Hello from Lilac and Willow, we wanted to start with a very big THANK YOU for all of your continued support. It was lovely to catch up with you all, albeit virtually, for parents evening consultations. We are so proud of all the wonderful learning the children have demonstrated and how well they have settled in during the first half term. We have had lots of fun and certainly hope that your children have too!
This week:
We have been very busy indeed developing our designing and making skills whilst creating houses and homes. We started the week by looking at lots different types of houses and homes, and asked the children about what their homes looked like. From these ideas, the children then began the process of designing a model house which they would build throughout the week. The children worked really hard to make drawings that we as clear and as detailed as possible; remembering to include key features of houses such as windows and doors. Once designed, the children then got to work building their houses. They followed their designs and were careful to choose junk modelling materials that were appropriate for their design; also thinking of ways of joining the materials together. After their model houses had taken shape the children then decorated their homes. We also experimented with colour mixing in order to find just the right colour for the walls and the roof. When the model houses were completed the children had a chance to evaluate their models and decide whether they wanted to improve them. The end result saw the creation of two new towns: Lilac Town and Willow Town. The children had a lovely time using their models as part of the imaginative play during CIL.
In Phonics the children have been using all of the skills they have been learning this half term and trying to apply them in developing their oral blending and segmenting of sounds in words. First, we encourage the children to listen to the word that is being said. Once we have heard the word, we need to think about what sounds we heard in that word. Next, we segment or “sound them out”. In class, we use the concept of a robot talking to model this segmenting of sounds. Finally, we blend the sounds together to help us read the word. We like to move our arms up and down with every new sound as well as speaking in a robot voice to help make it fun and memorable for the children. As we begin learning lots of letters and sounds after half term, you may notice your children coming home like little phonics robots.
In Maths, we have been busy discovering lots about 2D shapes. We thought 
about the names of common 2D shapes, what their properties are and where we might see examples of them in the environment. The children worked really hard and were quickly getting the hang of spotting 2D shapes around them, as well as using more mathematical language to describe the shapes. Why not take a look at the short clip to find out more –
What are 2D Shapes? BBC
Next week:
- We will be reading the book ‘The Owl who was afraid of the dark’ by Jill Tomlinson.
- We will be learning more about the season of Autumn.
- We will be finding out about nocturnal animals.
- We will be thinking about Fireworks and learning about the history of Bonfire Night.
Supporting your child at home:
- Encourage your child to use mathematical language to describe 2D shapes they see in the environment, e.g. “I see a circle in the clock. It has 0 corners and 1 round side.”
- Before using junk materials for modelling, ask your child to design their model first and talk with them about their model, e.g.
- Can you tell me about your drawing?
- Why have you chosen to….?
- What material will you use for the….?
- Are you going to use…. or…. to join your materials?
- When reading with your child, why not try asking the following questions:
- (Whilst looking at the front cover) What do you think the story is about?
- (Whilst looking at the illustrations) How do you think that character feels, and why?
- (Pausing halfway through the story) What do you think will happen next?
- (At the end of the story) Which was your favourite part, and why?
- Perhaps write down some simple consonant vowel consonant (CVC) words that are familiar to your child and use “robot talk” to try and read them e.g. cat would be read as: c-a-t > cat
Any other information:
- LUNCH TIMES – We had lots of questions during parents evening about how much your children are eating at lunch times. We’ve realised that you may not be aware of our lunch time procedures. So for your information:
The children are accompanied in the hall by members of the reception team as well as lunch time supervisors. The children line up in red, green, and yellow groups to ensure they get the correct dinner. Once children are seated members of staff are on hand to assist with cutting up food and encourage children to eat as much as they are able too. Children raise their hand to check before they move onto their pudding. They then raise their hand again to check they can clear away their tray. Children can then go and tidy away their tray (supported by an adult) and then return to their seat. Once the majority of the children have finished eating a Reception class staff member takes them onto the playground. A member of staff stays behind with the rest of the children and takes them out onto the playground as and when they have finished.
Hopefully this helps to put your minds at rest over lunch times. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask. - JUNK MODELLING – We have completely depleted our stock pile of junk modelling materials. Please could we ask that you get collecting over half term and bring any supplies possible in on the Monday we return. Thank you!
- TAPESTRY – We would love to see what you’ve been up to over half term. If you get chance to please upload a tapestry observation.
We really hope you have a fun, safe and relaxing half term.
Mrs Fisher and Mr French
Willow and Lilac Class Teachers.
