Monthly Archives: June 2014

Language, Literacy & Communication

Children have really been getting involved in the home corner this week. Girls have been looking after baby dolls by dressing and feeding them and boys taking the baby dolls for a walk in the pushchair.

We have had children dressing up as firefighters, princesses, Spiderman and Buzz Lightyear. This is all helping to develop their language and confidence to play with other children.

Mathematical Development

We have been threading beads and counting how many we have threaded.

We have been making some great pictures with the magnetic shape boards and trying to remember the names of shapes.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We discussed morning routines and everything we had to do to get ready. Children looked at the picture cards and put them in the right order.

We cooked some yummy chocolate chip fairy cakes this week. Nice for a treat!

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

We celebrated Chinese New Year on Monday by making lanterns, using chopsticks to pick up noodles, and having a look at Chinese numbers which look very different from ours. Some of us even had a go at writing them.

We made a paper patchwork quilt by trying to write the first letter of our name and then decorating around it using pastels, crayons and felts.

This week we played musical statues to practice our listening skills and we played a movement game where we made our bodies tall and straight and then curled up small.

We also listened to some Chinese music and danced along to it.

Welsh Language Development

The children have been introduced to our daily Welsh board. Every day Tedi, Doli and Beni Bwni will be asking us three questions. “Pa ddydd ydy hi?” (What day it it?), “Sut mae’r tywydd heddiw?” (What’s the weather today?) and “Beth ydyn ni’n bwyta?” (What will we eat today?)  The children will help me in finding out the right answer and having a go at saying it in Welsh.

Anything else!

Toy Sale on Monday…all toys 50p!!!  Junior School hall, 2.30pm – 3.30pm

We seem to be getting more and more toys brought into school, which only get put into the home box until home time as the children do not play with them during the session. This means that at home time it is very busy trying to get them all out to the right children. With this in mind I think it would be best if children didn’t bring any toys into school. Thanks for your cooperation.

Language, Literacy & Communication

Ben and Betty have been teaching us the sound “q” this week. We learnt the rhyme “The Queen of heart she made some tarts, all on a summer’s day. The Knave of hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away”.

We also looked at quills and made our own using twigs from outside and feathers. We then used them to do some fab mark-making.

Mathematical Development

We practiced counting up to five and started looking at number bonds to five by sharing jam tarts between the Queen of hearts and the Knave of hearts. We discovered that we could share five jam tarts in the following way; 5+0, 4+1, 3+2, 2+3.

We have also been making some lovely pictures using the magnetic shape boards.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We discussed morning routines and everything we had to do to get ready to go to school. Children looked at the picture cards and put them in the right order.

We cooked some yummy chocolate chip fairy cakes this week. Nice for a treat!

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

We discussed whether the Knave should have stolen the jam tarts from the Queen and most children decided that no, he shouldn’t have taken them. One child even decided the police should have been called in!

We celebrated Chinese New Year on Monday by making lanterns, using chopsticks to pick up noodles, and having a look at Chinese numbers which look very different from ours. Some of us even had a go at writing them.

We made a paper patchwork quilt by trying to write the first letter of our name and then decorating around it using pastels, crayons and felts.

This week we played musical statues to practice our listening skills and we played a movement game where we made our bodies tall and straight and then curled up small.

We also listened to some Chinese music and danced along to it.

Welsh Language Development

The children have been introduced to our daily Welsh board. Every day Tedi, Doli and Beni Bwni will be asking us three questions. “Pa ddydd ydy hi?” (What day it it?), “Sut mae’r tywydd heddiw?” (What’s the weather today?) and “Beth ydyn ni’n bwyta?” (What will we eat today?)  The children will help me in finding out the right answer and having a go at saying it in Welsh.

We will be learning the Welsh song “Un bys, dau bys” for the Eisteddfod in two weeks time. I have given out a card with the words on to help you out if your child wants to sing it at home.

Anything else!

Toy Sale on Monday…all toys 50p!!!  Junior School Hall 2.30pm – 3.30pm

We seem to be getting more and more toys brought into school, which only get put into the home box until home time as the children do not play with them during the session. This means that at home time it is very busy trying to get them all out to the right children. With this in mind I think it would be best if children didn’t bring any toys into school. Thanks for your cooperation.

Language, Literacy & Communication

We helped the Three Little Pigs get to their house by using the crayon to follow the trail. This helped us practice how to hold a crayon for writing.

Our favourite story this week has been “Dear Zoo”. The children enjoyed guessing what animals were hiding in the boxes.

Mathematical Development

We practised recognising our numbers by counting and pegging the correct number of pegs onto paper plates. The children loved this challenge.

We have loved the number rhymes we have been singing this week, “Five Little Ducks” and Five Little Monkeys” – see if your child can sing it for you at home.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We used a paint programme on the computer to draw and explore making marks.

We cooked some delicious pizzas using healthy toppings of tomato, cheese ham and mushroom…Yum Yum!

