Class 2: Blog items

This Week in Reception (WB 22.6.26)

Date: 23rd Jun 2026 @ 11:19am

We have had another busy and exciting week in Reception!

In Literacy, we continued reading The Singing Mermaid. The children explored the characters in the story and thought carefully about their appearance and personalities. They then used their phonics knowledge to write descriptive sentences about either the mermaid or the ringmaster. We were impressed with the children's use of adjectives and their growing confidence in writing independently.

In Maths, we have been learning about subtraction. The children worked in pairs to play the Pebble Game. Starting with a set number of pebbles, they rolled a dice and took away that amount each turn. The winner was the first person to reach zero! This practical activity helped the children develop their understanding of taking away and counting backwards.

In Understanding the World, we explored what makes our wonderful world so special. We learnt about different habitats and discussed the animals and plants that live there. Linking to our Fun at the Seaside topic, we focused on the ocean habitat, discovering why oceans are important and learning about some of the amazing creatures that live beneath the waves.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend and look forward to another week of learning and fun!

This Week In Reception (WB 15.6.26)

Date: 16th Jun 2026 @ 11:18am

This week in Reception has been full of exciting learning and creativity!

In Literacy, the children explored the story The Singing Mermaid. They really enjoyed listening carefully to the story and talking about what happened. After that, we focused on the characters, discussing what they were like. The children did a fantastic job thinking of adjectives to describe them, using words such as kind, brave, and beautiful. It was wonderful to see them building their vocabulary and sharing their ideas with confidence.

In Maths, we have been learning about addition. The children have been using a variety of resources, such as counters and objects, to help them solve addition problems. They worked hard to find the total and explain how they got their answers. We are very proud of how they are developing their understanding and becoming more confident in their maths skills.

In KUW, we talked about Father’s Day and discussed people who are special in our lives. The children enjoyed sharing who is important to them and why. To celebrate, they made beautiful cards to give to someone special, showing how much they care. The children put lots of thought and effort into their creations, and we hope they made lots of people smile!

Well done, Reception! Another amazing week of learning 🎉

This Week in Reception (WB 8.6.26)

Date: 9th Jun 2026 @ 9:34am

We have had another lovely week in Reception, continuing our summer learning!

In Literacy, the children have continued exploring the story The Sun Thief. They have really enjoyed talking about summer and sharing their ideas. This week, the children created their own summer pictures, drawing things they might see during the summer season. We saw lots of fantastic drawings, including sunshine, beaches, ice cream, and families enjoying the warm weather. The children were very proud of their creative work! The children also write a sentence to describe what they might see in summer, showing great effort in their writing.

In Maths, we have continued to practise number bonds to 10. This time, the children used Numicon to help represent different number bonds. They explored how different pieces fit together to make 10, developing their understanding in a practical and visual way. The children showed great confidence when finding different combinations.

In KUW, the children thought about what people might wear in the summer. We discussed how the weather is warmer, so people often wear lighter clothing such as t-shirts, shorts, dresses, hats, and sunglasses. The children enjoyed sharing what they like to wear in the summer and why.

Well done to all the children for another wonderful week of learning! 🌟

This Week in Reception (WB 1.6.26)

Date: 9th Jun 2026 @ 9:28am

This week in Reception (WB 18.05.2026)

Date: 19th May 2026 @ 11:18am

This week, we have continued our learning all about sunflowers. The children have enjoyed exploring our non-fiction book and learning new facts about how sunflowers grow and what they need to stay healthy. We have had lots of fantastic discussions and the children have been using their growing vocabulary to talk about plants and nature.

In Maths, we have been learning about odd and even numbers. The children have been busy sorting, counting and investigating numbers to find out which are odd and which are even. They especially enjoyed using practical resources and games to help deepen their understanding.

As part of our Knowledge and Understanding learning, the children have been getting creative by making beautiful Eid cards ready to celebrate Eid next week. They showed great care and creativity in their designs, and we enjoyed talking about the importance of this special celebration.

One of the most exciting parts of our week has been observing our butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. The children were fascinated watching the transformation and have loved learning about the butterfly life cycle. We are very excited to release the butterflies this week and celebrate this special moment together.

We are incredibly proud of all the children and the amazing hard work they have shown throughout this half term. We hope everyone has a lovely and restful half term break!

