Ties, Crowns, and Kindness: Learning with The Smartest Giant

 Hello Reception Families and Friends!

What a fantastic week we have had in Reception! It has been wonderful to see the children continue to settle into our new routines with such enthusiasm for Julia Donaldson. Our learning this week was centered around the well known story, The Smartest Giant in Town, and the children have truly embraced the themes of kindness found within this book. 

Literacy

Our literacy sessions have been filled with imagination as we introduced our focus book. In our Drawing Club, we challenged the children to think creatively: "What could George’s tie be used for?". The ideas were brilliant! We had suggestions of dog leads, skipping ropes, string for a kite and even bandage for someone who is hurt!

Crown Decorating

On Thursday, the classroom was full of crafting as we made and decorated crowns fit for a giant (or a very smart Reception child!).

And some even went above and beyond and made their own later in the week!

Design Technology

In DT we have been building up skills to make out very own bookmarks. To prepare us for this we have been practicing with a range of threading activities.

Maths

We’ve been very busy "Maths-ing" this week! We have continued our work on subitising, focusing on recognising quantities up to 10 using a 10’s frame without needing to count each individual dot. This is a vital skill for building a strong sense of number.

In our Power Maths sessions, we shifted our focus to Measure. The children explored Length by  measuring and comparing which pencils in the class are longer and shorter by measuring them using cubes. 

Understanding the World and PSHE

This week we spent a lot of time discussing the world around us and how we fit into it.

On Tuesday, we practiced matching different clothing items to specific seasons and weather types. And by Wednesday, we were "traveling" the world to explore different types of clothing worn in various cultures. This of course lead to a whole class dress-up week where children dressed for all occasions! 

PSHE

In PSHE, our focus was "Looking After My Friends". This tied in perfectly with our SCARF workshop where children look at qualities of friendship, being proud of themselves and lots of discussion around resilience! 

PE

Active bodies lead to active minds! On Friday, we took our "Smartest Giant" theme to PE, where the children navigated obstacle courses just like George the Giant might.

Of course, a core part of our EYFS curriculum is Adventure Time (Child-Led Learning). This is where the magic really happens, as the children take the concepts we’ve taught and apply them to their own play, building social skills and independence every single day.

Important Reminders & Highlights

Phonics & Reading: We have been working hard on our Speedy Sounds, Green Words, and Red Word Practice every day to build our reading fluency. Please do continue to read with your child at home and practise those tricky red words!

It was lovely to have a storyline from a volunteering family member!

Thank you for your continued support and for joining us at Spring Fest to celebrate the beautiful Spring time together! 

Coming up this week: 

Important Notice: NHS Height and Weight Checks

Looking ahead to the coming week, we will be welcoming the school nursing team for the NHS height and weight checks. This is a routine part of the school year for our Reception children.

If you would like to opt-out of this check for your child, please email me to let me know as soon as possible!