Reception
Please use the link below to see all the wonderful work completed in our EYFS Spanish lessons.
19.04.24
In Understanding the World we continued our learning about minibeasts. We went on a minibeast hunt in our school grounds and then made a giant map of where we found the different minibeasts. We discussed the different habitats that each minibeast liked to live in.
In Maths, we have been learning about numbers beyond 10. We have been counting, ordering and building teen numbers, and developing our understanding that teen numbers are ten and ‘some more’.
In Literacy, we have been enjoying listening to our new text Juniper Jupiter by Lizzie Stewart. The children have created their own superheroes much like the superhero character in the story.
15.04.24
We had a fabulous afternoon today with Tash from B-Tales. We had so much fun learning about bible story of Noah's Ark. We used drama, singing and dance to experience each part of the story.
12.04.24
This week, we visited Norton Priory to kickstart our learning for this half term. We learnt about what plants need to grow and the vital role that bees play in helping plants to grow. Following this, we made our own beeswax candles.
We then explored the walled gardens and experienced the sight and smells that it had to offer. We made our own plant pots and planted a seed to take back to school with us.
After lunch, we learnt about minibeast habitats, went on a minbeast hunt and did some worm charming!
It was an action packed day, full of fantastic learning. and we had the best time!
28.03.24
We had a wonderful last week to finish the spring term. On Monday, the children took part in ‘Balance Bike-ability’, which is something we have introduced in Reception Class this year. The children absolutely loved the sessions. We were so impressed with their bike riding skills.
Throughout the week, we did lots of Easter themed learning and activities. At the beginning of the week, we received a letter from the Easter bunny and found bunny footprints! During the week, we read Easter related words and matched them to pictures, wrote sentences about Easter pictures, made Easter cards and had an Easter egg hunt! We also took part in our whole school Easter bonnet parade.
15.03.24
This week, our school has been taking part in Science Week. We had a great time learning all about Science in our whole school Mad Science assembly on Thursday. In class, we have been exploring floating and sinking, as well as construction and how it links to science. The children made their own bridges using playdough and pasta, which was a real challenge! They also made boats using different junk modelling resources and then tested them out in the water area. We also had a visit from Ayana’s Mummy who talked to the children about her job writing science related news articles. It was clear to see that we have some budding scientist of the future in our midst!
01.03.24
In Understanding the World, we have been learning about the life cycle of a chicken. We learnt that chicks hatch from eggs that have been kept warm by the hen, they then grow into an adult chicken and then the hens lay eggs and the cycle continues again! The children were really confident in sequencing the stages of the chicken’s life and talked confidently about the differences between a baby chick and an adult chicken.
In Literacy, we have been enjoying our focus text The Extraordinary Gardener. Following this, we read our example text which showed us how to write instructions. We have started to look carefully at what instructions need to include in preparation for our instructional writing in a couple of weeks.
In Maths, we have been learning about time. We explored how many actions we can do in 30 seconds, as well as sequencing the days of the week.
After listening to 'Handa's Surprise' by Eileen Browne in one of our Mystery reader sessions, we tried the different fruit from the story. We also had a very special Mystery Reader who joined us on Wednesday. Belle from Beauty and the Beast read us a story and sang songs with us.
Take a look at the images below to see our learning in action.
23.02.24
We have had a great first week to kick start the second half of the spring term. On Monday afternoon, Grandad Fielding came in to do some seed planting with all of the children. He talked to the children about what their seed needs to grow and added the pots to the planters in our outside area. The children have been observing the pots each day to see if anything has started to grow!
In Literacy, we received a letter explaining that a little boy called Joe needed help to grow his imagination! The children thought about how they could help Joe and came up with questions to ask him to find out more. Following this, we listened to our new text for this half term The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton.
We wrote a sentence about the story in our Guided Writing session. We have also been practising our handwriting and reading our red words.
In Maths, we have been exploring and comparing length and height. We used the vocabulary of long, longer and longest, tall, taller and tallest and short, shorter and shortest to compare objects. Then we used cubes to measure the different objects.
09.02.24
We finished the week by learning how Lunar/Chinese New Year is celebrated around the world. We made posters for the year of the dragon and our own Chinese dragon puppets. We also learnt about the story of The Great Race and wrote the names of the different animals that have a year named after them.
