Times Tables Check
This week, all of the children have practised the times tables check using the DfE system that they will use for the real check in a few weeks.
More than half of the children scored their personal best and it is great to see children working hard to learn the facts that they aren’t 100% confident with.
Help at home: Please keep playing TTRS at home! We ask children to play for 15 minutes per week which will earn them a place on our TTRS wheel in Achieve and Believe assembly!
Mad about Minibeasts
We’ve been learning all about the number 5.
Look at the different ways we can represent 5.
Here’s some of our nursery children talking about the ways to make 5. The NumberBlocks episode ‘a part of me’ is a great way to explore this.
Minibeasts
Our caterpillars are here and they’ve started to build their cocoons. We’ve been taking extra care around them so they won’t be disturbed. Look out for some caterpillar artwork!
Help at home.
Have a minibeast hunt in your outdoor space or at the park. Can you find any minibeasts? How many legs can you see? Do they have a pattern? Do they have wings? Let us know at Nursery what you find.
Next week
We will continue reading “Mad about Minibeasts”
Living and Learning: I know the importance of 5 a day
For our living and learning session this week, Year 3 looked into the importance of healthy eating. We discussed as a class how many fruit/veg a day we are currently managing to eat, and set ourselves some goals to further improve.
We also looked into influences and healthy choices when deciding what to eat and drink. Year 3 discussed the importance of a healthy, balanced diet and used their learning about different foods groups from earlier this year to help.
After the session the children felt confident talking about the following statements:
Help at home:
Discuss these statements in more detail at home so your child understands the importance of healthy choices when eating and drinking.
Living and Learning – 5 a day
In Living and Learning, we’ve focused on the importance of a healthy diet and the ‘5 a day’ message.
Fruit and vegetables are a crucial part of a healthy, balanced diet. They’re a great source of vitamins and minerals which help keep us healthy. They can even reduce the risk of disease!
What counts?
Almost every type of fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetable counts towards your 5 a day. Even things like fruit juice, tomato puree (not ketchup) and baked beans count. We were surprised to learn that potatoes don’t count! Potatoes contain a high amount of carbohydrate – another part of a healthy, balanced diet.
What is a portion?
A good rule is to consider that a portion fits in the palm of your hand.
Don’t stop at 5!
A total of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables combined is the minimum number to aim for. You don’t need to eat 5 portions of fruit and 5 portions of vegetables but the more the better!
Help at home by keeping a 5 a day diary. Have a look through The Eatwell Guide with your child. Are you eating a healthy, balanced diet?
Deciduous or Evergreen?
Year One have been learning about deciduous and evergreen trees. We explored different types of leaves, looking carefully at their shapes, textures, and colours. The children enjoyed sorting them and spotting similarities and differences. We now know that deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn, while evergreens stay green all year round.
Living and Learning: healthy eating
This week in Living and Learning, we’ve been exploring how to stay healthy.
We’ve been thinking about how the food we eat helps our bodies and minds stay strong. We talked about the importance of eating our ‘five a day’ and learned about the Eatwell Plate. We now understand that a balanced diet is key to good health.
Here are some of the important things we’ve learned:
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Eating fruits and vegetables helps keep us strong.
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Fruits and vegetables are especially good for our hearts.
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Fizzy drinks aren’t healthy for our bodies, so we should drink them only occasionally.
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Protein is important—it helps us grow and keeps us healthy.
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Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water is essential.
We also discussed how regular exercise and staying clean are important parts of a healthy lifestyle. Plus, we learned that looking after our mental health is just as important as taking care of our bodies.
You can support this learning at home by talking together about the things your family does to stay happy and healthy. What healthy meals do you enjoy together? How do you stay active? Do you have ways to relax and feel calm at home?
Let’s keep making healthy choices—together!
Counting in 5s
Today, we practised counting in 5s and made an exciting discovery — the ones digit in each number was always a 0 or a 5! We used a 50-grid to highlight these special numbers and spot the pattern. Then, we played a fun game where we counted fingers and thumbs in groups of 5. Working together, we counted in 5s to find the total number of fingers and thumbs.
Keeping safe in the sun!
This week, we’ve been making the most of the lovely warmer weather! The sunshine sparked some great conversations about how to look after ourselves and the environment when it’s hot outside.
We talked about the importance of wearing sun cream and a sun hat, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water and finding shade when we need a break from the sun.
We also noticed our sunflowers and spider plants were looking a little thirsty—since there hasn’t been much rain lately—so we made sure to give them a good water!
Literacy
We’ve been reading Walking Through the Jungle by Julie Lacome.
We have loved talking about all the different animals in the book and how they travelled.
“Creeping through the jungle I can see a tiger.”
“Stomping through the jungle I can see a elephant.”
Phonics
This week, we focused on reading and writing longer words and compound words. We learnt 4 new tricky words: were, here, little, says.
Help at home: Go on a tricky word hunt around your house. Ask an adult to write some tricky words on scrap pieces of paper and stick them up around your house. How many tricky words can you find and read?
Maths
This week, we consolidated our understanding of the composition of 5 and practised recalling the parts of 5 when 1 part is not visible. We used our fingers on 1 hand to help with the composition of 5. We looked at how many fingers are ‘up’ and and how many are ‘folded down’. We used a rhyme about 5 kittens jumping ‘down’ from the bed to help us with this.
“5 is made of __ and __
__ and __ makes 5″
Help at home: Play a game the kittens game with an adult. You need 5 objects (kittens) and a piece of material or paper (bed) Take turns to hide some kittens under the bed. Use the below stem sentence to explain what you can see.
Have a happy and healthy weekend and thank you as always for your support.
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon, Mrs. Small and Mr. Smith
Good Luck Year 6!
As you will all be aware, Year 6 begin their SATS tomorrow.
I’m sure you will all join me in wishing them good luck. They have made so much progress this year and this week will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase everything they have learnt.