Author: Mrs Bye

In Year One, the children have been mastering how to compare numbers up to 20 using greater than, less than, and equal to. They are now able to confidently organise their own number lines and describe numbers in different ways! This helps them understand number order and comparisons clearly.

Help at home:

• Try using everyday items like blocks, toys, or snacks. Ask questions such as, “Which is more: 6 cookies or 9 cookies?” or “Is 14 greater than 7?”
• Encourage your child to draw their own number lines to practice comparing numbers.
• Play a game where you describe a number: “I’m thinking of a number greater than 15 but less than 17. What number am I thinking of?”

This week, our Year One class wrote persuasive sentences inspired by Clean Up! to encourage everyone to care for the beach and our environment. We’ve been learning how to use the conjunction “and” in our writing and the children practiced giving reasons why we should help. Some of their brilliant sentences included: “Clean up the beach and save the animals” and “Put your plastic in the bin so that the turtles can swim happily”

We talked about why it’s important to put rubbish in the bin and recycle. Rubbish left on the beach or in nature can harm animals, pollute the water, and make our beautiful planet look untidy. Recycling helps save energy, reduces waste, and gives materials a new life instead of ending up in a landfill.

Help at home:

• Discuss how your family can reduce waste and recycle more.
• Look for items around the house that can be recycled and practice sorting them together.
• Spot conjunctions like “and” in books, signs, or conversations.

We are so proud of the children for their thoughtful and creative writing. We are already seeing huge progress in their writing skills this term and they’re all becoming confident little writers!

Year One Class News: Exploring Risks!

This week in our Living and Learning lesson, Year One took a closer look at risks! We began by revisiting what we mean by danger and safety and explored the meaning of taking risks. The children shared examples of risks they take in everyday life, identifying some around school and at home.

In the classroom, we discussed how small actions like leaving items on the floor or chairs out can create risks and how we can avoid them to keep our classroom happy and healthy. At home, we focused on the kitchen, considering risks such as touching a hot oven or spilling water.

The children also worked together to order different risks by level—low or high. We discovered that some risks, like going up stairs or making a drink, depend on other factors.

Here are some thoughtful comments:
Gracie: “It depends what type of drink you’re making. Is it hot or in a glass?”
Luna: “There could be different hazards in the garden, like a wasp.”
Jolyon: “Going up and down stairs is more dangerous when you’re younger.”

Well done, Year One!

Help at Home

Click here to play an educational game about identifying risks around your own home!

Our amazing Year One yogis are discovering the benefits of yoga!

They’ve been practicing their balance and focus with fun and challenging poses like Dancer, Tree, Sloth, Downward Dog and Warrior. They’ve unlocked their inner warriors and are now sequencing poses into a graceful flow.

Each class begins with calming breathing exercises – Elephant Breath is a firm favourite!  We finish with peaceful meditations to feel calm and strong.

Help at Home Tips:

• Practice Elephant Breath together to relax.
• Try a Tree Pose challenge – who can balance the longest?
• Create a mini yoga flow with your child’s favourite poses!

 

This week, Year One had a fantastic trip to Lotherton Hall to learn about animals and their habitats. Guided by the educational specialists, we explored different habitats and the animals that call them home.

We compared the skulls of a herbivore and a carnivore, noticing how their teeth are perfectly suited to their diets. The children were fascinated to learn that penguins have sharp tongues to help them grip slippery fish!

This was a great start to our new Science unit about animals!

Help at Home:

• Explore your garden or local park and talk about the animals and their habitats.
• Read books about animals and how they survive in the wild.
• Watch nature documentaries together

This week, Year 1 enjoyed reading Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon, which starts our unit on persuasive writing. The children explored the problem of litter on the beach and how it affects animals. They discussed Rocket’s feelings and how she persuaded others to help clean up. Inspired by Rocket, we began writing about the problem and over the next couple of weeks, the children will try to convince others to help fix it with their own writing.

Help at Home: Talk with your child about keeping our environment clean. Encourage them to spot litter during walks and discuss how we can protect wildlife. Together, we can all be heroes like Rocket!

This week, Year 1 explored the fascinating life cycle of plants! We learned what plants need to grow: sunlight, water and healthy soil. The children planted their own spider plants for the classroom, which we’ll care for and monitor weekly. Later this term, we’ll review and discuss how the plants have changed over time. The plant we are monitoring currently stands at 10cm tall!

Help at Home: Encourage your child to observe plants at home, water them, and talk about their growth.