Reception Newsletter 29.2.16

Reception Newsletter 22.02.16

Our 'Growing and Changing' topic started well last week with a Freshwater Theatre visit. The children had a fantastic time on the action-packed sensory adventure and were able to use their imaginations to create a magical, minibeast themed story together at the end of the session. 
We were also very fortunate to have the opportunity to see some minibeasts up close thanks to the Amazing Animal experience arranged by Nursery. As well as watching the millipedes and beetles the children also had the chance to stroke a Meercat and hold a rather large snake!

This week we have a Healthy Eating workshop on Tuesday. Our story of the week is 'Jack and the Beanstalk', the children will be planting their own bean plants this week.

Due to of the volume of drink money being collected, distributed and organising the change for drinks is beginning to take away valuable teaching time.  We kindly request that if you would like your child to purchase a drink (30p each) that they bring in the correct money daily in a labelled purse, envelope or wallet, which can be kept in your child's tray.

These are the skills we will be focusing on this week;

Personal, Social and Emotional:
Explains own knowledge and understanding, and asks appropriate questions of others.
Encouraging children to negotiate and solve problems without aggression e.g. when someone has taken their toy.

Communication and Language:
Encouraging children to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions in their play.
Modelling extending sentences encouraging children to explain their reasoning.

Physical Development:
Ensuring the children use the correct pencil grip.
Throwing and catching a large ball.

Literacy:
Encouraging the children to use their phonics in their play and write simple captions.
Modelling writing thought bubbles as Jack climbs the Beanstalk.
Writing messages for the giant.
Discussing alternative endings for the story.

Mathematics:
Beginning to use mathematical names for 'solid' 3D shapes and 'flat' 2D shapes, and mathematical terms to describe shapes.
Comparing and ordering objects according to length.


Understanding of the World:
Looking at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
Focusing on planting seeds and learning what plants need to grow.
Thank you to the parents who have already emailed in their children's baby photos. We will be using these as a prompt over the half term to discuss how the children have grown and changed over time. If you are able to please email your picture to: eyfs@broadford.org, or hand in a photo we can photocopy.

Expressive Arts and Design:
Introducing a story line or narrative into their group play.

Thank you for your continued support.

Reception Minibeast Themed Story Hunt

The Reception children thoroughly enjoyed our Freshwater Theatre visit on Tuesday. Together they went on a minibeast story hunt. They travelled through different areas hunting for mini beasts and clues to create their own story at the end of the workshop. The children showed great imaginative skills and joined in very enthusiastically.

"I liked making our story at the end with the children!" Tyler 

"We learnt a song called 'here comes thunder'." Lily 

Nursery Newsletter 29.02.16

Term:  Spring 2                          Date 29.02.16

Amazing Animals finished with a ‘Bang’, we had a visit from some special creatures, we hope you had an opportunity to look at the photos on the EYFS page.  We have also already had a visit from the Lollypop lady, as our new topic is people who help us.

We will be reading ‘Police Man’ and singing ‘Pat-a-cake’ and ‘Peter Hammers’.

We will continue with the teaching of phonics, we will teach ‘p’ next.  As always we are playing all kinds of phonological awareness games, to promote the teaching of phonics in an appropriate way for children of this young age.  There are opportunities for the children to write their letters, and we guide the children to use the correct pencil grip and formation, however at this young age it is not good practise to write with the children if they are not ready to.

Personal, Social and Emotional

• Shows confidence in asking adults for help
• Expresses own preferences and interests.
• Plays alongside others.

Communication and Language

• Focusing attention - still listen or do, but can shift own attention.
• Is able to follow directions (if not intently focused on own choice of activity).
• Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when conversation interests them.

Literacy

• Sometimes gives meaning to marks as they draw and paint.
• Imitates drawing simple shapes such as circles and lines.
• Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and phrases in rhymes and stories.

Physical Development:

• Can usually manage washing and drying hands.
• Holds pencil between thumb and two fingers, no longer using whole-hand grasp.
• Climbs confidently and is beginning to pull themselves up on nursery play climbing equipment.

Mathematics

• Creates and experiments with symbols and marks representing ideas of number.
• Beginning to categorise objects according to properties such as shape or size.
• Begins to make comparisons between quantities.

Understanding of the World

• Notices detailed features of objects in their environment.
• Explores objects by linking together different approaches: shaking, hitting, looking, feeling, tasting, mouthing, pulling, turning and poking

Expressive Arts and Design

• Sometimes gives meaning to marks as they draw and paint.
• Notices and is interested in the effects of making movements which leave marks.
• Begins to move to music, listen to or join in rhymes or songs.

 

Nursery Learning Challenge Spring 2

 Nursery Rhyme: 5 Little Fireman

Painting: A picture by the illustrator Ahlberg

Person:  Postman Pat

                                                            Nursery Rhyme               Piece of music          Person         

                                

Basic	Learn it off by heart	To find out 2 facts about the illustrator	Read a story with Postman Pat in.
Advanced	Draw a picture to illustrate the rhyme	To draw a picture in a similar style	Draw a portrait of Postman Pat
Deep	Find out about squirrels	Produce a collage of other pictures by the illustrator	Find out facts about Postman Pat

Messages.

