Scarecrow competition
We will be making some scarecrows in school. If anyone lives in the village, you can join in individually and display them outside your house. If not, and you want to make your own, bring your scarecrow to school on Friday 16 July and we will display it outside school over the weekend.
Treasure hunting!
There were lots of happy faces on Monday morning as we all returned to Nursery and were reunited with our friends. It was great to be back together again for our group times, rather than joining in on Zoom.
We always love searching for treasure, so this week, we did just that! Outside, we used a map of our Nursery garden to find where the treasure was hidden. We looked for the ‘X’ on the map as we knew this is where the treasure would be. Children used lots of positional language during this activity. The treasure might have been next to the sandpit, underneath the bridge, behind the planter or on top of the bird table.
Once we found the treasure, we had to use a five frame to help us count how much we had found. We also worked out how many more coins or jewels we would need to fill the chest by looking at how many spaces were left to be filled.
We continued our counting practise in the small world area, looking for hidden treasure on the pirate ship and counting it into the five frame treasure chest.
We’ve also been creating shape pictures and using sticks to copy and make patterns in the sand.
The willow arch in the garden has really grown over the last few weeks. We pruned it and have used the branches to create a reading shelter in the garden. It was quite tricky trying to weave the branches together.
Next week, we’re going to continue with a pirate theme for our learning. We’ll read all about some pirates that LOVE underpants!
3,4NV class post
This week, we have enjoyed practising for Sports Day!
In the library, we took time to read and share stories together.
Postcards, potatoes and more!
This week, the children’s photos from home have inspired us to look at extracts from the story At the Beach by Roland Harvey. In the book are a series of postcards written by the main characters, who are visiting the seaside.
The children had a go at writing their own postcards, from a place they’ve visited before. We had trips to the museum, beaches, parks and more! The children were really confident coming up with their own ideas for their postcards.
In maths, we’ve been exploring the focus number 19. We’ve also revisited creating and counting groups of objects for early multiplication. The children worked so hard on their maths challenges!
We’ve been harvesting our potatoes this week, grown in our outdoor garden area. We counted how many had grown and explored weighing them using the bucket scales.
Here are some photos of our super-busy learning this week …
Home-Link Challenge
This week we will come to our final focus number- 20!
Inspired by England’s victory on Tuesday evening, we thought we’d set a football themed number challenge.
Ask your child to fill in the missing numbers to 20. It’s a bit tricky, as the numbers do not follow in a straight line, as they do in our usual number lines.
If your child is working on numbers within 10, you could have a try just using the top row.
You can click here to download the sheet, or draw out your own footballs.
If your child is working on recognising numbers within ten and/or teen numbers, you could download football number cards here and have a practise.
Reminders
Week Commencing 12 July is ‘Being Healthy’ Week. Please remember to send your child to school in their PE kit each day.
Musical…BOOKS!
Today, in our ‘Book Club’ session, we played Musical Books.
We started off by reading a book we knew we’d like and enjoyed reading this for 10 minutes. Then, we walked around the room while the music played. When the music stopped, we sat down next to the nearest book. For some of us, that meant reading a book we’d never have chosen.
After spending some time reading the new book, we shared and reflected on our experiences. To our surprise, most of us enjoyed reading all the books – some of us were even inspired to change our current book.
Here’s a snapshot of our conversations (without names because we’re keeping our personal information to ourselves – it’s important to stay safe online):
“It was actually really good and I think I’d actually enjoy reading Dirty Bertie!”
“It’s not really my type of book because I normally prefer non-fiction books. I enjoy finding out facts. Although it’s not my type, I did enjoy this book more than I thought I would!”
“We’ve read this book as a class and I didn’t really like it but now that I’ve read it again I like it more. Maybe it’s good to read books more than once so you understand it better!”
“I read a princess book (I’m normally into football books) and it was actually much better than I thought it’d be. I’m not sure you’d read it but it was nice to read something a bit different!”
We had such a good time that we managed to convince Mr Catherall to let us keep reading for longer.
Help at home by…
– asking your child what they read today and how they found it
– encouraging your child to read a range of books
– role modelling to your child being a reader
– taking your child to a free library and encouraging them to choose books they think they’ll like
– reading regularly with your child
The last point is especially important. We’ve recently changed our homework to give families more time to concentrate on the aspects of learning we consider most important – reading is most definitely one of these. Regular reading (10 – 20 minutes every day) will have a hugely positive impact on your child’s academic attainment and mental health.
Design Technology
Let the building commence!
5/6S have been progressing well with their DT topic this week. They have now completed the design process and are able to get hands on. We spent the first part of the lesson working out the precise dimensions of our cars so that we selected the correct amount of materials. The children had to accurately measure how much dowel they would need to build the frame for their vehicles. They all worked super hard and they really enjoyed turning their hand to drilling, sawing and constructing. The children followed all the safety rules brilliantly and the classroom ended up looking like a carpenters workshop!
Living and Learning: I can say something good about myself
In our Living and Learning session this week, we had some time to reflect on what we can do well. We are proud to show what we are good at and decided to present them on our shields.
I am good at …
DT: design process
In our DT lessons this week, we’ve been evaluating existing products to gain some inspiration and ideas for our own designs.
We’ve also begun to explore our ideas using TechCard and next we’ll be drawing our final designs.
The design criteria for our go kart prototypes:
– move by rolling on wheels
– have a steering system
– a platform to sit on and not fall out of
– a braking system (extra, aspirational challenge)
Photos to follow …
3/4NV Class News
Over the last three weeks, we have enjoyed learning and improving our cricket skills including throwing, batting, catching and fielding.
We have played lots of games and had lots of fun!
When I grow up…
This week, we have spent time thinking about what we might like to do when we grow up. The children loved expressing what they enjoyed doing and what job might suit them.
I want to be a teacher because I love learning. Juveria
I want to be an astronaut because I like planets. Dexter
I would like to be a builder. Freddy
I would like to be a ballerina. I like dancing. Clara
I want to be a police officer to fight baddies. Lewis
I want to be a babysitter. Felicity
I want to be safari keeper. Bradley
In Maths, we have explored the number 18. We represented 18 in lots of ways using Numicon, part whole models, 10 frames and number sentences.
Learning is everywhere in reception. The children have been busy completing classroom challenges and creating their own.
They have been measuring themselves using cubes and tape measures.
Saving the classroom from an oven fire!
And lots more…
