Reading
This half term the children have read Yucky Worms by Vivian French. We learnt lots of interesting facts about worms and found some worms in the garden during continuous provision. Then we drew worms and made our own worms using playdough and pipe cleaners. Our next book is ‘The Gigantic Turnip’.

We celebrated World Book Day and the children came into school all dressed up as their favourite book characters. In class we enjoyed listening to an audio book called ‘The dragon that loves spaghetti’. It was lovely to see all the children engaged in a variety of activities.

Understanding the world
This term has been extremely busy, children have been learning about different traditions and celebration whilst gaining many opportunities to try new food and expand their taste buds. For example, for Chinese new year, we opened a Chinese restaurant in the role play area and the children had the opportunities to taste; prawn crackers, stir fry, fortune cookies and spring rolls which they could dip into their sweet and sour sauce.

We also celebrated Pancake day. The children were extremely excited and they used key vocabulary throughout the week when discussing how to make the pancake batter and what steps are involved during the cooking process. It was lovely to see children apply their phonetic knowledge to write instructions for making their pancake in their book. Children also loved listening to the story ‘Mr. Wolf’s Pancake’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXQDiqHp-xM

Similarly, this half term, we have also been learning all about growing. The children have planted their own cress seeds and will be observing them as they grow. They also had the opportunity to go on a Spring walk around the school to observe signs of Spring.

Phonic
All children will be assessed and will be moving into their new phonics group next term.  Every class in Foundation is making tremendous progress and beginning to read longer texts and answer comprehension style questions.

Maths
In Maths, the children have been learning about the numbers 9 and 10. They were encouraged to count to 10 using objects arranged in different ways, touching each object as they counted. In class, they found objects in the provision and identified groups of 9 and 10, as well as the corresponding numerals. The children have also been learning to identify parts and wholes, as well as to find more and fewer. We are now recognising and exploring 3D shapes found in the environment and creating different patterns with them. 

RE
This half term the children have been doing lessons which are designed to introduce the concept of wonder in the universe through science and technology. They have looked at different light sources like torches and glow sticks, explored the concept of space exploration and looked at the different phases of the moon.

Phonics
Children in Foundation are thriving in phonics and are beginning to read words with great accuracy and fluency. There are individuals who are now starting to read sentences and are being taught set 2 sounds. Please continue to listen to your child read at home and access the phonics home learning documents to strengthen their understanding and continue to make progress.

Maths
In Maths the children have been learning about measurements. They had the opportunity to explore the concept of capacity and weight. Children used language such as ‘bigger than’, ‘less than’, ‘balanced’, ’empty’, ‘full’, ‘half full’. This week we are learning about doubles to 5. Children will have the opportunity to find a double in the provision and make their own using a variety of templates.

Reading
Children have been learning about the story ‘Whatever Next` By Jill Murphy. Children talked about what they would take to the moon. They also had the chance to make their own rocket and use CVC words to label pictures found in the book. We are now reading the story ‘The Train Ride’.

English
For English the children have been exposed to different stories and they are now able to write captions/ sentences related to the pictures. This has included looking at the books; ‘Hello Winter’ and ‘Jack Frost’.

Continuous provision
This term the children had a chance to play in their own Café where they were able to make their own hot drinks and serve biscuits/ cakes. This week the children were excited to have the opportunity to taste different foods that are eaten during Chinese New Year Celebrations.

Phonics:
Children in Foundation are thriving in phonics and are beginning to blend the sounds together to read CVC words with great accuracy and fluency. Positively, some individuals are reading words that have special friends eg. words with sh, ch, qu. Please continue to listen to your child read at home and also access the phonics home learning documents to strengthen their understanding so they can continue to make steady progress.

Reading:
This term we have explored the story ‘Owl Babies’. Children investigated the setting and retold the story using their imagination. They also captured how the characters felt throughout the story. Children have also learnt the story ‘We’re Going On a Bear Hunt’. They were able to retell it using actions and expression. Next week the children will be doing some poetry.

RE:
This term our theme for RE is Humanity. The children have learnt about the importance of being kind and respectful. They have also learnt about who helps us in our community and what makes them special.

Maths:
In Maths this half term the children have been focusing on numbers up to 5. They have matched numbers to their quantities and have been using their new skill of subitising. They have become familiar with using a ten frame to record different numbers and to say what is one more or one less than a given number.

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.

Phonics
Children in Foundation are thriving in phonics and are beginning to read words with great accuracy and fluency. There are individuals who are now starting to read sentences and are being taught set 2 sounds. Please continue to listen to your child read at home and access the phonics home learning documents to strengthen their understanding and continue to make progress.

Maths
In Maths children having been learning about measurements. They had the opportunity to explore the concept of capacity and weight. Children used language such as ‘bigger than’, ‘less than’, ‘balanced’, ’empty’, ‘full’, ‘half full’. This week we are learning about doubles to 8. Children will have the opportunity to find a double in the provision and make their own using a variety of templates.

Understanding of the World

This term, the children have been learning about Journeys and Transport. We read ‘Rosie’s walk’ and ‘Albert in the air’ and discussed ways which we travel to school and other places. We have also looked at transport from the past and present and shared ideas on how they are similar and different. In our role play area, the children have been busy booking flights, making phone calls and buying tickets to travel to places of interest around the world. It has been an amazing learning journey!

Reading
Children have been learning about the story ‘Whatever Next` By Jill Murphy. Children talked about what they would take to the moon. They also had the chance to make their own rocket and use CVC words to label pictures found in the book.

We are now looking forward to our new story, “Ruby’s Worry’ by Tom Percival. Children will begin to unpick this story and learn about how to respond to having their own worries.