Hello!

This week in phonics we have learnt the sounds t, i, n and p. On Tapestry you'll find links to these sounds and blending game videos.

In maths, we have been looking at counting principles. We started the week looking at order irrelevance. This is the idea that it doesn’t matter what order you count a set of objects; the amount will stay the same. Perhaps you could try this at home by getting 5 teddies and laying them out in a line. Count them in one direction pointing to each as you count. Then count them in the other direction. Are there still 5? Then you could lay them out differently and count them from top to bottom. You could try this with any objects around the house. We have also looked at the abstract principle which is about how we can’t always see or touch items to count them. You might like to play a game at home where you drop items into a bucket/tin (up to 5). Let your child count the sounds as each item drops in. They may count aloud or in their head. Can they tell you how many sounds they heard? Another way to explore this principle is to do actions such as jumps, claps or stamps. Do a certain number of these. Can your child say how many? Lastly, we have been doing lots of practise at 1:1 counting. This is where you count objects and say each number as you count. As you read books at home, there are lots of opportunities to count objects on the page. How many trees can you see? How many children are there? How many birds are in the sky? Make sure your child touches each object or picture as they say each number.

Here are some songs we have sung this week:

Five currant buns - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-five-currant-buns/zm4nmfr

Five little men in a flying saucer - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-five-little-men-in-a-flying-saucer/z6qgscw

Five little speckled frogs - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-five-little-speckled-frogs/zjjbnrd

In understanding the world we have been learning about how to be a good learner. We have read the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and discussed how the caterpillar liked to try new things. Throughout the week the children have been discussing which new things they have tried out in class, at lunchtime or at home. Zog was our character who practises and tries hard at things. We discussed ideas such as learning to ride a bike or learning how to write our letters. Our final story was Norman the Slug with the Silly Shell. This story is all about thinking of new ideas and adapting our plans. The children have been trying hard all week to try to be like these characters. If they display any super learning at home, trying new things, exploring, trying hard, never giving up or adapting their plans and ideas then it would be lovely to hear about them. You can send in any pictures through Tapestry.

We have also enjoyed some time out on our field, following instructions and collecting different numbers of natural objects.

Next week we will be recapping sounds and learning to blend sounds to make words. In maths, we will be learning how to spot matching pairs and how to sort items based on certain attributes. In understanding the world, we will also be learning about the artist Kandinsky and will be responding to his artwork and creating some of our own.

Have a lovely weekend,

The Reception team