Marvellous minibeasts
Literacy
This week, the children had fun writing their own versions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They came up with some fantastic ideas.
BI – The Very Hungry Bee
CW – The Very Hungry Ant
CW – The Very Hungry Worm
HD – The Very Hungry Spider
BA – The Very Hungry Dragonfly
Next week, we’ll study the artist Alexander Calder and create our own representations of his butterfly work.
BREAKING NEWS!
On Monday, Mr Atkins brought us a box – it was our caterpillars! The children were so excited. When they arrived, they were amazed at how tiny they were. Throughout the next few weeks, the children will be observing them on a daily basis and writing in their caterpillar diaries. This week, we’ve been learning about the life cycle of a butterfly.
Ask your child if they can remember the four stages of the life cycle. 
The minibeast learning continued in the areas…
We went looking for minibeasts in our outdoor area. We talked about what they look like and their habitats.
We painted symmetrical butterflies.
We used natural objects to create minibeasts.
Diary dates
Friday 13 May – School closed: training day
Friday 27 May – Jubilee celebrations in school
Thursday 23 June – Moving from Reception to Year 1 transition meeting. This one is in person – not by Zoom (finally!).
Tuesday 05 July – Sports Day (morning)
Friday 08 July – PTA Summer Fair
Home-Link Challenge
I hope you all have a happy and healthy bank holiday.
See you on Tuesday!
This week’s bible story
Jesus calms a storm: Mark 4:35-41
Have a think about what peace means to you. Is it a time without conflict or is it calmness? Today, we’re going to hear a story about Jesus and his disciples who were stuck on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm.
Time for reflection:
Think about the times when it seems like you’re in the middle of a storm; perhaps when there are arguments or when things seem confusing and difficult or when things are frightening. Think of Jesus being there, saying, Peace, be still. Take a moment now to hear those words, and enjoy the peace they bring.
Prayer:
Dear God,
Help us to remember, even when we’re in the middle of a storm and life seems hard, you are always there to help us feel peace.
Amen
Welcome back!
I hope you all had a lovely Easter break.
It was lovely to see lots of smiling faces when I opened the classroom door on Tuesday.
Literacy
This week, we’ve been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. To help them remember the order of story, the children made story maps. Next week, we’ll be getting creative with our writing. They’ll have a go at making their own versions. To make our learning more exciting, we’re hoping a special delivery comes next week… watch this space!
Maths
This week, we continued to focus on the purpose of counting – to find out ‘how many’ objects there are. The children revisited the concept of cardinality – the idea that the last number in the count tells us how many things there are altogether. While consolidating their understanding of the word pattern embedded within most of our number names, they also had fun hearing and practising the key differences in the number names when counting to 100!
A key focus this week, has been to develop their confidence in counting strategies when counting larger number of objects, including things that cannot be moved. On Wednesday, Gary (our counting puppet) found it really difficult to count the children when they were sat on the carpet – he kept forgetting who he counted! The children came up with some super counting strategies!
LW – Sit down when Gary taps you on the head.
PB – Gary could tap us on the head.
MC – We could stand in a circle.
BI – We could stand in a straight line.
The children had a go at using these strategies when collecting/counting their of objects.
PE
The children started learning how to skip. They had lots of fun using the big rope!
Here are some more highlights from this week…
Home-Link Challenge
This week’s bible story
11 I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy. 12 This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15: 11-12
Have a think about an occasion when you have argued with someone and found it difficult to resolve.
Do you know of any conflicts or wars taking place anywhere in the world? Unfortunately, conflicts are continuously occurring as humans try to share the world.
Whether an argument occurs between two people or between nations, the situation is still a conflict. Having conflicts is part of being human. If we did not have differences of opinion, we would never see anything in a new light or change a view that we have wrongly held. However, what is extremely important is the way in which a conflict is handled. If conflicts between large groups of people get out of hand, they can become bigger and bigger until they become wars. The way in which we manage conflict can enable people who have different opinions to work peacefully together for the better.
When we think of peace we often think of:
– freedom from war
– freedom from disputes
– freedom from worry and anxiety
– peace of mind
– quietness, silence, stillness
In the Bible, in Matthew 5.6-8, it says that people who work for peace are happy. In John 15.11-12, Jesus says that we will be happy if we care for others.
Most world religions value the importance of peace.
Reflection:
How could you contribute to peace around the world? Maybe you could try harder to listen when someone has a different opinion to your own. Maybe you could walk away if you feel angry with someone. There are many little things that we can do to contribute to the peace of the world.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for giving us the ability to make others feel better.
Help us to share our lives together in peace.
Help us to love and care for those who need us.
Help us to care for our families and friends.
Please help us to play our parts in encouraging peace in the world.
