Week ending 04.04.2025

As we hop into the Easter holidays, we've had a wonderfully busy and creative final week of the term filled with discovery, curiosity, and chocolate!

In Maths, we explored making 10 using three pieces of Numicon. The children used their understanding of number bonds to split 10 into different parts, demonstrating their growing confidence in the composition of number. Our tabletop maths challenge involved opening Easter eggs to find numbers made from dice—children practised subitising and counting to find the total, then made the number using little eggs and tens frames.

In Writing, the children opened Easter eggs to discover CVC words. They identified the picture, sounded out each word, and wrote it independently on whiteboards. We also set the children a reading challenge where they had to match word to the correct picture, using their growing phonics knowledge of set 2 sounds to support them.

In Creative, the children have been making and writing their very own Easter cards. Using finger paints, they created adorable bunnies and chicks, then applied their phonics knowledge to sound out and write Easter messages inside to their family and friends.

We also had lots of fun decorating Easter eggs, using paints, loo rolls, and cotton buds (cue tips) to create dot patterns and vibrant designs—each one as unique as the children.

Our Fine Motor activities had an Easter twist too. Children used spoons to fill different egg molds, talking about how many spoonful’s it took to fill each one, and whether it was more or less depending on the spoon size.

We ended the  week on a chocolate note. The children got hands-on making their own chocolate cornflake cakes. They enjoyed mixing the ingredients, choosing their chocolate eggs for decoration, and of course, eating their delicious creations!

What a fun and festive end to the term it has been!

The Early Years team would like to wish all our families a very Happy Easter and a restful break. We look forward to welcoming you back for more learning in Term 5.

Week ending 28.03.2025

The school has been the home of other children this week following the birth of the chicks last Wednesday. The children have been fascinated and curious about their arrival. We have been learning about the life cycle of a chick and how we can look after them whilst they are at school. We were really excited when we had the opportunity to have the chicks in our classroom and even hold them this week. They were very cute and fluffy despite them deciding to go to the toilet on the carpet, which all the children found hilarious!

            

Space Day 2025!

Let’s blast off into space! Badgers and Squirrels had an out-of-this-world experience when we had our amazing space day on Thursday! The children looked fantastic, dressed up as astronauts as they came into the ‘Space Centre’. The Winder Dome created an engaging and interesting space experience for the children. They blasted off into space to explore what is in outer space.

The afternoon was filled with Astronaut Training activities in both classrooms and outside. They decorated their own space biscuits, made their own alien masks and rockets as well as took part in a range of messy space experiments! This has been an incredible fantastic finish to our topic. All the enthusiasm the children have shared for the topic this term has been brilliant!

Newsletter 21^st March 2025

 

What a fantastic week it has been! With the amazing sunny weather we’ve had, the classrooms have been filled with both sunshine and excitement as we continue our space-themed learning.

This week, the children have been painting and decorating their own planets, thinking carefully about their unique features and selecting the colours that best represent them. From the fiery reds of Mars to the swirling blues and greens of Earth, their creativity has been out of this world this week.

In maths, we started the week by learning all about instructions and how important it is to be specific with our language, especially when following recipes. The children had great fun helping Mrs. Nicholas and Miss Adams make a jam sandwich, ensuring that we spread the jam with a knife – not with our hands! Afterwards, they worked on sequencing the recipe, discussing the correct order of steps. Throughout the week, our number focus has been all about the number 10. We explored how the number ten can be represented in different ways and ended the week with some missing number problems, where the children had to find the missing number on a number line.

In literacy, we have been exploring the story Astro Girl, and this week we delved deeper into the world of astronaut food. We started the week with an experiment, deciding what types of food would be best to take into space. The children considered texture, packaging, and how food behaves in zero gravity. We then had the amazing opportunity to taste real space food. The children were fascinated by the differences in texture and taste, and it sparked some brilliant discussions about how astronauts eat and survive in space.

We were also lucky to welcome some very special visitors this week—10 chicks have been delivered to our school, and we have been watching them hatch throughout the week! The children have been fascinated by the process and have enjoyed learning about the life cycle of a chick. It has been a truly magical experience, and we can’t wait to see how they grow in the coming days.

Finally, we have been learning all about healthy and unhealthy foods. The children used a Venn diagram to sort different foods into healthy and unhealthy categories, discussing their choices and explaining why certain foods belong in each group. This activity sparked some fantastic conversations about nutrition and making healthy choices.

Week ending 14.03.2025

The excitement of Book Week has still continued this week with our literacy focus. The children have worked incredibly hard this week, writing a simple sentence remembering our key features of a sentence such as finger spaces and full stops. They chose a character from Peter Pan to write about and thought about what they look like and what they like.