This Week in Reception (WB 11.5.26)

Date: 12th May 2026 @ 10:56am

This week in Reception, we have been learning all about the life cycle of a sunflower using a non-fiction text. We started the week with an exciting WOW starter when the children discovered sunflowers and sunflower seeds that had been left in our classroom. The children were very excited and enjoyed discussing what they already knew about sunflowers. Throughout the week, the children explored the life cycle of a sunflower using a range of different resources to help them talk about and create the stages of the life cycle independently.

In Maths, the children explored the concept of grouping and sharing, learning about what is equal and fair. They used a variety of counting resources to equally share objects between puppets, making sure each puppet had the same amount.

In Understanding the World, the children had the opportunity to plant their own sunflower seeds. We are looking forward to caring for them and watching them grow over the next few weeks. We will be having a class competition to see who can grow the tallest sunflower!

We have had a fantastic week full of exploring, learning, and working together, and the children have loved learning all about sunflowers.

This Week in Reception (WB 04/05/26)

Date: 8th May 2026 @ 2:39pm

This week in Reception, we continued our learning around the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. In Literacy, we explored the different characters in the story and discussed what they looked like and what kind of personalities they had. The children shared fantastic ideas and then wrote sentences to describe the characters using their phonics skills.

In Maths, we focused on doubling. The children used two dice and rolled them until they found a double. They then identified the total, for example, “Double 3 is 6.” The children enjoyed this hands-on activity and became more confident in recognising doubles.

In KUW (Understanding the World), we learned about how plants grow and what they need to stay healthy, including water, sunlight, and soil. We also discussed how to plant a seed and the steps needed to help it grow into a plant. The children were very enthusiastic and enjoyed sharing their own experiences of planting and growing at home.

It has been another busy and exciting week of learning in Reception!

This Week in Reception (WB 27.4.26)

Date: 8th May 2026 @ 2:37pm

This week in Reception, we began exploring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The children loved listening to the story and using puppets to help retell it in their own words. They especially enjoyed joining in with familiar phrases from the story such as “Fee fi fo fum!” Retelling the story helped the children develop their confidence, speaking skills, and understanding of story structure.

In Maths, the children worked on ordering numbers from 1–20. They practised recognising numerals and verbally counting to 20 with increasing confidence. We used a range of practical activities to help support number recognition and counting skills.

In KUW (Understanding the World), we discussed the season of spring and talked about how plants begin to grow during this time of year. The children explored different types of plants and carefully created observational drawings, paying close attention to the colours, shapes, and details they could see.

We have had a wonderful week full of storytelling, counting, and exploring the world around us!

This Week in Reception (WB 20/4/26)

Date: 21st Apr 2026 @ 10:24am

This week in Reception, we have continued exploring our focus story The Flower Thief. The children have really enjoyed revisiting the story and discussing what is happening and why.

In Literacy, we have been learning about the signs of spring. The children created beautiful drawings to show what they can see during springtime, such as flowers, sunshine, and baby animals. They then had a go at labelling their pictures by writing a sentence to describe the signs of spring.

In Maths, we have been working on numbers beyond 10. The children explored different ways to represent these numbers using cubes, Numicon, and counters. It has been great to see them building their confidence with larger numbers.

In Understanding the World, we have continued our learning about spring, with a focus on blossom trees. The children completed careful observational drawings of the blossom tree in our EYFS garden, noticing the colours, shapes, and details.

Well done for another fantastic week of learning!

This Week in Reception (WB 13.4.26)

Date: 15th Apr 2026 @ 8:37am

This week in Reception, we have been very busy with our learning!

In Literacy, we have been enjoying the story The Flower Thief. The children loved exploring the characters and thinking about the signs of spring in the story. We then went on a spring walk in our EYFS garden, where we spotted lots of exciting changes in the environment. We noticed beautiful blossoms growing, birds singing, fresh green leaves appearing on the trees, colourful flowers blooming, and even some lovely sunny weather!

We have also been busy in our brand new garden centre role play area. The children have been learning all about what we need to plant a flower and the different stages of how a flower grows. They have loved taking on different roles and using their imagination in their play.

In Maths, we have been learning about composing and decomposing shapes. The children used lolly sticks to create their own 2D shapes, exploring how shapes can be made and taken apart. They showed great creativity and problem-solving skills while building different shapes.