In RE we have been focusing on our Christian value of Compassion. We read the story The Rabbit Who Listened and thought about what the rabbit did that demonstrated his compassion for the little boy.
In Maths, we have been learning to double numbers. We started using our fingers and then Numicon to support our learning. Following this, we played dice games in pairs to spot doubles.
02.02.24
This week in PE, we continued to work on ball skills. We have mastered the skill of rolling the ball and now we have moved on to throwing towards, and into, a target. The children used beanbags and hoops to play lots of games where they were able to develop their new skill.
We then continued with this learning in our outdoor area.
In Literacy, we have written our own versions of the story of Little Red. The children have worked so hard and used their phonic knowledge to write a sentence for each part of the story. We are so proud of them!
In Maths, we have been learning about the composition of numbers 6, 7 and 8. The children have used different resources to make each number in a variety of ways. They have also solved problems using their knowledge.
26.01.24
This week, we have been learning about different types of maps. Lots of the children enjoy making maps in their play, so we followed this interest and linked it to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We decided to draw our own maps for Goldilocks to make sure she doesn’t get lost in the woods again!
In Literacy, we moved on to the plan and write section of our Little Red Literacy unit. The children have used their knowledge of our story song to support their ability to plan and write each part of the story. They have done an amazing job and we brought our phonic skills in to our guided writing sessions to spell the words in the sentences. You will be so impressed when you see your child’s writing at parents evening!
In Maths, we have been learning how to measure the mass of different objects. The children did really careful noticing when observing the balance scales and they were able to measure the mass of different blocks using the corks.
Take a look at the pictures below to see our learning in action.
19.01.24
We have had a jam packed week in school this week! In RE, we have been learning about different Special Places. We started by thinking of our own special place. A place that we feel calm, happy and safe. The children drew images of their special places and talked about what made them special. We also learnt that the church is a special place for Christians, the mosque is a special place for Muslims and the temple is a special place for Hindus. We looked at images of the special building and discussed what we like about them.
We also had a visit from Nurse Fiona who taught us how to wash our hands to protect us from germs.
In PE, we have started our Ball Skills unit of learning. The children showed excellent control as we rolled the ball and used our skills to play an individual and partner game.
In Literacy, we have started to consider the different parts of the story Little Red in preparation for our story writing next week. We have also been working really hard on letter formation with a focus on a, d and g.
In Maths, we have been learning to find one less than a given number to 10. We learnt that when you find one less you take one away. The children have used different manipulatives in their learning. This has supported their mental calculation of one less.
To finish the week, we investigated using different temperatures of water to make the ice and snow melt.
Take a look at the images below to see our learning in action.
12.01.24
Happy New Year! We started the week with our Monday Fun Day. In the morning we learnt about the artist Arcimboldo and made our own artwork in the style of his paintings. In the afternoon, we watched the Pantomime Cinderella. It was a fantastic show and we all really enjoyed ourselves!
In Maths, we have been learning to find, represent and subitise with numbers 0-5. The children’s deepening knowledge is really supporting their mental arithmetic and their ability to draw on number facts is excellent. In our maths activities, we have introduced a carousel of learning to support the children in developing independence in their learning. They have been superstars and shown just what capable, confident learners they are.
In Literacy, we have moved on to our new focus text Little Red by Bethan Woollvin. The children were amazing at predicting what the story might be about from the clues that we looked at and they enjoyed the twist in the story when it was revealed. Click on the link below to listen to the story again with your child.
We have started to learn the story song to support our story telling next week and all of the children did an amazing job at writing a sentence in our sentence accuracy work.
Take a look at the images below to see our learning in action.
08.12.23
This week, we have enjoyed doing lots of singing and dancing in preperation for our Christmas Concert on Tuesday. The children are going to put on quite a show!
In our independent learning, we have enjoyed doing lots of Christmas related activities, developing our fine motor and scissor skills.
In Maths, we have been focusing on 4 sided shapes during our maths time sessions. We enjoyed finding everyday shapes in our outdoor area. There were so many to find!
In Literacy, we have been applying our phonic knowledge brilliantly to our writing. The children are all able to use Fred Fingers to pinch the sounds in words for spelling. During our Literacy sessions we have started to think about the sequence of the story ‘Star in a Jar’ in preparation for our story plans next week.
