Year Reception- what we have been learning w/c 27.4.26

 

Year Reception: What We Are Learning 

This term our topic is Plants and Growth. Our focus book this week was Tadpole’s Promise.

Here is what we have been up to:

During our water play we sang Five little speckled frogs and a range of other nursery rhymes. This supported the children’s communication and language development,as they joined in with familiar words and actions, as well as their expressive arts and design through music and movement.

We have been looking after our bean plants with great care and observing them with much curiosity.Some of the children’s beans have already developed stems and leaves- how exciting!

This week we learnt all about the life cycle of a frog. We visited the school pond for the second time,where the tadpoles are growing beautifully.The children enjoyed observing them as they swam and discussed the different stages of the life cycle using new vocabulary such as frogspawn, tadpoles and froglets,which they learned during their topic lessons this week.

In Literacy we recapped our red words the,a,I,of,he,go,to,my,was,you,we,they,she and remembered that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop. This week we learnt how to write the red word ‘have’. We wrote the features of a frog.

Please continue to read 5 times a week with your children and work on set 1,2 or 3 sounds as well as word time words (1.5, 1.6, 1.7 etc).

      

In Maths this week the children have been exploring verbal counting patterns beyond 20.They completed a range of activities to support their learning and understanding, including identyfing mystery numbers, playing “pass then number ball”, and taking turns to count up to 20.

Well done Reception for an amazing week - keep up all your brilliant work! 

Reception certificates w/c 27.04.2026

 Reception E for Excellence

We have had a fantastic week of learning and there has been so much to celebrate and be proud of in Reception! 

These children worked extremely hard and have been rewarded for all of their determination and efforts.

Apple 

E for Excellence -  David

I have made my teacher happy- Ivy

Star Writer - Keegan

Aspen 

E for Excellence - George

Star Writer - Evie

I have made my teacher happy- Nuzaifa

Alder

E for Excellence - Amaya

I have made my teacher happy- Mia

Star Writer - Tommy

Nursery certificates- 1.5.26

 

We are so proud to award this week’s E for Excellence to Maryam!

Maryam has shown fantastic communication skills during our art sessions. While creating her beautiful flowers, she not only focused on her artistic technique but also shared her process with us. It was a delight to hear her describe her work in such detail, explaining exactly what she was creating and why.

Well done, Maryam, for being so expressive and for sharing your wonderful ideas with your friends and teachers!

Congratulations to Sadie for being awarded the E for Excellence certificate this week. 

We are so impressed with your fantastic focus during group time! We are so proud of your super listening, your wonderful eye contact, and how well you are staying engaged. Keep up the brilliant work, Sadie!

Nursery Newsletter 1.5.26

 

Monday 4th May- Bank Holiday

Thursday 7th May- Polling Day 

Spring is in the air: Planting Sunflowers!

We are so excited to announce that next week, the children will be starting their very own sunflower project! To help our little gardeners get started, could we please ask you to bring in a clean, empty pot for your child next week? We will be filling these with soil and planting our sunflower seeds together. It is a fantastic way for the children to learn about nature, patience, and how plants grow. We can’t wait to see whose sunflower grows the tallest!

Ready for Sunny Days!

With the warmer weather finally arriving, we want to make sure everyone is ready for outdoor play! To keep our little ones safe and happy in the sun, could we please ask for your help with a couple of things:

• Suncream: Please ensure you have applied a layer of suncream to your child before they arrive at nursery.

• Labelled Hats: Please send your child in with a sun hat, and do make sure it is clearly labelled with their name so we can make sure it stays with the right person!

Thank you for helping us keep our outdoor adventures safe and sun-protected!

A Little Help with Our "Water Play" Wardrobe!

As the warmer weather arrives, our outdoor water and sensory play are in full swing! We believe that getting hands-on, and a bit messy, is vital for your child’s learning, sensory development, and confidence. Please expect some grass stains or wet clothes as evidence of their fun-filled days!

To keep everyone comfortable and help us manage frequent outfit changes, could you please:

• Check the Peg: Ensure a full, named spare set of clothes (including underwear and socks) is on their peg at all times.

• Label Everything: Please clearly label all clothing, hats, and coats. This helps us ensure your child’s belongings always find their way back home.

Thank you for your support in helping us provide these rich, tactile learning experiences.

Exploring Symmetry in Art!

This week in our art sessions, the children have been busy exploring the concept of symmetry through printing.

They started by painting colourful designs on one side of their paper, then carefully folded it over to create a perfect mirror image of their butterfly. It was wonderful to see them experimenting with patterns and colours, all while learning about how things can balance on either side of a middle point. Their finished butterflies look absolutely beautiful!

This week, our "Little Explorers" have been busy creating a variety of mini-beasts using playdough. Before getting started, we took a closer look at some real-life photos to observe the fine details, comparing the different body shapes and counting the legs of our insect friends.

It was fantastic to see the children applying what they observed to their creations. This activity is a brilliant way to build fine motor skills while introducing early scientific concepts like observation, classification, and anatomy. We are so proud of the detail they put into their doughy creations!

Making the Most of the Sunshine!

We have been absolutely loving the recent sunshine, and our outdoor space has become a hive of activity! It has been wonderful to see the children fully engaged in their environment, learning through play.

From building intricate structures and creating beautiful patterns, to drawing and tending to our plants, there has been no shortage of discovery. We’ve also seen some fantastic collaborative play, with the children using our various vehicles to transport resources around the garden. It is a brilliant way to develop their physical coordination, problem-solving, and teamwork skills!

The Stages of Learning to Cut

Children typically progress through these stages. Understanding this helps parents know where their child is in their development:

Snipping: The child learns to open and close the scissors to make single snips on paper.

Fringing: The child makes multiple snips along the edge of a paper (creating a "fringe").

Cutting across a straight line: Moving from one side of the paper to the other.

Cutting simple shapes: Moving to curved lines, then corners (squares/triangles), and eventually complex shapes.

Fine Motor Fun: Threading Fruits

This week, we have been working on our fine motor skills by threading wooden fruits. This activity might look simple, but it is actually a fantastic workout for the children's hands!

As they concentrate on guiding the lace through the small holes, they are developing:

Hand-eye coordination: Focusing on the target and moving their hands to meet it.

Pincer grip: Using those tiny muscles between the thumb and forefinger, which is essential for later writing skills.

Concentration & Patience: Learning to slow down and focus on a task until it's complete.

It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, the pride on their faces when they completed a full "fruit kebab" was a joy to witness!