Reception's Gruffalo Party!

 

Dear Reception Families,

We’re very excited to let you know that on Friday 23rd May, we’ll be rounding off our Julia Donaldson-themed half-term with a special Gruffalo-themed class party!

The party will run from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, and we’d love for you — parents, carers, family and friends — to come along and join in the fun! The children have been working so hard this half-term, and we can’t wait to celebrate all they’ve achieved with a bit of Gruffalo magic.

As part of the party, we’ll be sharing some Gruffalo/woodland-themed party food and we’d really appreciate your help in making this a success. If you’re happy to bring a small plate of themed treats, that would be amazing! We’ll attach some photos to give you a few fun food ideas — think Owl Ice Cream, Fox Sandwiches or even Snake Jelly!

A couple of important reminders:

• We are a nut-free school, so please make sure anything you bring does not contain nuts.

• We also have some vegan / vegetarian children in the class, so it would be wonderful if a few of the options could be vegan-friendly (and clearly labelled).

To make things easy, we’ll be sharing a Google Doc where you can pop your name down next to what you’re bringing. That way we can make sure we’ve got a nice variety and don’t end up with twenty Gruffalo Crumbles (though we’re sure they’d be delicious!).

Party Food Contributions

Thank you as always for your wonderful support — we’re really looking forward to seeing you there and celebrating a fantastic half-term with your lovely little ones.

Best wishes,

Miss Godden and the Reception Team

Tomorrow's Park Visit

 Dear Reception Families,

As part of our Gruffalo-themed week, the Reception class will be taking a short walk to the local park tomorrow (Tuesday, 20th May). We will be exploring nature and enjoying some Gruffalo-inspired activities outdoors. 

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing appropriate footwear for walking, such as trainers or well-fitting shoes. A waterproof coat may also be useful in case of changeable weather.

Thank you for your support – we’re looking forward to a fun and educational outing!

Kind regards,

Miss Godden and the Reception Team

A Week of Stick Man Adventures and Nature Explorations!

Hello Reception Families! 

What a wonderful, sunshine-filled week we’ve had in Reception! This week, our learning has been inspired by the much-loved book Stick Man by Julia Donaldson. Through a range of exciting and creative activities, the children have developed lots of key skills while having lots of fun outdoors!

We kicked off the week with a woodland walk to find sticks that could become our very own ‘Stick Men’. This sparked wonderful conversations about size, shape, and imagination. It also provided opportunities for Expressive Arts and Design as we began to create characters from natural materials.

On Tuesday, the children became tree investigators, exploring our school grounds to identify different trees. We looked at a range of leaves, and studies their different shapes to decide which tree Stick Man and his family might live in! 

Inspired by Stick Man’s own family, on Wednesday we reflected on our own! Each child created a beautiful family tree, thinking about who is in their family and how we are all connected. This activity encouraged children to discuss similarities and differences between their families and their peers, showing understanding of a range of family dynamics. We hope you enjoy seeing these at home! 

A truly magical moment on Thursday – we watched as our class caterpillars emerged from their cocoons as butterflies! This awe-inspiring experience supported our previous learning around life cycles from our Amazing Animals topic. On Monday we will be saying goodbye and releasing our beautiful butterflies. 

Later, in Forest School, we gathered more sticks and used clay to make adorable stick and clay hedgehogs! We also learned and discussed lots about woodland creatures and their natural habitat. 

To round off our Julia Donaldson themed week, we followed drawing tutorials to create our own pictures of Zog from Zog and the Flying Doctors and the Witch from Room on the Broom. The children showed such focus and pride in their artwork and the end results were spectacular!

Throughout the week, we have embraced the glorious weather and taken lots of our learning outdoors. From role play and storytelling in the shade to sharing books / reading in our new 'FRED TENT', the children have been developing social skills, confidence, and a deep love of learning – all in line with the EYFS emphasis on learning through play and exploration.

We’re so proud of the children’s creativity, curiosity, and collaboration this week. We can’t wait to see where next week’s adventures take us! 

If you wish to continue with Stick Man adventures at home, Forestry England have a range of lovely activities to do so please feel free to check them out!

Stickman Home Learning Pack

Have a lovely weekend,
Miss Godden and The Reception Team 🌼