Reception
Friday 13th June
In Reception this week, we have welcomed our new caterpillar friends to our classrooms. Many of the caterpillars have been named and the children have been interested to see how much they have grown so far! We have been enjoying the nice weather outside and the children have been working hard on their skipping and hula hooping skills. We have been building and making our own slides and houses and some of the children even made their own beds to rest in! In Maths this week, we have revised over some previously taught skills and the children have enjoyed playing addition and subtraction games. We have some Reception children who have been taking part in our after school bike club this week and have been whizzing about on their bikes!
Friday 6th June
What a lovely first week back in Reception. The children have settled into routines quickly and have been working hard.
We have been getting used to our new phonics groups and practising our reading and writing skills.
We have enjoyed reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and had a brilliant surprise this morning when our caterpillars arrived. We will be observing them over the coming days and weeks and seeing what happens to them.
Friday 9th May
We have had a lovely week in Reception sharing the story of Handa's Surprise and learning about Kenya. We have coloured flags and talked about the climate of Kenya, which animals live there and what houses can be like.
We have enjoyed making poppies to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE day.
In Maths, we have been talking about teen numbers and learning how to partition them into tens and ones - we have been watching the Ten Town stories and enjoyed singing along with the songs.
Friday 2nd May
This week we have been enjoying water play in the outside learning area which has been very popular! We had our second P.E lesson outside and developed our pirate skills, jumping over our treasure and lining up when our captain said, "All aboard!" We finished the week with a visiting drama workshop and went on a jungle adventure. We learnt to talk in "banana" and had lots of fun.
Friday 4th April
We have had a lovely end to the Spring term. The sun has been shining and we have spent lots of time playing in the garden this week. We have been very lucky to welcome two visitors to school this week - Gareth P Jones; a famous author of children’s books came to see us on Tuesday and share his stories and songs with us. Today we welcomed an amazing scooter rider who demonstrated his fantastic skills in the playground for us all to see.
We have continued reading Kitchen Disco and have been writing sentences to describe the pineapple character. Some of us have written invitations to the Kitchen Disco.
We have continued to learn red words - please practise reading and spelling the Red Words regularly at home.
In Maths, we have been naming and describing 3-D shapes such as cubes, cuboids, spheres, cylinders, pyramids and cones. We have described the faces and investigated if they roll, slide and stack. Listen to this song to practise the names of the 3-D shapes:
Have a lovely break and we will see you on Tuesday 22nd April.
Friday 28th March
This week we have been trying really hard to do some independent writing. We have been using our phonic sounds to support with the spelling of words. Some children have even had a go at writing helicopter stories on their own and received personal best certificates from Mrs White. On Tuesday we had a football coach in school from Chelsea Football Club. All the children got to take part in a football session and learnt some new skills such as dribbling a football around a line of cones. Big Walk and Wheel started this week in school and we have been recording in class everyday how many children come to school on a bike, scooter or walk. As a school we are having our own Squirrels competition, each class has been given some pedometers to record how many steps we are taking. The class with the most steps at the end of the week will win an extra fun play! Some of the children have really enjoyed building castles and houses using lots of different objects within the classroom
Friday 21st March
We have had a busy week! We have all enjoyed opening up the mud kitchen and exploring the different ways that we can play with the mud and utensils. We have continued to read the Gingerbread Man story this week and the children have had the opportunity to retell the story using puppets. The children have been very creative building their own car parks, garages and ramps for our new toy cars. We have been learning to add small amounts and count in 2s in maths and the children have been working on these skills by paying for their fruit and items from the cafe with 1p and 2p coins. We have been exercising our fingers and building the strength in our hands through playing with sticker books.
Friday 28th February
The children have returned to school with smiling faces this week and settled back into school life brilliantly. They have had a busy week reading the story of Goldilocks and making porridge. We talked about the instructions, put photographs into the correct order and then wrote our own instructions on how to make the porridge.#
We have continued to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our red word is put. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on i and j this week. Please practise forming these letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhyme:
i - down the insect, dot it’s head
j - down Jack to the box and curl around
In Maths, we have talking about measures using the words longer/ shorter and taller/ shorter. We have comparing the length of ribbons and objects in the classroom carefully. We have stood next to our friends and compared who is taller and who is shorter.
Next week we will be celebrating World Book Day and look forward to special activities on Thursday. Your child can wear their comfy reading clothes and bring props to help us to work out their favourite story.