01.12.23
In RE this week, we continued our learning around prayer. We listened to a story from the bible – Daniel and the Lions Den. Daniel was thrown to the lions because he refused to pray to anyone or anything other than the one true God. God rescued Daniel, his faithful servant. The children wrote sentences about what they had learnt through the story.
In Maths, we used our knowledge of number bonds to 5 to complete missing number problems. The children did an awesome job of completing the number sentences and worked hard to form the numbers correctly when they had found the answer.
In Literacy, we focused on the new vocabulary in the story Star in the Jar. We also started to learn the story song we will use for retelling the story. The children are making excellent progress in our daily sentence accuracy sessions and used their phonic knowledge to spell each of the words.
Take a look at the images below to see some of our learning this week.
23.11.23
We’ve had another busy week of learning in Reception. In PE, we have moved on to our Gymnastics unit of learning and this week we used the small equipment to practise our tuck, straddle, straight and star shapes.
In Understanding the World, we have been learning about hibernation. We learnt that some animals hibernate during the cold winter months, when it is difficult for them to find food. We sorted the animals and shared information texts to find out more.
In Maths, we have been learning our number bonds to 5. We have used Numicon number shapes, part whole models and songs to help us learn which numbers always add together to make 5.
In Literacy, we listened to our new story ‘Star in a Jar’. We explored the vocabulary and thought about the main character of the story. In our daily sentence accuracy work, we wrote a sentence about where the little boy keeps his treasure. ‘It is a box.’ The children used their phonic knowledge to spell the words in the sentence.
Take a look at the gallery below to see our learning in action.
17.11.23
This week, we started our learning about nocturnal animals. We learnt the new vocabulary and the children shared their prior knowledge of nocturnal animals. Following this, we listened to the story ‘A Tale of Two Feathers’ and learnt about more nocturnal animals. The children were really interested in the owl character, so we followed this interest and drew and made our own owls using different techniques.
In Maths, we have been learning about numbers 1 to 5. The children are able to subitise different dot pattern arrangements and their knowledge of number bonds really supported this. In our group work, we explored the composition of each number and the children independently made representations.
In Literacy, we have been exploring clues about our new text for this half term. The children took it in turns to take the clues from our story case and then they made predictions about what the story might be about. We then wrote sentences, matched to our phonic knowledge, about what we found in the case. ‘It is a lid.’
Take a look at the gallery below to see our learning in action.
10.11.23
We’ve had a wonderful time today learning about the Hindu Festival of Diwali. – the Festival of Light The children have made cards, created their own rangoli patterns, danced and enjoyed listening to the story of Rama and Sita. We also had a visit from Ayana’s Mummy and little brother who talked to us about how they celebrate Diwali.
In Maths this week, we have been learning to describe position. We have learnt a ‘Beanbag Position’ song, described where bug was hiding using positional language and used positional language in our small world area.
In Literacy, we have been learning about the story Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper. After listening to the story, we wrote a list of the different things the animals used to make their soup.
26.10.23
This week, we have been developing our geographical skills by finding out where our school is. We learnt our school address and then found Cronton on a range of interactive maps. Following this, we created our own maps by drawing what we could see around of school.
In Maths, we have been learning to find one less than a given number to 5. The children have used ten frames and counters, cubes and rhymes to strengthen their understanding and vocabulary.
In Literacy, we used our storytelling of The Something to support the creation of our own zig zag story books. The children have such a secure knowledge of the different parts of the story and they loved using their knowledge to create these lovely books. They also used their phonic knowledge to write words or sentences to accompany their illustrations.
19.10.23
We had a wonderful time during our EYFS Autumn Walk last Friday. The children learnt about the signs of autumn in nature and enjoyed being out in the fresh air, despite the rain!
In Maths, we have been learning about the composition of numbers 1-3, whilst developing our cutting skills.
In Understanding the World, we have been talking about how we have changed since we were babies. The children tried to guess who each baby picture belonged to and then noticed changes between then and now. The children have also been discussing where they were born and have realised that lots of the class were born at the same hospital! We also had a visit from baby Ruben and his Mummy and we asked some really great questions to find out more about the things that Ruben can do.
