How To Catch A Star
Literacy
This week our focus story was ‘How to Catch a Star‘ by Oliver Jeffers. (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). We read the book and spent time retelling the story in our own words.
Phonics
During our recent Phonics lessons we’ve been expanding our digraph knowledge. Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. Here are the ones we now know so far:
ck, ss, ll, ff, zz, qu, ch, sh, th, ng, nk
Help at home: you could write these digraphs on paper to play with your child. They’d be great as flashcards to practise or if you made two sets, you could play games such as Snap or Matching Pairs. You also hide one pack around the house and then use the other as a prompt to find the right one.
The Phonics challenge in class this week was to challenge a friend to a Tricky Word Boo game. You need to read as many words as you can and collect them in a bowl as you go. Be careful though! If you come across the word ‘Boo’ – you need to put all your words back. The winner is the person with the most cards at the end.
Help at home: You could play a game of Tricky Word Boo at home.
Word Of The Week
Our word of the week this week is ‘reflection‘.
We use this song to help us practise the word of the week in class:
Poetry Picnic
Each week we learn a new poem and we recite this poem every day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called ‘Mice’ by Rose Fyleman.
Here’s Sunshine Class reciting it 🙂
Maths
After watching an episode of Numberblocks, we enjoyed making our own Stampoline prints to show different ways of making 5.
Help at home: You could watch the Stampolines episode with your child
PE
During our PE lessons, we’ve been using the large equipment in the hall to practise our balancing skills. Balancing is one of the fundamental movement skills. It is a key skill for many sports such as tennis, gymnastics, football, ballet, dance, golf and many more.
Winter weather
The winter weather is well and truly here. We had fun in our outdoor classroom mark making in the frost with paint brushes and water and being ice detectives.
Night Monkey, Day Monkey
We’ve been reading Night Monkey, Day Monkey by Julia Donaldson.
The story follows two monkeys who find themselves awake at their opposite times of day. They are very confused by what they see and need help understanding everything! Our word of the week is: nocturnal. We know that nocturnal means “active at night”
We’ve been writing about nocturnal animals and features of day/night.
Understanding the World- Science; shadows
We’ve been investigating shadows, by spotting them outside and by exploring a ‘dark tent’. We know that to make a shadow, we need a source of light. When that source of light is blocked, it casts a shadow. We explored using mirrors to reflect lights differently and used colour paddles to change the colour being projected onto the tent wall. We’re looking forward to continuing our dark tent investigations next week.
Maths; part-whole
In Maths, we’ve been looking at the ‘parts’ that make the whole of something. For example, the parts of us that make our whole body. Our head, eyes, legs etc. are the parts and our body is the whole. Here is a detailed explanation of how this understanding is a crucial knowledge base for later mathematical learning:
“Composition of number is a key area of mathematics … By investigating their own bodies and familiar toys they will begin to understand that whole things are often made up of smaller parts and that a whole is, therefore, bigger than its parts… As part of their work on subitising, the children have previously begun to spot numbers within numbers, and this skill of de-composing and combining numbers (taking them apart and putting them back together again) will build firm foundations for later calculation strategies”
-NCETM Mastering Number 2021/2022
Maths Stay and Learn
A big thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us on Monday for our Maths Stay and Learn session. We hope you enjoyed seeing a lesson in action and taking part in activities with your child. Hopefully, you have also come away with some ideas on how to support your child further at home. If you do have any further questions or would like any further advice, please don’t hesitate to ask the class teachers.
We’d Love Your Feedback
Thank you again for joining our Stay and Learn session. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Please scan the QR code to fill out our feedback form.
Expressive Arts and Design; Artist Focus- Howardena Pindell
We’ve been discovering the art of American artist Howardena Pindell. Take a look at our thoughts about some of her artwork.
In Reception, we are focused on the art process. We try and replicate the art we see through exploring different methods and mediums. We also make comments on what we like or dislike about the art we see.
Much of Pindell’s art is based around ‘the circle’. This week, we’ve been using hole punches to make a stencil in squares of card.
Next week, we’ll use a sponge printing method and our pre-made stencils to create our art.