This week in maths, we have been understanding the concept of time and being about to explore what it means of us. The children thought that in 1 minute they could complete lots of tasks such as eating their lunch and building a tower. Mrs Nicholas and I set them the challenge of how many jumps they can do in a minute. They were about to do lots but realised running back and forward might take longer to do in a minute. We have also been focusing on the number 9 and making number bonds to 10.

In forest school this week, the children enjoyed some free time exploring what the forest school area has to offer. Mrs Kyte introduced the first tool, the palm drill, to the children and demonstrated how with support they will make their own medallion. Squirrels enjoyed laying the hammock in the sun listening to the sounds of the outdoors.

The children have been learning all the different planets in our topic. They have been challenged to be able to put them in order from the closest to the sun to the furthest. In EYFS our art project is making the planets out of papier mâché. We can’t wait to see how they turn out once we have painted them!

Week ending 07.03.2025

“A book is a dream that you hold in your hands." – Neil Gaiman

What a magical week we have had, celebrating the wonderful world of books! From thrilling pirate adventures to cozy bedtime stories, our Book Week has been filled with excitement, creativity, and a love for reading.

Our journey began with a spectacular launch into Neverland! As pupils arrived at school, they were greeted by a flying Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Wendy, and the crew, bringing the magic of J.M. Barrie's classic tale to life. Throughout the day with their buddies, children crafted pirate hats, explored star constellations in Forest School, painted the London night sky using water colours, and navigated Crocodile Creek and Mermaid Lagoon. One of the highlights was the inflatable crocodile obstacle course, followed by a special storytelling session in Captain Hook’s den, where he shared some of his favourite pirate tales.

On Tuesday, we welcomed the amazing poet Andrew Weale from Wacky Bee Books, who delighted the children with his energetic readings of Newt in a Suit and his playful poetry. Inspired by his performance, the pupils got creative and wrote their own animal-themed poems, showcasing their imagination and literary talents. On Tuesday, the celebrations continued as the children marked Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) with a range of exciting activities. Pupils had the chance to design their own pancakes, flip playdough pancakes, and add delicious toppings to pancakes before enjoying real ones at snack time.

Wednesday was PJ Day—a school favourite! Children and staff arrived in their comfiest pyjamas, ready for a day of storytelling and adventure. The morning kicked off with an American-themed Indian Camp in Forest School, where pupils enjoyed drumming rhythms, face painting, and crafting feathered headbands. In the afternoon, our Year 6 students became storytellers, building reading dens and sharing their favourite books with us.

 

Thursday marked the grand celebration of World Book Day! Mrs. Nicholas and Miss Adams were overwhelmed with joy at the incredible effort put into the children’s creative costumes, all matched to their favourite books. The school was buzzing with excitement as pupils proudly shared their character inspirations. The Stop, Drop, and Read activity brought even more book magic—whenever the bell rang, children stopped everything, dropped to the floor, and immersed themselves in their books, even during lunch and playtime!

On Friday, we rounded off our Book Week celebrations with a fantastic Book Swap event. Children had the opportunity to bring in books from home and swap them for new ones, taking time to explore different stories and discover genres they enjoy. In the afternoon, we took part in a 'Understanding the World' activity, where pupils designed and built boats, testing them to see if they would float or sink. The day ended with a Reading Safari, where pupils shared stories with their buddies, followed by a celebration worship. The highlight of the afternoon was watching the incredible film created by Mr. Lucas, which beautifully showcased the excitement and joy of the entire week.

This has truly been a Book Week to remember! Thank you to all the staff, pupils, and parents who made it so special.

Week ending 28.02.2025

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!!!

The term started off with a trip to space when the children came back from phonics. The classroom was dark and they were ready to strap themselves into the rocket ready for lift off. We all took off into space and experienced walking around with zero gravity. This was the start of our amazing space topic, Flying High! The children shared their prior knowledge of what they already know about space and what an astronaut is. They were super excited to see the change in both role plays in Badger and Squirrel’s classrooms. Badgers have The Internation Space Station, the solar system interactive dome  and Squirrels have a huge Space Rocket!

              Our topic book for the term is Astro Girl by Ken Wilson- Max. On Tuesday, we got a special delivery that was wrapped up. Inside was a copy of Astro Girl. The children enjoyed predicting what they thought was going to happen in the story before listening attentively to the story. On Wednesday, the children practised their cutting skills to cut out pictures from the story and place the story in the correct order.

The children were amazed this week as they watched our creative art boards come to life! The faces of astonishment and spotting of astronauts filled the room on Thursday morning as they tried to find their faces on the board.

