Me and My Money Week

This week, we’ve been learning all about money.

The children have developed a deeper understanding of what money is, where it comes from and how we can use it wisely.

Before beginning our learning, we considered two big questions to understand what we already know.

What is money?

Money is something you spend on stuff. – Mia

Money is something you have to buy things. – Eli

Money can you make you rich and once you have enough you can buy something. – Joey

Money is something you can get from working. You can give it to poor people. – Ella D

It helps us to buy a house stuff that we need. – Scarlett

Where does money come from?

the bank

Money comes from a machine in the wall.

money factory

The bank gets it from the Prime Minister.

Understanding the Importance of Money

We began by talking about why money is such an important part of people’s lives. The children shared their own experiences of using money, from buying treats to saving up for something special. Together, we explored the difference between things we need (like food and clothes) and things we might want (like toys or sweet).

This helped us think carefully about how people make different choices about how they spend and save their money. The children showed great curiosity and maturity in recognising that everyone’s spending decisions can be different and that’s okay!

Keeping Money Safe

We then looked at the different places people can keep their money safely. We discussed the benefits of using a bank compared to a money box and we talked about why some places are safer than others. The children enjoyed sorting pictures and deciding which options would be best for saving their coins.

We also explored where money can come from. Money can be:

• given
• earned
• found
• borrowed

Comparing and Choosing

To put our learning into practice, we compared the cost of some everyday products. The children were amazed to see how prices can vary and enjoyed talking about which items they thought were worth more or less. This led to some great conversations about making choices and getting good value for money.

Staying Safe Online

We also linked our money topic to online awareness. The children learned how to spot adverts online and understand that some adverts might try to persuade us to click on them. We discussed how clicking on adverts can sometimes take us away from the page we were looking at and why it’s important to always check with an adult before clicking on anything new.

The Smile Shop

In our reading lessons, we linked our learning to our theme of money through the story The Smile Shop by Satoshi Kitamura. Before reading, we made predictions about what might happen and afterwards we created an emotions graph to show how the main character’s feelings changed throughout the story.

Through our discussions, we discovered that some of the most valuable things in life can’t be bought with money. The children reflected thoughtfully on the message that you don’t always need money to make you happy and that sharing a smile can be just as rewarding as spending money.

Reflecting on Our Learning

Our Year 1 children have developed a fantastic understanding of money and how to make sensible choices about saving and spending. They also showed great awareness of how to stay safe online – a skill that will help them both now and in the future.

It’s been a fun, practical and thoughtful week in Year 1, full of discussions, teamwork and real-life learning!

Help at Home

Here are a few ideas for ways you can support your child’s learning at home:

Talk about needs and wants
When shopping, talk about which items are things you need (like food) and which are things you want (like treats or toys). This helps children make thoughtful spending choices.

Talk about saving
Encourage your child to save up for something special. You could use a money box or jar and count how much has been saved each week.

Compare prices together
Next time you’re shopping (in store or online), look at two similar items and compare the prices. Talk about why one might cost more than the other.

Share stories about money and kindness
Share some stories that show how happiness and kindness can’t always be bought. Talk about what makes your child happy without spending money.

Stay safe online
Explore websites or games together and look for adverts. Talk about how to spot them and what to do if something pops up unexpectedly. Remind your child to always check with an adult before clicking on anything new.

What a fantastic first half term we’ve had in Year 1! The children have settled brilliantly into their new routines and shown great enthusiasm for learning. Here’s a look back at some of the wonderful things we’ve been up to:

Maths

We’ve been busy developing our number sense – counting all the way to 100, comparing quantities and exploring part–whole relationships. The children have enjoyed using practical resources to understand how numbers to 5 can be made in different ways.

Help at home: Encourage your child to spot numbers around you (door numbers, buses, clocks!) and practise quick recall of number bonds to 5.

English

We’ve loved sharing some brilliant stories: Flat Stanley, The Enchanted Wood, and Hermelin the Mouse Detective. The children have been predicting what might happen next, discussing their favourite parts and beginning to write simple sentences. We’ve also been working hard on pencil control and letter formation.

Help at home: Read together daily – talk about the characters, setting and what might happen next.

