2023-2024

Our Summer 1 Journey

This half term, our Values focus is Respect.  The children talked about how they show respect for each other and the importance of respecting our environment. 
The children have shown courage when going swimming and performing a dance in front of an audience as part of the Royal Opera House project. 

Chicks!
Mrs Booth gave us some hen eggs at the start of term.  We placed them in an incubator and have been waiting patiently to see if they would hatch.  One morning we came into school and could hear chirping coming from the incubator and noticed that 2 eggs had cracks and a small hole.  When we returned from Assembly, they had both hatched!
Miss Driver took them home for the weekend and within an hour of getting home, a third one hatched.  We are excited for the remaining chicks to hatch.

Science

To start our Science off this half term, the children looked around the school grounds for flowers.  The found some in the grass, in the flower beds and on bushes.  They then worked collaboratively to create a painted collage of the flowers which they saw. 
 

The children have also been looking at the different parts of plants. They used key vocabulary when talking about the plants then had a go at drawing and labelling their own. 

Our Spring 2 Journey

This half term our Values focus are Courage and Love.  The children explored the meaning of courage and shared what they have needed courage for.  Riding a bike, talking in front of the class, climbing up a tree and jumping into the swimming pool were some of the things the children needed courage to do.  We show love to our friends and family,  wanting  them to be safe and always do their best.  The children looked at a piece of artwork by Kandinsky, circles, and then used pastels to recreate their own version called ‘hearts’. 

Easter

The children have been learning about what Easter means for Christians and the different symbols which are used as a representation of Easter.  They have enjoyed completing many craft activities, paper plate chicks, paper cup rabbits, plaster of Paris eggs and cardboard threading chicks.  The children also went on an egg hunt, they had to find the matching half to their egg!

Science, Maths or Music?

When learning about capacity in maths, the children also investigated volume.  They explored how the volume of liquid in a glass jar effected the sound made when tapped on the side with a spoon.  During this lesson, the children could not decide whether it was a maths, science or music task showing that the children know that activities in Reception can cover more than one subject!  The children noticed that the more liquid in the jar the lower the pitch. 

Design and Technology

To follow on from the performance of Jack and the Beanstalk by the Norwich Puppet Company, the children have been exploring puppets this half term.  They have looked at how to make different parts move and then designed and made their own puppets.  The children also decided to make a theatre to put on different performances using their puppets. 

Science Day (STEM)

For Science day, the children were set 2 challenges.  The first one was to make a shoe out of scrap paper which a member of their team could put on and take off. The children had lots of fun completing this, problem solving, working collaboratively and thinking critically. 
Their second challenge of the day was to create a safe space for the Elves.  The structure had to be made out of scrap paper and stop the household pets getting to the Elves! 

Pro-Strike

The children enjoyed seeing the speed at which they could kick a ball.  A large, inflatable goal was set up in the hall and all the children (and adults) had 3 attempts to kick the ball as fast as they could. 

Ancient House Museum

On Friday 8th March, Andersen and Attenborough Classes went to Ancient House Museum for a Fairytales morning.  They met Postwoman Pat who had lost her sack of post.  Other characters joined her and explained that they also had things which had gone missing.  The children spent time with the different characters, learning about fairytales and completed activities.  At the end of each activity, they received a code word, which, when put together made a sentence for a spell.  The spell returned the missing post sack and all the items.  The children were ‘impeccably’ behaved and a brilliant representatives for the school.  A great time was had by everyone. 

World Book Day

For World Book Day, the children came in dressed as their favourite book character or in their pyjamas. We read the books Llamas in Pyjamas and Pyjama Day, designed our own magical pyjamas, read stories to our friends, made our own books and bookmarks and listened to audiobooks.  We finished the day with hot chocolate and biscuits while listening to another story. 

Maths 

This half term, our main focus in Maths is measure.  The children have explored mass, investigating which things are the heaviest and lightest, ordering objects from lightest to heaviest and being human balance scales! 
We have investigated capacity.  Looking at the containers have the greatest capacity, which was very challenging! The children practised their estimating skills when the had to guess how many spoonfuls of water it would take to fill up their container.  They then checked their estimations. 
To end our focus on measure, the children investigated measuring length and height.  They started by using non standard measure (counters, cubes, Numicon) and soon realised that there was a more efficient way to measure.  The children enjoyed using trundle wheels, metre sticks and rulers to measure outside.