                                    

In Maths this week, we started the new term by learning all about odd and even numbers, following on from our learning about pairs. They also learnt about doubling. We used butterflies and dabber paints to show how doubling happens.

The children are excited to learn more about Space this term including celebrating our learning with Space Day at the end of term!

Week ending 14.02.2025

This week, we have been learning all about the incredible work of doctors and nurses, who help to keep us healthy and make us feel better when we are unwell. The children have been fascinated to learn about the different ways they care for us, from checking our heartbeats to giving us medicine when we need it.

 

As we come to the end of our exciting topic, "People Who Help Us," we have reflected on everything we have learnt. The pupils have explored so many different important roles and have absolutely loved discovering how firefighters keep us safe, how doctors and nurses help us get better, how vets care for animals, and how police officers work hard to protect our community. We also had a fantastic trip to the library, where the children explored the role of a librarian. They learnt how librarians help us find books, keep them organised, and support our love of reading. The pupils enjoyed choosing their own books and discovering how a library works.

We want to say a huge thank you to all the amazing visitors who took the time to come in and speak to the children. Their real-life experiences and stories have truly brought our learning to life and inspired the pupils.

It has been a fantastic topic, and we are so proud of how engaged and curious the children have been throughout. We look forward to more exciting learning adventures ahead and wish you all a happy half term break.

Week ending 7.02.2025

This week, our learning has been on how Firefighters help us and our local community when danger arises. The children were met by a local firefighter on Thursday. She spoke to the children about what they should do in cases of emergencies and if they see a fire. The children asked some fantastic and inquisitive questions to find out more about the life of a firefighter. The challenge for the children this week has been learning where they live and their address in case they have to call for help. They also learnt and remembered what to do if there is a fire ‘Get out, stay out and call 999’.

                            

The children have been exploring colour mixing and creating different textures with our fire creative challenge this week. They thought about how they could make the different colours that they needed as well as how they could represent fire in different ways.

To develop our fine motor skills we made our very own fire-engines by carefully cutting out parts of the truck.

In literacy, the children have been learning about the purpose of a letter. They explored the letter that Joop was sent in our story and how we can write on back. The children have been working super hard, remembering their finger spaces, full stops and capital letters.

We have been moving up the number scale and focusing on the numbers 6, 7 and 8 this week in maths. The children have been about to explain that one more is being added each time and how we can arrange the numbers on the tens frames in different ways.

                                                                               

                                                                                           

Next week, the children are excited to go back to St Stephen’s church again on Monday for the Year 4 church service. Please drop your child off at the church at 8:45am. Also our last topic focus will be all about the fantastic work of Doctors and Nurses and how they help us.

 

Week ending 31.01.2025

Stop! Police! – This week, our learning has been all about the incredible work of police officers as we continued our topic on People Who Help Us. The children have been exploring how the police keep us safe, and the highlight of the week was a special visit from Officer Mr Cook, who shared fascinating insights about his job. He taught us a catchy saying – "Mr Clever never goes" – to help the children remember an important safety message. The children were especially excited to try on real police helmets and vests, and they were amazed at how heavy they were!

In creative, we explored police vehicles, identifying their key features such as colours and sirens, and we even made our own police car models.

In maths, our focus was on capacity, starting with an exploration of mass and weight, comparing heavy and light objects. Later in the week, we experimented with different-sized containers, using water and rice to investigate how many spoonful’s it would take to fill them.

For fine motor skills, the children carefully cut out and pieced together their own police vehicle puzzles, which required precision and problem-solving. In literacy, we wrote about police officers, their toolkits, their jobs, and how they help us.

As part of Understanding the World, we explored the wonderful world of forces. The children learnt about the forces push and pull, discussing everyday examples of objects we push and pull in our daily lives. We also investigated the force that pulls us down to the ground—gravity! The children took part in a range of hands-on activities to explore these forces in action, helping them develop a deeper understanding of how things move.

On Wednesday, we also celebrated Chinese New Year! The children learnt that this year marks the Year of the Dragon and enjoyed a range of fun activities, including picking up red noodles with chopsticks, placing gold coins on money bags, zodiac subitising, and making snakes to commemorate the festival.

 

Week ending 24.01.25

This week, the children were met by some furry and scaly visitors on Wednesday. The children were super excited to spend some time with a dog and snake when we met the vets from Pennard Vets. We learnt all about how vets look after a range of different animals and how we can help look after our pets at home. The children enjoyed getting up close to the snake, feeling its skin and watching how it moves! 

In maths this week, we have been exploring the composition of numbers to 5. The children made their own dot plates and compared the arrangement of the dots. They used different resources such as numicon and cubes to explore different ways they could make numbers to 5.

