Reception Class News

Summer 1: Week 2

On Monday, a very special parcel arrived at school… inside were five tiny and very hungry caterpillars!

The children were full of excitement as I carefully opened the box. We spent time observing the caterpillars closely, noticing their size, movement, and how eager they were to begin feeding.
Over the next few weeks, we’re looking forward to watching them grow and change. The children will have the opportunity to observe each stage of their journey. This links perfectly to our word of the week: metamorphosis—the process some living things go through to become adults.

We can’t wait to share updates as our caterpillars continue their incredible transformation!

DT
In the creative area, we’ve been exploring how to safely use hand drills to make holes in pieces of wood. The children have been learning to handle the tools with care, applying the right amount of pressure and control to create their holes. They showed great concentration and enthusiasm as they developed these new practical skills.
Next week, we’re excited to put these skills into practice by working together to build a class bug hotel for our outdoor area. Thank you to everyone who has collected natural resources to help fill our bug hotel—we really appreciate your support!

Stay & Learn
Thank you to everyone who attended our final Stay & Learn session today.  We hope you found the session helpful and came away with some useful tips and ideas for supporting your child’s fine motor skills. If you were unable to attend, click here to view the slides.

Home learning activity

Living and Learning: I know the importance of sleep.

Yesterday in Living and Learning, we talked about  the importance of sleep. We were so impressed by their thoughtful and mature contributions as they shared their ideas about why sleep helps our bodies and minds. The children talked about feeling more energetic, happy, and ready to learn after a good rest.

Lu – I want to sleep because I want to grow.
Ha – If I don’t sleep enough, I get tired.
Ar – If I can’ sleep, I ask my Dad to hug me.
Ken – Sleep helps your body recover from things.
Ro – Sleep is important because it helps you recharge your brain.
Imo – Sleep gives us more energy.
Ka – Sleep is good for you because it makes you intelligent and good at writing.
Sal – It gives you lots of energy so you can grow.

Help at home: Continue the conversation at home by talking about bedtime routines and why a good night’s sleep is so important.

Summer term after-school clubs

Summer 1: Week 1

Welcome back! We hope you all had a happy and healthy break.

This half-term, our topic is Life on Earth. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be learning about life cycles. The children will closely observe caterpillars to help them understand the four stages of a life cycle. We’re very excited for our tiny caterpillars to arrive!

Help at home: Use the story map sheet to help retell the story.

We’ve been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and using story maps with actions to help retell the story. On Wednesday, the children created their own story maps, with some choosing to change parts of the story using their own ideas.
We’ve also made the most of the warmer weather by planting, going on bug hunts, and enjoying story time outdoors.

We’ve seen some fantastic independent learning during choosing time. The children have been highly engaged with the chilli challenges.
Tennis
Yesterday, we took part in a tennis session with Paul from Roundhay Tennis Club. The children had great fun learning new skills and using tennis rackets.
Reminders

• We will be adding new Phase 4 tricky words to your child’s phonics book. Please ensure your child brings their red phonics book every Thursday.
• As the weather gets warmer, children often remove jumpers and cardigans—please make sure all items are clearly labelled.
• Our final Stay & Learn session will take place next Wednesday at 2:15pm.

Home learning activity

Roundhay tennis opportunities

This week, we welcome Paul from Roundhay Tennis Club who will be running a taster tennis session for Reception and Year 1 classes, giving children the opportunity to try tennis and inspire them to pick up a racket.

Life on Earth

Spring 2: Week 6

This week in Reception, we have been enjoying our focus story Rabbits Don’t Lay Eggs! The children found the book rather comical and loved the funny ideas in it. We read statements from the story and played a true or false game to check our understanding.

Maths
We explored sorting and classifying! They sorted objects by colour, size, or function and talked about what they noticed. We started with adult-led games like How am I sorting? before the children chose their own ways to sort.

Later in the week, we used our sorting skills with Numberblocks to explore even and odd numbers. The children investigated doubles and used building and gestures to help them see how numbers are made.

Poetry basket
This week’s poem is called A Little Seed.
We’ve been focussing on the words sow (plant by scattering or putting soil in) and shower (a short period of rain).

Summer 1
Next half-term, we’ll be exploring bugs and animals! The children will go on bug hunts, learn about the life cycle of butterflies, and design mini-beast hotels.
In Geography, we’ll find out where our favourite animals come from and compare their habitats to the UK. As artists, we’ll mix colours for camouflage and create animal landscapes for our small world play.

Finally…
I can’t believe we only have one more term together! You’ve all made tremendous progress this half-term, and I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved. I hope you have a happy, healthy, and restful break with your family and friends. Don’t forget to send some photos of what you get up to! I look forward to seeing you all back at school on Monday 20th April for the summer term!

Poetry Basket: Hungry birdies

This week’s poem is called Hungry Birdies.
We’ve been focussing on the words beak (a bird’s mouth) and spread (to open out).

Spring 2: Week 5

Visitors
Yesterday, we were very excited about our Teddy Bear Hospital workshop. Their interactive session helped promote healthy living while gently easing any worries about hospitals and doctors. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in activities, learning basic first aid, and discovering ways to keep themselves healthy.
Literacy
We continued to use the story map to retell Jack and the Beanstalk. We enjoyed using actions and, of course, prosody when retelling.
Click here to watch us.

Art
In art, we used tracing paper and templates of transport-related objects to create our own designs, inspired by Michael Craig-Martin. Here are some of our fantastic pieces of artwork.
Maths
This week, we developed our visualising skills by looking at arrangements of dots and describing what we could “see” in our minds. We practised subitising (recognising amounts without counting), helping us to understand equal groups.

Using practical resources and pictures, we explored dice patterns, finger numbers, and doubling numbers up to 10. We also used mathematical language to describe how objects were arranged, deepening our understanding.
Help at Home: Practise subitising and doubling

• Show your child dice or domino patterns. Ask: “Is this a double or not? How do you know?”
• Encourage your child to use their fingers to show the double.
• Can they make the double using small objects, like buttons, grapes, or toys?

Choosing time
In the early years, independent learning is a special and important part of your child’s day at school. We call this time choosing. During this time, children have the opportunity to follow their interests, explore different activities, and learn in their own way. They can create, make connections, share their ideas, and build confidence as they try new things.

Here’s a little snapshot of some of the wonderful independent learning that has taken place this week.

Poetry Basket: Spring Wind

This week’s poem is called Spring Wind.
We’ve been focussing on the words gruff (harsh, rough) and growly (a low, rough sound).
Enjoy the Comic Relief pyjama performance!