We have a had a very Chinese week in the unit with lots of exciting activities relating to the Chinese New Year. The children have made Chinese dragons, prepared and eaten noodles using chop sticks, looked at China on our map and learnt about the Chinese Zodiac story. It has been a very busy week. The children have also tried to do some Chinese writing which was fantastic. We always enjoy this festival as it really captivates their interest  especially as we are looking at other countries each day on our map.
Next week we would really like to go to the woods on Tuesday. So far we have not managed to go as we have not had enough helpers so please if you can spare the time could you come along on Tuesday morning. Our walk only takes 45 minutes. If it raining heavily then we will to go but we will make that decision on that morning.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

It is good to be back at work after a few days off sick. The children certainly had a busy week last week and the enthusiasm for our map and dinosaur area is still going strong. We have another dinosaur egg that is actually hatching in the viewing box. The children have been observing and recording the changes every day. We have build a den home for the baby dinosaur in the unit and the children have given the dinosaur some food. Hopefully he will not make a mess over the weekend!
Please could you bring in some photos of any travelling you have done with your family. We are putting places on our map that the children have been to so the more we have the more the children will learn about other countries.
Can I remind you that the children need to bring back their library books on a Monday so that we can change them.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

This week we have introduced a map of of the world to our classroom. Each day we gather around the map and discuss the latest news from around the world e.g. the bush fires in Australia, the volcano eruption in Philippines. We also look at the places where our family members come from. We would like the children to bring some pictures or drawings of places they have visited or have a connection with. As a part of our science learning we have carried out a volcano experiment. The children were very excited while listening to the bubbling lava and have created amazing volcanoes in art and construction.

In order to develop children's number knowledge and counting skills, we have created a new piece of maths equipment. We have recycled our milk bottles and have designed a hundred square grid. The children use the equipment during teacher lead sessions and independently during free play. We have quiet few keen mathematicians in the unit.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs Robinson

Happy New Year to you all. We have had a great start to the year with the arrival of some dinosaur eggs. The children have been fascinated with this topic and have been exploring and finding things out about dinosaurs through books and the internet. We are going to be extending our theme over the next few weeks. We have also introduced a café system for our milk. The children have to buy their fruit and milk from the shop keepers. This activity helps develop language skills along with the concept of money. They are very good at it and we will be introducing real money into the shop next week.
On Monday your child will bring home a library book to share with you. Please can you return the books every Monday so that we can change them. We are also going to start our wood walks and would appreciate the help. We can only do our walks if we have enough helpers. We will be leaving school at approx. 9.00am and will be back at 9.45am. This activity is always dependant on the weather so if it is heavy rain we will not go. I plan to do our first walk on Tuesday next week.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

We have finally arrived at the end of term and we are all looking forward to a brilliant Christmas break.
Thank you for all the wonderful gifts. We hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas and we look forward to seeing you on January 7th 2020.

From all the staff in Foundation:)

The children are now officially in Christmas spirit and we have had a lovely week decorating the unit. We were very pleased with the performance and the children enjoyed singing to you. I think they are all getting ready for a rest as a change in routine does have an impact on their ability to control their emotions.
Next week we have our Christmas party and the children can come dressed in party clothes on Wednesday 18th. The children will be having a disco and they will play some games followed by a  visit from Pappa Noel.
Please could you send in a SMALL amount of food to share at the party. This can be anything simple, eg a packet of crisps or biscuits. Please speak to me if you have any concerns regarding the food.
We break up on Friday 20th at 2.00pm WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO.
I will leave you with a photo of the children on the stage.
 Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

We are really in the swing with our concert rehearsals now and the children are looking forward to performing to you  next week. Please do not worry if your child suddenly decides they are not going to sing when they get on the stage or if they get upset. This is completely normal and often happens. Hopefully they will all prove me wrong.
We have started to wrap present up with Christmas wrapping paper and this has got everyone very excited. Next week we will be decorating the unit for our final 2 weeks. Here is a reminder for next week as things are a little different. Please adjust your hours if you wish your child to be involved in all the performances but it is completely ok if you want to keep the hours the same.
Have a good weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

Week commencing 9^th December

 

This week the children will be performing:

·       Monday to the school

·       Tuesday to parents (AM)

·       Wednesday to parents (PM)

·       Thursday to parents (AM)

The children will need to wear Christmas colours all week.     Friday is Christmas jumper day so no uniform all week.