           

This week, we started our new PE unit, dance! The children really enjoyed moving to the music and exploring different body parts and how they move.

In topic this week we have been learning all about vets and what they do and how they help the animals. In exploring time we helped make their paws better and saved them from the cold ice water.

Over the last few weeks, the children have been loving their music sessions. They have been learning to keep to the beat of a piece of music, use key vocabulary such as imitate and tempo, as well as increase their confidence to sing the Cuckoo song on their own.  

Next week, our focus is on how the Police help us and our community. They will be learning what to do when there is danger and how to keep themselves safe! 

 

Week ending 17.01.2025

What an exciting week we’ve had in Early years. Our learning journey has taken us into the wonderful world of libraries as we continued our topic on People Who Help Us. This week, our focus was all about librarians and the incredible work they do.

The highlight of our week was undoubtedly our trip to Tonbridge Library! The children were absolutely thrilled to visit a real library, explore the shelves, and learn first-hand about how libraries work. It was a fantastic experience that deepened their understanding of books, reading, and the role of a librarian.

In Fine Motor, we engaged in a creative activity where the children used their fine motor skills to thread pipe cleaners around their favourite books. This was a great way to strengthen their fine motor muscles while celebrating their love for stories.

 

In Maths, we focused on one more and one less. The children used their number line knowledge to explore numbers, developing their mental models and numerical confidence. Outside we made a giant tens frame to show one more and one less.

 

In Writing, we continued our exploration of the story Juniper Jupiter. The children have been learning the story through actions and have started writing short sentences about the beginning, middle, and end.  In Phonics, we’ve been reinforcing our understanding of CVC words. The children had a fantastic time ‘fishing’ for magnetic letters to find the missing sounds in words. As an extra challenge, they worked on writing simple captions to match pictures, further developing their phonics and writing skills.

 

 

Week ending 10.01.2025

What a fantastic week back Badgers and Squirrels have had this week! The children came back to school excited to see their friends and get back into the routine of school. We spent time sharing our Christmas Holiday news with each other, sharing what we got for Christmas and the fun things we did with our family and friends.

Our Topic this term is ‘People Who Help Us’ and exploring different occupations that support us in our lives. We started the term learning about how Dentists help us. The children were able to share their experiences of visiting the dentist and how they help us to look after our teeth. The children were so excited with a visit from the dentist on Wednesday. They sat and listened attentively, asked amazing questions and even helped different animals clean their teeth!

To support their learning of those who help us in our community, Badgers and Squirrels were amazed to see the changes in our class role plays. Badgers have changed into a doctor’s surgery whilst Squirrels have become mini dentists! The children have been immersed in the roles of doctors and dentists and using key vocabulary when pretending to help their friends.

           

 

In maths this week, the children have been exploring the numeral zero and how numerals can be represented in different ways. The children have been able to recall our focused learning for the week such as ‘Zero means nothing’ and understanding the word ‘numeral’ when talking about numbers. We ended the week by looking at the different ways of representing numbers to 5 using cubes and five frames. 

 

In Literacy, the children loved listening to our key text for the term ‘Juniper Jupiter’. The children had to create their own superhero name and power. We had some incredible superhero names such as ‘Golden Bird’, ‘Super Speed’ and Miss Adams’ name of ‘The Amazing Axolotl’. Children in Squirrels wanted to make their own superhero mask so they could become their character. They spent time decorating their mask and saving people in the classroom!

                          

We are looking forward to our trip to Tonbridge Library next Thursday! We will be learning all about how to look after books, how important books are as well as the role of a Librarian.

 

Week ending 19.12.2024

As we reach the end of this term, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been a truly wonderful and festive few weeks in Early Years. This past week has been filled with Christmas magic!

The children had the exciting opportunity to meet Father Christmas in his grotto, make popcorn in the forest, listen to lots of heart-warming Christmas stories, and get creative by writing fantastic Christmas cards and detailed letters to Santa.

A special highlight was, of course, the nativity performance. The children sang their hearts out, remembered all the actions, and showcased the amazing effort they put into learning the songs. We are so proud of every single one of them for their dedication and enthusiasm—it was a performance to remember!

In maths, the children have been exploring shapes in exciting and creative ways. Using the Tap-a-Shape, they created amazing 3D constructions using 2D shapes. They also made 2D shapes using rubber bands, confidently naming the shapes and discussing their properties. 

Looking back over the term, the children have worked so hard and made incredible progress with their learning. We are also immensely grateful for the support and encouragement all the parents have provided throughout the term. Your involvement and partnership mean so much to us and play a key role in your children's success.