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

We have been learning how important it is to look after the things in our classroom by helping each other put things away at tidy up time. Some children have been superstars at doing this.

For music we explored different noises our bodies can make…clapping, tapping, rubbing, stamping…and made patterns with the noises.

We painted purple and pink pictures this week and got messy doing potato printing too!

We went in the hall for Move-it Monday and moved around the space using tiny tip-toe steps and then big stretched giant steps.

We also did Write Dance making big circle movements with our arms.

Welsh Language Development

We have been trying to remember the Welsh words for how we are feeling when we check in with Rhodri. Some of the children have been really good at it. Ardderchog!

We have also been counting in Welsh to see how many children are here.

Anything else!

Family storytelling on Wednesday in the infant hall. Session starts at 9.15 am and lasts for 2 hours.

Let me know if you would like to come along.

There is also a family craft session in the infant hall in Thursdays after school. There has been scarecrow making and valentine card making…come along on Thursday to see what you and your children can get creative with.

Language, Literacy & Communication

Ben and Betty have been teaching us the sound “p” this week. We enjoyed reading “The Three Little Pigs” especially when we joined in with the huffing and puffing! We practiced our mark making by drawing a path from the pig to the correct house. We also practiced hearing the sounds “p”, “i” and “g” by sorting the picture cards onto the right house.

Mathematical Development

The three pigs made houses of straw, sticks and brick but we made a house out of….Numicon! We were exploring which Numicon shapes fitted together to make the same shape as a number 10 Numicon so that it fitted onto the house.

We also practised recognising our numbers by counting and pegging the correct number of pegs onto paper plates. The children loved this challenge.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We used a paint programme on the computer to draw and explore making marks.

The children also used construction kits to make things to go in a park for the small world people Children made swings, slides, roundabouts and climbing frames and then talked to the class about  what they had made.

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

We discussed if the Wolf did a good thing blowing down the pig’s houses. All of the children said the Wolf wasn’t kind doing that. When asked what the wolf could do to make the pigs feel better, the children answered “He should build new houses” and “He should say sorry”.

We painted purple and pink pictures this week. Some children had a go at painting pink pigs and purple princess and other children tried painting faces.

We have also got messy doing potato printing too!

For music we explored different noises our bodies can make…clapping, tapping, rubbing, stamping…and made patterns with the noises.

This week’s Move it Monday was a special treat when we had a taster session from Rugby Tots. We played with sponge rugby balls, learning how run with them, tap them on the floor and drop kick them. It was lovely to try something new and exciting.

Welsh Language Development

Children are getting very good at using their Welsh at snack time and the majority of children use “Ga i” to ask for their fruit.

We also read a story called “Sut Mae’r Tywydd?” which was a first look at how we can talk about the weather in Welsh.

Anything else!

Family storytelling on Wednesday in the infant hall. Session starts at 9.15 am and lasts for 2 hours.

Let me know if you would like to come along.

There is also a family craft session in the infant hall in Thursdays after school. There has been scarecrow making and valentine card making…come along on Thursday to see what you and your children can get creative with.

Language, Literacy & Communication

We have been experimenting with mark-making this week, using lots of different tools…crayons, felts, pencils, and pastels. Some children made different marks and other children decided to draw some happy faces.

Mathematical Development

We have been playing with some teddy bears that help us with our maths skills. We have been sorting the compare bears into colours and we have been counting teddies one by one onto a number line.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We have been exploring oranges with our senses this week. Looking at the colour of them, feeling the skin, squeezing the juice out and then tasting the freshly made orange juice! Only two or three children didn’t like it and all the others loved how the fresh orange juice tasted. What a healthy treat!

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

We have been learning how important it is to look after the things in our classroom by helping each other put things away at tidy up time. Some children have been superstars at doing this. Ardderchog!

We used oranges to make some great printed pictures. We printed with half an orange and rolled a whole orange across the paper to create different effects.

This week’s Move it Monday was parachute games. We practiced lifting the parachute up and down while singing “The Grand Old Duke of York” and we bounced a teddy up and down while singing “Round and Round the Garden like a Teddy Bear”.

Welsh Language Development

We have been learning a new Welsh counting song this week to help us learn the Welsh names for fruit.
“Un, dau, tri afal, pedwar, pimp, chwech afal, saith, wyth, naw afal, deg afal coch.” Have a go at singing it at home.

Anything else!

Family storytelling happens on Wednesday mornings in the infant hall. A fun session for any members of the family, where you can make games linked to popular story books in order to help your child with their learning. Session starts at 9.15 am and lasts for 2 hours.

Let me know if you would like to come along.

Language, Literacy & Communication

Ben and Betty have been teaching us the sound “o” this week…oranges and octopuses. We listened to the story “Jolly Olly Octopus” and then talked about our favourite part of the story.

We practiced writing “o” on a giant o shape…some of us drew picture of things beginning with “o”.