Phonics
Autumn 2 week 3 has focused on the single letter phoneme z and digraphs zz, qu, ch
We’ve learnt the tricky words; go, no, to, into
Tricky words are words that should be read by sight.
In provision, we’ve been playing what’s in the box and reading the words to match pictures we find.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called Basket of Apples.
We talk about how a poem sometimes has rhyming words and sometimes doesn’t. We also talk about how a poem can have a fast rhythm or a slow rhythm.
Click below to watch Rainbow class recite this week’s poem
Understanding the world; Snow much fun!
The turning weather and snow brought so much excitement this week. It was lovely to see the fascination and wonder, as we explored the snow and ice outside. The interest led us to creating our own ‘ice experiment’, leaving bowls of water overnight in the hopes that they would freeze!
Help at home; Stars
Next week, we’ll be looking to the skies again! We are reading How to Catch a Star and learning about the night sky.
We know this is a topic of interest for many children in Reception. If you have any books or resources to share that are linked to this topic, we would love to see them.
Reminders and Diary Dates
Learning Journey Drop in 01.12.25 & 04.12.25; 3.00-3.30pm – An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’s learning journal with them.
Each Peach Pear Plum
We’ve had such a busy week! We enjoyed celebrating World Nursery Rhyme Week, marking Remembrance Day, taking part in Odd Socks Day and supporting Children in Need.
World Nursery Rhyme Week
Children loved taking part in World Nursery Rhyme Week, singing and exploring some of our favourite rhymes. Nursery rhymes play an important role in early years education for many reasons. Here’s an overview of a few of them.
If you’d like to find out even more, you can read about seven key benefits of nursery rhymes for young children on the BBC Tiny Happy People website.
Each Peach Pear Plum
Linked to World Nursery Rhyme Week, we’ve been reading the classic Ahlberg book, Each Peach Pear Plum. We listened for rhyming words and spotted familiar fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme characters hidden in the illustrations.
History: Household objects from the past
The illustrations in our focus story inspired discussions about household objects from the past and we learnt about some objects that we had never seen before. We compared these to objects we might have at home, in the present.
In addition to pictures, we looked carefully at some old household artefacts and had a go at sorting past and present objects.
Ask your child which objects from the past they can spot in this picture from the story. Can they remember what they are called and what they are used for?
Phonics
This week, we focused on the new GPCs (Grapheme-phoneme correspondence) v, w, x, y.
We’ve also learnt some new tricky words; and, has, his, her. Tricky words are words that should be read by sight.
Help at home – Please continue to revisit this week’s sounds and tricky words using the ‘Learn at home’ sheets.
Poem Of The week
This week’s poem is called ‘Shoes‘.
Reminders
- It’s our Number Stay and Learn session on Tuesday 18 November (9–10am). We hope you can join us for a short maths lesson, followed by some time in the classroom taking part in maths activities with your child.
- Please make sure all uniform is clearly named. Please could you also double-check that your child has brought home the correct uniform, as jumpers and cardigans can sometimes end up in the wrong place!
- Rain, rain and more rain! Please ensure that your child has a pair of wellington boots at school so that they can enjoy learning outside in all weathers.
Next week:
We’ll read Night Monkey, Day Monkey and explore how the two monkeys experience the world at different times of day. We’ll also be learning about daytime and night time activities, including discovering some amazing nocturnal animals.
Odd Socks Day!
Today, children came to school wearing odd socks in support of Anti-Bullying week. We discussed how important it is to celebrate our differences and respect everyone.
Reception children loved showing off their mismatched socks while learning about kindness, inclusion and celebrating differences.
Welcome back!
Welcome back everyone! It was so nice to see the children again and see so many smiling faces upon their return to school on Monday. A great start to the new term!
Phonics
This week in Phonics we have learnt some more digraphs. Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. They were:
We also learnt the phoneme and grapheme /j/ along with the new tricky word ‘as’.
Maths
This week, we’ve been engaging in activities that highlight the purpose of counting – finding out how many objects there are altogether. We’ve reinforced our understanding of cardinality, recognising that the last number we say when counting represents the total number of objects in the set.