Amen
Farm visit & Easter
As you all know, a mobile farm visited us on Monday. It was an amazing experience for all the children. They got to see a wide range of farm animals. Once we’d been introduced to all of the different animals, we got a chance to take a closer look. We were able to stroke them, brush them and, play fetch with Meg the sheepdog. 
This week, the children had fun completing Easter chilli challenges.
On Wednesday morning, the children were very excited when they saw some Easter treats in their baskets!
I hope you all have a fantastic half-term and a lovely Easter. Don’t forget to email me some pictures of what you get up to!
I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday 19 April!
Easter egg competition
It was great to see how creative the children had been when decorating the eggs. There were some amazing ideas – it made the judging very difficult! Well done.
This week’s bible story
Jesus is friends with Zacchaeus: Luke 19: 1-10
Have you ever heard the story of Burglar Bill – Bill goes out every night. Getting into houses through open windows and taking things. Until one night, Bill found a baby, and that changed his whole life …
There is a Bible story about a man who stole from other people. He took extra money when he gave them their tax bills and became very rich on all the money that he stole. Zacchaeus was a little man and that small people can’t see in crowds. Read the story of Zacchaeus to find out what happened to him.
Reflection:
Jesus loved everyone when he lived on the earth. It didn’t matter how bad people were, Jesus was always there for those who needed him. This is true for us too – no one is so bad that God doesn’t love them. And the more time we spend with God – praying, thinking about him, finding out about him, the more we want to be like Jesus; kind, helpful and good. Just like Zacchaeus, Burglar Bill changed his ways and tried to be more like Jesus by loving those around him. Even though Burglar Bill and Zacchaeus made the wrong choice, God forgave them and continued loving them.
Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you that Jesus loved Zacchaeus even when he wasn’t making the right choices. Help us to love all of those around us.
Amen
Brilliant Reception!
It’s been another sunny week! We’ve had lots of fun planting and exploring outside.
Literacy
This week, we continued to look at The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. After recapping the story, we planted our own tiny (sunflower) seeds. After planting the seeds, the children had a go at writing a set of instructions. The children have checked on the pots daily and are eager to water them. Next half-term, the children will watch them grow into beautiful sunflowers – fingers crossed!
On Tuesday, we talked about the life cycle of a plant.
What’s a life cycle?
FH – It goes around and around and starts again and again.
CW – People are a life cycle.
FJ – Frogs have a life cycle.
The children had a go at drawing the life cycle of a sunflower.
PE
The children loved practising their balls skills outside! Next half-term, the children will be practising their skipping skills.
Maths
We’ve been learning about doubles! The children are super quick at showing doubles on their fingers. We used this stem sentence:
_____ is made of _____ and _____ ; double _____ is _____
when explaining double patterns.
Ask your child what we need to do, to double a number!
RE
In RE, we’ve been learning about the Easter story. Yesterday, the children worked together in small groups to sequence the story.
Reminders!
Egg competition – Please bring your decorated eggs on Monday!
Don’t forget to come and watch us sing Hot Cross Buns at our Easter Service next Thursday!
Home-Link Challenge
Non-Uniform Day
Thank you to everyone who donated some money on Friday to wear non-uniform. We raised £121.70! Half of the money raised will be donated to Comic Relief and half will be donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
This week’s bible story
Peter’s story (Based on Mark 8.27-38, Mark 14.15-72 and John 13.36-38)
Have you ever told a lie to keep yourself from getting into trouble? You don’t have to answer the question out loud, just to think about it.
Have they ever let a friend down, rather than get into trouble? Again, don’t answer outloud, just remember how it felt if they have.
In the bible, Jesus had 12 disciples – these were special friends of his that helped him. One of his closest friends was a man called Peter. Peter, even though he was Jesus’ friend, was someone who did both of those things. Read Peter’s story (Based on Mark 8.27-38, Mark 14.15-72 and John 13.36-38)
Reflection:
Why do you think Peter behaved as he did. Peter was confused: how could anything so awful happen to God’s Special One?; his fear of arrest; his fear of the palace guards; his courage in following Jesus as far as he had; his loyalty to his friend despite his cowardice.
How do you think Peter felt when he heard the cock crow. Do you think he could ever be friends with Jesus again?
Jesus meet Peter again for the first time after he had risen from the dead. He asked Peter three times if he loved him, once for each time he had denied him (John 21.15-19). Jesus told Peter then that he would have an important part to play in telling the world about him; and he did – but that’s another story!
Prayer:
Dear God,
When we are frightened:
Please help us.
When we don’t know what to do:
Please help us.
When we are tempted to lie:
Please help us.
When we let our friends down:
Please help us.
When we are sorry and want to make amends:
Please help us.
Amen.