From the whole Early Years team, we wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas filled with love, joy, compassion and kindness. Thank you for being a part of such a wonderful term, and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year!

 

Week ending 13.12.2024

It has been a wonderfully busy week at school as we prepare for the much-anticipated EYFS/KS1 Nativity! The children have been working incredibly hard to learn all the songs and actions, and their enthusiasm has been truly heart-warming.  We have been focusing on "Away in a Manger," and the children's beautiful singing and dedication to learning actions have impressed us all. One standout performer was even awarded the Chavasse Shield for their excellent singing—well done!

On Friday, the EYFS children enjoyed a wonderful trip to St. Stephen’s Church, which was a huge success. The children walked beautifully to the church, demonstrating excellent behaviour throughout. Once there, they eagerly participated in a range of activities run by the church, giving them a real insight into how the church prepares for Christmas. It was a delightful and enriching experience that brought the festive season to life for the children.

In English, we continued with our celebrations theme, and this week’s focus has been all about Christmas. We started reading Christmas by Annette Whipple, which has inspired many fascinating discussions. At the beginning of the week, we explored Advent wreaths, learning about their meaning and the names of the candles. The children were captivated by the significance of this tradition.

As the week progressed, we looked at presents and had a lively discussion about what gifts we might give to a King. While the idea of gold, frankincense, and myrrh raised some eyebrows, many children thought baby clothes and toys might be more suitable gifts! We ended the week by creating Christingles with our buddies.

In Religious Education, we delved into the Nativity story, sequencing its key events. The children loved discussing each part of the story, using important vocabulary and sharing their thoughts about the significance of the story.

 

In Maths, our focus was on creating repeating patterns. The children had a great time identifying the rule for each pattern and cutting out shapes to continue the sequence. Their creativity and problem-solving skills shone through!

 

 

 

Week ending 06.12.2024

Excitement is in the air as in Early years as we prepare for our Christmas Fair. This week, the children have been busy embracing the festive spirit, eagerly helping to get everything ready for the big event.

As part of our classroom Christmas preparations, the children have been practising their fine motor skills by making colourful paper chains to decorate the classroom. The children applied their mathematical skills to create repeating patterns and explore colour combinations while constructing their beautiful chains.

This week in creative, we embraced the season by crafting snowman pictures and designing characters from the Nativity story. This linked in with our Religious Education lesson, where we explored the Christmas story and looked deeper into the key characters. The children loved using Nativity figures to recreate their very own manger scenes, bringing the story to life in an imaginative and hands-on way.

In literacy, we introduced a festive challenge where the children practised spelling Christmas-themed CVC words using magnetic letters. They then used these words to create their very own sentences.

This week in maths, we focused on exploring the numbers 4 and 5. The children investigated one more and one less using tens frames and even created a giant tens frame in the classroom to demonstrate these concepts. The activity was highly engaging and helped bring their learning to life in a practical and memorable way.

Week ending 29.11.2024

What an exciting week we've had in Early years. The warmer weather brought some fantastic rainstorms, which the children thoroughly enjoyed observing and discussing.

In Maths, we've been focusing on numbers up to 5. The children explored different ways to represent these numbers and used pieces of Numicon to make combinations that add up to 5. It's been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and growing confidence in numbers.

Our Writing sessions took us on a cultural journey as we learnt about the festival of Kwanzaa. We looked at the vibrant and colourful rugs that are an integral part of the celebrations. Using their phonetic knowledge, the children wrote simple sentences describing the patterns and colours they observed. This activity not only enhanced their writing skills but also broadened their understanding of different cultures.

To develop our fine motor skills, we introduced the art of weaving. The children loved learning this new skill and were proud of the beautiful woven artwork they created. It's been a joy to watch their creativity flourish.

In our Creative class, we continued exploring Kwanzaa by making lamps inspired by the festival's traditional designs. We also looked at other festivals around the world, focusing on the Chinese New Year. The children had a fantastic time making dragon masks, which they adored wearing and showing off to their friends.

Week ending 22.11.2024

What a cold week it has been! Winter has truly arrived at Bishop Chavasse School, and the children have been embracing the chilly weather with enthusiasm. They eagerly welcomed the ice and had lots of fun pretending to be dragons as they could see their breath in the frosty air.

In Maths, we have started to learn all about the properties of shapes, focusing particularly on exploring circles and squares. The children enjoyed sorting different 2D shapes and then going on a shape hunt around our school to find circles and squares in our environment. We continued the week recapping one more and one less using a five frame and some counters.

In English, we have begun a new book called "Star in the Jar" by Sam Hay. We have explored the story together and have started to write the opening and middle parts of the story in our own words. The children enjoyed learning and singing the story, as well as coming up with actions for each part, which really brought the story to life.

