Welcome to Reception!

In Reception we have two classes - Bramley and Pippin Class:

PIPPIN CLASS

Class Teachers: Mrs V Ingram (EYFS Leader - Mon to Wed) and Miss C Locke (Thurs- Fri)

Teaching Assistant: Mrs E Lindley (all day)

BRAMLEY CLASS

Class Teacher: Mrs S Appleby (EYFS Leader - Wed - Thur) and Mrs G Maher (Mon- Tues)

Teaching Assistant: Mrs V Tomlin (all day)

 Mrs McLeish will also work in Pippin Class every other Wednesday.

Miss Locke will work across both classes on a Wednesday.

If you would like some information on how to help your child at home please see the links below.

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Wow, what a year! We can hardly believe that we are at the last week of the school year already. It has definitely not turned out how any of us could have anticipated but we have all enjoyed the time spent with both Bramley and Pippin class this year. It has been a pleasure to watch all the children grow and develop into such independent learners. We would like to take this time to wish all of the children in Reception a wonderful summer holiday and the very best for their return to Year 1 in September! Attached below is the last of the home learning grids for this year. As always, if you can, try to do 1 Reading, 1 Phonics, 1 Maths and 1 Writing activity each day. Remember to try an activity for as long as you can and take breaks in between. 

We can hardly believe that there are only 2 weeks left of this school year! It may have not been what anyone anticipated but hopefully you have enjoyed spending some quality time together as a family. The weather may not have been the greatest this week but that hasn't stopped us getting out and about! Did you manage to find any wild flowers? What about a fairy door? Maybe you could take a walk around Shorne Wood Country Park and take a look at the Fairy Ring? Attached below is this weeks home learning grid. As always, if you can, try to do 1 Reading, 1 Phonics, 1 Maths and 1 Writing activity each day. Remember to try an activity for as long as you can and take breaks in between. 

We can hardly believe we are at week 4 already! With the weather turning nicer again this week is there anything new you could do outside? Perhaps you could create a nature trail or go and feed the ducks at the local park. Just remember that with the weather warming up rather a lot sun cream and sun hats are essential for those children coming into school along with a water bottle to keep them hydrated. Attached below is this weeks home learning grid. As always, if you can, try to do 1 Reading, 1 Phonics, 1 Maths and 1 Writing activity each day. Remember to try an activity for as long as you can and take breaks in between. 

This week's focus was on mini-beasts. One of the children's challenges was to make a ladybird. Aren't they fantastic! 

Last week was very different for all of those children who returned to school, there were many changes but all children coped exceptionally well and enjoyed getting to spend time with their peers and had fun learning lots about our new topic 'The Secret Garden'. This week we are hoping for some more lovely sunshine to be able to go and explore more of our surroundings, if you are at home could you maybe go for a walk somewhere you have not been to before and investigate the area? Attached below is the activity sheet for this week. As always, if you can, try to do 1 Reading, 1 Phonics, 1 Maths and 1 Writing activity each day. Remember to try an activity for as long as you can and take breaks in between. 

Term 6 Week 1 (1st June)

When Reception children return they will need to bring in the following:

*Their own water bottle, filled. There will be NO milk provided as many children will have turned 5 and no longer be receiving it for free. It will also allow for less contact with items that would have been handled by various other adults.

*Their own fruit snack if they wish to have one at snack time.

*A sunhat, we will try to spend as much time as possible outside in the fresh air. PLEASE also check the weather daily, if it is forecast for showers then provide a rain coat.

*Sun cream should be applied before school. They may bring their own in for reapplying at lunchtime but your child will need to know how to do this independently.

*NO toys to be brought in please.

For those children not returning to school we shall still provide activities for you to do at home, if you wish. Please try to practise the Phase 2 & 3 sounds each day, as well as high frequency words for Phase 2 & 3. These can be found in the Phonics section of our class page. There are many sites that have games to support this area of learning. Can you use these sounds and words in your writing each day? Please try to include a Reading activity each day, this may be listening to an adult read and talking about the story/characters, predicting what happens next, joining in with repeated parts of the story, answer how and why questions about the story. If you have access to online reading sites you could try and read a book to someone else in your house, each day. Numbers can be practised daily in a fun way, counting carrots in bag, weighing out on scales, reading the numbers on a clock etc.