Friday 14th February
What a lovely sunny end to our final week of the half term! The children have enjoyed ‘Breaking the rules’ today. We have been busy being creative in our final week of ‘Bob the Builder’ and the children loved investing a machine to help Spud clean up the mess. Many children are sounding out three letter words now, and some of the children are short writing sentences with finger spaces - we will continue to practise this after the holiday.
We have continued to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our red word is no. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on h and k this week. Please practise forming these letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhyme:
h - down from his head to hooves and over his back (horse)
k - down the body, tail and leg (kangaroo)
In Maths, we have been working really hard on finding one more and one less and have been practising this with numbers to 8 (and beyond). We have investigated odd and even numbers, and talked about even numbers having a pair/ a partner while odd numbers have one left on their own. We investigated doubles and practised recalling them.
If you want to do some work on odd and even numbers at home, use this Numberblocks episode as a good starting point for discussion:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08r2l4d/numberblocks-series-2-odds-and-evens
To practise doubling, try to use this vocabulary in everyday life. For example, I have two apples and you have two apples, 2 add 2 is 4, so double 2 is 4. At the moment it would be good to secure knowledge of doubles to 5, and for some children they be challenged with doubles to 10.
Have a lovely holiday and we look forward to seeing you all on Monday 24th February.
Friday 7th February
We have had a lovely week in Reception this week! We enjoyed our stay and play session yesterday and have had fun playing in the classroom as it has been very chilly in the garden this week.
We have enjoyed watching an episode of ‘Bob the Builder’ in Drawing Club and have been talking about builders. We enjoyed drawing the character Bob, and Spud, who was being very naughty on the road. Click here if you want to watch the episode at home:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08pllmq/bob-the-builder-series-1-2-travis-paints-the-town
We have continued to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our red word is of. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on b and b this week. Please practise forming these letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhyme:
b - down the laces, around the toe
p - down the pirates plait and then up and around his face
In Maths, we have continued exploring the numbers 6, 7 and 8 and been finding one less more. We looked at different ways to make these numbers by splitting them into parts using a ladybird model. We have started to talk about doubles and odd and even numbers.
At home, please continue to practise maths fluency activities:
- counting forward and backwards to 20
- saying the number one more/ one less than a number up to 10
- Recalling number facts to 5 (adding two small number together quickly and working out the total)
Friday 31th January
We have had a great week in Reception this week! After our visit from the Fire Brigade last Friday afternoon, we started this week by learning about Chinese New Year, which was celebrated on Wednesday. We had a fantastic feast in the afternoon with our friends, trying crunchy prawn crackers, sticky rice and stretchy noodles. The children were all very brave and nearly everyone tried the food.
On Thursday ‘Little City’ visited, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. The children had the opportunity to role play being firefighters, police, hairdressers, florists, post office workers, builders and much more. They were very sensible in the hall and we saw some fantastic role play from them and great sharing with their friends.
We have continued to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our red word is my. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on l and t this week. Please practise forming these letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhyme:
l - down the long leg
t - down the tower, across the tower
In Maths, we have been exploring the number 6, 7 and 8 and finding one more. We have been putting these numbers onto the tens frame and learning that 6 = 5+1, 7 = 5+2 and 8 = 5+3. We have been working on one more than these numbers, and will continue to do this next week.
On Ten Town, look at Seal 6, Sir 7 and Eric 8 and practise recognising and writing these numbers.
At home, please continue to practise maths fluency
- counting forward and backwards to 20
- saying the number one more/ one less than a number up to 10
- Recalling number facts to 5 (adding two small number together quickly and working out the total)
Friday 24th January
What a busy week in Reception! We have started talking about Chinese New Year and have read the story of the Chinese New Year Race. The children have enjoyed drawing the animals from the story and have been using their sound knowledge to write words and simple sentences.
We have continued to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our red word is to. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on g and q this week. Please practise forming these letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhyme:
g - around the girls face, down her hair and give her a curl
q - round the queen’s face and down her hair - flick!
In Maths, we have been exploring weight/ mass and capacity. We have recapped our work on balance scales and practised using the words ‘heavier and lighter’. We used the scales to measure how heavy things are, and counted out how many objects we needed to make the scales balance. We have also been exploring capacity and filling up containers with objects - we have been working out how many objects the container can hold until they are full.
At home, please continue to practise maths fluency
- counting forward and backwards
- saying the number one more/ one less
- Recalling number facts to 5 (adding two small number together quickly and working out the total)
A great resource for Maths practise at home is ‘Hit the button’ - https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
Start by choosing Number Bonds/ Up to 10/ Addition to 10
In topic, we have been talking about winter and ice. We have explored how ice feels and developed our vocabulary using words such as cold, freezing, frozen, melting, icey and defrosting. It was lots of fun!
