Owl Babies

This week Reception listened to the story "Owl Babies" by Martin Waddell.  We discussed what the owl characters could be saying and feeling.  The children then wrote their own labels i.e. sad.  We learned that baby owls are called ‘owlets’. 

 Owl Toast

We made toast and fruit look like an owl in this fun and simple snack recipe.

 Composition of 3 and 4

Reception explored how numbers can be composed of 1s and, from this, began to investigate the composition of 2, 3 and 4.  Here we are making our collections of 3 things so that Numberblock Three can see what 3 looks like.  We used the stem sentence "1 and 1 and 1 makes 3".

 The Button Box

This week in Maths we have been learning all about grouping. We listened to a lovely story "The Button Box" by Margarette S. Reid and helped to sort Miss Knowles' buttons, thinking about colours, sizes and numbers of holes.

Sorting Objects

We sorted the Autumn treasures by colour, texture and type.  Some ideas included 'brown and not brown' and 'smooth, bumpy and both smooth and bumpy'.

Week 4

 Room on the Broom

Reception listened to the rhyming story "Room on the Broom" by Julia Donaldson.  The children used puppets and prompts to act out and recall story events.  They sequenced the characters on a broom and used labelled the animals using their letter sound knowledge.

Make a Wand Challenge

We wrapped ribbons and decorated magic wands using star stickers for our finger challenge.  Bippity boppity boo! Abracadabra! Iggety, ziggety, zaggety, zoom! 

 Touch Counting and Comparing Sets of Jewels

The children have been developing their counting skills to identify how many there are in a set.   We counted out a set of jewels from a larger set, remembering the ‘stopping number’ and knowing that this means they have selected the correct number in total.  Reception also developed 1:1 correspondence, by counting numbers at the same time as touching.  

Reception worked in pairs and compared sets of jewels.  We identified who has 'more' and who has 'fewer' jewels.

Week 3

 Our First Bushcraft Adventure

Mrs McHatton shared the bushcraft rules and how to stay safe.  We explored the woodland area with our friends.

Subitise

 In Maths, we have been looking at the numbers 1-3 and learning to 'subitise' - seeing how many there are without counting and recognising 1, 2 and 3 in different positions and patterns.  Here we are sorting cards into 3 and 'not 3'.

  Match and Sort into Sets

Reception found objects that match and are the same.  We then guessed the sorting rule and grouped objects into sets.

 Walking Through the Jungle

We’ve been reading "Walking Through the Jungle" by Julie Lacome.  This repeating story was great for retelling from start to finish, as we recalled the ‘action words’ used throughout the story: walking, running, leaping, swinging, creeping and wading.

In our writing we made a list of the animals from the story, listening carefully to the initial sounds.  In phonics we have been linking sounds to letters and some children are beginning to use these letters in their writing. 

Make a Snake Challenge

We looked at photographs of snakes and their repeating patterns, particularly focusing on how the patterns are the same all along their bodies. Reception described the pattern out loud together, “Black, white, black, white...”.  Many children chose to make a snake with bright colours to scare off predators.  The children cut out their curled and straight snake designs.  The bingo dobbers were a popular choice when adding scales.

Witches and Wizards PE

This week in our Get Set 4 PE lesson there was a Witches and Wizards theme.  We had to stop when the freeze spell was cast and to avoid other witches as we flew around the room.  In a giant circle we created magic potions.  While playing 'the magic catcher' tag game we had to run to a cauldron hoop when hocus pocus was called.

Roald Dahl Day

We watched short clips of the Roald Dahl story "The Enormous Crocodile".   Reception played in the muddy river water tray, created wanted posters, completed a giant crocodile jigsaw and practised turn taking whilst playing the game crocodile dentist. 

Week 2

Portraits

This week we have been thinking about ourselves and what makes us special.  We shared the gorgeous book "We Are All Different" before discussing and comparing our hair, eye and skin colours.  We used paint sticks to make our own portraits whilst carefully looking at our facial features in a mirror.

Week 1

 Our First Week

My delightful new Reception class have settled into school life seamlessly!  Here they are enjoying their first week.  We have been learning routines and how to use the classroom equipment.  They explored the indoor and outdoor environments, stayed for lunch and have been making new friends.  All of the children have settled in very well and I am looking forward to a fun filled year!  Have a look at some of the things we have been up to ...

In Reception we balance adult led activities and child initiated play.  Through adult led activities we can introduce children to new ideas and provide opportunities for them to develop their skills.  During play children explore their own ideas, learn how to use resources and use imagination and creativity.