A key focus has been deepening our understanding of the number 5 as a quantity. We’ve been linking the number to familiar representations, such as the five fingers on one hand. The children are also beginning to explore different ways to represent numbers up to 5, using both their fingers and the Hungarian number pattern (die frame).
Poem Of The week
This week’s poem is called Cup Of Tea.
Celebrations
Over the last couple of teaching weeks we have been learning about some of the different celebrations that people celebrate in our country. We have thought about and discussed Diwali and Bonfire night. We have also been paying close attention to the season of Autumn and thinking about some of the things that happen during this beautiful season.
My Money Week
Throughout school the children have been learning about money this week. We joined in with Key Stage One and created the school logo from the pennies that pupils had brought in to school. Thank you to everyone that donated money!
Next week:
- Anti-bullying Week and Odd Socks Day. Next week we will be partaking in Odd Socks Day on Monday the 10th November. All children are welcome to come to school in odd socks. This is to raise awareness for Anti-bullying week. The odd socks will help us to discuss all of our wonderful similarities and differences.
- Remembrance Day. In school we will observe a minute silence at 11am on the 11th November. This is to commemorate Armistice, to honour the service and sacrifice of the armed forces and to show respect for all the lives lost. This will be done and explained in a child friendly and age appropriate manor.
- Nursery Rhyme Week. This week in reception class we will also be celebrating Nursery Rhyme week. Look out for next week’s web post to see some of the wonderful learning that will have taken place.
Do you have a child due to start primary school in 2026?
A video and FAQ’s are available for more support and guidance with applications.
Light and dark!
Training day – Arty Ideas!
We thought you’d enjoy hearing a little about what went on during our recent teacher training day! Part of the day was dedicated to developing our art knowledge and skills with our resident art teacher, Mrs Boulton.
Teachers got hands-on with paints, pastels and even soap! There was plenty of colour, laughter, and even a bit of friendly competition as we experimented with new techniques and ideas for upcoming art lessons.
The rest of the day focussed on other important areas too, including maths and inclusion. It was a full, productive day – and we left feeling ready and excited for the next half-term!
Leaf Man
This week, we’ve explored all things autumn!
Understanding the world; seasonal changes
We took an autumn walk to spot signs of autumn and changes in the natural environment. We were inspired by our story this week. Thank you to everyone who brought in conkers, leaves and other natural objects to explore in class.
Leaf Man
We’ve been reading the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.
“A Leaf Man’s got to go, where the wind blows”
The book takes us on Leaf Man’s journey, as he travels on the autumn wind across different autumnal landscapes.
Our ‘word of the week’ is season. We know that we have four seasons in the year; spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Inspired by the book, we made our own ‘Leaf Man’ pictures.
Our focus in maths this week has been comparing quantities. We’ve developed our skills to look carefully and use the language of ‘more than’ and ‘fewer than’. We’ve developed our number sense by noticing how the size, colour and other properties of objects do not matter when finding out how many.
PE; football skills
This week, we’ve been working on our kicking, balancing and passing skills.
We started by practising ‘small kicks’ around hall, keeping the balls close and under control. We then balanced on one foot whilst trying to move the ball around our standing leg. We finished with some partner work, passing the ball with good control and stopping it with our foot.
Did you know…
We’ve developed our PE curriculum across our Sphere Federation schools, alongside Foot-Tech Academy. Foot-Tech are an innovative sports coaching company that provide sessions across the city for children to develop their skills and develop a life-long love of sport and physical activity. As teachers, we have received their training and guidance on how to teach effective PE lessons. Our PE sessions have a purposeful, game-based approach and include a range of activities involving multiskills.
On Wednesday afternoons, Reception are taught their PE lesson by Foot-Tech coaches.
Finally in our PE news, a big thank you to Foot-Tech for donating a new set of footballs to Reception. They are rainbow-tastic and so much fun!
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite this poem each day. By saying the poem out loud, we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line. We talk to the children about how this can help us become better readers. This week’s poem is called Five Little Pumpkins.
Phonics
This week has been a revision and phonics assessment week.
There will be no new ‘Learn at home’ sheets until the first week of next half term. Please continue to revisit previous sheets with your child.
