Friday 22.01.21

Morning, Reception! How is it Friday already?

You have completed another week of home learning and I am proud to say you are still trying just as hard as you were on day 1.
I will post a few examples on the blog later today to celebrate your work.

Today we are just recapping all the things we have learned this week and having a crafty afternoon!

Phonics:

Today we are just going to recap all the new sounds we have learned since school closed. We will read and write some captions too.

 

Now let’s try and read and write!

Tasks:
1. Have a look around your house and see if you can label any objects (we did this once in school with post it notes!) Use little pieces of paper or post its if you have them, choose your object and then use your phonics to write the word. If the whole word is a bit challenging – focus on the first sound. E.g. d for door, b for bath etc…

Here are some examples of thing you could label: rug, tap, bed, mug, bag, pans etc..

2. Choose a sheet and see if you can read the caption and join it to the matching picture.

 

Maths:

Have a go at some maths games – do you know all the numerals 1-10?

Can you count the ladybird spots and choose the correct number? Can you match the ladybirds to the right leaves?
Topmarks – ladybird count

We have only explicitly covered numbers 1-5 in class so do not panic if they struggle more with numbers 6-10.

Topic – Under the Sea:

I’ve put some fun ‘under the sea’ activities for you to have a go at this Friday afternoon.

Wavy Popsicle Stick Mermaid Puppet - Kid Craft Idea | Mermaid crafts, Mermaid kids, Craft stick crafts   You could make a mermaid out of a lollipop stick!

 

Or use bits of paper to make a mermaid tail. Under The Sea: 24 Mermaid Crafts That Will Make A Splash - Kids Love WHAT

Or perhaps you’ll make a trident?

You could make and decorate a pirate hat for your teddy or use a big piece of paper and make one for yourself!

Printable Pirate Hat and Eye Patch Craft Sheet

Will you choose the mermaid or the pirates? Will you make a trident or a pirate hat?

Have fun and post your pictures on tapestry so we can see your amazing work!

Reading:

Don’t forget there is a live story told by a mermaid on a Friday afternoon. (1:30) I will put the YouTube link below.

https://www.youtube.com/user/NMAPlymouth

Here is last weeks story if you missed it and want to watch.

Have a lovely weekend, Reception!

Thursday 21.01.21

Good morning, Reception! I hope your week is going well.

Today we are having another look at the ‘z’ sound, and learning about blue whales!

Phonics:
First – can you say these sounds?

e      u      f      h     d     s     p

Now let’s have another look at ‘z’.

Is the answer yes or no?

Tasks:

Practise writing the ‘z’ grapheme.

Complete the z sound tasks on bbc bitesize.

Label the pictures.

Repairs and Zip replacement - Goldstitch                Zebra Facts | Live Science

 

Maths:

How many are hiding?

Watch the video to explain the learning – Session 4, how many are hiding?

Then have a go at the task:

Topic: Under the Sea

Today we are going to be looking at blue whales! There are lots of different kinds of whales – for example:

Humpback whale – Humpback whale populations on the rise after almost going extinct Whale of a problem: why do humpback whales protect other species from attack? | UNSW Newsroom

Killer whale – The animal from which great whites flee: 5 killer records held by orcas | Guinness World Records

Beluga whale – American Court to Weigh Destiny of 18 Russian Beluga Whales Watch thousands of beluga whales migrate with this live underwater cam | News

Blue whale –

Do you think whales are big or small? Do you think they can talk?

Watch this video to find out…

Now let’s find out more!

Can you remember a fact about the blue whale? (Remember a fact is something that is true.)

Have a go at designing a whale tail!

Pin on Printable Patterns at PatternUniverse.com

 

Music:

Whales use sound to communicate. Have a listen to the blue whale song. What do you think?!

Do you think you could speak whale? Why not try! (We did this in school and it was very funny!)

Wednesday 20.01.21

Happy Wednesday! How are we half way through week 3 already?!

Phonics:

Today we are learning the ‘z’ sound. First we need to recap the sounds we already know.

Now let’s have a look at z!

Tasks:

Can you spot the Z grapheme?

Have a go at this game again  – this time it has all our new sounds in! Can you read all the words?

 

Maths:

Click the link for the video – we are looking at Session 3.
Session 3, composition of numbers.

Once you have watched the video have a go at the practical task.

Why not log onto Mathletics and see if you can get a certificate? We post the certificates on the blog every Monday!

Topic – Under the Sea:
Do you know what this animal is?

The Mind of an Octopus - Scientific AmericanBiodiversity crisis: Common octopus and orange roughy among popular seafood species in rapid decline, landmark study finds | The Independent | The IndependentCurled Octopus - COAST
Can you write it? What sounds can you hear in the word octopus?

Craft:

Why not have a go at making  or drawing an octopus? I was so impressed with your jellyfish creations.

Remember how many tentacles an octopus has. Here are some pictures – I love that they have added the suckers on!

