Hello!

We have had lots of fun celebrating Chinese New Year this week. The children have learned about where China is and some key cultural facts about China. They have learned about the story of The Great Race which gave China their Zodiac calendar. Did you know that this year is the year of the tiger? They have also learned about how people prepare for and celebrate Chinese New Year.

The children have been busy in provision role-playing preparations and celebrations of Chinese New Year; having a go using chopsticks, making dumplings and creating some wonderful crafts inspired by Chinese New Year.

In maths the children have been exploring the concept of one more and one less using the story of Kipper’s Toy Box. Perhaps you could put some toys in a box (up to 8). What if one jumps out? How many are left? Can your child figure out how many if you take one away or add one back in? They can use counters, buttons, a number line or their fingers to help. The children have also been making pairs, using larger numbers to find pairs. With a pile of 9 socks, can you find the pairs? Are there any left over? Maybe your child could help with some sock matching at home. Or sorting out pairs of shoes or gloves. Do you have a game of snap at home or a pairs game where you turn over the cards and find a matching pair? Why not have a game together? The children have been practising combining two groups together. You could do this at home with toys or food. For instance, how many apples are in the fruit bowl? How many oranges are in the fruit bowl? How much fruit is there altogether?

Next week we will be doing another Talk 4 Writing unit. In the Autumn term the children learnt the story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ and also ‘Dear Zoo’. They were able to retell the stories with actions and had a go at writing parts of the story too. Next week the children will be learning to retell the story of The Three Little Pigs using words and actions. They will create story maps to help them retell their stories and in the following week they will go on to do some writing.

In maths next week the children will be comparing height and length. They will be using the vocabulary longer and shorter and taller and shorter. They will also be measuring height and time and consolidating their knowledge of the days of the week.

Next week it is Children’s Mental Health Week. All classes across the school will be taking part in lesson and activities. We will be reading the story of the Colour Monster to help us explore different feelings. We will be talking about what gives us these feelings and how we deal with these feelings.

On Tuesday it is Internet Safety Day and again all classes across school will have lessons based on being safe online.

Thank you for your continued support in your child’s learning. It is lovely to see pictures and videos and also to hear about all the reading and writing practice you are doing at home. A little bit each day makes such a difference to your child’s progress. We also love to see posts about other experiences your child has such as learning to ride a bike, taking part in activities with family and friends, coming home and telling you all about what they have learnt in school, the list is endless! All of these experiences and activities help us to see your child’s learning over the course of the year as they are learning all the time, not just when they are at school.

We hope you have a lovely weekend.

The Reception team