Week beginning 13/2/23

The theme this week has been ‘stories and rhymes’ which has meant we’ve had an enjoyable end to the half term.
The week started with the ‘Gingerbread Man’ story and a letter with a recipe attached. The children enjoyed exploring the story and making their own gingerbread men, by weighing out the ingredients, mixing and stirring and making the dough. Some also enjoyed writing down where the school gingerbread man had been on his travels around school and making their own maps.
Another key text this week has been ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ by Julia Donaldson. We discussed how kind the giant was and retold the story in the small world area.
Humpty Dumpty also wrote us a letter this week, asking us to help think about how we could stop him breaking the next time he falls off a wall. The children conducted an experiment to test out how different materials could protect or cushion him when he lands. In provision, the children have been making some armour out of the winning materials.
The children enjoyed singing nursery rhymes, learning new ones and performing them to their friends as a ‘guess the tune’ lesson.
A storyteller visited later in the week and the children were captivated and thoroughly enjoyed her visit. She read ‘Room on a Broom’, performed a poem all about kindness and taught the children the nursery rhyme, ‘Mary Mack’.
The phonics focus this week has entailed reviewing specific sounds- ‘ai’, ‘oa’ ‘ar’ and tricky words. Lessons have been very game based and the children have loved them. Maths again has been very active and has involved lots of team work.
In provision the children have enjoyed using the climbing frame and market stall, racing over hurdles on their hobby horse to read the sound (Horsey, horsey don’t you stop!) reading stories written by Julia Donaldson and getting very mucky playing in the sand and water area. Based on the children’s interests, the phonics provision was adapted throughout the week, games included: shoot the sound (see football image), seek the sound (hide and seek), tap, tap, read (duck, duck, goose) and sound race (using cars). If you would like to try any of these games feel free to ask the Reception team for more information. Alongside so much more!
Have a lovely half term and we will see you in Spring 2!