12 Outstanding Octopus Crafts for Kids

Reading/PSHE:
Have a listen to this lovely story. It is very appropriate at the moment with the social distancing guidelines, school closure and general isolation we all find ourselves in.

Who do you love? Who are you missing? If you can’t give them a hug what could you do instead? Can you remember some of the things hedgehog does for tortoise?

When you next see your friends will you paint them a picture? Or do a little dance? Or blow them a kiss?
Have a think!

 

Tuesday 19.01.21

Good morning, Reception! I am really missing having you in school and can’t wait until we are all back in again.

Today we are recapping the ‘y’ sound, exploring parts of a whole in maths and learning about different types of fish and how they breathe under water!

Phonics:
Phase 2 first.

Now we will recap the ‘y’ sound.


Have a go at the ‘y’ sound activities on bbc.

Writing task:

Have a go at writing what you see. Use your phonics and say the sounds in the word first, then try and write them.
Example: ‘p..e..n – pen’
Challenge: if this is easy, can you write a short sentence? -(a big pen, a fat cat, the man in bed, the jam has a lid etc…)

 


Maths:
This numberblocks episode explains really clearly how numbers are made up of parts that make a whole. Have a watch!

Numberblocks – Series 1, The Whole of Me

Breaking numbers apart and putting them back together again is an important activity for young children to gain a deep understanding of the composition of a number.

How can you make 5? (3+2 – 4+1- 5+0 etc)

Topic -Under the Sea :

Have a careful listen to Tiddler – can you remember the different kinds of fish you see in the story?
Do all the fish look the same or are they different?

Have a look at the picture below – what makes these fish look different? (size, colour, fins, shape)

These are some of the fish I spotted in the story – did you recall any of these?!

Rabbit fish
Red fin
Dragonfish
John Dory
Dab
Spiderfish
Sunfish
Devilfish
Dace
Leopard fish
Leaf fish
Flying fish
Anchovy
Herring
Plaice
Butterfish
Blue fish

Wow! That is a lot of fish.

Ask your child:

Can you breathe under water? Do you know how fish breathe under water?  Let’s find out!

If you were listening you should be able to answer this question!

Q: What do fish use to breathe under water? Clue: it starts with a g!

Can you label this fish?

parts of a fish diagram for kids | Rainbow fish story, Rainbow fish, Rainbow fish activities

For fun:

I know in class I am always getting Blippi requests – take a look at his visit to the aquarium!

Monday 18.01.21

Hi Reception! I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed some time in the snow.

Today we are learning the letter ‘y’, continuing our work on how to make five and starting to learn facts about sea creatures.

Phonics:
Phase 2 sounds first – as always!

Tricky word song – Can you spot go? Can you spot the? Can you write these words?

Now we are going to look at the new letter – y!

If you don’t know what a yo-yo is watch the video below!

Tasks:

Can you find 3 things in your house that are yellow?

Can you find something you think is yummy?

Can you practise the ‘y’ letter on a piece of paper or on a whiteboard?

 

Sign up for Teach your monster to read – this is free if accessed via a computer/laptop.

Have a go at some of the challenges on this game!

 

Maths:

Today we are carrying on with exploring how to make five. (This will support us with number bonds later in the year)

Click the link for the video to explain the task!

Session 1 – composition of numbers to five (2 groups)

Now have a go at a game – this doesn’t have to be done like the example below you could use sweets on a plate, balls in a football net (how many goals, how many misses) etc..

 

Topic – Under the Sea:

This week we are going to be learning some facts about underwater animals. Have a look at this video and see if you can remember any facts about the animals I talk about…

Quiz: (I ask at the end)

What is a carnivore?

How many hearts does an octopus have?

Which part of a jellyfish will sting you?

Expressive art and design:

Can you make a jellyfish?
You might use paint (handprint would be nice!) or an old paper plate and cut up strips of paper… or maybe just a drawing using pens, crayons or chalk. I can’t wait to see them!
Here are some ideas I found on pinterest.

jellyfish preschool craft | Jellyfish craft, Toddler art, Toddler crafts Paper Chalk Art Jellyfish - Kid Craft Idea For An Under The Sea Theme J is for Jellyfish Handprint art | Handprint art, Art activities for toddlers, Baby art projects

Reading:

Have another listen to Tiddler because tomorrow we will be trying to remember all the different kinds of fish we meet in the story. Do you know two different types of fish?

 

Week 2 home learning examples

Some more fantastic examples of learning from home this week. A massive well done to everyone having a try! (hover over the picture to see the caption!)

Friday 15.01.21

Happy Friday! You have made it through the second week of learning from home, how amazing are you?

Today we are going to be looking at x again, exploring numbers to five and learning about flying fish!

Phonics:

First lets look at the phase 2 sounds. I bet you know them all now! If your child is struggling with some of them, go back to them at the end and remind them of the sound.

Now we are going to recap x.

Tasks:

 

Maths:

Today I just want you to have a go at the activity below and match the amounts to the numbers.

This can be printed and then cut out, or if you do not have a printer you could make something similar on paper.