In Understanding the World, we continued our learning about spring. The children explored the outdoor environment and collected natural objects such as leaves, flowers, and small twigs. They then used these to create their own wonderful spring frames, celebrating the season and its changes.

It has been a fantastic week full of exploration, creativity, and outdoor learning!

This week in Reception (WB 16.03.26)

Date: 20th Mar 2026 @ 6:31am

This week in Reception, we have continued our learning around the story Hattie Peck. After exploring the book together last week and creating a whole-class story map, the children have now been making their own story maps. They drew pictures from the story and used their phonic knowledge to write simple captions. It has been lovely to see their confidence growing in drawing and writing!

In Maths, we have been learning about finding missing numbers in a sequence. The children have been fantastic at looking at numbers and working out which one is missing. They have shown great enthusiasm when solving these challenges—well done everyone!

In our Knowledge and Understanding learning, we have been learning about Eid. The children really enjoyed finding out about this special celebration. We made Eid biscuits in different shapes linked to the celebration. We also enjoyed talking together as a class and sharing what Eid celebrations look like at home.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our families a very happy and joyful Eid!

This Week in Reception (WB 9.03.26)

Date: 13th Mar 2026 @ 10:08am

This week in Reception we have been enjoying our learning through the wonderful story Hattie Peck. We have been exploring lots of the words from the story and working hard to understand some of the bigger words, such as “colossal.” The children have been fantastic at talking about what these words might mean and using them in our discussions.

We have also been looking closely at the different animals that hatch from the eggs at the end of the story. As a class, we worked together to create a story map and took part in a story whoosh, acting out parts of the story to help us remember what happens. The children did a brilliant job joining in and we are very excited for them to create their own story maps next week.

In Maths, we have been focusing on ordering numbers. A cheeky kangaroo has been hopping into our classroom and changing the numbers on our number lines! The children used their fantastic number knowledge to work out which numbers were missing and put them back in the correct order.

During our Knowledge and Understanding of the World sessions, we have been learning about the celebration of Mother’s Day. The children created beautiful cards by using celery to print rose patterns. They also wrote special messages inside their cards. We talked about why it is important to celebrate our mums and everyone shared why their mum is special to them. The children are very excited to give their cards to their mums on Sunday!

It has been another wonderful week of learning in Reception and we are very proud of all the children’s hard work.

This Week in Reception (WB 2.3.26)

Date: 6th Mar 2026 @ 2:04pm

This week in Reception we have continued our learning all about the farm by revisiting our focus book A Day at Greenhill Farm. The children have enjoyed remembering our trip to the farm and talking about the animals that we saw there.

In Literacy, the children drew a picture of a farm animal they saw when we visited the farm. They then wrote sentences to describe their animal. We practised starting our sentences with “It is…” and “It has…”. The children worked hard to think of interesting features to describe, such as fur, feathers, tails and horns.

In Maths, we have continued our learning about subtraction. The children played a fun game in pairs using ten stones. Each player took turns subtracting 1, 2 or 3 stones each time. The aim of the game was not to take the last stone – the person who did not take the final pebble was the winner! The children enjoyed thinking carefully about how many stones to take each turn.

In Understanding the World, we continued learning about the farm, with a special focus on baby animals and what they are called. The children were very interested to learn that a baby cow is called a calf, and we also talked about other baby animals that live on farms.

It has been another lovely week of learning and the children have really enjoyed sharing their memories of the farm visit!

This Week in Reception (WB 23.2.26)

Date: 24th Feb 2026 @ 12:02pm

This week in Reception we have had a very exciting week of learning!

Literacy

In Literacy, we have been reading the story A Day at Greenhill Farm. The children loved exploring what happens during a busy day on the farm. We used our small world farm to act out the story and think about what we might see there. The children enjoyed naming and playing with the different farm animals and objects, including cows, sheep, chickens, barns and tractors. They used their imaginations beautifully to create their own farm adventures!

To end the week, we went on a very exciting trip to Cockfield’s Farm. The children had such a wonderful time riding on the tractor, feeding the animals and exploring the farm. It was fantastic to see them confidently talking about the animals they recognised from our story.

Maths

In Maths, we have been learning about subtraction. We started by listening to the story Kipper's Toybox, where Kipper’s toys reduced each time. The children were very good at noticing how many toys were left. We then used our own class toy box to practise taking toys away. The children counted carefully, removed some toys, and then counted again to find out how many were left. We were very impressed with their careful counting and growing confidence with subtraction!

