One of the highlights of this half term was our exciting trip to Cannon Hall Farm. We were lucky to have beautiful sunshine and everyone had a wonderful day. The children were incredibly polite and behaved exceptionally well throughout the visit.
During our trip, we learnt all about the farm animals and their babies, including how to care for them and the different habitats they need to live happily and safely. We even had the opportunity to feed some of the animals! Of course, we also made time for some fun on the playground and enjoyed exploring the maze.
Following our visit, the children produced some fabulous writing linked to our experiences. We are so proud of the progress being made with writing skills — many children are now beginning to use capital letters, full stops and finger spaces independently in their super sentences.
Our technology skills are also developing brilliantly. During our Mini Mash sessions, the children are now able to independently log themselves on and confidently navigate programmes using drag-and-drop tools.
In PE, we have been practising our throwing and catching skills outdoors while enjoying the sunshine. We discussed different types of passes and how to position ourselves so we are ready to receive the ball from a partner.
In our creative learning, we explored our solar system by learning the names of the planets and discovering interesting facts about them. Working together as a team, we then created fantastic papier-mâché planets. The finished models look absolutely amazing and the children were very proud of their work!
We have also explored several wonderful books this half term including:
Tad
Carnival of the Animals
Martha Maps It Out
Through Tad, we learnt about the life cycle of a frog, enjoyed learning two lovely songs and wrote letters to Tad encouraging her not to fear Big Blub!
Inspired by Carnival of the Animals, we imagined where a magical secret door might take us. Many children chose chocolate worlds or luxurious holiday destinations!
Finally, after reading Martha Maps It Out, we explored different maps, created our own imaginative worlds and designed treasure maps to send out to sea in bottles.
In Maths, we have been developing our understanding of simple addition and subtraction through a range of practical and engaging activities. We explored ‘first, then, now’ number stories to help us understand how numbers change and to answer the question, “How many are there now?” The children enjoyed acting out number problems and using real objects to support their learning.
We also used double-sided counters and ten frames as visual aids to help us clearly see how many objects had been added or taken away. These hands-on resources have helped the children build confidence when solving number problems and explaining their mathematical thinking. We are becoming much more confident at recognising number patterns, counting accurately and beginning to use mathematical vocabulary independently during our learning.
For World Earth Day, we spent time discussing the different ways we can help to look after our planet. The children shared lots of thoughtful ideas, including putting litter in the bin, turning lights off when leaving a room, and making sure taps are turned off to avoid wasting water.
To celebrate the day, the children created some wonderful Earth Day artwork. One piece used handprints to represent the planet, while another involved using cotton wool and dripping blue and green paint to create beautiful pictures of Earth.
This half term we also particiapted in the Foxhill Cross Country Event, where every child successfully completed an impressive 2km run! The children showed fantastic determination, resilience and perseverance throughout the event, especially when the course became challenging and tiring. They encouraged one another, kept a positive attitude and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship from start to finish. It was wonderful to see everyone trying their very best and achieving such a fantastic accomplishment!
We have also had the exciting opportunity to welcome author Bethan Woollvin to school. The day began with an engaging assembly, where the children learned about her journey to becoming an author and illustrator, explored a glimpse inside her studio, and enjoyed listening to her retelling of Robin Hood.
Later, the children took part in a creative workshop inspired by the story Rapunzel. Bethan Woollvin guided the children through a fun drawing session, showing them how to sketch characters from the story and inspiring their own creativity and imagination.
It has certainly been a busy but brilliant half term!
We hope you all have a lovely Spring Break and let’s hope the sunshine continues!
We look forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks, refreshed and ready for our final half term in Reception.
Warm regards,
Mrs Dolby & The Reception Team