Reception weekly newsletter

Term:  Spring 2                       Date 04.03.13

We are continuing with our topic, ‘Growing and Changing’. This week’s and next week’s learning will be based around the story of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’.  This is to prepare us for our trip to Tropical Wings and to also incorporate healthy eating as requested by some parents.

We will also be thinking about our mums as Mother’s Day approaches. 

On Friday we will be having our Witches and Wizard’s day.  We will be sharing stories by Julia Donaldson including ‘Room on the Broom’.  Our particular focus for the day will be on rhyming language.   Your child will be taking part in the following activities within the seven areas of development (activities are subject to change, depending on the children’s interests; however, the skills remain the same):

Personal, Social and Emotional Development.

• Discussing the story of the hungry caterpillar. Identifying which foods he ate that were healthy and why he felt so ill.

Communication and Language

• The children need to be bringing in their reading books daily.  We praise the children who regularly read at home to an adult and have a reward system in place.
• Discussing what the children already know about Life cycles, encouraging correct vocabulary.

Physical

• Playing on the bikes, aeroplane, and with the small apparatus.
• PE in the hall – please ensure PE kits are returned by Wednesday.
• Making their own playdough

Literacy

• Writing our names encouraging correct pencil grip.
• We will be continuing our daily Read Write Inc sessions.
• Threading pasta.
• Writing messages in Mothers’ Day cards.

Maths

• Exploring ‘Ten Town’ encouraging correct number formation.
• Singing 7 days of the week song.  Reinforce days of the week, through hungry caterpillar story. Can the children sequence the days of the week in a zig zag book. To extend further by adding the right number of fruits.  Can the children answer, which day is Tuesday? Which day is before Friday? How many days in the week? etc….
• Simple addition using ‘The very hungry caterpillar’ fruits

Understanding of the World

• Sharing the story of the Hungry caterpillar. Can the children identify the different life cycle changes? To explain the life cycle of a butterfly using the key word – egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly.  Children will then create their own life cycles of a butterfly using photo graphic images. To label diagrams with correct vocabulary. We will be asking the children to verbally explain their life cycles? Are they using the correct language? Are they sequencing correctly?
• To continue to look after the planted beans.

• Mr Bloom’s Nursery games and activities.

Expressive Arts and Design

• Music express – caterpillar activity.
• Learning the song – ‘Wish I could fly like a butterfly’.
• Enjoying our daily dance warm up to the ‘5 a day’ fitness programme.
• Role play – Giants castle and Police Station.
• Making Mothers’ Day cards.

Messages:

• Please follow Broadford on facebook (remember to press the ‘like’ button) and twitter.  We update the Early Years blog regularly with photos and information.
• Please complete the topic sheet that we will be sending home, to inform us what your child already knows and what they want to find out about.
• Children may bring in something related to ‘Growing and Changing’ for Show and Tell on Friday afternoon. Toys must be topic related.
• Please bring in your signed forms and donations for the school trip.
• Many thanks to the parents who have offered to come with us to Tropical Wings. We now have enough adults.

Homework:

This half terms homework theme is ‘Growing’.  Please work with your child to make a collage about their own growth and development or maybe the life cycle of animals/minibeasts.  Alternatively your child could plant something at home and record its growth in a dairy using pictures and photos and then bring it in to show us. Homework needs to be returned during the last week of term.

We look forward to listening to your child sharing their homework with the class.

Thank you for your continued support.