 Thursday 3^rd March is World Book Day, the children can dress as a character from their favourite story.  We are asking for a £1 donation on this day and the proceeds will go to Great Ormond Street Hospital

We regularly update our EYFS blog. Please ‘ like’ our Broadford Primary Facebook page every time you see an EYFS blog. Feel free to make a comment on the children’s experiences.

If you wish to contact a member of the EYFS staff please email them at eyfs@broadford.havering.sch.uk

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Peter hammers with one hammer,

 One hammer, one hammer

 Peter hammers with one hammer

 All day long

 

Repeat with 2,3,4 & 5

Peters very tired now, etc

Peters wide awake now, etc

 

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's man

 Bake me a cake as fast as you can

 Prick it and pat it and mark it with a "b"

 And put it in the oven for Billy and me

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Animals

'The Animal Experience' company came to visit our school. Mr Price has a zoo with lots of different small animals including snakes, spiders, owls and meerkats.

We met an African spiny-tailed lizard called a barbasco...did you know this type of lizard can drop her tail if a bird or cat comes to attack and then grows a new tail?

Next up was a Bearded dragon...his beard goes black when he is angry. Bearded dragons are Omnivores and like to eat fruit and vegetables. 

Mr Price then introduced us to his snakes. First up was a constrictor, who squeezes his food. Constrictors like to eat mice and frog.  The constrictor was red and black...we were taught a handy phrase to distinguish snakes... 'Red and black friend of Jack, red and yellow deadly fellow!'

After meeting the constrictor, we then met Charlie the Royal Python. We call it a Royal Python but the rest of the world call it a Ball Python. When it gets frightened it wraps up,into a ball. 

After handling the snake, the children then found out minibeast and insects. Did you know that

Centipedes and carnivores and they bite yet millipedes only eat fruit and vegetables?

Finally  we got to stroke Ronnie the Owl and Lord and Lady the meerkats. We all found it very funny when the meerkat chuckled when being tickled.

Take a look at the different animals we got to handle.

Afternoon Nursery Challenge

Aisling brought in her 2 speckled frogs sitting on a log that she had made with her mummy at home.  "We went to the shops and bought this and that", she said, pointing to her model that they had made together. "That's me and that's my mummy and they fall into the water".  Aisling then sang the song with Mrs Chisholm, taking one away each time.

A Surprise visitor

We were very lucky today to have a visit from Karen the lollypop lady. She told us lots of interesting information about her job. Some of the children were very interested Austin asked "Are you going to stop the cars?" We also found out that, the bumps near the road are called "tactiles" these are in place so that people with sight impairments can be made aware that the road is approaching. We learn something new every day!

Wow, a special visitor!

What a busy week. We have been talking to the children about our new topic of people who help us and who should drop in...Karen the Lollypop lady!

Tutu and the Challenge!

Tutu has been finding out lots of facts about squirrels for the nursery challenge.  She told Mrs Chisholm  that squirrels have big eyes and bushy tails.  They eat nuts, fruit and seeds and cannot see when they are born.  Tutu described the process of completing her challenge, "the printer printed it out".  She had brought in a lovely picture of the squirrel to show us.

Reading at home.

Aimee's Medal

Aimee brought her majorette medal into morning nursery today to share her news with the friends and teachers.  She told us that she had won her medal in a majorette competition for marching.  Aimee demonstrated marching using her legs and arms.  Well done Aimee! Thank you to Aimee's Mum too, we love to hear what the children have been up to at home.

Nursery Newsletter 22.02.16

Term:  Spring 2                          Date 22.02.16

Welcome back everyone!  We will have one final week to consolidate our Amazing Animal Topic, we have a visitor coming on Friday with an array of unusual animals, so look out for those photos on our blog.

We will be reading ‘The Ravenous Beast’ and singing ‘Five Little Speckled Frogs’ and ‘Walking Through the Jungle’.

We will continue with the teaching of phonics, we will teach ‘n’ next.  As always we are playing all kinds of phonological awareness games, to promote the teaching of phonics in an appropriate way for children of this young age.  There are opportunities for the children to write their letters, and we guide the children to use the correct pencil grip and formation, however at this young age it is not good practise to write with the children if they are not ready to.

Personal, Social and Emotional

• Expresses own preferences and interests.
• Plays alongside others.
• Is aware of others' feelings, for example, looks concerned if hears crying or looks excited if hears a familiar happy voice.

Communication and Language

• Is able to follow directions (if not intently focused on own choice of activity).
• Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when conversation interests them.
• Recognises and responds to many familiar sounds, e.g. turning to a knock on the door, looking at or going to the door.