Phonics

We’ve learned four new sounds this half term: ay, oy, ou and ea. The children are becoming more confident at spotting these sounds in words and using them in their writing.

Help at home: Try spotting these new sounds in books or on signs!

Science

Our topic on The Senses has been full of excitement and discovery. The children have enjoyed hands-on investigations, testing their sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch and thinking like real scientists!

Help at home: Try a fun senses scavenger hunt! Ask your child to find things they can see, hear, smell, taste and touch around the house or garden. Talk about which senses they used and what they discovered.

Topic

We’ve been geographers, learning all about where we live. The children have explored maps, looked at local landmarks and even conducted fieldwork to find out how people travel to school.

Help at home: Go on a short walk around your local area – notice signs, buildings and different types of transport.

RE

In RE, we’ve been thinking about belonging – what it means to belong to a family, a class, or a community and how we can help others feel included.

Living and Learning

We’ve explored our rights and responsibilities, how to treat others fairly, and what democracy means in our classroom.

PE

This half term we’ve focused on football skills, practising dribbling, passing and, most importantly, working as a team. The children have shown great sportsmanship and energy every week.

Thank you!

A huge thank you to all our parents and carers for your continued support at home – it makes such a difference.

We wish you all a happy, healthy and restful break. We’re looking forward to an exciting and busy Autumn 2!

Taking Part in Democratic Decisions

This week, we’ve been learning all about democracy, one of the British Values that helps make our country a fair and kind place to live.

Democracy means that everyone has a say in making decisions. Instead of one person deciding everything, people get to share their ideas and vote for what they think is best. It’s a way of making sure everyone’s voice is heard!

We talked about why democracy is important – it helps us to:

• Make fair choices that include everyone’s opinions

• Learn to listen to different ideas

• Respect the decisions of the group, even if it’s not what we voted for

What Makes a Good Leader?

We also thought carefully about what it means to be a good leader. A good leader is someone who:

• listens to others
• shares ideas kindly
• helps everyone work together
• makes good and fair choices
• sets a good example
• always tries to do the right thing, even when it’s tricky
• has good thinking skills

Most importantly, a good leader makes sure everyone feels included, respected and valued.

Our Junior Leadership Team Elections

This week, we held elections for our Junior Leadership Team.
We had 15 wonderful candidates who courageous put themselves forward.. Each child prepared and delivered a thoughtful speech, explaining what would make them a good leader and how they would help our school community.

We were so proud of how respectful and kind everyone was during the voting process. When the results were announced, the children showed amazing character – they celebrated their friends’ success and congratulated each other warmly.

It was a brilliant example of democracy in action right here at St James’ CE Primary!

Our new Junior Leadership Team will soon begin sharing ideas from the class and helping to make our school an even happier and healthier place to achieve and believe. We’re excited to see the positive changes they’ll bring.

Help at home by:

• Talking about choices: Let your child help decide small things like what to have for dinner or which game to play.
• Holding a family vote: If you can’t agree on a film or an activity, have everyone vote and go with the majority!
• Encouraging listening: Remind children that everyone’s opinion matters – even if we don’t all agree.

We’re so proud of Year 1 for showing maturity, respect and kindness this week. They are growing into thoughtful British citizens who know how to make fair choices together.

As part of our Design and Technology learning, the children get three opportunities each year to prepare food and this week was one of them!

This time, we made banana sandwiches using lots of different skills. We started by reading the recipe together and chatting about what we might change to make it our own.

We also talked about the importance of good hygiene and how to stay safe in the kitchen.

We stayed safe by:

• tying up long hair
• washing our hands
• chopping away from our bodies
• trusting the adults

After tasting their creations (always the best part!), we evaluated how they turned out – thinking about what went well, how closely we followed the recipe and what we might do differently next time.

The hardest part was:

• chopping the banana
• spreading the cream cheese
• putting the slippery banana on the bread

I liked it because:

• bananas are my favourite
• the cream cheese was nice
• it was a good little challenge

I disliked it because:

• the cheese was too strong
• the cheese and banana didn’t go together
• the banana was too slimy

Next time,  I would:

• try jam instead of cream cheese
• add some strawberries
• add butter
• use less banana

Help at home by watching some of these fantastic cooking videos. If you try any of these recipes at home, we’d love to see the results.

