Reception

 2020 - 2021

Welcome to Reception

This page will be updated regularly.

Welcome to our class page

What an amazing couple of weeks we have had settling in to our new classes and routines. Please keep checking this page for updates and photos showing you all the exciting things we have been doing.

Our topic this term is called 

Will you be my friend?

This is a lovely topic which helps us all get to know each other and make friends with everyone.

Please can the children bring in a photo of their family this week

Hello Reception Children. 

This is our last week of home learning. We hope the ideas and activities have kept you busy. For the last week week we will be looking at the story called The Boy Who Switched Off the Sun and learning all about Space. Please continue to contact us through our email address EYFS@woodlands.academy

It would be great if you could send us any pictures of the activities you have completed at home and we can add them to this page. See the pictures below of what the children in school have been doing. 

The week starting the 25th May is half term week. We have put together a timetable of fun activities that you might like to have a go at during the break. Have fun and hopefully we will see you all soon. As always we can be contacted by email EYFS@woodlands.academy. We miss you all. Take care 

Hello Everyone

Have you been enjoying the lovely sunshine? This weeks learning is linked to the story Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne. This story is set in a country called. Do you know where Africa is?

Have a go at some of the activities and remember to keep sending us your pictures. You can email us on EYFS@woodlands.academy and one of your teachers will reply as soon as they can.

Keep looking out for other activities and information added daily to keep you busy.

Take care and stay safe

Presently our lives are very different we have had to change to a new normal. We are all immensely proud of how you have all coped and how you are all supporting each other.

The Duchess of Cambridge along with the National Portrait Gallery are asking for communities and families to show, through photographs, how we are all dealing with lock down. This is called the Hold Still competition.

We thought this is an ideal opportunity for us as a school and a community to make our own gallery in school to also show this. You may also want to send your photos into the competition 

For full details of this competition please visit https://www.npg.org.uk/hold-still/

So do you have any photographs that show an act of kindness, ways you have help someone or your new normal?

This may be your children waving at their grandparents through the window, helping an elderly neighbour or different activities you have tried at home. You may also want to save us any artwork you have produced during this time so we can add it to our gallery. Please email any photos to

EYFS@woodlands.academy.

If pictures are emailed  to us you are giving permission for these photos to be displayed in school.  

Let’s fill our school with lots of lovely memories of lockdown 2020. When we all return to school it will be lovely to have a keepsake of this memorable time.

Hope you enjoyed the story Whatever Next! By Jill Murphy

Here are some activities you could try linked to the story.

1. Could you write a shopping list of things you might take on a journey to the moon?
2. Could you draw a space rocket? How would you travel to the moon?
3. Can you build a space rocket? Could you use lego or building blocks or junk materials like cereal boxes or a plastic bottle? If you have some paint could you decorate your rocket.
4. Could you pretend you go on a journey to the moon. Who will go with you? What is it like on the moon? Do you meet anyone on the moon? Do you have a big box or a washing basket you could use as a pretend rocket? Don't forget to take a bag with your picnic in.
5. Could you write a letter or a postcard to a friend or your teacher telling them about your journey to the moon.

Take lots of picture of any of these activities and either email them to us EYFS@woodlands.academy or post them on the school Facebook page. 

We continued looking at the story of Cinderella

We have started our topic by thinking about stories that are set in cold and snowy places.

Welcome Back to Term 3

This term's topic is called

Can you read me a story? 

We will be looking at fairy tales and traditional tales.

Remember Remember the 5th of November!

This week we have learnt about Bonfire Night.

PEOPLE WHO HELP US

This week we have been learning about people who help us. We searched round school and found lots of people who help us. We listened to a story about a firefighter called Charlie. We made our own fire engine. Two nurses and 2 policeman came to visit us to tell us how they help people. 

Welcome to our Reception class page!

We have had a wonderful start to the school year and all our children are settling in to new routines more and more each day.

On this page we will regularly update you with information about what has been happening and will be happening.  We will also post pictures and videos of activities from our days to give you a peek at what learning in Reception is all about.  

Please ensure you have returned your permissions form to school so that we are able to include your child's image.

WELCOME TO OUR CLASS PAGE 2019 - 2020

WE WILL BE UPDATING THIS PAGE REGULARLY - WE HOPE YOU ENJOY LOOKING AT OUR PAGE

The Train Ride

We have been looking at a story called The Train Ride

Are We nearly There Yet?

3rd-7th June

Our term 6 topic is all about travel and transport. 

Handa's Surprise

We read the story Handa's Surprise. We talked about the different fruits in the story and tried some of them. Everyone really liked the pineapple. We didn't really like the passion fruit!

Term 5

This term our learning question is why do zebras have stripes? We have been finding out about wild animals. We are using our imaginations to pretend we are helping a zoo that is closing down. We have decided which animals need looking after and how we will care for them. We worked in teams to build a habitat for the animal we are caring for. 

