Maths
This week in Maths, we’ve been comparing groups of up to 6 objects using the language of more than and fewer than. Sometimes, the objects were the same, while other times they differed in size, colour or type. We’ve been practising looking carefully at each group to decide who has more and who has fewer!
Help at home: using different objects play the who has more than/fewer than game using the language more than and fewer than.
Autumn 1
Swimming lesson
Reception Swimming
Children were really excited to find out that Reception swimming lessons will begin after October half term! Over the last two weeks, children have visited the pool with their swimming teacher and they’ve already had a little splash!
When are the swimming lessons?
Children will swim fortnightly on Monday afternoons. Please check the dates below to see which week your child will be swimming.
What does your child need?
Please ensure your child brings the following items in a drawstring bag on their swimming day:
- Swimsuit or swim shorts
- A towel
- Goggles, if needed
Please make sure all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name to help prevent anything from getting lost.
There is no need to bring any flotation aids, as these will be provided if required.
Building Independence Over Half Term
Over half term, we would really appreciate your support in helping your child to further develop their independence with self-help skills, especially when getting dressed and undressed.
Please encourage them to practise undressing and dressing themselves, putting their socks on independently, and learning how to turn their trousers and sleeves the right way round.
These little skills will make a big difference during swimming sessions and help the children feel more confident and independent. We know that some children can already do this – great work!
If you have any questions or your child has limited experience of swimming, please do let us know so we can best support them during their lessons. Thank you for your continued support.
Bear Hunt
Bear Hunt
Our focus book has been We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. We have used a story map to retell the story. See if your children can retell it to you at home.
Phonics
We have been introduced to ‘s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u and r’ next week we will learn ‘h, b, f and l’. The children are all working really hard on their ‘blending’ skills. This is where they blend the phonemes (sounds) together in a word. For example we might ask; Can you point to the b-u-s?
Help at home; games like I spy are great for phonic awareness, can they name things that start with the right sound?
Reading
All e books are set up, please let us know if you can’t see this week’s book. After school is the best time to catch us as we have responsibility for the whole class first thing on a morning.
Finally, here’s a snapshot of some of our fantastic independent learning this week.
We’re going on a Bear Hunt
On Monday, we introduced our new focus text for the next two weeks. It’s one of our favourite stories – We’re going on a Bear Hunt.
The children loved listening to Michael Rosen re-telling the story. If you’d like to join in with the story together at home, here’s a link to the video.
(This is a YouTube link. Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.)
Phonics
This week, we’ve been working really hard on our oral blending skills. We’re also learning how to use our letter knowledge to say the sounds and blend them together to read words.
Here’s a Little Wandle video to give you more information about how we teach blending, as well as a video showing you how to say the pure sounds for each letter.
Help at home: Please use the ‘Learning at home’ sheet to regularly practise all of the letters and tricky words. Little and often works best!
This week’s letters:
This week’s Tricky word: is
What is a Tricky Word? Tricky words are words that children learn to read by sight because they don’t always follow the usual phonics rules. Learning these words helps children become more confident and fluent readers.
If you’d like to know more, here’s a short Little Wandle video explaining how tricky words are taught.
Poetry Basket
Each week, we learn a new poem and recite it together each day. Reciting poems helps children develop their listening skills, hear the sounds and rhythm of language and builds their confidence as readers.
This week’s poem is Breezy Weather.
Stay and Learn – Fine Motor
A big thank you to all the parents and carers who were able to join us on Tuesday for our Reception Fine Motor Skills Stay and Learn.
We hope you found the presentation informative and enjoyed taking part in some of the activities with your child. It was fantastic to see so many of you there and the children really enjoyed getting involved!
We hope you are able to use some of the ideas and activities from the session to further support and develop your child’s gross and fine motor skills at home.
If you have any questions following the session, please don’t hesitate to contact the Reception team.
The presentation from the session can be found here.
We would also really appreciate it if you could take 2 minutes to complete our feedback form. Your feedback helps us to plan future sessions and make sure they are useful for families.
Thank you again for your support.
Reading and Phonics
We’re really enjoying our reading practice sessions! We read in our groups with an adult four times a week and we’re having lots of fun learning new sounds during Phonics. This is helping us to hear and recognise the sounds at the beginning of words and blend sounds together to read CVC words.
Please continue to enjoy reading your child’s e-book together each week. These are assigned on a Thursday. Reading together regularly will really help to build your child’s confidence and enjoyment of reading. Thank you for your support!
This week during Phonics, we’ve been learning some more sounds. Today, we looked at ‘k’. Look at our amazing letter formation.
Handwriting
This week in handwriting, we’ve been practising wavy lines and circles. Each day, we’ve spent time practising by tracing and having a go at them ourselves.
Before we write, we always say our ready to write rhyme:
Help at home: Say our ready to write rhyme and practise drawing some wavy lines and circles.
Everywhere Bears
Yesterday, we read The Everywhere Bear by Julia Donaldson.
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off auto play – this avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip after clip.
The story follows a class bear that goes on quite the journey. We’re very excited because we’ve got our very own bears.
Buddy and Bramble can’t wait to spend time with each of you and go on some exciting adventures!
Each weekend, Buddy and Bramble will get to go home with a different child. They’ll bring along some special paper for you to record and share all the fun adventures you have together.
Please remember to return Buddy and Bramble on Monday so they can share their weekend adventures with the whole class!
We can’t wait to hear about all the wonderful memories you make together!
Reminders and requests!
Reminders
- As part of our learning all about our families, please send a photograph of your child’s family to the Reception email address, or send in a printed copy: [email protected]
- Please remember to name all jumpers and cardigans, especially as the weather is so warm at the moment.
Requests
- Our creative area is very popular at the moment! If you have any small cardboard boxes, kitchen rolls, clean yoghurt pots or milk bottle tops, please send them in. Please do not send in any medical packaging or toilet rolls.
- If you have any spare compost, donations for our mud kitchen would be very welcome.
Thank you for your support.