Summer Term: Week 1
It was absolutely lovely to welcome all the children back to school this week after the Easter holiday. The children looked so grown up as they returned to their school uniforms. They were happy, smiling, full of enthusiasm and raring to go. This term promises to be busy and exciting. Let’s hope the sunshine stays with us and that parents are able to attend our key events later in the term.
Year 2 began the summer term learning about castles in history and going on safari in geography. The classroom has been a buzz of excitement and many questions have been asked about the Battle of Hastings and whether it would be possible to visit Kenya on a school trip! The children have thoroughly enjoyed being back together and welcoming two new members to the class. Stories of Easter egg hunts and seeing family and friends have been a joy to listen to.
Year 1 recounted their holiday adventures to their friends and have been very busy starting several exciting topics including Pets and Gardens to Jungles to Under the Sea. They have been enthusiastically finding out about mammals and vertebrates and held some super discussion. They have also shown creativity and flair with their paintings and work on the computers.
Reception have been looking at Space. They talked about the planets and brainstormed what they already knew about space – which was quite a lot! They have also started making papier-mâché planets. In Forest School, the children used a variety of natural materials to create their own planets and then used different vocabulary to describe their work. They came up with an exciting range of names for their planets – please do ask them.
This week the Chaffinch and Kingfisher children started their topic of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The story explains the life cycle of a caterpillar/butterfly. It also teaches children about the days of the week and healthy eating. The children loved listening to the story and counted how many items the caterpillar ate each day while predicting what might happen next. As the caterpillar ate his way through lots of different food, one child said “He’s got tummy ache!” while another commented, “A lollipop, cheese, melon and a sausage” and a third said, “He was so hungry!” Towards the end of the story one of the children said “Look! a butterfly”. Chaffinch children then demonstrated fantastic scissor skills, cutting out a leaf for their caterpillar egg while Kingfisher children painted their leaves.
Nightingale have made a beach theme display. They used their fine motor skills to decorate sandcastle shapes with real sand. This term the children’s role play is a doctor’s surgery. The children have been very engaged could be heard saying: “Let’s make you better” and “Sit down. You have a poorly leg”. They enjoyed dressing up in the nurses and doctors costumes!
In the Robin class, the children have been exploring different sensory textures and ways to make marks with them. They put lentils in tights and used their gross motor skills to bounce the tights to paint marks on a big piece of paper in the garden. They also explored chia seed slime in trays and the children observed the marks their fingers could make in the new, gooey texture.
The Sparrow class have had a lovely week gaining more independent and building relationships with their friends and teachers.
Armelle Wilkinson
Head of Pre-Prep and Nursery