This week, in art, we’ve been exploring printing and stamping. We used paints and a variety of found objects to experiment with shape, texture and pattern.

The children loved seeing how everyday items could make such interesting prints. There was lots of excitement (and a few colourful hands!) as we mixed colours and layered our designs.

Everyone showed great creativity and imagination!

Help at home by using some ‘found objects’ to create some art of your own. We’d love to see the results!

This week in Geography, we’ve been learning all about maps.

We discovered that a map is a drawing that helps us find where we are or where we’re going. We learned that maps are usually drawn from an aerial view – as if we’re looking down from above.

We explored how maps use symbols to show places like parks, shops and churches, and how a key helps us understand what each symbol means. The children enjoyed using simple maps to find places of interest and talk about what they could see.

Later in the week, we created our own maps, adding human and physical features using symbols and creating a matching key.

Staying Safe
We also talked about what to do if you ever get lost – stay where you are so an adult can find you.

Help at home

• Go on a walk and look for things you might find marked on a map (shops, parks, post boxes).
• Try drawing a simple map of your journey to school or a favourite park.
• Look at a map or atlas and find places you’ve visited.

In maths, we’ve been learning about part-part-whole models.

A part–part–whole model shows how a number (the whole) can be split into two or more parts.

For example:
If we have 5 apples, we could show that as 3 and 2.

3 is a part.
2 is a part.
5 is the whole.

Why are part-whole models useful?

• They help children see number relationships clearly.

• They build understanding of addition and subtraction.

• They encourage children to talk about numbers.

  “There are 5 altogether. 3 needs 2 to make 5.”

We’ve been using real objects, pictures and numerals to show different ways to make the whole.

The children have practised describing what they see, helping them to understand that the whole number stays the same, even when split into parts.

Help at home by using everyday items to make different groups and talk about how they combine to make the whole.

This week in Year 1, we’ve been reading Hermelin: The Mouse Detective by Mini Grey. We began by looking closely at the front cover and reading the blurb, then made some fantastic predictions about what the story might be about. After reading, we shared what we liked and disliked. The children loved Hermelin’s clever detective work and the way he helped everyone in the street!

The children had some brilliant discussions and used lots of great vocabulary to explain their ideas.

Help at home

• Ask your child to retell the story of Hermelin in their own words.

• Encourage them to look for clues in pictures or text when reading other stories, just like a detective!

• Visit your local library and see if you can find other books by Mini Grey.

In maths this week, we’ve been learning about what it means to have a whole group.

• First, we looked at trays of cakes. If all the spaces are full, we know we’ve got the whole group.

• Then, we noticed that a whole group doesn’t have to look exactly the same. A box of eggs with different colours is still a whole group if none are missing.

• Next, we learned about not whole. If something is missing, like a cake from the tray, it isn’t the whole group anymore.

The children have been brilliant at explaining their thinking using stem sentences:

“This is a whole group of ___ because…”
“This is not a whole group of ___ because…”

This is a whole group because all the seats have children sitting in them.

There’s 1 missing. It’s not a whole group.

Help at home by exploring groups of objects:

• At the table, ask your child if the cutlery is a whole group or if something is missing.
• Look in the fridge: is the egg box full? If not, how many are missing?
• When tidying toys, count if you have the whole set.

In reading, we’ve been enjoying Enid Blyton’s The Enchanted Wood. We’ve read the first two chapters and met Joe, Beth and Frannie as they moved into their new home near the mysterious wood.

The children have loved imagining what it might be like to discover such a magical place. We’ve been busy making predictions about what could happen next:

• Who might live in the wood?
• What secrets will the children uncover?
• What adventures might be waiting at the top of the Faraway Tree?

Everyone has been eager to share their ideas and it’s been wonderful to see such creativity and excitement in our discussions. We can’t wait to read more and find out what happens next.

Help at home by discussing the story with your child. Can they summarise what has happened so far? Help your child to make some connections – does the story remind them of something they’ve done, seen or read before?