Year 1 Maths
Year 1 have been busy this week, measuring things in and around the classroom.
We began our learning with measuring using non-standard units such as cubes.
‘Length is how long something is, from start to finish.’
‘Height is how tall something is, from the bottom to the top.’
We also used centimetres to measure small objects in our classrooms.
After this, we used rulers to measure objects accurately.
We need to line the object up with the end of the ruler, keep it straight and measure to the closest centimetre.
Help at home by making good estimations about how many centimetres long or tall, household objects are.
What we will be learning – Safety Week
This week, we will be joining in with school’s safety themed week. We’ll be learning all about staying safe in lots of different situations.
The children will be helping us to carry out our daily risk assessments both inside and outside Nursery. We will be asking questions like Is the gate closed? Are the steps to the slide slippery? Are any of the toys broken?
Talking about sun safety.
Role playing crossing the road safely on our bike track.
Spotting dangers in the home.
Finding out about our emergency services.
Look out for some photos later this week.
Reminders
Nursery will close on Thursday 21 May for the half term holiday.
We will return for our final term on Monday 01 June.
Wriggly worms
We’ve been listening to the story ” Superworm ” in Nursery this week and learning through some ” worm” themed activities.
We strengthened our fingers this week by using tweezers to collect some worms in the sensory area and rolling worms in the dough. We made long and short worms.
We did try to find some minibeasts outside this week but they were keeping themselves well hidden as it was quite cold. We will keep looking next week.
Our caterpillars have been busy building their chrysalides. We’ve put them into the butterfly garden. Will we get to see them hatch? Watch this space!
We’ve been busy talking about all of the shapes around us this week. As we’ve printed with the shapes we’ve talked about their sides and corners. Did you find any shapes with flat sides at home this week?
Outside we’ve been balancing, jumping, climbing and swinging. The children loved developing their physical skills on our obstacle course.
Reminders
Nursery closes at 3pm. Please make sure you pick your child up at the end of each session on time. This is to support your child’s wellbeing, as well as support staffing arrangements.
Living and Learning: reflecting and connecting
Pupils in 5/6 have been reflecting and connecting. Before the Easter break, we took some time to connect with our surroundings. Following the Easter break, one child was awestruck by the vibrant colour in this blossom tree on our playground. Another child asked if we could take a picture and share just how beautiful it was with everyone. The pink blossom framed against the dark green and grey is truly worth spending a few minutes just to stop and stare.
Perhaps, like Wordsworth you might take a moment to reflect:
Growing and changing
Children enjoyed learning about how they’ve grown and changed from being a baby this week. We looked at our baby and toddler photos in group time; thanks for emailing them to us. We talked about some of the things that the children can do now , that they couldn’t do when they were a baby such as talking, riding a bike and eating food.
To continue our learning about ‘growing up’, we helped to take care of the babies in the water tray, carefully giving them a bath and washing their hair.
As we drank our milk at snack time, we continued to talk about how to keep our bodies healthy and how to look after our teeth. We used toothbrushes in the sensory area to clean the dirty teeth and we listened to some songs all about how to brush our teeth. We talked about how important it is to brush them twice a day.
This song helps us to remember how to brush our teeth.
In our group times this week, we learnt about the number 5. We looked at 5 candles on a cake and put 5 objects into a 5 frame. We could see that there were no spaces left now.
Help at home: As you play with your child have a go at including some of these things into your play and conversation.
- Can you count 5 objects? Remember to line them up and touch/point to each one carefully as you say one number for each item.
- Can you count to 5 and show 5 on your fingers?
- Can you spot the number five on house doors or car number plates?
- Count 5 objects from a pile and remember to STOP when you get to 5.
Next week’s learning
Next week, we’ll learn all about celebrating Easter.
Nursery Rhyme of the week
Can you join in with the rhyme at home
Sound of the week– Ll
Reminders
Green group’s parent teachers consultations are on Wednesday 01 April via zoom. You will receive an invite for your ten minute appointment via the school office.
If you have not yet booked an appointment please speak to a member of the Nursery Team.
Nursery closes for the Easter break on Thursday 02 April returning on Monday 20 April.
Reading
We’ve been reading Jabberwocky this week in reading. This is a poem written by Lewis Carroll, who also wrote Alice in Wonderland. This is a nonsense poem about the main character killing a creature called ‘the Jabberwock’. The children had to read the poem and make sense of all the nonsense vocabulary. They managed to pick out and retrieve some description of the Jabberwock. The drew their representations of what they thought it would look like. There were some interesting ideas!
Books and beans
We LOVE reading in Nursery and we’re always excited to join in with celebrations for World Book Day. The children from Year 5/6 came to read our favourite stories to us . We all had a lovely time.
Here are a few photos – Can you name the characters and match them to the book?
We’ve been planting our own beans this week. We’ve spoken about what they will need to grow and how we will look after them.
We’ll be watching our beans closely to check for any changes. Have a look at drop off, or pick up they are in Sunshine Room.
Next week’s learning
We’ll continue with our growing theme and will listen to Oliver’s Vegetables by Vivian French.
Nursery Rhyme of the week
Sound of the week
Help from home
Over the next few weeks , we’re learning about growing up and looking at how we change as we get older.
