Autumn 2nd Half

We started our half term with Bonfire Night to look forward to. We talked about seeing the different coloured, sparkly fireworks in the sky and the 'Whoosh', 'Crackle', 'Bang' sounds we would hear from them. In Art, we created our own firework pictures taking inspiration from American Artist Jackson Pollock. By using sticks, we flicked and dripped different coloured paint on our blank canvas. We then dripped glue on our pictures and sprinkled different coloured glitter over to give them a sparkle and shine finish.

For our home learning, we were set the task to make a rocket out of recycled materials. These were then displayed in our classroom. We had lots of fun at home making them. 

During this half term, we had a visit from the Dentist and Dental Nurse From Kimberworth Park Dental Practice. They told us about how to keep our teeth clean and healthy. We demonstrated to the Dentists how we brush our teeth. We were able to take home a new toothbrush, a little tube of toothpaste and a two-minute timer. 

As the half term moved on, it was time to start practising Christmas songs. As we were performing in a concert for our Mums, Dads, Nannans and Grandads, we had to learn the words and actions to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells, When Santa Got Stuck up the Chimney, Away in a Manger and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. We helped to decorate the Christmas tree and did lots of fun Christmas activities before ending the term with a Christmas party and a special visit from Father Christmas. 

For our Maths learning, we talked about 'lots of'. We looked at lots of stars and we put lots of baubles on the Christmas tree. 

We did lots of science learning, we baked star shaped shortbread biscuits, measuring the ingredients, mixing it all together, then putting them into the oven to bake. They were delicious. We also made salt dough Christmas decorations. Once they were baked and cooled down, we sprinkled glitter on them so they would sparkle on our Christmas tree. 

We have enjoyed a very sparkly and shiny half term. Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!

Autumn 1st Half

Autumn 1 took us straight into talking about the wonders of the Autumn season. We had a walk to the woods at Barker's Park and looked at how the leaves had changed from green to beautiful colours of red, yellow, orange and brown. We enjoyed looking for conkers, sticks and other natural materials that we were able to use to make an Autumn Collage. 

For our home learning, the children created some wonderful Autumn collages, using the natural materials they had collected on walks with their families. Two of our Early Year children had a mention on the Sunday morning children's TV show, Milkshake for their creative work. 

In art and creativity, the children enjoyed making their own hedgehogs, using clay for the body and little sticks for the spikes. Once dried, they painted their hedgehogs. It was an exciting surprise when an actual hedgehog was discovered by one of our children hiding in the construction area. 

As part of our maths, we were learning to take part in finger rhymes with numbers. We learned lots of new songs such as Five Little Conkers as well as singing familiar songs Five Little Speckled Frogs. 

For our Literacy learning, the children enjoyed sharing books with adults and particularly enjoyed Brown Bear, Brown Bear. We talked about the different animals and the unusual colours they are in the story. 

We have also introduced our lending library this term, so the children can enjoy sharing books at home. 

For conservation week, we talked about growing our own fruit and vegetables and what we do to help them grow until they are ready to be picked and enjoyed to eat. 

To end the first half term, we enjoyed making and eating soup by scooping out a pumpkin and cooking it with other root vegetables such as carrots, parsnip and potatoes. We also made our own bread rolls to dip into the soup.