Friday 17th January
We have had another lovely week in Reception. We have continued to read 'One Snowy Night' by Nick Butterworth and the children have enjoyed drawing Percy and the animals snuggling together. The children have been impressing us with their ‘Fred Talk’ and have been sounding words out and trying hard to write them down.
We have continued to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our red word is the. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on o and d this week. Please practise forming there letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhyme:
o - all around the orange
d - round the dinosaurs body, up his neck and down his feet
In Maths, we have been working on finding out one more and one less than a number up to 5. We looked deeply at the numbers and worked out that number 5 can be made in lots of ways (0+5, 1+4, 2+3, 3+2, 4+1, 5+0). You could practise quick recall of these number facts at home.
In topic, we have been talking about healthy teeth and how important it is to brush our teeth twice a day to help to keep them clean. We also talked about a healthy diet and the importance of visiting the dentist regularly.
Friday 10th January
The children have settled in brilliantly to their first week back in school after the holidays. They have been smiling and enjoying our new topic 'People who help us'. Many children have enjoyed sharing their experiences of visiting the doctors, vets and dentist, and are excited to learn about the emergency services over the coming weeks.
In Drawing Club, we have been reading the Percy the Park Keeper books by Nick Butterworth, and have focused on 'One Snowy Night'. The children have enjoyed drawing the main character 'Percy' and have been using their sounds to write words and phrases to describe their drawings. We are so pleased with their efforts with their drawings and writing.
Click here to listen to Nick Butterworth reading the story:
After The Storm - A Percy The Park Keeper story read by Nick Butterworth
In Literacy lessons, we are beginning to learn red words - these are words which cannot be sounded out easily. This week, our Red Word is I. Please practise reading and writing this word at home. We have also been practising our letter formation, with a focus on c and a this week. Please practise forming there letters correctly at home using the Read Write Inc rhymes:
c - curl around the caterpillar
a - around the apple, down the leaf
In Maths, we have been practising our counting and learning to make sure we are counting accurately. We have learned that Zero mean nothing, and have been recognising and writing the number 0. Please log onto your Ten Town and have a go at some of the Zero Pond activities.
Friday 20th December
We have had a wonderful end to our first term as Squirrels in Reception. The children have enjoyed creating their Christmas cards, calendars and decorations. They have been busy in the garden making obstacle courses and there has been a lot of ‘togetherness’ demonstrated as children have worked as a team to create the courses and then waited patiently for their turns. We enjoyed a visit from Santa earlier this week, and today enjoyed our first assembly, during which each class received a sack with a special class present from Santa.
The children have been superstars this term and have made us all very proud. They have settled into school life and make some amazing progress with all areas of their learning. We cannot wait to see how their learning continues and they grow over the coming terms.
We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Thank you from all of the Reception staff for your kind words, cards and gifts. It really is appreciated. We hope that you all enjoy the holiday season.
We look forward to seeing the children again on Tuesday 7th January 2025.
Friday 13th December
What a wonderful festive week we have had in Reception! We have enjoyed two fantastic performances of our Christmas show (during which the children were amazing and made us all feel very proud) and then our Christmas dinner today. We are definitely feeling very Christmassy!
This week we have continued our work on ‘Snowball’ and enjoyed drawing him rolling down the mountain. We have also been showing our teachers what fantastic writers we are becoming when writing letters to Santa.
In phonics we have had fun completing lots of Christmas ‘phonics activities’ in class. Teachers are busy assessing the children’s phonic knowledge, ready to re-group in January again. Don’t forget to read your reading books and practise your Word Time sheets as much as you can at home.
To practise your word reading click on the links:
Learning to blend 2 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7kUNBRwp/WPBcAyCi
Learning to blend 4 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/UgA2fkUj/AQtXya2f
Practise your Fred Talk with this game:
Fred’s Christmas- https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/Zd9GRbQw/NMrdY6U0
In Maths we have been practising counting backwards and saying the number one more and one less than a given number.
Practise counting backwards from 10 and then 20 at home. A challenge for you see if your child can master counting backwards over the Christmas break.
Friday 6th December
Reception children have been busy getting festive this week. We have started making Christmas cards and hats for our show, and practising our Christmas songs in the hall.