At the end of the week, we excitedly planned what fruit we would like to use to make fruit kebabs. The children loved naming their favourite fruits and writing a list of them. On Friday, we had a wonderful time making the fruit kebabs.

In Topic, we are continuing with our focus on celebrations. This week was all about Hanukkah. We learned about why Hanukkah is so important and the traditions associated with it. The children created some beautiful artwork inspired by the menorah candle, which helped them to understand the significance of this symbol in the Hanukkah celebration.

Overall, it's been a week filled with learning, creativity, and fun. We are so proud of how engaged and enthusiastic the children have been in all our activities.

Week ending 15.11.2024

It’s been a week jam-packed with activities and rich in historical significance! We started on Sunday when our Early Years children proudly showcased a beautiful wreath, they made for the Tonbridge Remembrance Service. The Year 6 students were especially proud of the artwork created by Early Years, and it was wonderful to see the school community come together for such an important occasion.

On Monday, we continued our focus on Remembrance Day with reflective worship, where the children learnt about the meaning of the day. In the afternoon, we explored remembrance through art. The children created poppies out of plastic bottles, connecting them creatively with this important symbol. 

They also participated in “Poppy Subitising,” where they practised recognising quantities by subitising the number of poppies and matching them to the correct numeral.

 

In English, we focused on describing soldiers, with the children using their phonics knowledge to sound out and write words describing what soldiers look like and the items they carry. We were very impressed with their descriptive skills.

In maths this week we have been focusing on the composition of numbers, particularly finding different ways to make the number 3. The children explored combining ones and twos and used Numicon pieces to visualize their understanding. 

We also focused on 1:1 correspondence skills, where children identified numbers up to 10 and matched each number with the correct amount of beads.

It has also been an extremely creative week. The children explored different ways of creating firework art, from using straws, marbles, toilet rolls and even their hands. They had lots of fun learning about the celebration of Bonfire night and the fantastic display of fireworks.

 

Week ending 08.11.2024

Welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful half-term break. It was fantastic to see the children walk into school with smiles on their faces, eager to discover the exciting changes in our classroom.

In Maths, we've been representing numbers up to 3 in various ways. We've used our fingers holding up the correct number, worked with ten frames by placing counters to visually represent numbers, and explored number shapes and their values using Numicon. The children were also challenged to represent these numbers using their "bunny ears"—a fun activity where they showed numbers on two hands held up like bunny ears. At the end of the week we investigated one more and one less.

In Writing, we have been hard at work learning all about sentence construction. We focused on capital letters, full stops, and finger spaces—discussing why they are important and how to use them. The pupils applied their new skills to write their holiday news, sharing and writing about what they did during the half-term break. It was wonderful to read about their experiences and see them apply their writing skills with such enthusiasm.

 

In Phonics, we have been learning new digraphs such as "sh" and "th". The children enjoyed learning the sounds and the songs that go with them. It's been exciting to see them recognise these sounds in words and use them in their reading and writing activities.

The pupils loved exploring the new role-play area, which has been transformed into a bustling post office! They've had so much fun pretending to be postal workers—writing letters, stamping envelopes, and delivering parcels to one another.

Finally, to end on Friday, as part of our 'Celebrations' topic, EYFS immersed themselves in the vibrant festivities of Diwali. The classrooms were transformed with bright and cheerful colours, creating an exciting environment for the children to learn about the Festival of Lights. They participated in various hands-on activities, including creating beautiful henna designs on paper, making intricate marks and patterns in sand to reflect traditional Rangoli patterns, and crafting Diya lamps out of clay and paper plates, symbolising the triumph of light over darkness.

Throughout the day, we discussed the stories and traditions associated with Diwali, helping the children understand the significance of family, sharing, and the values of goodness and light. The children showed great enthusiasm and curiosity, embracing new traditions and celebrating together in a meaningful way, which enriched their understanding of the world and fostered a sense of inclusivity and respect for others.

Week ending 25.10.2024

As we approach the half-term break, we're delighted to share our final newsletter of the term with you, highlighting the fantastic activities and learning experiences we've had this week in Reception.

We have had a fantastic week in Reception, filled with exciting activities and new learning.

In Maths, we have been exploring mass, weight, and capacity. The children enjoyed weighing different objects found in the classroom using scales, discovering which items were heavier or lighter. We also experimented with capacity by mixing coloured water to investigate the concepts of full and empty. The children had lots of fun mixing the colours and filling up each container. By the end of the week, we delved into patterns—creating our own patterns, reading patterns to determine the rule, and even spotting mistakes in patterns. By the end of the week, we delved into patterns—creating our own patterns, reading patterns to determine the rule, and even spotting mistakes in patterns.