In Expressive Arts and Design, we have been exploring colour mixing. We learnt which are the primary colours and enjoyed mixing them to make secondary colours. We used different tools to make dots and lines and created some beautiful artwork.
Take a look at the pictures below to see our learning in action.
12.10.23
This week, in Understanding the World, we have been thinking about our own apple tree and how it grew to be so big! We learnt about the life cycle of an apple tree and were fascinated that bees play a huge role in making apples grow on the tree. We also loved finding where the blossom used to be on the bottom of our apples at snack time!
In Maths, we have been learning to identify and recreate repeating patterns. We used lots of different resources to make our own repeating patterns.
In Literacy, we have started using planning circles to create a plan for the story of The Something. We have drawn our own illustrations for the opening and build-up of the story and we will use these to draw our own zig-zag story books over the next few weeks.
06.10.23
This week, we have been learning about different families. The children have enjoyed drawing and talking about their family members and sharing stories of lovely experiences they have had with their families. We have enjoyed listening to The Family Book by Todd Parr and In Every House on Every Street by Jess Hitchman and we’ve noticed the similarities and differences between our own families and the families in the stories.
In Maths this week, we have been learning to compare objects by amount, size, mass and capacity.
In Literacy this week, we have created words and phrases after looking at illustrations from our focus story The Something. The children have suggested word to describe the setting and characters of the story such as tall tree, long green grass and brown dog.
28.09.23
This week, we have enjoyed learning all about France during our European Day of Languages. We learnt a French song, made posters and even built the Eiffel Tower in our construction area.
In Maths, we have been learning to identify how objects have been sorted, as well as creating our own sorting rules!
In Literacy, we have learnt to retell the story of The Something through our story song. We’ve also enjoyed our daily sentence writing and this week we have written a sentence about how Dan felt when he lost his ball - ‘Dan is sad.’ As a class we used phonics to help us spell each word.
Take a look at the photos below to see our learning in action.
21/09/23
This week, we had our first Questful RE lesson around the theme of I am Special. We thought about what makes each of us special and we learnt the new vocabulary of ‘unique’. In the bible it tells us that God made us all in our own special way and that God loves each and every one of us. We discovered that we all have a unique fingerprint and we captured this in our RE floor-book. We signed our fingerprints, so that we can recognise them in the future. To finish our learning, we listened to the story ‘When God Made You’ by Matthew Paul Turner.
In Literacy, we started our Ready Steady Write literacy programme. Our focus text this half term is The Something by Rebecca Cobb and on Monday Mrs Durr found a mysterious hole in our garden area. We learnt the vocabulary of ‘peered’ and the children created their own verbal sentences starting with ‘I peered in the hold and saw a …’ We had everything from a grumpy badger to a big, scary dinosaur to a glittery, sparkling unicorn! The children were so engaged and I can’t wait to see where their learning takes them over the next few weeks!
In Maths this week, we have been learning about matching objects, pictures and identifying sets. The children have been amazing at this learning in our daily maths sessions.
Take a look at the pictures below to see our learning in action...
14.09.23
This week has been another super week for Reception. We had our first PE lesson and tried really hard to get ourselves changed into our PE kits! We played lots of stop/start games to encourage careful listening and worked on the skill of balancing.
In Expressive Arts and Design, we have been making faces in lots of different ways. We used loose parts, construction kits, playdough and crayons to draw. We even developed our cutting skills making funny faces! We learnt lots of vocabulary relating to our facial features such as eyelashes, eyebrows, cheeks and chin.
Take a look at the gallery below to see our learning in action.
07.09.23
What a wonderful first week we've had in Reception getting to know each other and our new classroom. The children have been amazing and settled so well into Reception Class. We've enjoyed singing rhymes, listening to stories and playing in different areas of our classroom and outside area. Next week, we can't wait to all be together for our first full-time week in school.
Welcome to Reception
Welcome to our new class blog for 2023 - 2024. We cannot wait to have some wonderful times learning new things together.
We are really looking forward to the year ahead and all the new and exciting learning, adventures and trips to support our learning with our KEYS Curriculum.
With our Christian Vision “I can do everything through God who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13 I know we will strive to do our BEST.
All the information your child needs will be given on their return in September.
Enjoy the summer holiday and look forward to seeing you in September.