Understanding the World (KUW)

In Understanding the World, we continued learning about farms. The children enjoyed talking about what they saw at the farm and discussing the different jobs a farmer does, such as feeding animals, cleaning barns, collecting eggs and driving tractors.

It has been a busy and hands-on week full of wonderful learning experiences. We are so proud of how enthusiastically the children joined in and shared their ideas! 🌟

This Week in Reception (WB 9.2.26)

Date: 12th Feb 2026 @ 11:23am

This Week in Reception (WB 2.2.26)

Date: 3rd Feb 2026 @ 11:01am

This Week in Reception (WB 26.1.26)

Date: 3rd Feb 2026 @ 11:00am

This Week in Reception (WB 19/1/26)

Date: 20th Jan 2026 @ 10:34am

This week in Reception we have been learning all about warm places, following on from our learning about cold places last week. We have loved comparing different environments and discovering how life can be similar and different around the world.

Our focus story this week has been Handa’s Hen. The children looked closely at the illustrations in the book and talked about what they could see, making comparisons with the Arctic that we explored last week. We discussed similarities and differences such as the weather, animals, clothing and landscapes. Using our small world resources, the children retold the story, learning the character names and practising recalling the events in the correct order.

In Understanding the World, we explored Africa and learned about what it is like there. The children were fascinated to learn about the different animals that live in African habitats. We enjoyed matching animal prints to the correct animals and talking about how their patterns help them to survive in warm places.

Our creative activities were inspired by Africa too. The children made traditional African necklaces using paper plates and patterns, and they also painted safari animals which are now proudly displayed along the corridor – they look fantastic!

In Maths, we have begun our two-week learning journey focusing on number bonds to 10. The children have taken part in lots of practical, hands-on activities using egg boxes and cubes, ten frames and Numicon. They explored which two numbers can be added together to make 10, showing great enthusiasm and confidence as they worked.

It has been a busy and exciting week full of learning, creativity and exploration. Well done Reception – we are so proud of you! 🌟

This Week in Reception (WB 12/1/26)

Date: 15th Jan 2026 @ 8:35am

This week in Reception we have been continuing our learning around the story A Flower in the Snow. The children have been really engaged with the characters and the snowy setting of the book.

In Literacy, we have been writing character descriptions for Luna and the bear. The children thought carefully about how the characters look and how they behave. They used lovely describing words such as kind, brave, fluffy, and gentle. We talked about using adjectives to make our writing more interesting and the children were very proud of their work.

In Maths, we have been learning about number bonds to 5. The children explored different ways to make 5 using Numicon. They found combinations such as 2 and 3, 4 and 1, and 5 and 0. It was wonderful to see them working practically, explaining their thinking, and checking their answers with their friends.

In KUW (Understanding the World), we have been exploring cold places and learning about animals that live in these environments. The children discovered facts about animals such as polar bears, penguins, and seals. We talked about how these animals are adapted to survive in cold climates, with thick fur, blubber, and special habitats.

It has been a busy and exciting week full of creativity, curiosity, and fantastic learning. Well done, Reception!

This week in Reception (WB 5.01.26)

Date: 6th Jan 2026 @ 11:42am

Winter Wonders in Our Classroom ❄️

This week our learning has been perfectly linked to the season, as winter arrived with a blanket of snow outside! The children have been incredibly engaged as we explored winter through hands-on experiences, stories, science, maths and outdoor play.

We began by talking about the seasons, focusing on winter and the changes we notice at this time of year. The snowy weather gave us a fantastic opportunity to explore some simple science. The children investigated snow by holding it in their hands and observing how it slowly melted. We talked about freezing and melting and discussed how the warmth from our hands caused the snow to change. The children were curious and excited to explore this sensory experience.

In literacy, we shared the story Flower in the Snow. We discussed how Luna lives in a cold place and talked about what she was wearing to keep warm. This led to great conversations about winter clothing and how we can look after ourselves in cold weather. We also explored our winter tuff tray, discussing which animals might live in cold environments and why they are suited to these conditions.

In maths, the children focused on the composition of numbers to 5. They loved taking part in a beanbag game where they threw 5 beanbags and worked out how many landed inside the hoop and how many landed outside. The children recorded their scores, compared amounts and cheered each other on, with the winner being the person who landed the most beanbags in the hoop.