Print and cut out the squares below and put them in the right column. (Example: two fingers goes in the 2 column)


When you’re finished you could have a go at Underwater counting (click the link)

Can you get to the treasure?

Topic: Under the sea

What is the title of our story this week? Can you remember any sea creatures that we see in the story?

Take a look at this page of the book:

What do you see? Did you know that flying fish existed?
Tiddler sees these flying fish on his adventure. Watch the videos below to learn more about flying fish!

Watch and listen carefully, then ask your child questions like this to see if they have understood:

Why do they fly? (Answer: to get away from predators!)

Do flying fish flap their wings like a bird? (Answer: No, they glide)

Do you know what a predator is? (Answer: an animal that hunts, catches and eats other animals.)

For fun:

Here is a video to show you how to make a paper airplane. Can you follow the instructions and fold the paper? Can you plane fly? Why don’t you decorate it?

When you’re done watch it glide like a flying fish.

In class we had a go at making flying fish too!

Reading: Live story told by a mermaid!

Why not head to the ‘National Marine Aquarium’ You tube page every Friday at 1:30-1:45 to listen to their mermaid ‘Marina’ tell a story! (https://www.youtube.com/user/NMAPlymouth)

National Marine Aquarium 

Home Learning Sessions

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! See you Monday at 9am.

Thursday 14.01.21

Hello Reception, I hope you’re having a great week.

Today we are learning the ‘x’ sound, learning about equal and unequal groups and finally looking at floating and sinking!

Phonics:

Start by going through the phase 2 sounds.

Now we are going to look at our new sound, x!

(Apologies the video is cut off- the last part is below.)

Can you complete the ‘x’ challenges?
The x sound.

Have a go at practicing your ‘x’ grapheme.

Can you spot the letter x? (If you do not have a printer, simply get your child to point to the x)


Phonics game links:

Odd and Bob

Buried Treasure

 

Maths:

In maths we are looking at equal and unequal groups. Remember – equal means they have the SAME amount.

Follow the link and click on ‘Session 5’

Have a go at the activity:

Topic: Under the Sea
I thought it might be fun for you to do a floating/sinking experiment at home!

Start by asking your child:
What does ‘float’ mean? What does ‘sink’ mean?

In our story ‘Tiddler’ we see a fishing boat. Do you think the boat is light or heavy? How does the boat not sink to the floor?

Choose some objects that you think will float and some that you think will sink.
Using a washing up bowl, the bath or a sink test these predictions!

8 Floating &Sinking ideas | sink or float, science activities, floating

Which objects float, which sink? Why do you think they float/sink?


Does a plastic bottle float?
Does an apple float?
Does metal float?
Do pencils float?

P.E.
On a Thursday we usually have P.E. so I want you to do something active! We love Just Dance so I will post the link to our class favourite below.

Or why not go for a winter walk, or explore your local park? What signs of winter can you see?

Wednesday 13.01.21

Good morning, Reception!

Today we are having another look at the letter ‘w’, comparing numbers to five, thinking about ‘telling tales’ and making paper craft fish.

Please see below the learning for Wednesday.

Phonics:
First lets look at all the phase 2 sounds.

Well done! Now let’s look at phase 3 and recap ‘w’.

Tasks:

Can you find a web outside or inside?
Can you find 3 objects in your house that are white?
Can you find the letter ‘w’ in one of your books?

Tricky words:

Listen to the tricky word song. Did you spot ‘go’?

Maths:

Take a look at the video below – click the link and select the ‘Session 4 – Comparing numbers to five’

Maths, session 4.

Now have a go at the activity below.


If this is too easy or you want an extra challenge – log in to mathletics. If you have lost your username and password please email me and I can send you the log in details.

Mathletics

Topic: Under the Sea

Before listening to the story as your child:

– Can you remember what the story is about?
– Who are some of the characters in this story? (Tiddler, Miss Skate, Johnny Dory etc..)
– Why don’t some of the other characters believe Tiddler’s story?

PSHE: (this would usually be delivered in a circle time)
Have a brief discussion with your child about the book and Tiddler’s stories.

You might ask:

What is ‘telling tales’?

When was tiddler telling a tale?

Is Tiddler always telling the truth? Is that the same as lying? Is it ok to lie?

Expressive art and design:

Can you make a fish?

25 Under The Sea Crafts for Kids 15 Fun Fish Craft Ideas - The Best Ideas for KidsEdna App - Early years under the sea eyfs craft activitiesOcean Archives - | Fish crafts, Finding dory crafts, Nemo crafts for kids

Will you make it grey like Tiddler? Or like the rainbow fish? Or orange like Nemo? Will you do your own design?

Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales | Bristol Old Vic rainbow fish | Bellmore Memorial LibraryFinding Nemo Animated 3D Disney Film Wallpaper HD 1080p | Finding nemo characters, Finding nemo, Nemo

As always, please post any photographs on tapestry. We love seeing what you have been up to.

Enjoy!

Under the sea…

A few pictures from school! We are doing all the same learning that you are at home.

We do phonics and maths just like you.

