Happy New Year Reception Class

What a wonderful week we've had in Reception Class! It has been lovely to see everyone back after the Christmas break and to dive into our exciting new learning. Despite the wintry weather making things a little tricky, we've embraced our superhero theme and enjoyed every moment of being back together. Here's what we've been up to this week:

Physical Development
We started our PE session with some warm-up stretches to prepare our bodies. Next, we dived into superhero yoga, which we absolutely loved as it linked perfectly with our new topic! We practiced superhero poses, mountain poses, spider poses, and many others. It was both fun and energizing.

After yoga, we got our bodies moving by playing the dance/freeze game, similar to musical statues, where we danced specific moves such as twirling, hopping, swimming, and sliding, then froze when the music stopped. To finish, we cooled down with a guided meditation. We lay still, imagining we were superheroes soaring above the city.

Mathematical Development
Our focus this week has been on counting to 6, 7, and 8. We practiced counting up to 8 objects and representing them using concrete materials, including the ten-frame. We were introduced to counters as a new way to represent numbers, which was an exciting addition to our maths work.

Literacy Development
We jumped into our new story Juniper Jupiter by exploring some items that a superhero might use. We thought about what each item was for and who might use it. We thought that masks help superheroes keep their identity secret, by hiding their faces so people won't know who they are.

We also discussed what jobs superheroes do. We suggested that they "save people from danger and helped people. We even thought up our own superhero names, designed belt badges, and imagined our superpowers, such as kindness and being helpful.

Language and Communication
This week, we enjoyed sharing stories about our Christmas holidays during discussion time. We talked about the weather and how challenging it has been getting to school some days.

Understanding the World
Our first Forest School session with Mr. Hadfield was such a treat! We explored animal skulls and skeletons from local creatures like foxes, badgers, and even a grass snake. We also touched animal furs, including a reindeer's fur, and examined antlers.

We met "Spikey" the hedgehog and helped him build a cozy winter home to hide from Mr. Fox. We learned how to walk safely with a stick along the ground and ended the session with a delicious treat: roasting marshmallows over a fire!
Mmmm yummy!

In RE, we began exploring our big question: What is prayer? We talked about how prayer can be a time to be still, calm, and share worries with God. We listened to the story of Clever Cub, who sang a song of praise to God based on Psalm 104. We even found Psalm 104 in the Bible and created small books for Clever Cub, illustrating everything he sang about.

Expressive Arts and Design
This week, we started creating cityscapes inspired by our new story about a superhero who lives in the city. After looking at pictures of cityscapes, we designed our own using cardboard and paint to create buildings. We added details like windows by using paper and cut-up maps.

We also worked together to build a cityscape in our tough tray, decorating blocks to look like skyscrapers. It has been amazing to see our creativity come to life!

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED) and Wellbeing
In Heartsmart, we learned about doing special things with special people. Boris asked us to think about the people we love and the activities we enjoy doing with them. Using small figures, we shared stories about cuddles with mums and dads, baking with grandparents, playing with siblings, and spending time with friends. Boris reminded us that "it is fun doing things with the people we love."

In this week's wellbeing session, we discussed the things that are most important to us. We talked about how "important" means something that is special or precious. Each of us shared an example, including teddies, family members, and toys from special people. To finish, we enjoyed calming yoga poses to relax and reflect.

This week has been a fantastic mix of learning, laughter, and creativity. We've loved exploring our superhero theme and connecting with each other after the holidays.

Reception Class, you have truly been superheroes this week.
Keep shining your light!