For this week's activities we have given you the timetable (see below) we shall be using in school this week. As the children returning would have all had different experiences of lockdown and some may be feeling anxious, worried and even confused as to what has been happening over the past 10 weeks, we will mainly be focusing on the well-being of the children this week and settling them back in to school life. The children are returning to a building that is not their normal classroom and outdoor space, they will have at least familiar adult with them but may not have their usual group of friends around them. We have tried to ensure children have at least 1 child they would have normally played with. Please feel free to use these well-being activities with your children at home as they too may be feeling the same way and need some support. 

We look forward to seeing those of you that are returning on Monday and will be greeting you at the Breakfast/Afterschool club door from 8:30am.

Stay safe and well.

The Foundation Stage Team

We can't believe we are already on the last week of Term 5 (18th May). It seems a long time ago that we were all together. This past week has seen all 5 butterflies emerge from their chrysalides. They have been released into the garden where they have enjoyed sipping the nectar from various plants. We have added some photos of the butterflies below. Can you see and name the different body parts? Maybe you could find out one interesting fact about a butterfly. Don't forget to send us pictures of what you have been up to. 

Welcome to week 4 (11th May). We hope you are all staying safe and well but managing to enjoy the sunshine we have had so far. This week something exciting has happened.... one of our butterflies has emerged from its chrysalis! Can you see its antennae in the photo? Unfortunately nothing exciting has happened in the other habitat yet, the Indian stick insects are still sleeping in their eggs. As soon as one emerges we will let you know. Attached below is the activity sheet for this week. As always, if you can, try to do 1 Reading, 1 Phonics, 1 Maths and 1 Writing activity each day. Remember to try an activity for as long as you can and take breaks in between.  

Wow, we can hardly believe it is already 3 weeks into this term! We are missing you all lots and looking forward to seeing you. How are you finding the activities we have been giving you to do? If you are finding them too easy, maybe you could challenge yourself. In the Number section you could use numbers higher than 20, for Phonics you could move on to using more digraphs (or trigraphs) and compound words (words made up of 2 words put together) such as lighthouse and handbag. 

Please try to complete 1 Phonic, 1 Reading, 1 Maths and 1 Writing a day, it will help you remember your sounds, words and numbers ready for when you come back to school. You only need to spend a short time on each.

This Friday is VE day and is a bank holiday so we have put slightly less activities on our activity sheet. Maybe you could find out what VE day is and why it is being celebrated.

Remember to send in pictures of what you have been doing to put on our class page. Here is an update on the caterpillars, can you tell someone what is different about them this week? Can you use the correct language to describe what stage in their life cycle they are at? Maybe you could draw the life cycle of a caterpillar and predict what the next update photo will be of.

Hello to all our lovely Pippin and Bramley Class children. We hope you are all safe and well. Below are some suggested activities for week 2.  Please try and do 1 Reading, 1 Writing, 1 Phonics and 1 Maths a day. We have also found some websites that you may like to have a look at: 

https://www.easypeasyapp.com/ fun games from birth to 5 years; 

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bee-bot/id500131639 or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tts.beebot&hl=en_GB play with a virtual Beebot. Remember to programme all the steps in the Beebot before you tell him to go!;    https://www.youtube.com/watchv=J9nE4RE8uiQ or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq3DwzX6MUw monster meditation from Headspace and Sesame Street. They are releasing new ones bi-weekly.

Did you guess what animals the pictures were of? Caterpillars and Stick Insects. Have a look at the pictures below. Can you tell someone how each animal has changed in a week?

Welcome back Pippin and Bramley Classes. We hope you had a lovely Easter break and did lots of fun activities. We have some new members of EYFS to welcome this term. Can you work out who they might be from the pictures below? Each week we will post pictures of them for you to look at and talk about, with someone at home. 

This term we would have been starting our new topic 'Wicked Wheels' so many of the activities we have provided are based around this theme. We have put a table of activities you may like to do. We would like you to try and do 1 Reading, 1 Writing, 1 Phonics and 1 Maths activity per day, if possible. These are suggestions and you may find some are trickier or take longer than others, if you feel it is too much then do not worry, they are just suggestions and there is no requirement to do them. We have tried to provide a variety of ideas depending on what resources you may have home and how much access to a screen you may have. Please remember to have a break between each activity. 