In English, we have been writing about what we like to do outside of school and discussing our hobbies. The children have begun to learn about finger spaces, full stops, and writing our letters correctly. We are so impressed with how hard they have been working to identify the initial sounds in words and their enthusiasm in sharing their hobbies with the class.

This week, Badgers had fun joining their buddies down in Forest School. They learn how to be safe in the forest area, what activities they might be able to do with Mrs Kyte and enjoyed spending time with their buddies.

Our Creative sessions have been equally engaging. We drew pictures of our hobbies and what we like to do outside of school. We were very impressed with the range of sports the children enjoy—from golf to tennis to swimming. The children loved explaining their favourite activities to each other, fostering great conversations and connections amongst them.

For Fine Motor Skills, we developed our dexterity by picking out swimming bears from a tray of water. The children used tweezers to catch the bears and then sorted them by colour. This activity was not only fun but also excellent for enhancing their hand-eye coordination and fine motor control.

Overall, it's been a wonderful week of learning and fun. We are so proud of the children's progress and enthusiasm.

We wish you a happy half term and look forward to seeing you in November.

Useful links

We recognise that learning to dress and undress independently is a key milestone in your child's development, fostering independence, fine motor skills, and confidence. To support this at home, encourage your child to practice (with simple) clothing items, choose easy-to-handle clothes, break down the dressing process into manageable steps, and offer patience and positive reinforcement. If you have any concerns about your child's progress, please don't hesitate to contact us—we are here to provide support and resources to help your child develop this essential life skill.

Dressing and undressing | Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Week ending 18.10.2024

 

We have had a brilliant week in Early years that started with rain picked up in the middle with a heatwave and ended with a frost! The children have been enthusiastic and engaged in a variety of exciting activities.

In Fine Motor Skills, we used our dexterity to add hair to faces using paper clips. The children enjoyed seeing how long they could make the hair, and we measured the lengths, which tied in perfectly with our Maths focus on comparing lengths.

We compared the lengths of different objects in the classroom and investigated whose piece of string was the longest and who had the shortest piece of ribbon. We also investigated the height of different objects and even put ourselves in height order. 

The week ended by a final investigation all about heavy and light.

In Creative, we have been busy creating visual representations of who lives in our houses. The children expressed themselves wonderfully, sharing details about their families through their artwork.

In Phonics, we have finished learning all Set 1 sounds and have begun to spell CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant words). We used our new phonetic skills in exploring time to spell these words using ping pong balls. The children then enjoyed making and sharing silly sentences, once they had formed the words.

This week, Squirrels had fun joining their buddies down in Forest School. They learn how to be safe in the forest area, what activities they might be able to do with Mrs Kyte and enjoyed spending time with their buddies.

Next week, Badgers will have the opportunity to spend time in forest school with their buddy class, 5N. Please remember to bring in Forest school clothing by Monday 21^st October.  This is giving the children a taster of forest school ready for Term 2!

Week ending 11.10.2024

We have had a wonderfully creative week in Reception, filled with exciting activities and new learning experiences!

In Maths, we have been representing numbers up to 3 and 4. We explored books that talk about groups of three, collected items in threes, and compared them. The children enjoyed counting and grouping objects, which helped strengthen their understanding of these numbers.

We also have been practising our subitising during exploring time.

In Creative Arts, we have been busy further exploring our "All About Me" topic. We created and designed our own houses using cereal boxes. The children loved talking about who lives in their house and produced artwork showcasing their families. It was delightful to see their imagination and creativity shine through these projects.

 

In Religious Education, we looked at the Creation Story and then created artwork inspired by day and night. The children enjoyed using cotton wool buds to paint and enthusiastically discussed why they included trees and fish in their artwork.

For Fine Motor Skills, we practised threading pasta onto pipe cleaners. This activity helped develop their dexterity and hand-eye coordination. The children had a lot of fun and were very proud of their creations.

 

Week ending 04.10.2024

We have had a brilliant week this week, where we have been continuing to explore more about our "All About Me" topic.

We began the week by introducing the book "Something Else" by Kathryn Cave—a story about a creature who is different from those around him and is told he's "not like us." Despite his best efforts, he doesn't feel like he belongs. We discussed how, even though we might look different, it's important to include everyone. We shared thoughtful ideas on how to make others feel welcome.

In Phonics, we have been identifying the initial sounds in words. We enjoyed finding objects that start with the same sound and are becoming more confident in recognizing and writing these sounds.

We have also been practsing writing CVC words and our name using the correct letter formation.