Help at home; blending
Oral segmenting/blending games are great, both if your child is still learning to blend and for those children who are confident ‘blenders’, to revisit their skills. Here’s just one idea to try at home: Dress the Baby (idea taken from earlyimpactlearning.com)
Any toy can be used for this game. Put a baby doll or another toy down with some clothes round it- for example a hat, boots, a nappy, a coat and gloves.
Say one of the pieces of clothing in sound-talk. For example a boot would be a ‘b-oo-t.’ If your child can blend it, then they can put a piece that piece of clothing on the baby/toy. To make it easier, you can say all the pieces of clothing like robots before you start.
Let us know if you try this game at home!
More pictures of our learning this week…
Swimming
We do not yet have a start date for our swimming lessons, due to swimming coach availability. We’ll let you know when the start date is confirmed. We also put swimming date posters in our windows or on the door, so you will have notice before the children start.
Dates for your diary and reminders
Parent teacher consultations: Week commencing 20.10.25- individual appointment times.
Nasal flu vaccinations: Thursday 23.10.25
School closed- training day: Friday 24.10.25
Henri’s Scissors
Henri’s Scissors – Exploring Art Like Matisse!
This week we have been reading Henri’s Scissors by Jeanette Winter. (If you’re watching it on YouTube, here’s a top tip: click the settings cog along the play bar and turn off autoplay – this helps to avoid inappropriate clips and encourages your child to engage purposefully rather than watching video after video.)
The story is a biographical children’s book about the famous artist, Henri Matisse. We learned about his life and discovered how, even when he became unwell and could no longer paint, he continued to make beautiful artwork by “painting with scissors” – cutting bold shapes and colours to create collages.
Our word of the week was artist. We talked about different types of art and artists, introducing new vocabulary such as sculptor, sculpture and collage.
Then, we became artists ourselves by creating our own colourful collages – just like Matisse!
We used our language and communication skills to explore and respond to Matisse’s artwork. We looked closely at the colours, shapes and patterns and thought carefully about which pieces we liked and why.
We also discussed questions such as:
- Why do you think the artist painted this?
- Which is your favourite, and why?
Here are some of our thoughtful responses:
I like the white part. It looks like snowflakes.
I like the colours because they’re like a rainbow.
I can see square shapes. They both have the same colour at the back.
Phonics
This week, children have been learning the phonemes (the sounds that letters make) h, b, f, and l. They’ve also been practising writing the graphemes (the written letters) for these sounds.
We’ve been challenging children to spell words using the letters they already know. This week, your child has been spelling the words: dog, ten, red, mum and kid.
Can your child tell you which phonemes they can hear in these words?
d-o-g t-e-n r-e-d m-u-m k-i-d
We’ve also learnt a new tricky word: the.
A tricky word is a word that can’t be sounded out using phonics – it’s one they simply have to learn by sight.
The children now know three tricky words: I, is and the
Help at Home: You can support your child’s learning at home by writing these tricky words on pieces of paper or sticky notes and placing them around your house. Keep challenging your child to read them whenever they see them – the more practice, the better! These words need to be recognised instantly, just by looking.
Poetry Basket
Children love listening to and joining in with poems each week. We learn a new poem every Monday and recite it together throughout the week.
Saying the poems out loud helps us focus on sounds, rhythm and rhyme, which supports our early reading skills. We’ve noticed that some poems have a fast and lively beat, while others are slow and gentle.
Follow the link to watch Reception recite this week’s poem – Leaves are falling.
Maths
In Maths, we’ve been using our subitising skills to identify patterns up to 4.
Subitising means being able to see a small number of objects and know how many there are without counting – for example, recognising that there are three dots just by looking.
We practised spotting changes to see whether there were more, fewer or the same and describing the changes we could see. We also explored different representations of 4 using multilink cubes – inspired by our introduction to Numberblock 4!
And finally, here are a few photos from this week’s learning.
Help at home – autumn leaves and conkers.
If you go on a walk this weekend, we’d really appreciate donations of dry leaves to help us with an art project next week. We also need some conkers and acorns to use in our maths learning – see how many you can find! Thank you for your support.