Easter Fun Activities

Below are some fun activities for you to do over the 2 week Easter break. We have given you 10, one for each day if required. There is no expectation to do them, they are just for fun and if you needed some ideas. Where possible we have added some links but you may find your own, if you find better ones could you share with the other parents if possible.

Easter time is associated with new life such as lambs and flowers so some of the ideas are based around the theme of new life.

Activity 1 – Can you make a daffodil? You could use an egg box, yellow/green/orange paper, colouring pencils. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/319755642263528125/  or https://www.freekidscrafts.com/egg-carton-daffodils/

Activity 2 – Can you make a lamb out of a toilet roll? (Assuming you have managed to get hold of toilet rolls!) You will need an empty toilet or kitchen roll, cotton wool or white paper that can be scrunched, paint, glue and sticks for the legs. https://www.redtedart.com/toilet-paper-rolls-craft-sheep-spring/

Activity 3 – Can you go on a Easter Egg hunt in your garden (or house)? You could make paper baskets to collect the eggs in. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/easter-egg-hunt-kit?collection=spring If you can’t print out then you can just copy on to paper or card.

Activity 4 – Can you make an Easter card for a family member? If it is someone you can’t see at the moment maybe you could post it to them, following the Government’s advice on going out. If you can’t get out then maybe you could use an app like FaceTime or WhatsApp to video call the recipient and show them the card you have made.

Activity 5 – Can you make Easter nests? These are quick and easy to do with NO baking. You could use Shredded Wheat, cornflakes or Rice Krispies and choose from milk, dark or white chocolate. Maybe add some mini eggs as decorations. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/lets-celebrate-easternests             

Activity 6 – Can you paint an egg shell?  Maybe you could paint a few and make a painted egg shell tree. https://www.instructables.com/id/Painted-Eggshells-for-Easter/

Activity 7 –Can you make a cress head? Mr bloom shows you how. You could just use cotton wool or absorbent paper and put in a yoghurt pot. https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/mr-blooms-nursery-cressheads

Activity 8 – Can you hold an egg and spoon race? How far will you race? Who will win? Maybe you could make a medal for the winner. If you don’t have any eggs you could use scrunched up balls of paper or balls of socks.

Activity 9 – Can you make an Easter animal mask? Will it be a bunny, a chick, a lamb or something else? Can you make up a story about your animal and act it out?

Activity 10 – Can you make a laser grid using wool? It will keep you busy for hours! If you don’t have wool you can use string or thick cotton thread. You could use chalk on the patio for a simpler version, ask your parents/carers first though!

If you would like some more physical activities then you could timetable in Joe Wicks some days, his past sessions can be viewed on YouTube – P.E. with Joe. PASS, who work in our school with various year groups, have also started adding some fitness sessions to their website. They can be found at https://www.passltd.org/early-years.

Wishing you a very happy, safe and healthy Easter break.

The Foundation Stage Team

Year R ideas up to Friday 3rd April

A big Hello to all our children in Bramley and Pippin classes. We hope you are all well and we are already missing you.

We know some of you are already having lots of fun at home and are enjoying spending time with your family.  We have added some more challenges to keep you busy, should you need them, and to give your parents some help if they need it.

Mums/Dads/Carers the purpose of the following is to give you some ideas to help with structuring your day, if you need it, and provide some more ideas of what you could do with your children. These are only ideas and there is no expectation that you do them. The most important thing at this time is to enjoy being a family, spend time with each other and make things as fun a possible.

Below is a possible structure for your morning based on how we structure the day in EYFS. However please be guided by your child. If they need a break or can only spend 5 minutes on an activity then that is fine. Children of this age have short concentration spans. What is most important is the wellbeing of everyone in the house. We don’t want you to feel pressured to do lots with your child because you think everyone else is, we are all finding this new way of working tricky. The staff in EYFS all have their own children so realise how juggling the day is coming with its own problems.

