023

Reception thoroughly enjoyed a visit today from Gerrards Cross Fire Service. They were very excited to explore the fire engine and the tools they had on board. We learnt about the uniform that fire fighters have to wear and about the different pieces of equipment they use to save lives, such as hoses, ladders and special scissors that can even cut through cars!

The fire fighters were operational, which means they could have been called to duty at any time. Luckily for us, this didn't happen until the end of our visit. However, it was very interesting to see the procedures they follow when they are called to an emergency. The children waved them off as the fire engine flashed its blue lights and sounded its siren!

What an exciting day!

Week Beginning 16th October 2023

We have had another wonderful week in Reception!
The Ladybirds and Butterflies enjoyed a well deserved treat at the start of the week! They came to school wearing their pyjamas and watched a film in the afternoon to celebrate filling up their school values marble jars! We were so proud of them and they thoroughly enjoyed celebrating this achievement! The next marble jar day we are working towards a ‘Party Day!’

In Maths this week, we have continued using Cbeebies Numberblocks as a hook for each session. We have learnt how to write the numbers 4 and 5 using rhymes:

"Down and across, down once more, that is how we write a four!" for number 4.

"Down and around with a hat on top!" for number 5.

In Drawing Club this week we have been using the story 'Christopher Pumpkin' as a stimulus. The children have drawn and described the Witch and her castle and have even extended their learning by building the castle in both the small and large construction areas. 

The vocabulary words learnt this week at Drawing Club:

• Celebration
• Hair-raising
• Cheerful
• Surprise
• Industrious
• Distasteful
• Terrified
• Plotting

We have 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.

We are encouraging children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half-term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half-term’s challenge is:

To eat fruit straight from a tree.

Well done Ladybirds and Butterflies for a wonderful first half-term at The Stoke Poges School. We look forward to another wonderful half-term ahead in Reception!

Week Beginning 9^th October 2023

This week, the children have enjoyed lots of Autumn activities. They have made repeating patterns with conkers, leaves and pine cones, created finger painted Autumn trees, and have been printing with fruit and vegetables.

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

In the mud kitchen, the children have been using pumpkins and other vegetables to create recipes. They have looked through the recipe books, found what they wanted to make and have engaged in some wonderful imaginative role play to 'cook' these recipes.

In Drawing Club this week we have been using the animation 'Wacky Races' as a stimulus. The children have drawn and described their favourite character from the races and have even created their own mascot for the races. 

The vocabulary words learnt this week in Drawing Club:

• Accelerate
• Braking
• Hazard
• Steering
• Chuckle
• Demolish
• Overtake
• Transport

We have continued our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘l’, ‘h’, ‘r’ and ‘sh’ 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 are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To eat fruit straight from a tree.

We look forward to another wonderful week ahead with our Ladybirds and Butterflies.

Week Beginning 2^nd October 2023

This week, the children have enjoyed lots of activities such as writing messages to each other in the 'Message Centre', building a Numicon city and playing a game of bowling with Mr Follant!

In Maths this week, we have continued using Cbeebies Numberblocks as a hook for each session. We have learnt how to write the numbers 2 and 3 using rhymes:

"Around and back on the railway track" for number 2.

"Around a tree, around a tree, that is how we write a three!" for number 3.

Following on from last week's learning about colour mixing with paint, the children have been colour mixing in the water area. There were 3 trays of water, each a different primary colour. The children then used beakers and pipettes to mix the colours together! The children explored making secondary colours and were amazed at the different shades of green, purple and orange that they could make!

We have started our Drawing Club sessions this week! We have used the story 'The Colour Monster' and the children have used colours from the story to describe their emotions of happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love and calmness. They have learnt some amazing vocabulary through Drawing Club and we have been so impressed with how well they are using these words in context. The children have produced some wonderful drawings and have even used the new vocabulary to describe their pictures of the characters and the setting of the story.

The vocabulary words learnt this week in Drawing Club:

• Discombobulated
• Assist
• Enrage
• Sobbing
• Shimmering
• Evaporate
• Timid
• Tranquility

We have 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.

Week Beginning 25th September 2023

We have had another lovely week in Reception. The children enjoyed painting self-portraits, using the mirrors to look at their different features. We have discussed how we all look different but that we are all special. They have been making the CBeebies Numberblocks with unifix cubes and have enjoyed threading activities this week to develop their fine motor skills. In Art this week, we have been learning about colour mixing. The children have been combining primary colours to create secondary colours by painting their hands and rubbing them together to mix! They have had lots of messy fun!

We have introduced Doodle Books to the Reception children. These books are for them to access throughout the day and they can mark make, draw and write freely in these. They have continued to access the message centre and have enjoyed posting messaged to their friends.

We had a very exciting morning on Wednesday when the Reception children met their Year 6 Buddies! The Year 6 children came down to Reception to share a story with their buddy. The Ladybirds and Butterflies thoroughly enjoyed showing their Buddies around Reception and playing in the different areas with them. 

We have 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.

We are encouraging children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half-term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half-term’s challenge is:

To eat fruit straight from a tree.

We look forward to another wonderful week ahead with our Ladybirds and Butterflies.

Week Beginning 18th September 2023

We have had another lovely week in Reception. On the Curiosity Table, the children have enjoyed exploring Autumn treasures and are beginning to describe the textures and colours of the objects. 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 the number 1 using the rhyme:

'Number 1 is like a stick, straight line down that's very quick!"

 

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 opened up the 'Message Centre' this week. This encourages children to mark make for a purpose and is a fantastic tool to encourage writing. The children have enjoyed writing 'secret messages' to each other on a wide variety of materials such as paper, card, post it notes and even masking tape! They have loved posting messages to their friends and looking inside their pocket to see what their friends have posted to them too!

We have read the story ‘Our Class is a Family’. We created a class house with all of the children and staff’s self portraits inside. The children then drew all of the people that live inside their house in a colourful house. We know that each family is unique but that every family is special. 

We have continued our daily phonics sessions. This week we have learnt the ‘t’, ‘n’, ‘i’ 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.

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To eat fruit straight from a tree.

We look forward to another wonderful week ahead with our Ladybirds and Butterflies.

Week Beginning 11th September 2023

We have had a wonderful first full week in Reception! The children are settling in well and it is lovely to see their confidence growing. This week we have been learning about families. We know that each family is unique but that all families are special. We have shared circle times and have spoken about who is in their family. The children even drew a picture of who is in their family. They have also thoroughly enjoyed playing in the kitchen role plays, circle times, singing and exploring the small world area. 

We have 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.

We are encouraging the children to show curiosity about their environment, both at school and at home. Each half term there will be an ‘Understanding the World’ challenge for the children to complete at home. This half term’s challenge is:

To eat fruit straight from a tree.

We look forward to another wonderful week ahead with our Ladybirds and Butterflies.

Week Beginning 5^th September 2023

We have had a fantastic first 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. They have also loved making their own cups of tea with herbal tea bags, using loose parts to create different faces and sharing stories in our new cosy reading area outside! 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! See you all next week for our first full week of school!