For our topic we have painted shells, labelled crabs, drawn sea creatures and labelled them, made sea creatures from playdough, done lots of reading and build a pirate ship with our big blocks!

We are missing everyone at home and hope everyone is staying safe.

Tuesday 12.01.21

Good morning!
Thank you to everyone who has uploaded photographs on tapestry, I have loved seeing your home learning.

Today we are learning the ‘w’ sound, comparing numbers up to five and identifying sea creatures from the story ‘Tiddler’.

Please see Tuesday’s learning below.

Phonics:
As always we practice the sounds we already know first.

Now we are going to learn a new sound.

 

See if you can complete the w sound activities. Click the picture below to go to the website.

If you have a printer: print off this game – follow the instructions and see if your child can read the words. Who will win?! (you will need a dice!)

If you do not have a printer you can use a pen and paper to make a similar game.

Or have a go at the game ‘Buried Treasure’. Which words are real and which are fake?

Maths:

Click on the link below and scroll down to ‘Session 3’ to see the video.

Comparing five.

Have a go at the task below! Upload pictures of your game on tapestry.

Topic: Under the sea

Listen to the story ‘Tiddler’ again. Yesterday you discussed what animals you think you would see if you went diving in the ocean. (For example: shark, fish, starfish, ray, crab, whale etc…)

Can you draw the animals you think you would see? Can you label them? Or can you tell your grown up and they can make a list.

Nautical Childrens Drawing Crab Shark Crayon Stock Illustration 252274282

If you can’t think of any animals watch this video of an aquarium for inspiration.

Reading:
Log onto oxford owl (username: birdwellreception password: Read) and have a go at reading ‘Big, Bad Bug’. It looks like this (see below)

Questions:
Where did they find bugs?
Did Dad find a big bug or a small bug?
Can you find any bugs outside?

Enjoy!

 

Monday 11.01.21

Good morning Reception! I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Today we are having a look at the ‘v’ sound again, learning about the number 0 and looking at a new story to go with our ‘Under the Sea’ topic.
We will also be learning about at some other under water creatures that we see in the book ‘Tiddler’.

Here is the learning for Monday:

Phonics:

Tasks:

Can you look at these pictures and write down what they are?

Can you read these captions and draw a matching picture?

The pig is in the mud.

I am in the bed.

A cat in a hat.

Extra phonics:
Have a go on the phonics games below if you want to do more phonics!

Odd and bob

Maths:

In maths we are going to spend today looking at the number ‘0’.

Start off by watching the Numberblocks episode: Zero (click the link below!)

Number blocks – Zero

Here it shows really clearly that zero is one less than one.

The children will already have some practical understanding of ‘nothing there’ or ‘all gone’. Here, they
learn that the number name zero and the numeral 0 can be used to represent this idea.
The children should be given opportunities to apply this understanding within the classroom (or at home)
E.g. There are 0 children playing outside, there are 0 chocolates left, there are 0 toys in the bath.
Number songs which count back help to develop the understanding that 0 is one less than one.

Click the link below and watch the video under the heading  ‘Session 2’.

https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/early-years/alive-in-5-week-1/

Do you know any songs that count back? (5 little monkeys, 5 little speckled frogs)

Topic:

We are reading a new book today to help us with our ‘Under the sea’ learning. The book is called ‘Tiddler’.

Discuss what happened in the story with your child.

Which part did they like?
Can they remember any of the underwater animals that were in the story? (squid, ray, seahorse etc..)
Are there any creatures they hadn’t heard of before?
If you went diving what animals do you think you’d see?

For fun:
Play-Doh Under the Sea Creatures collection | Herald Sun
In school we use playdough a lot to strengthen our fingers and improve our fine motor skills. Did you know playdough is really easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients you need at home? Give it a try with your child.

Ingredients:
Salt
Warm water
Flour
Vegetable/olive oil
Food colouring (optional)

Follow the easy video to make your own playdough! You can add food colouring to the water to make it a colour of your choice!

Why not see if you can make a sea animal? How many legs will your octopus have? How many fish can you make? Can you make a shark?

Have fun!

 

Friday 8.01.21

Good morning Reception! Happy Friday 🙂
Today we are learning a new sound (v), looking at one more and one less, sharing and having a go at something active.

Please see below the teaching for Friday.

Phonics:

See if you can complete the v sound activities!

The v sound…

I’m sure you’ve done a good job learning ‘v’. Have you had a go at writing it yourself?

See if you can write these words.

vet
van
visit

We love playing phonics games in school so why not try at home? Click below to access the phonics game where we read the word and find the matching picture.

Match Cards, phonics game


What was your score? Can you see if next time you can get one more point? How many points would you have then?

Maths:
Start the session by singing along to the youtube video ‘The ants go marching’. We love this at school and it is a great way of teaching ‘one more’.

 

So we have looked at one more and one less – now lets combine them!

Let’s choose a number between 1 and 9 and ask your child to find what is one more and one less than this number using different representations. They might write the number that is one more, or they might find this number of objects! In school we have used a table (see below) which makes it easy.

