Reception

This week we have welcomed Reception blue and yellow classes into our school. We are so proud of how well the children have settled so quickly into school life. We have been super busy exploring our classroom and outdoor areas. We can’t wait to greet you all again next week for more learning fun! Well done Reception super stars!

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play. 

This week, Reception have been enjoying developing friendships and finding out about each other as we settle into our new classes. The children have settled into school very well and we are very proud of the resilience they have shown. We have been learning how to establish routines and what to expect throughout the school day. We have had lots of fun playing and sharing in our classroom. Our teachers are amazed at how well we are learning to take turns and include everyone in our play. Well done Reception children; we are so proud of you!

CRC Article 28: All children have the right to a good quality education. 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play. 

The 2-Year-Olds have been looking at the book, Wobble Bear. Wobble Bear only likes the colour yellow. Some children can now recognise the colour yellow. The children experienced this book being brought to life through interactive stories and practical activities. Children sorted colours in the tough spot and in some foam. We will continue to look at different colours over the coming weeks. The children are excited about this! 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

Reception have had a fantastic week! This week we have been reading ‘The Gruffalo’. The children were captivated by the adventurous tale and its memorable characters. After reading, we engaged in fun Gruffalo-themed activities, including crafts and storytelling, allowing the children to express their creativity and deepen their understanding of the story. It was a fantastic way to blend our love for reading with hands-on learning! 

In Reception Class, we have also been exploring the wonders of autumn! We enjoyed a nature walk around the school to observe the beautiful changes in our environment, collecting leaves and other treasures along the way. These findings inspired us to create a collaborative autumn-themed picture, celebrating the season together! 

Well done Reception, keep up the good work! 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we’ve had an exciting time learning about Bonfire Night and fireworks! We talked about firework safety and the importance of staying safe around fireworks.  

We also read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, a lovely story that helped us think about the night sky and how fireworks light it up.  

Everyone has settled back in wonderfully after the half-term break, ready for more learning adventures ahead! 

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be. 

We have had an eventful week in Reception class this week. We have been learning about the importance of Remembrance Day and what that means. We watched a special film about a rabbit who took shelter underneath a soldier’s helmet during a terrible war. We watched as the noise and explosions became still and the red poppies began to grow in the field. We had to be very quiet and think about all of the brave soldiers and animals who died.  

On Friday, it was Children in Need Day! We all came to school wearing our spotty clothes and took part in lovely activities around this special charity. We have been thinking about the word charity and how we can help others. We made ‘Pudsey Baer’ biscuits and took part in a Children in Need dance.

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we’ve been looking at 2D shapes and their properties. The children have enjoyed identifying shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles, and learning about their sides and corners.  

We have also been practicing for our upcoming nativity performance. The children are showing fantastic teamwork and creativity as they rehearse their songs and lines. We’re so proud of their hard work and can’t wait to share their performance with you! 

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be.  

This week we have been celebrating Diwali, the festival of light in Reception classes. We have read the story of ‘Rama and Sita’ and learnt about the reasons why Hindu’s celebrate Diwali. We have enjoyed listening to special music and dancing to Indian performances. The children created their own Rangoli patterns with beautiful colours. We created firework framed art pictures to celebrate the festival of light. We love to learn about other cultures and festivals in Reception.

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we’ve been full of festive cheer as we prepared for Christmas! The children had a wonderful time decorating our class Christmas tree, carefully placing ornaments and tinsel to make it sparkle. It was heart-warming to see their excitement as they worked together to create something magical for our classroom. 

We also enjoyed reading ‘Stick Man’, which sparked lots of interesting conversations about kindness and helping others. The children loved the story and shared thoughtful ideas about how they could be kind to their friends and family. 

This week has been full of Christmas fun, from making festive crafts to completing Christmas-themed activities. The children have shown fantastic creativity and enthusiasm as they worked through each activity, building their skills and embracing the holiday spirit. It’s been a joyful week, and we’re looking forward to even more festive fun next week! 

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be.   

This week we have had a busy week full of festivities! On Monday 9^th December, we performed our nativity show for parents ‘Baarmy Bethlehem’ it was a great success! We were so proud performing in our beautiful costumes and our singing and dancing was fantastic. We have enjoyed watching Nursery’s ‘First Nativity Show’ and signing along to all of our favourite songs. We enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch in school on Wednesday with our teachers and friends. Natatlie Paris joined us for a French Christmas story, ‘Jouex Noel’. We retold the story using actions and props. On Friday we raised money for ‘Save the Children’ on our school Christmas jumper day.  