Creative time, we drew our friends and talked about what makes a good friend. We came up with wonderful qualities like someone who shares when playing, listens to us, and is kind.

We then drew portraits of our friends, which are now proudly displayed in our classroom.

In Maths, we have been subitizing numbers up to 5 and exploring different ways to represent these numbers. We have been comparing numbers.  We have also begun to think about cardinality—understanding that the last number you say tells us how many things there are altogether. At the end of the week, we experimented with counting using sounds and our magic finger wands to help us ensure one-to-one correspondence when counting objects.

For Fine Motor Skills development, we used pipettes to fill up different containers. We discovered that squeezing harder fills the pipette with more water, which means fewer squeezes are needed to fill a container. This activity was excellent for enhancing our hand strength and coordination.

Week ending 27.09.2024

The children have had a brilliant week, especially in phonics where they have been learning the sounds 'o, c, k, u, b'. The children have been beginning to blend words independently as well as orally blending words sounded out for them. Please practice these sounds at home! 

We started the week by sharing the people in our families and creating our own family trees. It was lots of fun talking about the key people in our families and talking about the similarities and differences between all families. 

We drew our family member and then we even made them using sticks, stones and leaves.

 

During exploring time, the children have been problem-solving by learning to work together to complete activities such as completing puzzles and creating models using Lego.  They have practised their fine motor skills when using tweezers to move pompoms to create patterns and following lines. This has really been helping their pencil grip skills when trying to write their names independently.

        

Badgers and Squirrels enjoyed their first PE lesson this week in the hall! They all did fantastically at getting changed by themselves and asking for help. They learnt how to move around a space safely and looking for obstacles. They played lots of games, changing directions when moving and moving in different ways. They are looking forward to their next PE lesson next week. 

On Friday, Badgers and Squirrels were really excited about seeing their Year 5 buddies again. This week, their buddies read to them in the classrooms. They shared different books from the book corner, shared the stories and talked about what they could see. 

      

 

Week ending 20.09.2024

We have had a fantastic week in the sunshine! The children have thoroughly enjoyed both indoor and outdoor activities, making the most of the lovely weather.

We began the week by exploring our core text, 'Have You Filled a Bucket Today?' by Carole McCloud. We shared ideas on how we can fill up our own buckets and fill each other's buckets with kindness and positive actions. The children came up with lots of wonderful suggestions! We also discussed how certain behaviours might empty people's buckets and the importance of being mindful of our actions.

During exploring time, the children practised their fine motor skills by threading pipe cleaners through small holes. This activity was great for enhancing their hand-eye coordination and patience. The children enjoyed creating various monsters and designs with the pipe cleaners.

In our creative area, we focused on self-portraits. We talked about how we all look different and celebrated our unique features and differences. Using mirrors and paints, the children created wonderful self-portraits. They were excited to see their artwork displayed in the classroom, and it was lovely to see them take pride in their creations.

 

In phonics, we continued learning the sounds t, i, n, p and g. We practised our letter formation using different media, including glitter! The children enjoyed correctly forming their letters in the glitter using paintbrushes.

      

 

In maths, we explored sorting objects into groups. The children were tasked with sorting objects by colour and then comparing which group had more items. They were also challenged to think of other ways to sort the objects. Some great ideas included sorting by size, shape, and number. This activity helped develop their analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.

 

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We are incredibly proud of how engaged and enthusiastic the children have been this week.

 

 

Welcome to the Early Years 2024 Newsletter!

Week ending 13.09.2024

We are excited to share our very first newsletter of the year with you, and what a wonderful start it has been! The children have settled beautifully into Early Years, quickly adapting to the new school routines with smiles and enthusiasm. It’s been fantastic to see them confidently exploring their new environment and making new friends.

One of the highlights so far has been the children’s exploration of the outdoor area. From playing music on the music wall, zooming around on the bikes, and hunting for golden coins in the sandpit, to using their creativity to build dinosaur hotels, the children have truly embraced outdoor learning and play.

     

    

In addition to outdoor adventures, we have also started our phonics journey. The children have loved learning new rhymes and actions as we introduce the first letters, m and a. It’s been a joy to see how engaged they are in learning to write these letters and bring the sounds to life!

Inside the classroom, the children have enjoyed exploring a range of tabletop activities. These have included creating Numicon patterns, forming patterns on peg boards, and developing their fine motor skills by picking up pom-poms with tweezers. They have also loved role-playing and getting creative in our home corner, which has been a wonderful space for imaginative play.

    

  

We are so proud of the fantastic start your children have made, and we look forward to sharing more of their Early Years experiences with you as the year progresses.