Example:

Step 1- choose a number

 

 

Step 2 – What is one less? What is one more?

 

Step 3 – How can you represent that number? Can you find 3 objects? If you take one away how many do you have? If you add one more how many do you have?

Now choose another number and repeat!

 

Topic:

Today I want you to do something active. This could be a wintery walk (be careful it has been very icy!), cosmic kids yoga, just dance… anything that involves moving and increasing your heart rate!

Story:

Thinking about our class book ‘Sharing a shell’ – Ask your child:

What is sharing? Who do you share with? Why is sharing important?

Sharing a shell by Donaldson, Julia (9781509862702) | BrownsBfS

Quick quiz:
1. Can you remember what the main character in ‘sharing a shell’ is?
2. What kind of a crab did we learn about yesterday?
3. If you watched the video – what do hermit crabs do when their shell is too small?
4. How many legs does a crab have?

In class we watched this Octonauts episode about hermit crabs while we ate snack! Have a watch if you like.

It would be lovely to see any work you do on tapestry! Did anyone have a go at drawing a crab and labelling it?

It’s really easy to just upload the photographs to your account. If you still haven’t activated your account please email me and I can resend the invitation.

Thank you! Have a lovely weekend.

Thursday learning – 7.01.21

Hi everyone. Thank you to everyone who joined the meeting and had a go at searching for objects that start with a j sound, I enjoyed seeing the pictures! Also a big well done to everyone for being so grown up and sensible on the call – I felt very proud of all of you.

Please see below the teaching and activities for Thursday.

Phonics:

 

As we have recapped j and read even more words with the j sound why not see if you can have a go at this activity on the bbc bitesize website?

The J sound…

After you have had a go at this listen to the tricky word song below…

Did you see the tricky word ‘the‘? Can you write it?

Bonus writing challenge:

Can you write a caption for these pictures using the tricky word ‘the’? (the jam, the jet)

Hartleys Best Strawberry Jam - Jam Marmalade                 Airplane Jet aircraft Fighter aircraft, Cartoon airplane, blue, angle, fictional Character png | PNGWing
If this is easy why not try and write a full sentence – example: ‘The jam has a lid’ , ‘I love jam’,  ‘The jet is fast’…
Use your phonics to write whatever you want!

Maths:

In maths we had a look at adding ‘1 more’ and today we are going to be looking at ‘1 less’.
1 less just means we are going to take one away.

To begin with we will listen to the song ’10 green bottles’ – this is a great way of  representing one less. Can your child tell you how many bottles will be left after each one falls? Can they show you that amount on their fingers?

 

Try and demonstrate this to your child by using objects – this could be sweets or pencils or anything easily accessible.
Ask your children questions using different amounts of the objects and see if they can work out how many they will have if you take one away.

Example: “You have got 6 sweets, if you give me one how many will you have left?” (then count and check if needed)

Some children will be able to tell you the answer without using a visual. As a next step why not show them a number sentence and see if they can write the answer down.

Example: 4-1=

Topic – Under the Sea

We are sticking with the story ‘Sharing a shell’ this week so I’ll link the video below. If you have the book at home that’s even better.

After listening to the story ask:

What creature is the main character? Have you ever seen a real crab? Do you know how many legs a crab has? Do you know of any different kinds of crabs? (e.g. hermit crab)

This is a Hermit crab.
Land hermit crab | Smithsonian's National Zoo
The hermit crab is a type of  crab that does not have a hard shell so they use old shells for protection. When the hermit crab grows in size, it finds a larger shell.

Take a look at this video to find out  how a hermit crabs gets a new shell!

Challenge: Have a go at drawing a crab – will you draw a common crab or a hermit crab?

Norwegians face a pincer movement in battle for Arctic crabs | World | The Times 127 Quirky Hermit Crab Names | LoveToKnow
Can you label your crab? (leg, head, pincer, shell, crab etc..)

Reading:
Choose your favourite story book and read it together! Enjoy 🙂

Wednesday learning – 6.01.21

Good morning Reception,

Welcome to online learning! This is brand new for everyone but we will navigate it together.
In Reception we learn in short bursts, usually followed up with a fun task and then time to explore the classroom and ‘choose’.
We usually have 3-4 adult led sessions per day– and when needed I will upload these as a video on this blog. If your child is getting restless or it is too much at once then take a break and come back to it. You can take as much time as you need, these tasks can be spread over the whole day with plenty of time to play and get outside if possible.

Here you will find the learning for Wednesday.

Phonics.

Click on the video below to see our phonics lesson. We always recap the sounds we have already taught and then introduce a new letter sound. Today we are learning ‘j’.

 

For these tasks you will need:
Pencil and paper or a whiteboard and pen.

 

Why not see if you can label these pictures?
Say what it is a picture of and then try and write the word on your piece of paper or on your whiteboard.