We have been reading ‘Snowball’ by Sue Hendra in Drawing Club and drawing Snowball and the mountain that he lives on. If you would like to listen to the story at home, click the link below:
Kids book read aloud: Snowball by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet
In phonics we have all been working hard, continuing to learn the Set 1 sounds and blend them together to read words. Don’t forget to read your reading books and practise your Word Time sheets as much as you can at home.
To practise your word reading click on the links:
Learning to blend 1 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/10S6KqWh/J125W2Ld
Learning to blend 3 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7JkZkwk2/pGjTe4ng
Practise your Fred Talk with this game:
Fred’s garden - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/1lGLLhq0/NNcD3JWq
In maths, we have been learning about the 4-sided shapes squares and rectangles. We have been counting the number of sides and describing them as long, short or equal. We looked at shapes in the environment too.
Friday 29th November
This week we have had lots of fun in Reception and have started to prepare for Christmas. We have been practising the songs for our Reception show and have made a special decoration for the hall.
We have continued reading Kipper’s Birthday by Mick Inkpen and have been very creative in the Drawing Club. The children created some fantastic designs of machines to help Kipper to deliver his invitations and we drew special presents for Kipper. The children have been using their sound knowledge to write three letter words.
We have continued learning in our phonic groups and have been practising saying and reading lots of sounds. Please practise your sounds at home using the speed minute videos:
Lesson 2 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/TYzw1Dmc/FT7Khw0Q
Lesson 3 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/112pVD6F/2PHwcV2I
Lesson 4 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/hbdkDWSs/SjToDjUt
Practise your Fred Talk with this game:
Fred at the farm - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/YkZwDxSb/RUeX3bwR
In maths, we have continued developing our understanding of the numbers 4 and 5. We have been looking at different ways to represent 4 and 5, and talking about the number bonds of 4 and 5
Making 4
0 + 4 = 4
1 + 3 = 4
2 + 2 = 4
3 + 1 = 4
4 + 0 = 4
Making 5
0 + 5 = 5
1 + 4 = 5
2 + 3 = 5
3 + 2 = 5
4 + 1 = 5
5 + 0 = 5
Please practise learning these at home so that your child can recall these number facts quickly.
Friday 22nd November 2024
We have had a fun week in Reception this week, finishing off today with Fred the Frog’s birthday party and our ‘Bling’ event.
We have been reading Kipper’s Birthday by Mick Inkpen and enjoyed talking about birthday parties and designing birthday cakes in the Drawing Club. The children created some fantastic designs. Click here to hear the story being read aloud on YouTube: 🎈🎉🎂Kids Book Read Aloud KIPPER'S BIRTHDAY by Mick Inkpen I Kids StoryTime with Miss Randall
We have continued learning in our phonic groups and have been practising saying and reading lots of sounds. Please practise your sounds at home using the speed minute videos:
Lesson 2 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/TYzw1Dmc/FT7Khw0Q
Lesson 3 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/112pVD6F/2PHwcV2I
Lesson 4 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/hbdkDWSs/SjToDjUt
Practise your Fred Talk with this game:
Fred’s bedroom - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/e8paqJqT/yAZhNp4p
In maths, we have been deepening our understanding of the numbers 4 and 5. We have been looking at different ways to represent 4 and 5, and talking about the number bonds of 4 and 5.
At home, you could practise writing the numbers 4 and 5 using Ten Town. Please practise writing the number using the number tracing activity on Ten Town and on some paper with a pencil.
There is a more or less game on the ‘Freddie 4’ page which will be a great game to play to reinforce what we have been learning in class.
Friday 15th November
We have been enjoying the autumnal sunshine in the garden this week and having lots of fun with our friends this week.
We have continued our ‘Drawing Club’ and had great fun drawing a spell for Meg the witch with wiggly worms, stinky cheese and spiders. The children loved it! Why not ask your child to draw a spell for Meg the witch at home and see what they put in.
We have continued learning in our phonic groups and have been practising saying and reading lots of sounds. Please practise your sounds at home using the speed minute videos:
Lesson 2 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/TYzw1Dmc/FT7Khw0Q
Lesson 3 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/112pVD6F/2PHwcV2I
Lesson 4 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/hbdkDWSs/SjToDjUt
Practise your Fred Talk with these games:
Fred at the zoo - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/7Fftj3hx/RvwHDeV0
Fred’s food cupboard - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/0sU3dpT2/5BlDWsq4
In maths, we have been learning about triangles and circles. We have been using the vocabulary ‘straight’ and ‘round’ to describe the sides and counting the number of sides and corners. See how many circle and triangle shaped objects you can find in your house. You could draw some of them and bring them in to share with your teacher.
