EARLY YEARS

NURSERY

What an incredible, action-packed start we've had to Autumn 2 term! The last two weeks have absolutely flown by and have been filled with so much learning, fun, and, most importantly, laughter! The children have settled back in wonderfully and their energy and enthusiasm have been truly infectious.

A major highlight was definitely our special visit from the local police officers! The children were brilliant, asking some very thoughtful questions. They loved the chance to try on the uniform and even got to sit inside the police car. The loudest and most exciting part, of course, was listening to the siren, it was so loud, but a huge hit!

Our classroom has been a hub of creativity! We've been delving into the fascinating world of colour mixing. The children have been exploring this using paint on paper, with their hands, and even mixing water colours, the results have been vibrant! The block area has seen some incredible architectural masterpieces, with the children busy constructing elaborate places of worship. Simultaneously, the new bakery role-play area has been a huge success! We've been served countless lovely, imaginary cakes and bakes, fostering their social skills and imagination.

This week we focused on Remembrance. I was so proud of how respectfully the children took part in the 2-minute silence. It was a meaningful moment. We also had great discussions about why we wear poppies and enjoyed getting messy creating our own poppy prints.

This past week was also Nursery Rhyme Week, and we've had a brilliant time singing, moving, and exploring lots of different rhymes. In our number work, we introduced a fun new activity: using our character phone-book to call our favourite characters! Elsa has been the most popular contact. It has been great to learn how to use a rotary dial phone to practice number recognition and fine motor skills.

Finally, we held an Odd Sock Day to raise the profile of anti-bullying. This led to excellent discussions about what it means to be a good friend and the importance of helping others.

Thank you for your support as we embark on this exciting new term. Your children are doing exceptionally well, and I look forward to the next few weeks of fun and learning!

RECEPTION

Welcome back Jet and Ruby Class! We have missed seeing your smiley faces everyday!

Over the last 2 weeks, the children have been working really hard in Literacy. We have explored 2 books so far: "Dipals Diwali" and "The Leaf Thief". During last weeks learning, the children got their creative hats on to create their Diya Lamps - these were beautiful! This week, the children have been exploring seasons, in particular autumn, and how this changes the trees and the environment. Both classes have had the chance to create their own leaf thief and have explained what they look like! 

In phonics, we have continued to learn a range of phonemes. The four phonemes that we have worked on are: /v/, /w/, /x/, /y/. We have been super impressed with the children's oral blending of words. We are continuing to look at initial sounds when segmenting to spell and are also looking at CVC words when blending to read e.g. pig, bed, man, dog, cat, duck. 

In recognition Remembrance Day, the children have created a range of poppy art. We have been super impressed with their response to these activities and their understanding of what Remembrance Day is. They have also made some lovely Children In Need art activities this week. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the children's odd socks and Children in Need outfits this week :) 

I wonder what we will get up to next week...