 

  1. Raspberry Jam Recipe - How To Make Raspberry Jam            2. Arcoroc 53061 ARC Jug 1.6 litres, 1 Jug, Transparent: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home 3. Premium Vector | Jet fighter airplane cartoon icon illustration. air transportation icon concept isolated premium . flat cartoon style

 

  • Can you find anything in your house that starts with the sound j? (jam, jar, jug, jelly, jumper)
  • Can you point to or circle all the j sounds?

Fun Letter J Activities for Preschool

Maths

In maths we are looking at adding ‘1 more’. To begin with we will use concrete objects to support our understanding of adding one more to an amount.

Find five of the same objects (pieces of pasta, blocks, grapes.. anything!) and use the five frame below to show an amount.

If you have three blocks on your five frame – what would one more be? Add one more and check.
Can you write this number?

Using 5 frames to build fluency | SMathSmarts

Example:

If I add one more strawberry, how many will I have?

Why not collect some teddies or bath toys and challenge your child to tell you how many they would have if they were given one more.

 

Topic: Under the sea

Click on the video to hear our class story ‘Sharing a shell.’

Once you have listened to the story see if your child can remember which sea creatures were in the story.

Why did the crab need to find a shell so quickly?

Can you think of any other sea creatures that have a shell? (clams, sea snails, crabs)

seashell drawing | Lovely Zigzag Scallop Seashell Drawing Coloring Page | Seashell drawing, Shell drawing, Seashells template

Have a go at drawing and designing your own shell – or use this one above! Will you add glitter like the shells in the story? What pattern will you choose to go on your shell?

How are seashells created? Or any other shell, such as a snail's or a turtle's? - Scientific American Leave seashells on the seashore or risk damaging ecosystem, says study | Environment | The Guardian 04.01.2009 - Sea mollusks taste their memories to build shells

Nativity 2020…

Here is our 2020 Nativity performance! The children worked really hard practising their lines, learning new songs, remembering their positions and stage direction.

We are extremely proud of each and every one of them – we hope you enjoy our show!

!!!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

The sand has landed

We have revamped our mud kitchen area!
We have four brand new boxes that are FULL of sand. We have loved using it to measure, role play, cook and build with. Sand play is great for us as it improves our fine motor skills. It also provides opportunities for exploration and experimentation. It’s a sensory, immersive, calming experience.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

We are ready for Christmas in Reception class!!
We have a new Christmas writing station where children can write letters to Santa and post them in our post box, make Christmas lists, cards, parcel tags and wrap presents.

 

We also have all of our Christmas books next to our new reading grotto.

 

 

We have been busy this week making our own baubles, candy canes and stockings to decorate our classroom. Well done everyone, a real team effort!

Active phonics

In P.E. we have been working on our throwing and catching skills. Today we were aiming the bean bags into the hoops – if we miss the hoop we decide if next time we need more power or less power. We always keep our eye on the target!
To incorporate phonics into our P.E. lesson we added simple words into the hoop – you have to read the word to get a dojo. We were so good at this game!

Then we played four corners – but to stay in the game we had to read the ‘r’ word on our arch.

I: “r…e…d…. red!”

R: “r..a..DIGRAPH CK!!… r..a…ck… rack!”

Our muddy Monday adventure…

We just love going to forest school. Forest school is so good for increasing confidence and self esteem, improving our communication skills, improving our balance, co ordination and fine motor skills. It is also great for building independence, risk management, team building and creativity.
This week we decided where to put our bird boxes and discussed where a good place would be.
We saw a variety of activities going on in this outdoor session.
Some of the boys role playing with sticks – “We’re looking for spiders and tarantulas.”
Another group pretended the wooden pallet was a “minion ride”.

A: “Do you want a go on the minion ride, Miss Carter? It’s so wobbly!”

Some girls started building a see-saw and worked together to attach it to a crate.
B: “We need to make it secure or you’ll fall off.”
We are noticing letters in our environment.
“I’ve made a H for Harry!”

And using simple resources like sticks and string to make “fairy houses” and dens.

Fun in phonics

We played a fun phonics game today. We move around the room to music and when the music stops we stand under a letter. We have to say what sound the letter makes.

Then we choose a card and see which letter is on it. If you are stood at that letter then you are OUT! You then have to come and write the letter you were stood at while the rest of the class are moving to the music and choose a different letter. (and so on!)

A great interactive game that consolidates letter sounds and writing- and best of all it is good fun!

 

Block play

We explored the blocks today. We had become a little repetitive with our buildings so had a whole session on how to build, how to make it even better and how to explain what they have created …

These big blocks started on the floor in a long line – look at how it progressed! The children used a photograph to influence their building.

Some of us built our own individual models.

We then made some signs for our models. We will develop this further in provision.
“do not go in”
“do not touch”
“nobody go in”

Let’s go to the dough disco!

Today we had our first dough disco session.. We all had our own personalised playdough pot.

We do dough disco to strengthen our fingers, hands and wrists so it is easier for us to write, open things, dress ourselves, tie our shoes etc…

We listen to music and follow instructions – we roll the playdough, stretch it, prod it, splat it, squeeze it, pinch it, prod it…!