Please remember if you go out for a walk to follow the advice:  If you're not self-isolating, you can also get some exercise in your local area. But please don't  travel unnecessarily and always follow the Government's social distancing advice to keep yourselves and others safe.

If you would like some ideas for the afternoons then you could try one of these challenges each day.

Could you take a picture of a flower/tree and name it? How many new flowers and trees can you name in a week? Can you describe the flower/tree/petals/leaves and name the different parts of the plant?

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/03/kids-nature-activities-self-isolation/ have some great ideas for you to do in nature that you can also do from home.

Could you paint/draw a picture of something in your garden?

Could you make a tree rubbing from your garden? If you don’t have any trees, do you have a wooden/brick, fence/building you could do a rubbing of? Can you compare different rubbings and talk about the patterns? You may be able to do this indoors but remember to keep an eye on your child or you may find your house has been redecorated!

Could you set up an assault course in your garden?

Could you set up a treasure trail around your house? Make up picture clue cards that your child has to find and then tell them where to go next? Maybe you could have a small prize at the end?

Further down on our web page we also have other links that may be of use. Please check them out.

Stay safe and healthy.

The Foundation Stage Team

Home Learning Opportunities:

Here are some activities that your child can work on at home.

Future events

Forest School Styled Learning every Wednesday 

EYFS Reading meeting

Wednesday 5th February 3:15 to 4pm in Bramley Classroom

Thank you to those parents that were able to make our Reading Meeting on Wednesday 5th February. For those of you who were unable please find a copy of the presentation below and some useful websites to support the teaching of reading at home.

Phonics Pop is a fun game where children have to pop the phoneme bubbles. We have covered all the sounds in this game so feel free to click on any set of letters.  https://www.ictgames.com/phonicsPop/index.html 

Phonics Play has a free section Parents can access to practise reading real and alien words. It encourages children to sound out and blend words. We have covered Phase 2 sounds and are working through Phase 3. Please see weekly WOW letter to know what sounds we have been learning each week.  https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ParentsMenu.htm

Phonics Bloom again has a variety of online games that help practise Phase 2 and 3 sounds and support blending of sounds to read words.  https://www.phonicsbloom.com/uk/game/list/phonics-games-phase-2

Oxford owl has a selection of ebooks your child can read online. Many come with some comprehension activities to support your child's understanding of the text. There is also section for Parents that shows how to pronounce sounds and provides some reading tips.  https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/

Ruth Miskin has her own website with information but you can find many resources on YouTube to support the teaching of the sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6OiU2h3sUI

CBeebies has games on their Alphablocks section that support reading and spelling.

Child Initiated Learning

Learning through play underpins our approach to teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage. We embrace the fact that young children learn best from activities and experiences that interest and inspire them to learn. In doing so we can provide children with stimulating, active play experiences in which they can explore and develop their learning and to help them make sense of the world. Children have opportunities through their play to think creatively and critically alongside other children as well as on their own. They are able to practise skills, build upon and revisit prior learning and experiences at their own level and pace. Play gives our children the opportunity to pursue their own interests, inspire those around them and consolidate their understanding and skills. The children learn to adapt, negotiate, communicate, discuss, investigate and ask questions. Our adults take an active role in child initiated play through observing, modelling, facilitating, teaching and extending play, skills and language.

Outside Learning

We promote the use of both the inside and outside as potential learning environments and encourage free flow between these areas daily. Children are taught (particularly outside) to explore and take risks and how to manage these safely. At Barming Primary School we are extremely fortunate to have our own Forest School styled learning site. This is a unique method of Outdoor Education that allows children to develop confidence, independence, self-esteem and awareness and knowledge of the natural environment. It is a child centred and child led programme that provides the opportunity for the children to use their personal learning style to complete their chosen tasks. We also have a Mud Kitchen that the children have regular access to.

Phonics

At Barming Primary School we implement a structured phonics session. It aims to build children's speaking and listening skills in their own right. When listening and responding to the children we aim to respond with open ended questions rather than a yes or no answer to encourage talk. As well as this, the programme prepares children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills in a detailed and systematic manner. This is taught on a daily basis across both classes using an engaging and interactive approach.

