Author: Mrs Wood

The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum emphasises the importance of the outdoor environment. As you know, we have enhanced our outdoor area to improve the quality of learning experiences for the children:

• Being outdoors has a positive impact on children’s sense of well-being and helps all aspects of children’s development.
• Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors.
• It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world.
• Outdoor environments give children freedom to explore, use their senses and be physically active and exuberant.

Reception had fun developing their fine motor skills this week.  Fine motor activities are essential to help your child develop the skills needed for good handwriting. Why don’t you try some of these activities at home?

• use padlocks and keys – how quickly can your child unlock them?
• clothes pegs – how many can your child peg around a box in one minute?
• how many small beads can (s)he pick up in one minute using tweezers?
• mix pasta and dried peas – can your child separate them using tweezers?
• how many bubble wrap bubbles can (s)he pop?

Don’t forget that gross motor skills such as climbing, carrying, pulling and pushing are important too!

The children have been enjoying our new outdoor area.

Did you know that in order to develop perfect coordination of body and brain, children need to do lots of actions in which their muscles encounter resistance such as pushing, pulling, stretching and carrying?

Children like to hang from bars, to dig and rake and to feel tension in their limbs. Activities which allow for this are skipping, climbing, pedalling bicycles and pushing wheelbarrows.  We intend to do lots of these over the year.

Significantly, movement is actually what allows children to sit still!

It is not long now until your child starts school. We will begin our home visits this week and look forward to seeing you and your children.

Our home visits are an opportunity for you to share as much information as you can with us in order to ensure the transition into school is as smooth as possible for your child. In addition, the information you give us will help us to support your child to reach their full potential. Please feel free to ask lots of questions at the visit and to provide us with information which will help us give your child the best possible start to school.

We have reached the last week of the children’s first year at school! Over the course of the year, we’ve seen the children grow in confidence, make firm friends and develop into happy and healthy learners.

• Well done, Isaac, Manpreet, Sachpreet, Martha and Noorpreet, for your amazing progress in reading.
• Well done, Isaiah and Dylan, for your creativity and positive attitude to your learning.
• We have been impressed with Ripley’s and Alex’s mathematical knowledge and ability throughout the year.
• Well done, Ismail and Ishaan, for trying really hard with your handwriting and also to Nicky for remembering to hold his pencil correctly!
• Theo has been one of the busiest members of the class and Ben one of the politest this year.
• Well done, Lori, for being the best tidier!
• We have all been impressed with Lewis’s drawings and artwork and with Mia’s individual designs and ideas.
• Well done, Albert, Farai, Josh and Ethan, for your Lego stories!
• It has been a delight to see Pia, Grace and Phoebe grow in confidence throughout the year.
• Well done, Thomas, for persevering with your writing and always being cheerful and positive.
• Well done, Filip, for your enthusiasm during our ‘Jungle’ topic.
• Humairah has been our chattiest and friendliest member of the class and we will miss Gabby’s giggles!
• Well done, Karam, for learning to listen well and to Kai for his exemplary learning behaviour!

Have a great summer!

We had a great day at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Our butterflies finally emerged from their cocoons last week and on Friday we released them.

waiting…                                     waiting…                                        waiting…

Reception enjoy exploring and discovering the world around them.