Autumn 1 term in Reception is dedicated to helping all children settle into their new learning environment. The children have been amazing and the majority have settled in very well and are extremely happy at school.  The children have especially enjoyed daily creative activities, role-playing, building with construction materials and playing outside. Thank you to all parents/carers for their continued support during, what can be, a difficult settling period. 

 

 

 

 

 

Role-Play areas

Role-play is an important part of a child’s development, as it builds confidence, creativity, communication, physical development and problem-solving. Along with being a fun activity, it also allows children to get into character and act out real life roles. The Reception children have loved exploring the different role-play areas across the three classes and in our outdoor area. The children have had access to home corners, a supermarket, a vet surgery, a bakery, a hat shop and a ticket office. The teachers have already seen their confidence, communication and turn taking skills develop as a result of these rich role-play experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love dancing! 

The children in Reception had the most amazing morning taking part in a dance workshop led by Dance Umbrella. The children were transported through an Autumn forest, to the top of a mountain and to space through the medium of dance, improvisation and sensory stimulating props. They were transported back to earth and commented on how much fun they had: 

"I loved playing in the Autumn leaves"- Isla
"I like climb the mountain"- Emin

Phonics

We have started teaching phonics in Reception! Each day, the children have been introduced to a new letter sound and it has been the focus of the day. We provide the children with a range of activities that begin with the focus sound to help embed the learning. An example of this is when ‘s’ was introduced, the children were supported to make snakes, snip the spaghetti and sort objects into categories. The children have loved learning phonics, practising writing the letters and exploring the daily activities! 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Diwali! 

The children have been learning about Diwali! Some of our Hindu and Sikh parents came in to help the children make a traditional Diva to help them celebrate the Festival of Light. The Reception teachers and parent helpers wore traditional clothing to show the children what is worn to celebrate Diwali. The children had so much fun making Divas, dancing to Bhangra music and creating firework pictures! 

"I love doing this Indian dancing. I'm so good at it!"- Saatvik

We've had another fun filled half-term in Reception!

Book focus - So Much!

The children have been learning about celebrations through the story So Much! The children have loved the story which is based on a Caribbean family celebrating dad's birthday. They have learnt about parties, explored the characters and their own family trees and compared Caribbean culture and traditions to their own. The children made puppets and reenacted the story. We concluded our story focus with a Caribbean style party! The children danced to Caribbean Soca music and Mrs Clinkett made traditional rice and peas. The children enjoyed tasting the food and washing it down with tropical juice!  

    

STEAM week - exploring the Polar Regions!

In Reception, we explored the Polar Regions through STEAM week activities. The children had an engaging week full of fun and amazing learning! The children explored ice melting and linked it to learning about the effects of global warming on the Polar Regions. They learnt about the different arctic animals including polar bears, orcas, seals, walrus and penguins native to Antarctica. The children watched videos of ships in the arctic sea, then designed and made their own boats. They tested whether they floated or sank and evaluated the materials they used against their floating success. The children also learnt about Inuit people who live in arctic conditions and explored clothes they would need to pack if they visited the Polar Regions. We finished a wonderful week by baking polar bear biscuits!

 "The walrus live in the ice and the water, the icy water in Antarctica,- that's why they need all that fat fur to help them be warm"- Isla 

             

"The polar bears homes are being destroyed because the cars have too much smoke and makes the countries too hot, and then the polar bears can't eat because the ice melts and then they can't eat the seals"- Zidan

Worry Monster 

We have introduced a Worry Monster into each Reception class. The children have given them names and use them in circle time sessions and have access to them throughout the day. The children have the opportunity to talk to their worry monster and share their thoughts and feelings. This is a way to help them manage their feelings and express themselves in a non-invasive way. The monsters have had a positive impact on the children's willingness to discuss their feelings and worries. The children made worry monsters with play-dough and drew them. 

      

Golden Ticket 

Each week, one child per class is nominated by their teacher to receive the Golden Ticket. The children are nominated for making good choices or completing amazing work and trying hard with their learning. The selected children choose a friend and have a special lunch on the Golden Ticket table! The children look forward to Golden Ticket Thursdays, and they are so happy when they receive acknowledgement for their achievements and trying their best. 

                  

Reception's Nativity Performance

The Reception children and staff worked very hard to plan and perform the Nativity 'A Bundle of Joy'. The children enjoyed learning the songs, dances and dressing up! They performed amazingly to their families in the audience. 

Naughty Elves in Reception! 

Three naughty elves have appeared in the classrooms and are causing mischief when the children are at home in the evenings! Each morning, the children are noticing that the elves have messed up the classrooms, and they are leaving cheeky notes. The elves are not making good choices and the children are being good role-models and teaching the elves good behaviour! 

"The elf is so naughty and making a mess- that's a bad choice! We need to show him how to be good and look after the classroom properly!"- Millie

This half-term, our topic has been planting and growing. The children have been learning about how different plants grow from seeds and bulbs. We based our learning around the story Jack and the Beanstalk. The children have had so much fun joining in with the repeated refrains in the story, especially ‘Fee Fi Fo Fum!’ and role-playing the characters to retell the story. The children also re-told the story by thinking about the beginning, middle and end events and recording them on a story map.  

We planted a class Amaryllis bulb and have been caring for it and watching it grow each day. The children are measuring the growth using cubes and recording it each day. The Reception children have been extremely observant and love noticing the growth. The children have developed great language to describe the plants and their growth! 

"Oh wow, the Amaryllis has grown so tall over the weekend!"- Zidan

Maps 

To enhance our topic of planting and growing and to bring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to life, the children received a giant envelope. Inside the envelope was a letter from the giant with instructions to follow the directions on the map to find the hidden magic beans. The children worked as a team to follow the map and found the magic beans! Each child planted their own bean and they have been watering it and watching it grow taller and taller each day! The children have learnt so much about the planting and growing process and how to look after plants. They also earned about different types of maps including: Google Maps, maps of the world and treasure maps. They used their learning to create their own maps. 

“The beans are growing so tall! I think mine will go to the sky and the giant will be in the castle when I climb up it!”- Khalif

Toothbrushing Tuesdays!

Reception children had a visit from the dentist. She showed them how to brush their teeth and why it is important to brush our teeth every day. The children sorted good and bad foods and learnt tips to keep their teeth healthy. Each child also received their own toothbrush to keep in school. The children brush their teeth as a class every Tuesday and we call it Toothbrush Tuesdays! They love learning how to brush their teeth and doing it with their friends at school- it’s so much fun and teaches them good hygiene habits!

“You have to brush your teeth every day-two times. One in the morning and one in the nighttime before you go bed”- Kashwi 

“You need to brush your teeth for two minutes to be healthy-that’s what my mum says”- Billy

Chinese New Year 

The children enjoyed taking part in Chinese traditions to help them celebrate the new year of the rabbit! They had so much fun exploring noodles with chopsticks, making Chinese lanterns and red money envelopes. Some children wrote their names or initials and numbers in Chinese symbols. The children also enjoyed dancing to traditional Chinese music and located China on the map. We explored the different animals used in the Chinese zodiac and why they are important by watching The Great Race story. We had so much fun learning about a different culture! 

“I can pick up the noodles with the chopsticks-look!”- Millie 

“I write my name Alisa in Chinese!”- Alisa