Reception

Welcome to Term 2

The children were so happy to come back to school after the holidays, and see their friends and teachers again. They have grown so much already since the beginning of the year! They know the school's and classroom routines very well and have gained independence and confidence by walking to class alone every morning and writing their name when they arrive. They keep on building meaningful relationships with their friends, engage in more collaborative play and work on the social norms and rules acceptable in life.

Numeracy

The children have been revising their numbers by counting their friends, making an abacus for the classroom, doing the calendar every morning, singing nursery rhymes and through manipulatives of objects. They also enjoyed creating with the geometric shapes.

Practicing our counting🥳

It's amazing to see how fast they learn how to drag the cakes to Teddy 😍

Counts 15 concrete objects

Orders numbers 1-7

Using play dough to make number 2

Literacy/ Language

The children have enjoyed creating their own little book and reading it to their friends. They also enjoyed reading books alone or with friends, inside and outside.

The children have also embarked on the BIG adventure of phonics by learning about letter "s" and "a":
- tracing the letters in the sand
- forming the letters with playdough
- painting the letters
- find words beginning with "s" and "a"
- look for words beginning with "s" and "a" in books

Building the sound "s" with playdough

Snake for the sound "s"

practicing the sound "a" with paint

Since last week, the children have been learning about the community helpers.

A big thank you to Ms Charlotte, our school's nurse and to the parents who gave their time to come to class last week and talked to the children about their job:
- Michelle Kong (optometrist)
- Poonam Kangloo (doctor)
- Mrs Hitasha (dentist)

The children had a really nice moment discovering the different jobs and manipulating some of the materials they brought.

Role Play "Brain Surgery"

Listening to the heart of their friends

The children have also made some stethoscopes and tensiometers for the role play area. They had fun pretending to listen to the patient's chest and writing prescriptions like doctors, and giving medicines to the patient Coco like nurses.

This week, the children were busy creating pizzas, menus and chef hats for our role play pizzeria.
Lots of planning, thinking and executing for our little ones.

Little chef making toast

Cooking pizza

Sensory experiences

The children have enjoyed various sensory activities: play dough, kinesthetic sand, chalk and water spray, process arts...

Why is process art important for children? When children engage in process art activities, the emphasis is on the experience of creating. They are no teacher instructions to follow. The more important is the exploration of materials, joy of experimentation and the freedom to express themselves without limitations. It is about the journey, not the destination.

Did you know ? The act of creating art strengthens neural pathways, especially those related to motor skills, spatial reasoning and sensory integration. This connectivity is crucial for overall cognitive development.

Here is a video explaining the importance of process art vs product art for children: What Is Process Art and Why Is It Important? (youtube.com)

Ahana made a game using glitters and a plastic lid

Busy creating with recycle boxes

Use and control of small manipulatives

Playing with puppets

Physical development

The children keep strengthening their big body muscles by climbing on the tree, swinging, running, jumping, walking on tires, rolling the tires etc.

Did you know? Children naturally need to use their body. Big body play develop the children's confidence, creativity, cognitive, social and personal interactions, emotional regulations, ability to assess risks and wait for their turn, minimize difficult and challenging behaviors. Moving their body also strengthen connections in their brain that get them ready for life. Children who move less and spend more time in front of screens are at risk to have more mental health issues as a teen.

Finland is the happiest country in the world. They do not push children in early years and encourage them to spend a lot of time outside, which give them enough big body works for academic learning.

If you want to learn more, check this article from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Excerpt from Big Body Play (naeyc.info)

Reception Team
- Ms Annecila, Ms Lea, Ms Emilie & Ms Ansy