Category: Reception Blog

This week we will be focusing on one of our PSHE topics all about ‘Dreams and Goals’. We will be thinking about things that we find hard to do and will be talking about not giving up. We will be making a wish for the rest of the year and looking back at it later this year to see if we achieved it.

We are having to talk to the children about inappropriate and rough play on the outside area at the moment Our primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of all the children in our care. Could we please ask you to remind your child about appropriate play in Reception and that they should always use kind hands and follow the Reception rules. We have been very lucky to have such a lovely outside area but some of the play at the moment is causing resources to break or to not be used in the correct way. We want the children to enjoy their time in Reception exploring and discovering so hope that you support us with this.

We hope all of the children have had a lovely weekend and enjoyed their phonics learning, that was sent home. The children will be continuing their set phonics group learning, this week. We will be focusing on special friends (two letters that make one sound) and applying them to our reading and writing. The children will also be using ‘Fred-Fingers’ to help them spell words – how many sounds in the word? Show me with your fingers. Pinch each sound (finger). Try using this at home when practising spelling and writing.

In maths this week, we will be learning about measuring weight, capacity and ingredients. At the start of the week, the children will be exploring what objects weigh more or less. They will be predicting their ideas first, and then testing their predictions with the weighing scales. We will be encouraging the children to use appropriate maths language, such as, heavier than, lighter than. The children will then move on to learning about how we measure capacity. We will discuss full and empty and the children will estimate and explore how many objects they can fit inside different sized containers. To end the week, on our Frozen Day, the children will be making their own rice crispy cakes by measuring ingredients. We will discuss how we need to follow a recipe and measure the ingredients accurately to make a successful cake.

In the wider curriculum this week, we will be continuing our learning of winter. We will be reading traditional tales about winter and creating our own winter tale using a story mountain. We will also be learning about different animals that hibernate during the winter time and exploring a map to see where in the world we have snow and cold weather.

A reminder that Friday 21st, is our Frozen Day. The children are welcome to come into school dressed up as something that represents winter.

Have a great week!

The reception team

We would like to warmly welcome all of the children back to school, for their first full week of the year and new term. We have enjoyed hearing all about the children’s Christmas break and the exciting events and activities they have taken part in. The children have settled back into the rules and routines of the school day and are happy to be back with their friends.

In phonics this week, the children will be settling into their new phonics groups and meeting their new phonics teacher. Each group will be focusing on the specific learning set for their group. All of the children have covered the set 1 sounds and will be using their knowledge to segment and blend words. Some children will be recapping the ‘special friends’ (two letters that make one sound) that they have learned, last term. The children will need to continue to practise these at home with the sound cards that were sent out before Christmas, as this will help them progress through the phonics programme. On Friday, the children will be sent home with a reading record and reading materials suitable for their phonics level. Notes and comments of the children’s reading at home, needs to be recorded in their reading record book and brought back to school every Wednesday.

In maths this week, we are learning about how we compose 5 in different ways. The children will be using 5 frames to help them discover different ways we can compose 5 and any patterns they notice. We will also be introducing the children to addition. We will be looking at two different amounts of objects and how we can find out how many there are altogether. The children will then move onto to looking at the part-part-whole model. If the whole is 5, how many could the two parts be? The children will be learning how they can record this using concrete resources, or numerals on the model.

In the wider curriculum this week, we will be learning all about winter. The children will be discussing the different things they might wear now we are in winter, and what the weather is like. We will be taking the children on a walk around the school grounds and asking them to think about what changes they notice from autumn. We will also be discussing our senses and how we can use our senses to describe the different seasons. We will be using these ideas to create our own winter senses poem.

A reminder, that all children need appropriate coats and warm clothing when coming into school, as we spend a lot of our time outside and the weather is getting very cold.

Have a fabulous week!

The reception team

Well done this week to our two phonic superstars

In phonics this week, we will be continuing our learning on single sounds, special friends and Fred-talk. Some of the phonics groups will have learned all the set 1 special friends, therefore, will spend time recapping and securing the knowledge on them. The children will also be assessed, this week, for appropriate reading books. These books will be given to the children when they return from their Christmas break.

In maths this week, we will be introducing the children to 4-sided shapes. We will be looking at squares and rectangles and discussing how a square is a special type of rectangle. We will also be hunting for squares and rectangles in the environment and to see how many we can find inside and outside of the classroom. We will also be learning about night and day and the children will be sorting the types of activities and routines they do at night time and in the day time.

In the wider curriculum, we will be reading Christmas stories and discussing different traditions families take part in, during Christmas time. We will be asking the children what traditions are important to them and their families. We will be talking about how spending time with our families and giving to others, is just as as important as receiving gifts at Christmas time.

The children are very excited to perform their first Nativity to you all, this week. They have been working so hard practising the songs and their roles. Please remember to bring your masks with you, as you will not be allowed to watch your child without one.

Have a great week!

The Reception team