     We will endeavour to keep them clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Its so lovely to end the week with a sunny day after all the wet weather. We decided we would use the fire pit to cook some bananas. The children are very good at understanding the rules around the fire and are enjoying the experiences it brings.
We have played a game using our the sense of smell this week. The children have taken it in turns to be blindfolded and have had to guess the smell of certain foods. I have to say that the one they could all easily identify was chocolate. Marmite, bread and syrup were a little bit tricky.
We have spent a lot of time learning our new songs for Christmas so I am sure they have started singing them at home Ho Ho Ho. We are looking forward to performing them to you at our Christmas show. Please make sure  you get your tickets for the performance as we have Key Stage One parents attending as well as it gets very busy.
 Have a great weekend
Mrs Robinson:)
I am so sorry about the photos but I still have a problem uploading at the moment. Please look at Receptions blog for a few photos of this week.

This week we have talked about how we feel and how to communicate our feelings to each other. The children have been practising how to take time to stop and think. We do this by closing our eyes and focusing on a specific theme. The children are getting very good at this and we are now encouraging them to talk about their thoughts. We have read a very good book called A bag full of worries. We asked the children to talk about a worry that they had and then we asked them to put the worry into a bag. We then threw the worries out of the door to help the children let go of any anxieties they may have had. It is really helpful as I put a few in myself and felt much better after. Finally we have started to introduce a daily mile. We spend 5 minutes at 1.00pm running around the playground with the rest of the school. This is going to increase to a full mile. The children are loving this and it does give us all a good feeling.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson.

We have had a fun packed week in Foundation. At 11.00am on Monday we all stopped and closed our eyes for a minute to think about people who look after us and keep us safe. The children were very good at this and it was a good teaching tool for the children to understand and learn how to be reflective. Later in the week some boys started to write on postits and stick them all over the windows. When we asked them what they were doing they said they were writing lists so that we don't forget the war. It was very moving and provoked some interesting conversations.
The children played a game with the blindfolds, directing each other round the room. They were able to communicate effectively and responded well to the instructions. This activity also supports the children's language development.
REMINDERS
We are still getting uniform that is not clearly labelled. Can you please make sure all your child's uniform has their name clearly visible. As you are all aware many 3/4 year olds take jumpers, shoes, coats and other items of clothing off and drop them on the floor. As they are all wearing the same clothes it is almost impossible to keep track of it all. Recently we have had many jumpers go missing and this is an expense nobody wants. We are also trying to support the children in their understanding that they have go to take some responsibility for their belongings.
Please speak to me if you have any concerns.

Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)
I apologise for the lack of photos today as I am having some technical problems with my computer. I will try and put some on next week so keep looking.

We have had a very busy start to the term and the children have settled back into their routine. We have spent a lot of time outside this week observing and collecting leaves. The children have looked at the changes in the colour and textures. We discussed why the leaves change and we predicted what would happen next. We have used the leaves to create some wonderful art work..
We have visited the site of the bonfire and looked at the ground to see what was left of the fire. We decided we would have our own bonfire in the outdoor classroom. We lit the fire basket and cooked sausages and ate hot dogs with a drink of warm milk. The children loved this experience and we are hoping to repeat this on a regular basis. If you have any creative food ideas for the BBQ that are healthy and easy to make could you let me know as I would like to give the children the chance to taste different things that can be cooked on a BBQ. The children learnt a lot about fire safety and we discussed clear rules about how we behave around a fire.
Next week we are going to be learning about our senses and the children are going to be working together to navigate around obstacles blindfolded. This activity is very interesting to watch and listen to as the children will follow instructions from another child.


Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)

 

We have finally reached half term and I think we are all ready for a short break. This week we have been learning about Diwali and we have listened to the story of Rama and Sita. The children have also enjoyed having their hands painted which is a tradition that takes place during Diwali. We used brown paint to create our designs. This is called Mehndi art and originated from ancient India.
We have not managed to have our hot dogs on the fire this week so we are saving it until the first week back . Hopefully we will have a lovely crisp day so that we can enjoy the camp fire.

REMINDERS
 Can you please  send in a photograph of your family so we can put it on our family wall. We only have 5 families so far. This display is really important as  we talk about our families a lot and also about what makes us all unique.
Please can you make sure that all uniform is labelled including coats. The children need to wear their winter uniforms after the holidays.

I hope to see some of you at the bonfire next week.
Have a great holiday.
Mrs Robinson:)

 

Following on from Harvest last week we have been looking at vegetables that grow in the ground. We looked at how they grow and what they look like when they are taken out of the ground. The children then cleaned all the vegetables and we made soup. Almost all the children were happy to try it and some of them even had seconds. We decided to make our own vegetable shop outside and the children have enjoyed using money to buy their vegetables. In Foundation we often read a story called Vegetable Glue by Susan Chandler. It is really funny story about the benefits of eating vegetables and a must read for anyone who is having problems getting their children to eat.
Continuing with our healthy eating we had a visit from PB1 who did a talk about our teeth. The children responded really well and were able to talk confidently about good foods and bad foods that effect our teeth. 
Next week we are going to be cooking in our outside classroom on the fire.
We will be holding our parent consultations so please make sure you have booked a time slot.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Robinson:)