Autumn leaves are falling down…

A lovely Monday afternoon spent outdoors.

We have been collecting leaves to make leaf art this week! Some of us made leaf crowns and we have done lots of sweeping in our playground!

This tree was green a week ago – we all noticed the change.

N: “It’s going yellow because they’re ready to fall off. It happens in Autumn that.”
S: “It’s snowing leaves!”

D..d..d..doughnut

Today we learned the ‘d’ sound. Someone suggested ‘doughnut’ as a word that starts with D.
We designed a design a delicious doughnut. To make it more challenging I asked them to write a ‘d’ next to their work – everyone rose to the challenge!

Some of us used real sprinkles and others chose glitter.

We celebrate everyone’s work by hanging it up in our classroom. Super work everybody!

The Little Red Hen

Today we made masks and acted out the story ‘The Little Red Hen.’ This was not an easy job as it involved many steps.
We got into groups of 4 and decided who was going to be each character. Then we listened to the story again.
First we had to cut out the masks, then stick lollipop sticks or string on the back and then find the rest of our team and act it out! Wow!
S: “who will help me?”
J: “not I!”
S: will you help me?
A: “nope! Not I!”
S: “THEN I WILL DO IT MYSELF!”
We are loving this story… next week we will learn actions and tell the story as a class.

Our new display…

It is a shame that parents cannot come into our classroom at the moment but we wanted to show you all the lovely display we have made in Reception!

In our first topic we looked at the story ‘Elmer’. We discussed what made each of us special and then designed our own colourful Elmer.
Our Elmer’s are made from our handprints. We had to choose which colours we wanted to decorate them with and be very careful with the paintbrush. We are so proud of our work.

The children have come up with some lovely reasons why they are so special.

B: “I’m special because I’m a Smith, some of my family are Smith and when Mummy and Daddy get married they are Smiths!”

S: “I’m special because I’ve got five jigsaws and I can do them by myself.”

H: “I’m special because I’m super fast and look how big my muscles are!”

N: “I’m special because I can nearly do a handstand!”

 

 

P..P..potions

We’ve been making potions today and practising our letter formation!

We made sure to wash our hands before and after using the resources. We all wore an apron because we knew it could get very messy!
C: “I’m doing my potion…. p for potion!”
I: Ive got a yellow potion. I put the yellow powder in it. Looks like a smoothie!”
S: “I’ve got leaves in mine. It’s like an autumn potion. I’m going to give it to my mummy.”

Sorting objects

Today we’ve been sorting objects…

 

The boys did a super job of sorting the pinecones and the wooden logs. They used great team work and communication to put the objects into separate groups.
We then got out the small cable reels and the boys sorted them by colour!
T: “I’m sorting the greens!”
G: “…and I’ll do the yellows.”

Initial sounds and writing letters…

Today we wrote letters on post it notes (ourselves!) and then went and found something in the classroom that started with this sound and stuck it on. For example… t for tap, s for sink, a for animal.
Everyone had a really good go at writing the letter independently and then looking for something that had this initial sound.
Why not have a go at home?

Reading at home…

We read every day at school. This is in our phonics lesson, our class book, or a story we listen to at home time. If you want to start reading with your child at home why not have a look at the link below? Due to the coronavirus we cannot send home reading books each week yet, so this is perfect to get them started!

You can read any book you fancy, from the Oxford Owl library online! Start with age 4 – some books have no words inside but we can talk about the pictures and make the story up ourselves.

I’ve created a username and password for you to be able to read ANY book you fancy.

Just follow the simple instructions – first log into http://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/books/free-ebooks/

Click on – browse the e book library.

Then choose my class log in 

 Next is to add the class name and password. 

My class name is – birdwellreception

My class password is – Read

 

Once you have logged in you can choose to read ANY book from the e library!

Happy reading!

Making rainbows…

We practised doing some letters outside.

In our maths lesson we used our fine motor skills to snip up pieces of paper and peel off stickers to match . We discussed as a class that if we can see the number 3… we need 3 stickers above it. We did such a great job.

In the afternoon we all made a rainbow. We did this after looking at all the different colours Elmer has on her skin.

Loving the finished products!

Our busy timetable!

Take a look at our busy timetable below!

 

A day in the life of a child in Reception..

9:10 – We order our lunch, say good morning and write the date on the board.

9:20 – We do our phonics session on the carpet or outside.

9:40 – We explore the classroom and have a go at the activities out on the tables. Our teachers explore with us, take pictures and help us if we are struggling.

10:15 – We tidy up our classroom and wash our hands.

10:30 – We eat our toast and go outside to play.

10:45 – We come inside, wash hands and sit on the carpet.

10:50 – We begin our maths session. We always start with counting forwards and then backwards!

11:05 – We have a go at a maths activity in our classroom or practise writing our numbers.

11:20 – We wash our hands and get ready for lunch.

11:30 – 12:30 – lunch time!

12:30 – We read our class story.