It would be great if we could look at some photographs of children when they were babies and toddlers. If you’re able to, please send us an email with one photograph of your child as a baby and one photograph of them as a toddler. We’ll use these in group time and will also be creating a ‘Guess who?’ display in Nursery.
scholesnursery@spherefederation.org
Reminders
Lunchboxes – please ensure that these are clearly named on the outside of the bag/box. We have a number of identical lunchboxes in Nursery and need to ensure that the correct lunch is given to each child.
Jack and the Beanstalk
We have been making the most of the warmer weather this week by developing our physical skills outside. It was with great excitement that we could once again use our climbing wall, slide and wobbly bridge. Unfortunately it had been too wet and slippery to use since Christmas. The children had checked every day and decided it was ” not safe”. A cone was added which the children understand means ” it’s not safe to play here today” But this week it was safe, so the children were able to practise lots of skills.
Climbing, balancing, crawling, negotiating space and turn taking.
The story for the first part of this half term is Jack and the Beanstalk. The children enjoyed joining in with the repeated refrain ” Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, watch out everyone here I come “.
Here are some of the activities related to the story from this week in nursery.
As part of our ‘Understanding the World’ curriculum, we’re beginning to learn about different forces. The children loved exploring the magnets in the discovery area and taking them around Nursery to see what they were attracted to and which objects they would ‘stick’ to. We used some construction kits that used magnets to create some fantastic models too.
Next week’s learning
Nursery rhyme of the week
Can you join in with the rhyme at home?
Sound of the week
Reminders
Nursery Coffee morning – Wednesday 4th March
Come along from 9am – 9.30am to share your child’s learning journey.
World Book Day – Thursday 5th March
If your child wants to, they can come dressed as a book character or anything else book-related (but please don’t feel the need to go out and spend money on a costume).
This Green Moon
The Train Ride
We’re starting the half term with a focus on transport. This week, we’ve been reading The Train Ride by June Crebbin.
This story is about things that are seen out of the window, on a train journey. We noticed that the rhythm of the book’s repeated/rhyming lines start fast and repetitive (much like the sound of a train chugging along a track) and then as the train approaches the station, the lines become longer and the pace slows down until the train reaches is destination. Destination is our ‘word of the week’.
Historical links
We looked at pictures of the early steam locomotive- Robert Stephenson’s Rocket. We compared it to the trains we use today.
Phonics
Spring 2 week 1 has been a review of phase 3 sounds: ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, oo, ow, oi, ear, in words and sentences. We review tricky words daily.
Tricky words can be just that-tricky! Here’s a game we play at school that you could try at home.
Roll and Read
You will need a die for this game. You may wish to print the boards or display them on a screen.
- Roll the die
- Count the spots, match to the correct row
- Choose a word to read on the row
- Cover the word when read correctly
- Repeat
Who will be the first to complete a row?
Maths: Comparison
We’ve been comparing groups of objects and toys, saying which has more and which has fewer. We’ve been noticing and explaining why size, colour and other factors do not matter when comparing ‘how many’.
In the classroom, children have been making 6 using Numicon frames.
This Green Moon
This week was a very special week for our Reception class as we went on our very first class trip to This Green Moon! As soon as we opened the doors in the morning the children were buzzing with excitement.
When we arrived at Green Moon, we were warmly greeted by the two leaders, Paul and Matt. They led the activities and supported us throughout the day – they were fantastically engaging and fun.
We thoroughly enjoyed spending the day outdoors, exploring the natural world around us. The children took part in so many exciting activities: making a fire, creating sculptures using potatoes, designing bracelets with pieces of coloured wool we found in the forest, and even working together to create a giant piece of artwork. It was fantastic to see their creativity and curiosity shining through.
What a fantastic day full of learning, laughter and adventure. Well done, Reception – we’re so proud of you all!
Lunar New Year
We had a great final week of half term; children loved reading a book about the Lunar New Year and we watched to some short video clips find out how people prepare for the festival and celebrate with their families.
We enjoyed decorating a lunar lantern with some of the handwriting patterns that we’re learning (circles, zig-zags, waves and lines) . We used scissors to practice our “snipping skills” too. The children were very proud of their learning.
In the sensory area we explored noodles. They were “ sticky” “ stretchy” “ gooey” “ cold” and “ sticky” Lots of great vocabulary to describe how the noodles felt.
On Tuesday it was Safer Internet Day in school. In nursery we talked about how important it is to keep safe online. We spoke about always only using a tablet or iPad when a grown up is with you.
Here is a useful website for advice and tips for keeping your child safe on line.
Keeping your under 5 safe online
Learning after half term:
We’ll be reading Jack and the Beanstalk and beginning our ‘growing’ theme. If you have a copy of the book at home, please read it together to help familiarise your child with the story. We’ll be looking for signs of spring in the garden, too. When you’re out and about over half term, see what ‘signs of spring’ you notice – it could be flowers beginning to grow or birds singing.
Nursery rhyme of the week – Mary, Mary quite contrary.
Sound of the week – Ee
Have a happy and healthy half term and we look forward to finding out about your holidays when we return to Nursery on Monday 23 February.