English

Our Talk 4 Writing model text is ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’. The children are learning the story with actions and thinking about how the different characters feel at different points during the story.  The children made puppets and added new clothes to the Elves.

Science

To start this half term off, the children have been exploring lifecycles.  They learnt that there is a lifecycle for all living things and some children were able to explain the lifecycle of the sunflowers which they have planted! 

Forest Schools

The children have started to look for the early signs of Springs and mini beasts.  They turned logs over and gently moved the bark to expose small seedlings, slugs and worms!

Our Spring 1 Journey 

This half term has started by exploring our value aspiration.  We have some aspiring Artists, Teachers, Vets, Nurses, superheroes and so much more amongst us.

Our new theme for this Term is Stories, Rhymes and Morals. The children have thought about the stories they know and will look at similarities and differences between them.

To start our Talk 4 Writing unit, the children were shocked to find tables and chairs overturned and a message to say ‘You will not cross’.  This mysterious message got the children hunting for more clues! 
Look at the pictures below to see our journey through Spring 1:

English

In Talk 4 Writing, the have been learning the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  The children have learnt the story, built bridges for the Billy Goats and described the Troll. 
Click on the links below to watch the retelling of the story.

Maths

In Maths, the children have been looking at different ways to make given numbers.  Some children even used the mathematical symbols for add and equals to record their calculations. 
The children worked together and were given target numbers and tasked with working with their partner to make those numbers. 
The children have explored pairs of numbers which equal 10 using one of our core manipulative, Numicon.  They have started to recall pairs of numbers which make 10 with increasing g confidence. 
To develop special awareness, the children have given each other instructions to recreate block patterns.  They have also explored Tangrams, cutting them out, creating different pictures and putting all the shapes back as a square. 

Working Together

The children work collaboratively to complete many tasks. To develop this skill further, the children spent an afternoon playing games. They shared the rules/instructions for the games, took turns and demonstrated that it is the taking part that matters. 

Festivals, celebrations and special events

This half term the children have found out about Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year).  They have learnt that each year is a year of an animal and that this year is the year of the dragon.  The children made lanterns and dragons, heard the story of the 12 different animals and found out which colours are important.

Pancake day was an exciting day as the children made their own mini pancake stacks.  They found out that Christians know this day as Shrove Tuesday and the following day is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.  Christians give something up for the 40 days of Lent, sweets, cakes, fizzy drinks, and in the past this was flour, eggs and milk - all the ingredients for pancakes! 

Computing

As part of our programming unit, children have been learning how to make Bee-Bots move. They enjoyed using a maze, paper Bee-bots and arrows to investigate how they could travel from one shape to another. 
Children then applied this skill in order to programme their electronic Bee-Bot and make it move in different directions. Some children then challenged themselves to create instructions using the given visuals. 
The children also had the opportunity to use the Bee-Bot program on the iPads.  This was an even bigger challenge as the children had to program the Bee-Bot to move around a maze on the screen. 

Science 

We have started to think about animals in our environment and in preparation for the RSPB’s big garden birdwatch towards the end of January, the  children have used binoculars to look for birds in the trees around school.  Some of the children took a bird book out with them to search for what was in the book. The children looked at different seeds and made bird feeders. They then found their own places to hang them around the school grounds. 

We have explored different climates and looked at the clothe which are worn in hot and cold climates.  The children worked in groups to sort items of clothing depending on the climate they are suite to. 
The children have learnt about caring for the environment and what happens to the items we recycle.  They found out that rubbish left on the floor can harm wildlife and went letter picking around the school grounds.

As Spring plants are starting to appear, the children have been talking about how plants grow.  The children planted some sunflower seeds so they can investigate what they need to grow. 

Library.  
The children have continued to visit the school library every week.  They enjoy listening to stories and then looking through the wide range of books to select a book to share at home. 

Forest Schools

We have been looking for signs of Winter. The children found ice in pots, tyres and even in the stump of a tree!

With the recent cold weather, we talked about hibernation and the different animals which hibernate over Winter.  The children made homes/shelters for hedgehogs to protect them from the cold weather.  Some children even added a little kitchen area and a house number! 

As part of Talk 4 Writing unit, the children hunted for the Troll, explored creating traps and looked for clues.

The children have also looked at the different textures which they could find outside and made crayon rubbings to show what they found. 