Friday 8th November
The children have settled well following the half term break and have enjoyed our first week back this week. It has been lovely to see their smiling faces in the morning.
This week we have started our ‘Drawing Club’. Drawing club is an exciting approach to teaching Literacy. We will select a book to enjoy for two weeks and then develop the children’s vocabulary, drawing, reading and writing skills in a fun and imaginative way. Our first book is ‘Meg and Mog’. Click here if you would like to share it at home.
Meg and Mog - Give Us A Story!
This week we have been in our new phonic groups. The children have been very sensible when moving to their new groups and it has been lovely for the staff to teach their groups. Please practise your sounds at home using the speed minute videos:
Lesson 1 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/AjbxWxVE/OEzQceiY
Lesson 2 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/TYzw1Dmc/FT7Khw0Q
Lesson 3 - https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/112pVD6F/2PHwcV2I
In maths, we have been talking one more and one less. If you want to practise some work on patterns at home, please click the link below:
https://ictgames.com/mobilePage/beeMoreOrLess/
We have arranged for all children to have a log in to Ten Town so that you can use this resource at home. Look out for a letter with your child’s log in details.
Friday 25th October 2024
We have been enjoying the sunshine in Reception this week and having lots of fun talking about Pumpkins, Autumn and Halloween.
This week we have continued learning about rhyming and have shared the book ‘Room on the Broom’ by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Click the link to watch the story at home together on the BBC iPlayer:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0102qfj/room-on-the-broom
We have been practising our Fred Talk and learning to blend words together every day. If you want to practise this, please click on the link below to play a fun Fred Game about the colours: https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/UtHKbS4F/pQnbtRUY
The children have been working hard in phonics and have all been assessed. After half term, the children will be grouped based on these assessments and will be taught phonics in groups with children who all need to focus on the sounds. Over half term, please continue to practise reading your reading books and ‘Word Time’ sheets so that your child remembers all of the sounds. We have sent Word Time 1.3 this week.
In maths, we have been developing a deep understanding of the numbers 1, 2 and 3 and practising to write the numerals. You can practise your counting by playing the underwater game.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/underwater-counting
Also practise writing the numerals 1,2 and 3. We use the following rhymes to help the children with their formation:
King One - Top to toe, there you go.
Tommy Two - Hands to knees then straight across please.
Thelma Three - Round one hand and then round the other
Thank you for your ongoing support
The Reception Team
Friday 18th October
This week has been another good week in Reception. We have enjoyed our learning, particularly our Stay and Play on Thursday.
This week we have been learning about rhyming and sharing the book ‘Oi Frog’ by Kes Gray and Jim Field. Click the link if you would like to listen to the story at home together:
Oi Frog - Watch this fun children's story book read aloud :)
We have been practising our Fred Talk and learning to blend words together every day. If you want to practise this, please click on the link below to play a fun Fred Game about the weather:
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/9jJ1cOlg/xyzD0vkx
The children are working very hard in phonics lessons and learning lots of the Set 1 sounds. Please continue to practise reading your reading books and ‘Word Time’ sheets and playing the ‘Ready to Read games’ every day if you can please.
In maths, we have been talking about repeating patterns. If you want to practise some work on patterns at home, please click the link below:
We are looking forward to the last week of the half term next week. Don’t forget our ‘Break the Rules day’ on Friday 25th October.
Thank you for your ongoing support
Friday 11th October 2024
This week we have had a fun week in Reception. The children have been playing together and enjoying lots of fun learning activities. We have been telling ‘Helicopter stories’ and carefully drawing our class birds using oil pastels.
This half term we have been enjoying stories which have repeating language as these are great for us to all join in together. One of our favourites is ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear” Click the link if you would like to listen to the story at home together:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? | Fan's Animated Book |
We have been practising our Fred Talk and learning to blend words together every day. If you want to practise this, please click on the link below to play a fun Fred Game:
https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/QDwVQfpJ/l4boQcpr
Remember to practise reading your reading books and practising the Ready to Read games and Word Time sheets every day if you can please.
In maths, we have been talking about measures and comparing size, weight and capacity. We have talked about objects being bigger and smaller, heavier and lighter and how much can fit inside different containers (capacity). If you have a chance, take some boxes and containers from around your home and see how much fits inside the different sized containers. You can fill them up with toys, cubes or bricks. You could also play the ‘Let’s compare’ game below:
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/early-years/lets-compare
This week we are sharing our family learning project for the Autumn term. Look out for this on PING - it has been sent today.
Thank you for your ongoing support
The Reception Team