12:45 – We begin a topic activity, once we are finished we explore the classroom or our outdoor area.

1:45 – Afternoon playtime.

2:00 – Now we tidy up, wash our hands and have our milk and snack.

2:20 – We do some dancing and fine motor activities. We always do some mark making to get us ready for writing.

2:40 – We vote for a story and listen to it.

3:00 – We collect our things for home time and discuss our busy day!

(We do P.E. on a Thursday afternoon and Forest School on a Wednesday afternoon. If the weather is particularly nice, or the topic involves nature we may visit Forest School more than once a week.)

Phew! We are very busy all day which is why when it gets to Friday we are very tired. This timetable is flexible but this gives you an idea of how we run our day.
As we progress through the school year we will have longer phonics/maths sessions, targeted writing, group work and eventually begin handwriting sessions.

The weekly newsletter I send out includes what our topic is, what we are focusing on in phonics and maths and what you can do at home to support your child.

As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please speak to myself or Miss Wright when dropping or collecting your child from school.

Enjoy your weekend,

Miss Carter x

Our classroom..

This has been on the school website since early July – it has lots of great information on about school, staff members, our classroom and how we learn in Reception class.

Due to the pandemic no parents have been inside the classroom so hopefully you will enjoy seeing these pictures. Keep checking this blog for updates!

Bubble A saying CHEESE!

Big smiles – the last week in Reception class!

And a silly one!

Just a note to all parents to say THANK YOU for all your support this year. The children that returned to school settled in such an admirable way that I cannot even begin explain.

They have shown a level of resilliance that we can only hope to achieve as adults. They were amazing. We have been so busy making memories and going on adventures, digging at forest school and taking care of one another.

The children have made new friendships and I hope they all leave Reception with happy memories of school.

Please enjoy the 6 week holiday and everyone at Birdwell Primary will see you in September ❤️

Mathletics Hall of Fame

A huge well done to everyone who has been working on Mathletics throughout the lockdown. Especially to Michael in Year 5 who has logged over 70 hours. We will be celebrating the success of everyone who made it onto the Mathletics Hall of Fame when we return in September.

Congratulations to the winner of the Mathletics prize draw, your prize is on it’s way to you.

Don’t forget you can still log onto Mathletics throughout the summer, any certificates you achieve will be waiting for you in September.

We did phonics outside today!

We got a clipboard and went on a hunt for sounds – when we found one we had to think of a word with this sound in! Some of us worked in a pair and some of us did this independently.
Here are the sounds that were chalked on the floor:
oa
ar
or
igh
ee
ch
ai
If you are at home can you think of any words with these sounds in? Can you write them?
All of this writing has been done without adult support – WOW!!
Super listening, team work, phonics application and writing. Great job, bubble A.

Sports Day

 

We were so lucky to be able to have a mini sports day in Reception. Both bubbles were able to go on the field and compete in the egg and spoon race, obstacle course, long jump and running race. Phoenix was a superstar in the race around the field and Crystal was a very good sport who kept going even when the egg fell off her spoon for the hundredth time! Finally we did a penalty shootout and a huge well done to Albert and Elysie who went in goal. We had a fantastic time and everyone won a medal.

Our Pet Rocks

We found some rocks on the playground and decided they looked like fun pets. We painted them all different colours, added some eyes and hair and suddenly we had pet rocks. We named them and they all have their own house in the classroom and we make sure we check on them regularly. They will be coming home for the holidays on Friday.

We built a giant’s castle.

My giants castle has a secret door and a bridge and from the top you can see the whole world. I would love to live in the giants castle I think it would be awesome.

I made a castle boat for my giant with windows that no bad guys can get through.

My giants castle has 2 beanstalks growing up the side. It has a big door which Jack sneaks through and inside it is full of pineapples.

My giant beanstalk castle has lots of windows so you can see the pretty lights. The roof is for halloween parties and it has a castle kitchen to cook lots of things.

My giants castle has a warrior giant inside. It has windows and a big kitchen with a cooking cupboard.

I built a ship castle. It has a shed and wings in case it needs to fly.

This is my castle with a lovely roof. The Mum and Jack are standing outside the castle. The leaves make it look lovely.

To get down you have to use the pink beanstalk,I have made 2 beanstalks. The Mum is trying to get the hammer. The horse is trying to run away!

 

Today we combined maths and phonics. We learned how to play snakes and ladders, recognising the number on the dice and moving that many forward.
To make it even harder we had to read the word on the square we landed on.

Then we stuck some magic beans onto our hand prints and wrote a wish.

We also had our first handwriting lesson! We have learned ‘c’ and ‘a’ with the Birdwell flicks! I was so impressed with how hard they concentrated and the positive attitude towards lovely writing.

Welcome to our den!

At Forest School we decided to build a den. It kept drizzling so we got to work on making a shelter.

We gathered sticks to make a pretend bonfire and then used natural resources we found to make some marshmallow roasting sticks! We gathered around and pretended to be camping with our friends. What a nice afternoon of team work, good work Bubble A.

Skip to toolbar