PE

In PE this half term, the children are developing their ball skills.  They have moved their hall around using their hands demonstrating control and thrown a ball from one hand to another.   

Our Autumn Term 2 Journey

This half term, we are focussing on the values Kindness and Forgiveness.  To start the half term off, we read the story Handa’s Surprise and talked about the kindness which Handa showed by taking her friend different fruit.

We talked about where Handa lived and looked at a map of the world to find the Continent Africa.  We noticed that there are many countries in the this continent.To introduce our Talk for Writing text, we received some CCTV of a well known character running out of our cookery room! 

Look at the pictures and information below to see our Autumn 2 journey:

It’s Christmas!

To mark the start of December and the countdown to Christmas, the children made decorations to put on our Christmas trees. 
The children talked about their advent calendars and linked this Advent for Christians.  They rolled played the story of Christmas and and compared Christmas traditions around the world. 

Willow Creations

In preparations for the turning on of the Christmas lights, all the children contributed to a whole school boat.  They worked collaboratively and were excited to see the final product the following day.  Each child demonstrated resilience and perseverance when they made their own lantern.  They had to build the frame, which was fiddly, and add gluey tissue paper, which felt slimy.  Our Year 6 helpers were calm and patient when supporting us.  

Maths

In Maths, we have been focusing on comparison.  We have measured objects using unifix cubes and our feet.  Estimated the capacity of different containers and explored balance scales. 

The children have been learning about pattern.  They have been looking for patterns in the environment, continuing pattens, copying patterns and creating patterns.  They enjoyed creating patterns with mistakes  and seeing if their friends could identify the mistake!

Festivals, Celebrations and Special Events

We talked about what firework night is and how Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the House of Lords in London.  The children watched a clip of fireworks and talked about the sounds they could hear.  They then created their own firework pictures (using metallic pens and glitter), coloured in firework pictures and wrote words like pop and bang.  They also created a large firework picture on the playground using chalk.

For Remembrance Day, we talked about why poppies are worn and what they represent.  The children  worked collaboratively  to create a poppy field and explored using cotton wool balls and lolly pop sticks as an alternative to paint brushes.

We have looked at the similarities and differences between different festivals.  The children noticed that fireworks were used as part of Diwali and that leaves and petals are often used in rangoli patterns, which they created on the playground and in the Forest School Area.  The children made Diva lamps out of salt dough and learnt that Hindus believe lighting these brings positive energy.  The children enjoyed listening to the story of Rama and Sita and created puppets for a shadow puppet show. 

Science

We have been looking at light and dark and finding out about the change in the length of day.  The children used their Diwali shadow puppets to investigate what happens to the shadow when you move the puppet closer the the wall or further away.  They have enjoyed using torches in the dark tent and creating shadow animals using their hands. 

Art

We have explored portraits by Guiseppe Arcimboldo, discussing how they make us feel and sharing our likes and dislikes.  We then used fruit, vegetables, flowers and natural items to create our own portraits.

The children have looked at the use of shape in Art, finding out about the famous abstract artist Piet Mondrian.  They worked collaboratively to recreate his famous piece ‘composition with Red, Blue and Yellow.  

Our Autumn Term 1 Journey

The children have continued to enjoy their learning. They have explored numbers, started their Phonics and are looking for different sounds in books and the environment.  They have been keen to have a go at writing and try out what they have been learning in Phonics.

As the hook for our Talk for Writing, the children found a letter left outside in a pile of flour. It was from he Little Red Hen asking for help with making her bread. The children enjoyed learning the story and eventually tried writing their own versions.

Watch the video below to see Attenborough Class retelling the story of The Little Red Hen.

The children are continuing to build friendships, taking turns, sharing and playing collaboratively.  
To mark the start of Autumn, the children went out into our Forest school area and created natural pictures and Autumn potions!  They also went on a signs of Autumn hunt, to find objects to add to our Autumn collage.  The photos below show the fun the children have been having this half term: 

Our journey through Autumn 1

The children have started their journey at Drake Primary with excitement and confidence.  They have been exploring their new environment and forming new friendships.  During our transition week, the children demonstrated their creative skills when making a crown, drawing a self portrait and exploring colour mixing.  They took turns and shared resources, served each other snack in the Snack Cafe and listened to stories.  Have a look at the pictures below to see the start of our journey.