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week, Reception have had a fantastic start to the new term! After settling back in following the Christmas holidays, the children were thrilled to share stories about what they did over the festive period. It was wonderful to see everyone reconnecting and full of enthusiasm for the new year. We have been completing fun activities this week, like playing in the snow and exploring an assault course in PE. 

We have been exploring our new topic, what is above the clouds?, which has sparked curiosity and excitement. Linking with our new topic, we have read the story Whatever Next by Jill Murphy. The children loved following Baby Bear’s journey to the moon and used it as inspiration for imaginative discussions and creative activities. 

Through this story, we’ve begun thinking about space, the sky, and the amazing things above the clouds. The children have asked fantastic questions and shared their ideas, setting the stage for an exciting term of exploration and learning. What a brilliant start to 2025! 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we’ve had an exciting time exploring weight and capacity in Numeracy! The children have been using weighing scales to compare objects and experimenting with different containers to understand capacity through fun, hands-on activities. We have also enjoyed reading ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ and took part in engaging activities to develop our comprehension skills. The children loved discussing the story, sequencing events, and getting creative with alien-themed tasks. It’s been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and curiosity grow.  

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be. 

This week, Reception we have been learning about Chinese New Year. 2025 is the Luna year of the snake. We had fun finding out what animal year our birthdays are. We watched videos of Chinese lion dances and made our own Chinese lion! All of our Nursery children joined us in the hall for our amazing performance. We have been reading the story of ‘The Great Race’. The children wrote some fantastic sentences about the story. Our favourite part of our Chinese New Year celebrations was tasting some yummy Chinese food!  

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week, our class has had an exciting time making rockets and learning about space. We also celebrated NSPCC Number Day, wearing non-school uniform to show our support. Everyone took part in number activities and had so much fun! 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week, our class has continued to explore the topic ‘What is above the clouds?’. We have been making moon pictures, using charcoal and chalks. We created some lovely pictures, using shadow work and real-life photos as inspiration.  

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be. 

This week in Reception class, we have been celebrating Shrove Tuesday. We used lots of lovely fruit, chocolate spread and golden syrup to decorate pancakes for our snack time. The children have enjoyed learning about the reason behind Shrove Tuesday and how we might try to give up something we enjoy during Lent.  

On Thursday 6^th March, we celebrated World Book Day. Children came to school dressed in their cosy pyjamas ready for bedtime stories. We enjoyed lots of wonderful stories together and took part in a design competition. It’s been a wonderful week. 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week we have been celebrating British Science Week! The children have loved exploring shadows using torches. They experimented with light and dark and discovered how shadows can change shape and size. It’s been a week full of curiosity, discovery and hands-on learning! 

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be. 

This week Reception we have been learning about our local area of Shildon. The children created their own map of Shildon based on what they know of their surroundings. We used Google maps to explore our local area and landmarks.  

In phonics we have been practising writing independent sentences. We are making great progress!  

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we have been exploring 3D shapes in numeracy. We have been learning the names of shapes and some of the properties through fun activities.  

In Literacy, we have focused our sentences on the season of Spring, describing the changes we see in nature.

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be. 

This week in reception class we have been exploring 3D shapes. We have been looking at the properties of 3D shapes and how to identify them. We went on a shape hunt around our classroom to see how many different 3D shapes we could find.

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we have been learning about the Easter story. We have explored why people celebrate Easter, learning about the beliefs of the Christian religion. 

We have also been completing fun Easter activities, such as writing cards for our families and making cornflake cakes. We have had lots of fun this week and we are excited to see everybody after the Easter holidays! 

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be.  

CRC Article 29: All children have the right to be the best that they can be.  

This week in Reception, we have introduced our new theme. It is called ‘What a Wonderful World!’ 

We began this week with our focus text, Monkey Puzzle, by Julia Donaldson. The children have explored the animals that would live in the jungle. In our literacy sessions, we wrote about all the animals that we would find in the jungle environment.  

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to find out about things. 

This week in Reception, we enjoyed reading The Snail and the Whale, linking to our topic ‘What is in our Wonderful World?’. We explored the oceans, learning about the fascinating animals that live in them. The children loved sharing their ideas and discovering new facts.  

In maths, we have been practicing writing number sentences and working hard on our number formation. We also played fun counting games and used practical resources to help us understand how to build and solve number sentences. 

CRC Article 31: All children have the right to relax and play.  

CRC Article 13: All children have the right to information. 

This week in Reception, we enjoyed reading ‘Lost and Found’, linking to our topic ‘What is in our Wonderful World?’  

We explored the South Pole, learning about the fascinating animals that live there.  

We rolled some paper on the floor and practised writing a full sentence on it. All the children did a fantastic job and enjoyed writing in a different way! We also practised our number formation the same way