Spring 1 Week 2 14.1.22
Hello!
We have had a busy week continuing our learning on climate change, this week we have been learning the importance of the 3 Rs – Recycle, Reduce and Reuse. The children have been learning about different materials that can be recycled and where to put items that can be recycled. In class, they have been sorting out rubbish into plastic, paper and card, metal and glass. We have been discussing ways of helping to reduce the things we throw away; the children came up with some super ideas such as donating items to charity, drinking from reusable cups and bottles, turning the lights off and other household equipment and taking unused food to a food bank. The children have also been spotting litter in the school grounds and instructing the teachers to pick it up! At home you could discuss all the ways you recycle items in your household.
In maths this week we have been digging deeper into the composition of numbers to 5 (2 or more numbers that make up a bigger number). We have been using our knowledge of how 5 can be made to represent different number combinations using 5 frames and counters. You could do this at home by using play; for example, there are 5 pigs, 2 are in the mud and 3 are in the barn. How many ways can 5 be made? We have also been using our knowledge of number combinations to find out hidden numbers. We have been hiding some blocks in a bucket out of an amount and using our number combinations to help work out how many in the bucket. You could do this at home by having up to 5 sweets, for example; give a teddy 4 sweets, get your child to close their eyes and take some sweets. They can then count on with their fingers or draw the sweets to work out the answer.
Next week in maths we will be learning about mass and capacity. The children will learn about mass through picking items up and comparing how heavy or light they are. They will use language such as heaviest, heavier, lightest and lighter to compare the weight and order items. They will fill and empty containers when learning about capacity, using language to compare how full a container is. They will problem solve in provision to see how many scoops of water, rice or sand is needed to fill a container. At home you could fill glasses with different amounts of juice and discuss if the are full, empty, nearly full or nearly empty.
We will be learning abut rules and friendship in our R.E unit next week. The children will discuss the rules we have in school and at home and the reasons for having rules. They will also think about what characteristics make a good friend and how we can help other people.
We are continuing to send formation sheets out on a Friday, this is for extra practise at home. A little bit of handwriting practise a day will help your children to become confident at forming letters. We do this everyday as part of phonics lessons in school.
Thank you for your continued support with your child's phonics journey. It makes a huge difference if they can practice speedy sounds, reading and writing at home with you in addition to what they are doing in school. Little and often is the most effective way, so 5-10 minutes each day is great if you can manage it.
We hope you have a lovely weekend.
The Reception team