Phonics is taught following the Letters and Sounds order of progression:-

Phase 2

Set 1: s, a, t, p

Set 2: i, n, m, d

Set 3: g, o, c, k

Set 4: ck, e, u, r

Set 5: h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss

Phase 3

Set 6: j, v, w, x

Set 7: y, z, zz, qu

consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, ng

vowel digraphs: ai (rain), ee (feet), igh (night), oa (goat)

vowel digraphs: oo (as in zoo), oo (as in look), ar (star), or (fork)

vowel digraphs/trigraphs: air (as in hair), ow (as in cow), oi (as in spoil), er (as in letter)

vowel digraphs/trigraphs: ur (as in fur), ear (as in hear), ure (as in sure) 

The children are also taught the following technical vocabulary:

digraph - 2 letters making one sound

trigraph - 3 letters making one sound

High frequency words

is, it, in, at, and

Tricky words

These words can not be sounded out blended so the children are taught that they are tricky words.

I, no, go, the, to, he, she, we, me, be, was, my, you, they, her, all, are

We enjoy practising the formation of the letters in a variety of ways such as gloop, glitter, sand, shaving foam and paint. 

The following clip shows how we pronounce the letter sounds at Barming Primary School

https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/#lg=1&slide=2

The next clip shows how we teach handwriting at Barming Primary School.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NQ6uS8blwY

Below is a link to a PDF of handwriting sheets for each letter of the alphabet.

Maths

Maths is taught on a daily basis. As well as discreet teaching the children are provided with opportunities to experience and learn number through play. We recognise that Maths can take place in any environment and we promote the use of learning maths skills outside at every opportunity. At a very early stage the children are encouraged to work independently and to take responsibility for their learning during the session.

Term 1

The start of the new year has arrived and we would like to say a huge welcome to our new Reception children! They have all begun to settle into school life and have enjoyed exploring the classrooms and making new friends. This term our topic is called Marvellous Me! We will explore our families, who lives in our house, get to know each other and look at a variety of people who help us in the world. We will also begin to look at our numbers up to 10 and letter sounds. This term we will also focus on mark making in a variety of media such as gloop, sand, sequins, paint etc to develop our fine motor skills.

Forest school will start soon so please remember your child's wet weather 2-piece and welly boots!

Term 2

This term our topic is 'Festivals and Celebrations'. We are celebrating the diversity of the children in our classes this term by looking at some of the festivals they participate in as a family. We will be looking at Diwali and Eid, finishing with Christmas. This term will also see the children take part in a Nativity.

Through varied, practical Maths activities the children will continue to practise counting objects, recognising numbers, names and properties of 2D shapes, money and formation of number.

In our Phonics sessions the children will continue to learn new sounds, word build and read high frequency and tricky words.

The children will also have the opportunity to take part in Forest School Style activities in both the Mud Kitchen and bottom field area on a weekly basis.

Term 3

This week sees the start of our 'Frozen' topic.

During this term we will be looking at the Arctic, the landscape, the animals and people who live there and the transport they use.

In Maths we will be practising our counting skills to 20 of regular and irregular groups of objects. We will use non-standard units to measure the weight and length of various objects, using the related vocabulary such as heavy, light, tall, short etc.

Our Daily Phonics lessons will continue to introduce new sounds and practise word building using our word time boards.  We will also begin to focus on writing simple sentences with a capital letter and full stop. Each child will continue to be heard at least once throughout the week, please be aware your child’s reading group may change this term. It would be fantastic if you could hear your child read their reading book a little bit, every day.

Forest School styled learning will continue to take place every Wednesday starting 8th January, in either the Mud Kitchen or on the bottom field.

Term 4

We are very excited this term to be starting our 'Out of this world' topic. Throughout the term we will be finding out about the moon, star constellations and the planets. We will also be looking at astronauts, in particular Tim Peake. The children will be introduced to music from Gustav Holst and look at paintings by Vincent Van Gogh that focus on the night sky.

If you have the chance this term you may want to take your child outside, as it gets dark, to look at the night sky and talk about what you can see.

This term we will also have Book Week which is themed around Elmer the Elephant. Please remember to hear your child read every day.

Forest School continues on a Wednesday this term, please make sure your child has the right clothing to keep warm and dry. We go out whatever the weather!