What a busy and exciting week we have had in Reception!

Phonics

In phonics this week, we have been learning our new tricky words “here” and “all.” The children worked together to read and write sentences containing these words before having a go at writing their own sentences independently. We were very impressed with their confidence and independence in their writing.

We have also been learning the new sound “ure.” The children enjoyed reading words containing this sound and then practised writing some “ure” words themselves.

Maths

In maths, we have been recapping our subitising skills by recognising quantities to 5 without counting. We have also been comparing sets of objects up to 10 and discussing which sets contain more or fewer objects.

This week we introduced rekenreks, which are visual counting frames that help to build number sense. The children practised pushing amounts of beads that were equal to, more than, or fewer than a given number. We also practised subitising one more to 5 and ordering towers to 10, with a particular focus on understanding more and fewer.

Drawing Club

In Drawing Club, we have been reading the story Pip and Egg. We read the story together and discussed what it was about before exploring our four key words: friendship, change, journey, and home. We talked about what these words mean and how they relate to the story.

Throughout the week, the children have been drawing and writing about different parts of the story. They drew the meeting between Pip and Egg and wrote about how the characters were feeling. They also designed Egg and Pip’s home, adding exciting features such as slides and toys, before writing about what they could see. Later in the week, the children imagined Egg going on another adventure and thought carefully about where she might fly to next. They have all worked incredibly hard on their sentence writing this week.

PE

In PE, we have been focusing on aiming and throwing. The children began by moving around the room in different ways and listening carefully to instructions, including moving like penguins! They then practised throwing beanbags into hoops to improve their aim and coordination.

We have also continued practising for Sports Day and the children are showing fantastic enthusiasm and determination.

Farm Trip

On Thursday, we had a very exciting trip to the farm! We travelled by coach and had some amazing hands-on experiences throughout the day. The children enjoyed petting a lamb, meeting sheep, chickens and geese, and even seeing chicks that were only two days old. We also made bug houses to take home and planted pumpkin seeds to grow ourselves.

During the visit, we talked about where eggs come from and listened to a story in the woods. One of the highlights of the day was watching an incredible sheepdog demonstration, where we saw the dog herding sheep so skillfully. It truly was an unforgettable experience! A huge thank you to Strawberry Farm for such a wonderful day, and thank you as well to all of the parents who came along to help and support us.

Star of the week: Congratulations to Cruze, who was our star of the week this week, for being so well-behaved and sensible on our trip to the farm! Cruze will be taking home his certificate and Wilfred the Elephant to write in the book all about his time spent with Wilfred over the next week and will bring him back next Thursday.

Please remember to read with your child, even for just 5 minutes! Please also remember to record it in the reading record. We will only change your child's book if you have read with them 2 or more times in that week! Reading books are changed on Tuesday's and Friday's. Please also remember to have the library book in your children's book bag on Thursday to be changed. 

Any issues or concerns we need to know about, please speak to the Acorn team before and after school or email at: acorn@st-barnabas.kent.sch.uk