EYFS
Reception definitely looked the part for their Superhero Enrichment Day - it was lovely to see them dressed as the real-life heroes they aspire to be! We spent the morning making superhero masks and capes, and had a visit from a member of the Essex Fire and Police Service who told us more about the roles of firefighters and police officers. After lunch we came back to class to find a crime scene in our outdoor area! We became detectives and followed clues to find out who pushed Humpty Dumpty (it turned out to be a very sorry Witch). We finished the day by making some Evil Pea biscuits to enjoy before home time.
December - Reception have had another fun-filled half term! The children have used the number knowledge they gained in Autumn 1 to explore a range of different concepts in Maths, including measurement, pattern and number bonds to 10. They have enjoyed exploring well-known traditional tales like 'Little Red Riding Hood', and we have loved seeing them act out these stories using masks and props. It was also great to see their love of reading during our recent trip to Aveley Library, and we were so proud of how well they behaved! We have also seen some fantastic writing this half-term as the children have used adjectives to write setting and character descriptions. And, of course, we have also enjoyed lots of festive activities, including making Christingles, our sponsored Santa Run and the amazing show the children put on during our Christmas performance - they have all worked so hard!
Our topic this half term is ‘Traditional Tales’. In Literacy we have enjoyed learning and retelling some very familiar stories, like The Three Billy Goats Gruff. In Maths we have been building on our basic number knowledge by comparing amounts and finding 1 more and 1 less. We have also really enjoyed learning about significant events in the calendar, like Halloween, Bonfire Night and Diwali, and we’ve even had a go at making our own Diva lamps!
In Reception, we have been learning Phonics with Read, Write, Inc.! We are able to recognise an increasing number of sounds and have started to apply our phonic knowledge to our writing, attempting to write some initial sounds and even some CVC words like 'cat' and 'dog'! In Maths, we have been learning all about numbers to 10, including how to recognise and represent numbers in different ways. As part of our 'All About Me' topic we have looked at the story 'Funnybones' by Janet and Alan Ahlberg. We have had a go at putting the different parts of the body (and skeleton!) together, and have learnt about our 5 super senses and all the amazing things our bodies help us to do.
We are so proud of how well the children are settling into Reception! We have spent lots of time learning to follow the rules and routines of the classroom, and have been practising our speaking and listening skills with circle time games so that we are ready for learning when we come to the carpet. In Literacy, we have been looking at the book 'What Makes Me a Me?' by Ben Faulkes and talking about what makes us unique, including the things we can do, our likes and dislikes, and the way that we look. The children have been busy creating some brilliant self-portraits!
This half term the children have fully immersed themselves in our new topic, Splash! They have really enjoyed using the large construction materials to build boats and ships in the outdoor area, and have used them to develop and act out their own narratives. We have been looking at and comparing different environments around the globe, including the snowy mountains of Canada and the beachy shores of Ghana. We were able to see how this was similar and different to our own shores on our trip to Chalkwell Beach. The children enjoyed our seaside scavenger hunt, building sandcastles and paddling in the sea! In Maths we have been developing our knoweldge of number patterns including odds and evens, and had a go at creating some odd and even monsters.
The planting saga continues in Reception and we are finally starting to reap the rewards of our hard work. This week the children used the cress they grew to make and enjoy some egg and cress sandwiches! We are hoping that our lettuce, strawberries and tomatoes will be ripe for the picking after half term. We have also been keeping a close eye on our caterpillars and are thrilled that our first butterfly has made an appearance! The children have really enjoyed exploring life-cycles and drew some beautiful butterfly pictures using symmetry.
In Reception we have been innovating our current text ‘The Enormous Turnip’ and happen to think our version, ‘The Ginormous Carrot’, is even better. Some of us have even had a go at scribing our own stories about a flat potato, a magic rabbit, and a unicorn! As part of our Growing topic we have also enjoyed getting messy planting seeds and making seed bombs!
