Hello!

The children have now learnt all of their single sounds.  Please continue to recap sounds and blend sounds to make words during the holidays. This really does make a huge difference to how well your child retains the sounds. This can be done by having sounds up on the fridge or bedroom wall and playing games where your child spots a sound. Maybe they could throw a bean bag and try to hit a sound or you could hide one away – can your child figure out the missing sound? Can you say some words like Fred Frog m..a..t – can your child find the right cards to make the word then do Fred Talk, Read the Word or even have a go writing the word?

In maths we have been learning about the numbers 1, 2 and 3. We have been learning about how these numbers are represented in different ways. The children have come up with lots of ideas of things in the classroom, outside and at home which represent these numbers. For instance, the number 1 on a clock, 1 nose on a teddy, 1 handle on a cup, 2 ears, 2 wellies, 2 blocks, 3 sides to a triangle, the 3 little pigs, 3 juggling balls like the one Number 3 Numberblock likes to juggle! The children have been on number hunts and have been using some super speaking and listening skills in reasoning why different objects or representations are 1, 2 or 3. At home you might like to make some groups of things which represent 1, 2, and 3. Or as you are out and about, what can you see that shows 1, 2 or 3? Perhaps there are 2 swings in the park or 3 bedrooms in your house.

This week has been equalities week. We have been thinking about what makes us unique and what makes us different. We have been exploring the idea of diversity and how being different is wonderful and makes our world a really fun and interesting place. We have learnt a very catchy song and made some actions to go with this. Our song celebrates the idea of being different. Here is a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbHQ-OS9_G0

In addition to this we have learnt about inspirational people as part of Black History Month. We have explored the idea of gender equality by reading and discussing the story ‘Horace and Morris but mostly Dolores’ by James Howe. We have looked at what it means to have a disability and we have learnt about inspirational people with disabilities. We have also thought about how families can all be very different from each other using the story ‘Families, families, families’ by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang.

In the first week back we will be learning about Diwali, the festival of light. The children will be thinking about how this festival relates to their own experiences of celebrations. We will also cover firework safety in preparation for Bonfire Night.

In maths we will be starting to learn about the composition of numbers 1, 2 and 3 and how these numbers are made up. We will be using a variety of resources to explore composition.

PE lessons

Next half-term we will begin our PE lessons. RBA will have their lesson on a Wednesday morning and RC will have their lesson on a Thursday morning. Your child will need to come to school on their PE day dressed in their PE kit (white round neck t-shirt, black shorts/joggers and black hoodie, white socks and trainers). They will stay in their PE kit for the full day.

Thank you for your support this half-term. The children have done brilliantly settling into the routines of school life. We are looking forward to a fun half-term in the run up to Christmas.

We hope you have a lovely half-term holiday and that you are able to enjoy some family time together.

The Reception team