7th April 2019

In response to a few queries about how parents can support their children at home over the Easter holidays.  Reading together for 5-10 minutes a day will make a big difference to your child's reading development, please continue to enjoy books over the holiday time.  Below is a list of websites and apps you may want to explore and share with your child:

Websites:

topmarks.co.uk - see Parent Resources and Learning Games tabs (age range 5-7 years)

bbc.co.uk/cbeebies - lots of familiar favourites here

oxfordowl.co.uk - you will need to sign up with an email address but has lots of free content such as books to read and games to play

ictgames.com - literacy and maths games

crickweb.co.uk/Early-Years.html 

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/ - there are lots of activities here for all children, not just those developing English skills

Apps - BE AWARE THAT THESE APPS MAY NOT BE FREE DUE TO SIZE OF DOWNLOAD AND YOUR DATA ALLOWANCES, CHECK BEFORE BUYING/INSTALLING AND BE AWARE OF ANY IN APP PURCHASES:

Chatterpix Kids

Busythings

Teach My Monster To Read

CBeebies

Khan Kids Academy

Jolly Phonics

2nd April 2019

To enhance our learning about Easter and its celebrations, Children in Reception visited a local church.  We walked to St.Mark's (and got caught in a downpour of rain!) and sang two songs which we had been practising to parents/carers/friends who had joined us at church.  Katherine, the Team Vicar, told us about the Easter story which included a very delicious looking chocolate egg!  We were really proud of the children's singing performance and enthusiasm for the morning, great fun all round!

26th March 2019

Children have really enjoyed learning about minibeasts, insects and other small creatures.  Some even chose to independently draw the butterfly life cycle!  

19th March 2019

Following on from our previous work using Quiver app to explore AR in the classroom, we turned our attention to Chatterpix Kids.  Children epxlored how to access the app, use the camera and then editing tools to turn the picture into a talking video clip.  They recorded a snippet of sound too!  A great first attempt to use technology for a creative purpose and we cannot wait to see what they develop next, once they have become more familiar with the app!

12th March 2019

Children in Reception classes today were experimenting with augmented reality (AR) using a free app called Quiver.  They spent time writing on and colouring what seemed to be an ordinary colouring sheet, and then when we used the app on our iPad the picture came to life!  We have seen film characters, coffee cups (great for encouraging writing!), unicorns, dogs and dolphins leap off the page before our very eyes! Fantastic fun and lots of great learning!

12th March 2019

Olympic swimmer Joe Roebuck visited school today and children in Reception were absolutely enthralled by the stories he told us as well as the activities.  See for yourself how amazing our children were trying out some tiring activities!

11th March 2019

It was a beautiful spring day today with the sun shining and wind blowing through the outdoor area.  Whilst outside, children really impressed us with their developing imaginations and speaking skills by describing shapes, animals and dragons they could see in the clouds.  As a teacher, these are moments we cannot plan for and often are the most rewarding when children's ideas and skills surpass our own.  Just 'looking up' can produce these rich conversations, try it yourself, ask your child what they see in the shape of the clouds.

5th March 2019

Pancakes!  Children in Reception enjoyed mixing, making and of course, eating pancakes!  This was an excellent opportunity to talk not only about what happens on Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday, but also about safety and hygiene in a kitchen.  It was the talk of the classroom all afternoon!

1st March 2019

Fluffy update!  Fluffy (our class caterpillar) has become a fully fledged chrysalis!  All of our children are enjoying the daily checks on how Fluffy is and we are looking forward to the emerging butterfly/moth!  What a great experience for our children to see how a life cycle works before our very eyes!

28th February 2019

We have a new voting station in  the Reception classroom!  There will be two books for the children to choose from, please feel free to talk to your child about which story they would like to hear that day and use the cubes to make your vote.  This is a lovely way to introduce essential British values of democracy and voting to young children and hopefully, some fun too!

27th February 2019

Reception children have thoroughly enjoyed stories about minibeasts, particularly The Very Hungry Caterpillar!  So much so that when a caterpillar was found in our outdoor area we quickly decided as a group to keep it, feed it and watch it turn into a beautiful butterfly (on closer inspection we are expecting it to become a moth).  After a discussion and a vote, the caterpillar has been named Fluffy and will be staying safe in a butterfly garden within the classroom.  We are really excited about observing how Fluffy will grow and change.

25th February 2019

Early years took a stroll to our deep, dark wood,

On the way, we saw minibeasts and the minibeasts looked good!

To launch our topic this term investigating "Why Do Ladybirds Have Spots?" we went searching for minibeasts in our very own woodland.  This was a great way to start our topic looking at the natural world around us and all of our children enjoyed spending time in the outdoor classroom and Gruffalo story circle!

22nd January 2019

We have set up a new Our Work From Home display board in the Reception classroom.  Drawings, writing, photos or anything else which showcases any work you child does at home can be brought in to display until the following Friday when it will be sent back home.  This is a brilliant way to encourage all our children to be creative and use their skills.  We can't wait to see what is brought in!

Phonics - Read Write Inc

So far we have learnt the sounds: m,a,s,d,t,i,n,p,g,o and we are now learning to put them together to be able to read words. Here is some of our amazing work we have done.

Autumn!!

This week we have been looking at autumn, we've walked to the outdoor classroom to collect leaves, conkers and apples. We've discussed where they come from, how they feel and what they smell like. We've had some fantastic descriptive words such as spikey, smooth and one child even said that a red autumn leaf looked like it was bleeding. We've been counting and sorting conkers and even using them to make words.  

If your child brings home a piece of paper with a star on, it means they are star of the day, please keep the star and collect 5. Once you have 5, bring them back in and they can go in the Reception Treat Box.

Thank you :)

We have a lovely week in Reception. We have learnt how to squiggle, which is helping us to develop our mark making skills through movement to music. We like to turn the music up and use scarves to dance with. We have also become more independent and now can get a healthy snack and milk by ourselves.

Mrs Catlyn has taught us how to use the play dough shelf properly and we know all the equipment names. Miss Leggett is helping everyone to tidy up independently because we love to keep our classroom tidy.

Mr Lingard has had great fun outside with your boys and girls in the wind.