For knowledge and understanding of the world, we continued learning about winter and enjoyed listening to winter-themed stories. We spent time outdoors making a snowman, exploring how to make marks in the snow and listening carefully to the crunchy sounds our shoes made as we walked. We also talked about what animals do during winter, including hibernation and how animals keep warm.

It has been a joyful and exciting week of learning, made even more special by the snowy weather. The children have shown fantastic curiosity, teamwork and enthusiasm as they explored winter both inside and outside the classroom. We are very proud of all their learning this week! ☃️✨

This Week in Reception (WB 8.12.25)

Date: 11th Dec 2025 @ 4:13pm

We have had a wonderful week in Reception, filled with festive learning and lots of excitement as we get closer to Christmas!

In Literacy, the children have been exploring the story The First Christmas. They have enjoyed using puppets to retell the Nativity story in their own words, showing great confidence and understanding. This has also linked beautifully to our upcoming Nativity performance, and the children are already showing how well they know the characters and events.

In Maths, we have been learning all about height. The children have been using words such as taller, shorter, tallest, and shortest to describe and compare the height of different objects. One of our favourite activities this week has been building candy cane towers with blocks and then comparing their heights. The children worked so well together, discussing their ideas and using fantastic mathematical language.

It’s been a brilliant week of learning, creativity and festive fun. Well done, Reception! 🎄✨

This Week in Reception WB 1/12/25

Date: 2nd Dec 2025 @ 12:39pm

What a fantastic week we’ve had in Reception! The children have been busy learning, exploring, and sharing their ideas with great enthusiasm.

Literacy
We are continuing our work on the story The Three Little Pigs. This week, the children have been creating their own story maps, drawing key parts of the tale and using their phonics skills to label their pictures. They have enjoyed retelling the story in their own words and thinking carefully about the order of events. It has been wonderful to see their confidence growing as storytellers!

Maths
In maths, our focus has been on 3D shapes. The children have explored a range of shapes and hunted around the classroom to find objects that match each one. They enjoyed comparing different items and deciding whether they were a cube, sphere, cylinder, or cone. Lots of brilliant shape detectives this week!

KUW
We have been learning about special people. We talked about who Jesus is and how he helped others. The children listened to the story of Feeding the 5000 and shared their ideas about how we can help and share with people today—especially how we might share food with others who need it.

Well done to all the children for their hard work and wonderful ideas this week. We can’t wait to see what learning adventures next week brings!

This Week in Reception (WB 24/11/25)

Date: 26th Nov 2025 @ 2:35pm

What a wonderful week we’ve had in Reception!

This week we began our new focus story: The Three Little Pigs. The children have absolutely loved getting to know the characters and joining in with the familiar phrases. Our literacy sessions have been full of enthusiasm as the children used puppets to retell the story, practising their storytelling voices and remembering key lines such as, “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!” and “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down!” It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they acted out each part. We continued exploring the story by pretending to build houses from straw, sticks and bricks. The children enjoyed experimenting with the materials and talking about which houses might be the strongest—just like in the book!

In maths, we have been learning about 2D shapes. The children were introduced to squares, rectangles, triangles and circles, and used these shapes to design and build their own houses. They were brilliant at spotting shapes around the classroom and talking about their features.

In KUW, we explored different materials and investigated which ones are waterproof. The children loved testing out various objects and discussing what “waterproof” means. Lots of great scientific thinking and curiosity on display!

It’s been a busy, exciting week full of learning and fun. We can’t wait to continue our story adventures next week!

This Week in Reception (WB 17/11/25)

Date: 20th Nov 2025 @ 4:34pm

This Week in Reception (WB 10/11/25)

Date: 20th Nov 2025 @ 4:33pm

This week in Reception has been full of excitement and hands-on learning!

In Literacy, we have been using puppets to retell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children loved taking on the roles of the different characters and acted out the story with great enthusiasm. Their confidence in storytelling is really growing!

In Maths, we explored length. The children used playdough to create snakes of different lengths and practised using the words long, short, longer, and shorter. They also built trains using blocks and compared their lengths, showing fantastic investigative skills.

In KUW, we learned about Autumn animals and how they prepare for winter. The children were fascinated to discover how different animals gather food, grow thick fur, or hibernate to stay safe and warm during the colder months.

Well done, Reception, for a brilliant week of learning!