Home » EYFS Newsletter – 27/01/2023

EYFS Newsletter – 27/01/2023

What a fantastic time reception have had this week!

In Phonics we have been looking at the graphemes ‘th’ and ‘ng’ and the sounds that they make. We talked about the two different phonemes that ‘th’ can represent and how to use these in different words. The children did a super job sounding out, reading and writing a selection of words and sentences using our focus graphemes. Outside they had the chance to play an exciting game called ‘Thing-in-a-ring’! This involved accurately throwing objects into hoops to earn different coloured graphemes that the teams could then use to create their own words and phrases to match the pictures.

In maths we have been investigating how to find the total of two numbers. We used tens frames and coloured counters to represent different story cards and full sentences, eg to help explain that there are 2 ducks in the water and 4 ducks out, so we have 6 ducks altogether. The children also enjoyed learning to play snakes and ladders by rolling and adding together the spots on two dice, and writing number sentences with chalk outside to describe the spots on our giant dominoes.

On Thursday, we had forest schools and continued our animals topic by focussing on minibeasts. The children had a great time searching for minibeasts around the school grounds and using iPads to take pictures of those they found. In the garden they had the chance to make minibeasts using loose parts, play on the swings and slack line, and take up the challenge of moving like different minibeasts! Particular big favourites in the movement challenge were to ‘dance like a bee’ and to ‘wiggle like a worm’! Back in the classroom we talked about what was the same and different about a selection of insects and had a go at sorting them into categories. In the afternoon, the children were also introduced to ‘the tunnel of darkness’. To earn entry to the tunnel they had to write the a question asking this on their whiteboard.

On Friday, we had a team block modelling competition. The children where challenged to work together, and with their adult, to make an African animal. (In case you can’t tell, we made an elephant, lion, giraffe and zebra) We hope you like our creations! Which is your favourite?

Elsewhere in the classroom the children have enjoyed painting African fruit like those in the story ‘Handa’s Surprise’, creating games and keeping score outside, drawing maps of the playground, and trying out our tricky new Red Riding Hood puzzle!