Phonics:
In Phonics the children have been taught all of the set 1 single sounds. Some children are beginning to blend the phonetic sounds together to read CVC words.

Reading:
This term we have been reading the story ‘The Colour Monster Goes to School’. They have focused on recognising different emotions and have been able to articulate how feelings can change their behaviour. We have also been reading the story ‘ Hello Friend’. The children uncovered ways to be good friends and build positive friendships. Likewise, they have learnt about the importance of being kind and the value of being a good friend. They are now reading the story ‘Ruby’s Worry’.

RE:
This term our theme for RE is God and Faith. The children have learnt about places of worship such as mosques, churches and synagogues. They have been introduced to different religious symbols and have connected them to the correct religious group.

Continuous provision:
The children have been busy bees accessing the continuous provision areas. They have been developing their creative skills by working on their scissor and brush control. Recently, the children have been learning about Mae Jemison and bursting with imaginative ideas as they became designers in the junk modelling area, creating rockets. Our mathematicians have continued comparing, sorting and matching learning in Maths. The term’s topic ‘Ourselves’ was explored thoroughly using a selection of natural resources. The children were engaged and enjoyed creating photos of their families and friends.

Outdoor learning:
What a great start to this year’s outdoor weeks! The weather has not been as kind to us this year, but the children have still enjoyed some outdoor learning. They have been busy in the Mud Kitchen (Wiggy Cafe) cooking a variety of recipes, like mud cakes and Mud hot chocolate. The children have also enjoyed building a three-story car park using a selection of wooden blocks. Next term, they will continue working on their gross motor skills and building their friendship circle.

Understanding the world:
We have had fun looking for the signs of Autumn in our outside provision. We have spotted the leaves which are changing colour and have noticed that it is getting darker earlier. The weather is getting colder too as well as wet! We have been on an Autumn walk and have taken some pictures of what we observed.

Maths:
The children started this term by learning to match objects that are the same, such as pairs of socks or gloves. They have also been grouping different objects into two groups according to their colour, shape, and size.

Phonics:
Children in Foundation are thriving in phonics and are reading real words quickly. They are beginning to read alien words with greater accuracy and fluency. There are individuals who are now starting to write sentences and are being taught set 3 sounds. Please continue to listen to your child read at home and access the phonics home learning documents to strengthen their understanding so they continue to make progress.

Maths: 
This term we have been learning to count to 20. Children are challenged to recognise and write the numbers. They were also using different mathematical resources to represent a number between 1 – 20.

Understanding the World:
This half term we have started to learn all about animals. We have looked at animals that live on the farm and animals that we might have as pets. The children were excited when Mrs. Keenan brought her chickens into school for them to observe and talk about. Mr. Johnston also visited us with his dog Maggie, the children were able to ask him lots of questions about Maggie and how to care for her. We are going to compare animals that live in the UK with those that live in Africa later this half term as well as looking at animals that live in the sea.

Continuous Provision:
The children have had a Vet’s Clinic in the role play area where they have had the opportunity to reinforce their learning about animals and how to care for them. They have  also used play dough to model different animals and have made farm animal face masks using different collage materials.

Reading:
Our focus books for this half term were Stanley’s Stick and Splash, Anna Hibiscus!. After reading Stanley’s stick, the children used their imagination to think of different ways they could use their sticks. Pen, Pencil, walking stick, wand, and brush were some of the ways they used their sticks.

The children also enjoyed reading Splash, Anna Hibiscus. They listened to a beach-setting video without watching it and then used their imagination to draw a picture of what they thought could be on the cover page. Through the book talk, the children explored the setting and the characters and wrote a sentence about them. Next half term we will be reading about The Gruffalo and Biscuit Bear. 

Writing:
In English, the children have been writing about the story of Farmer Duck and have been using lots of their phonic sounds, including some special friends! They also had a go at using tricky words in their writing.

Next term, the children will be focusing more on how to extend sentences using ‘and’.

Reading
This half term the children have read Yucky Worms by Vivian French. We learnt lots of interesting facts about worms and they found some worms in the garden during continuous provision. They drew worms and made their own worms using playdough and pipe cleaners. We are now focusing on poetry by reading Zim Zam Zoom by James Carter which are a collection of zappy poems to read out loud.

We celebrated World Book Day and the children came to school all dressed up as book characters. We enjoyed listening to stories, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar as we knew we were having some special visitors arriving soon. They also had a tasting session of all the foods listed in the book. It was lovely to see so many parents coming in to listen to their children read.

Writing
The children used their phonics knowledge to write a set of instructions on how to make a pancake and how to plant a bean. Recently they wrote sentences to describe two characters called Tad and Blub after reading Tad. They showed how they are able to use finger spaces in their sentences.

Understanding of the world
This half term, we have been learning all about growing. The children have planted their own bean seed and have been observing them as they grow. We have discussed what they need in order to grow. The children have been excited to have some special visitors arrive in Early Years. Last week we had some frogspawn and caterpillars delivered. The children named the caterpillars and have been observing the changes that are happening each day. The children were delighted to see that we now have tadpoles swimming in the tank!

Continuous Provision
The children have been exploring different role play areas such as a Garden Centre and a Baby Clinic. They have had opportunities to reinforce their learning and have created their own models linked to all the topics we have been learning about.

Phonic
All children have been assessed and and have been introduced to their new phonics group. Every class in Foundation is making tremendous progress and beginning to read longer texts and answer comprehension style questions.

Maths
This Spring term we have been learning about number bonds to 10, odd and even numbers and recalling one more and one less. We are now recognising and exploring 3D shapes found in the environment and making different patterns with them.