Literacy

• Sometimes gives meaning to marks as they draw and paint.
• Imitates drawing simple shapes such as circles and lines.
• Joins in with repeated refrains and anticipates key events and phrases in rhymes and stories.

Physical Development:

• Holds pencil between thumb and two fingers, no longer using whole-hand grasp.
• Climbs confidently and is beginning to pull themselves up on nursery play climbing equipment.
• Shows control in holding and using jugs to pour, hammers, books and mark-making tools.

Mathematics

• Beginning to categorise objects according to properties such as shape or size.
• Begins to make comparisons between quantities.
• Recites some number names in sequence.

Understanding of the World

• Notices detailed features of objects in their environment.
• Explores objects by linking together different approaches: shaking, hitting, looking, feeling, tasting, mouthing, pulling, turning and poking

Expressive Arts and Design

• Notices and is interested in the effects of making movements which leave marks.
• Begins to move to music, listen to or join in rhymes or songs.
• Joins in singing favourite songs.
• Notices and is interested in the effects of making movements which leave marks.

Nursery Learning Challenge Spring 2

Nursery Rhyme: 5 Little Fireman

Painting: A picture by the illustrator Ahlberg
Person:  Postman Pat

                                                          Nursery Rhyme               Piece of music          Person         

          

Basic	Learn it off by heart	To find out 2 facts about the illustrator	Read a story with Postman Pat in.
Advanced	Draw a picture to illustrate the rhyme	To draw a picture in a similar style	Draw a portrait of Postman Pat
Deep	Find out about squirrels	Produce a collage of other pictures by the illustrator	Find out facts about Postman Pat

 

Messages.

Please remember to ensure your child has a spare set of clothes in school.

We regularly update our EYFS blog. Please ‘ like’ our Broadford Primary Facebook page every time you see an EYFS blog. Feel free to make a comment on the children’s experiences.

If you wish to contact a member of the EYFS staff please email them at eyfs@broadford.havering.sch.uk

 

Thank you for your continued support.

Walking through the jungle,
Walking through the jungle,
What do you see?.
What do you see?.
Thought l heard a noise.
Shh, Shh, Shh,
What could it be?.
What could it be?.

Oh well, l thought it was a (snake),
ssss, ssss,
Thought it was a (snake),
ssss, ssss,
Thought it was a (snake),
ssss, ssss,
Looking for his tea.
Looking for his tea.

FIVE little speckled frogs,

Sat on a speckled log,
Eating some most delicious bugs - yum, yum!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were FOUR speckled frogs - glug, glug!

 

Reception Newsletter 22.2.16

Reception Newsletter 22.02.16

We hope you all had a restful half term break. This half term our topic is 'Growing and Changing'. This week we will focus our learning around the story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. Each class has a butterfly hatching kit, the children will have a great opportunity to watch caterpillars change into chrysalids and then emerge as beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies. 

Due to of the volume of drink money being collected, distributed and organising the change for drinks is beginning to take away valuable teaching time.  We kindly request that if you would like your child to purchase a drink (30p each) that they bring in the correct money daily in a labelled purse, envelope or wallet, which can be kept in your child's tray.

These are the skills we will be focusing on this week;

Personal, Social and Emotional:
Explains own knowledge and understanding, and asks appropriate questions of others.
Encouraging children to negotiate and solve problems without aggression e.g. when someone has taken their toy.

Communication and Language:
Encouraging children to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions in their play.
Modelling extending sentences encouraging children to explain their reasoning.

Physical Development:
Ensuring the children use the correct pencil grip.
Throwing and catching a large ball.

Literacy:
Writing captions to explain the life-cycle of a butterfly.
Writing letters to the Hungry Caterpillar.
Encouraging the children to use their phonics in their play and write simple captions.

Mathematics:
Beginning to use mathematical names for 'solid' 3D shapes and 'flat' 2D shapes, and mathematical terms to describe shapes.

Understanding of the World:
Looking at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
Focusing on the life-cycle of the Hungry Caterpillar.
Thank you to the parents who have already emailed in their children's baby photos. We will be using these as a prompt over the half term to discuss how the children have grown and changed over time. If you are able to please email your picture to: eyfs@broadford.org, or hand in a photo we can photocopy.

Expressive Arts and Design:
Introducing a story line or narrative into their group play.

Baby Photos!

This half term we are discussing Growing and Changing in Reception. We would like to share the children's photos so they have the opportunity to talk about how they have changed.

If you are able to share any photos of your children when they were little please either hand them in after half term (We will photocopy and return) or email a copy to:  eyfs@broadford.havering.sch.uk .

Read Write Inc Parent Guide

Here is another link to the Read Write Inc parents guide for those who requested it:

http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Please see 'How to pronounce pure sounds' for a guide on how to say the sounds accurately.

Pancake day in the afternoon Nursery

The children enjoyed preparing the pancake mixture. First they cracked an egg, sprinkled in the plain flour then stirred. They all expressed their own preference on what toppings they wanted.  Tutu took great pride in telling the other children about Shrove Tuesday.