Mathematical Development

We have made fab octopuses that have helped us with pattern and counting…8 tentacles in a repeating pattern and then counting the right number of stickers onto each tentacle.

We have been playing a whole class game of snap to help with number recognition and the children had a go at writing the numbers on the board.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We have been exploring oranges with our senses this week. Looking at the colour of them, feeling the skin, squeezing the juice out and then tasting the freshly made orange juice! Only two or three children didn’t like it and all the others loved how the fresh orange juice tasted. What a healthy treat!

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

After reading “Jolly Olly Octopus” we were asked the question “What makes you smile?” The children had some lovely answers but my favourite answer was “Coming to school!”

We used oranges to make some great printed pictures. We printed with half an orange and rolled a whole orange across the paper to create different effects.

This week’s Move it Monday was parachute games. We practiced lifting the parachute up and down while singing “The Grand Old Duke of York” and we bounced a teddy up and down while singing “Round and Round the Garden like a Teddy Bear”.

Welsh Language Development

We have been practising welsh words for fruit at snack time. We have been asking for banana, grapes, apple and orange in Welsh – “Gai banana/grawnwin/afal/oren.”

A welsh counting song has been helping us remember welsh fruit names; “Un, dau, tri afal, pedwar, pimp, chwech afal, saith, wyth, naw afal, deg afal coch.” Have a go at singing it at home.

Anything else!

Family storytelling happens on Wednesday mornings in the infant hall. A fun session for any members of the family, where you can make games linked to popular story books in order to help your child with their learning. Session starts at 9.15 am and lasts for 2 hours.

Let me know if you would like to come along.

Language, Literacy & Communication

We have been singing Nursery Rhymes this week and have been learning new ones.

Children have been exploring the scrimbling table where they have been trying to male lots of different marks with the chalks. I have seen curly lines, straight lines and zig zag lines!

We have also been playing shop in our class newsagents with lots of talk between the shopkeeper and the customer.

Mathematical Development

Children have been playing a number fishing game. When they caught a number with the magnet, they had to match it to the correct Numicon shape.

We have also been making patterns with the Numicon shapes.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We were explorers when we went on our welly walk. We went under and over the bridge, we spotted leaves on the ground but none in the trees. We spotted some birds flying in the sky and we also heard the noisy traffic.

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

The new children are settling in really well and are confident to explore the classroom.

We are learning the routine well with the help of our friends who have been in the afternoon nursery for longer.

We have been getting messy with the glue and making beautiful pictures with the coloured paper.

We have also been squeezing, squashing, rolling and patting the playdough to make different shapes.

Our first week of Move it Mondays went really well. We moved our bodies to this week’s Write Dance, “Sandy Hill” and we played the beans game – jumping beans (jumping), jelly beans (wobble like a jelly), runner beans (jog on the spot) and baked beans (curl up into a small round shape) – have a go at home…I’m sure the children will show you how!

Welsh Language Development

Children have been trying their best to use their welsh words when they check-in with Rhodri in the morning – Hapus (happy), wedi blino (tired) and trist (sad).

Bendegedig!!

Anything else!

Next week we will start sending Kipper our class dog home for one night. If your child brings Kipper home, please let your child watch you write in the diary and then give your children a turn at doing their own writing in the diary, even if they are just making marks that we can’t read, it means something to your child and is an important part of building confidence as early writers.

Don’t forget…jogging bottoms and trainers for Move it Monday and wellies for Welly Wednesday.

Language, Literacy & Communication

Ben and Betty have been teaching us the sound “n” this week…nests, numbers, newspapers and nursery rhymes We listened to and sang along to lots of different nursery rhymes and we voted to see which was our class favourite. The children counted the votes and the results…it was a draw between Baa Baa Black Sheep and Humpty Dumpty!

Children have been chatting and reading in a newsagent role play which they have enjoyed so much we will keep it out for next week.

Mathematical Development

Children have been playing a number fishing game. When they caught a number with the magnet, they had to match it to the correct Numicon shape.

We have also been making patterns with the Numicon shapes.

I hope you have had fun doing the number hunt home challenge. The children are looking forward to sharing all the different numbers they spotted.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

We had a visit this week from Tweety bird. He had written a letter to nursery telling us that the wind and rain had blown his nest apart and would nursery help him build a new one. Of course, Nursery accepted the challenge, put on their wellies and went exploring outdoors to collect everything we needed to make a new nest. We collected leaves, twigs and small stones and made some lovely nests for Tweety!

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

This week was the first Friendly Friday. We picked two names out of the tin to be our Superstars for the session and the rest of the class had an opportunity to say something nice to the Superstars before they went home. The compliments were recorded onto the Superstars certificate which they brought home with them.

We have had fun making newspaper collage on the letter “n”. The children developed their fine motor skills by tearing the newspaper into little pieces then stuck it onto the letter shape creating a fantastic black and white design.

We have also been singing our favourite Nursery Rhymes and learning new ones.

Our first week of Move it Mondays went really well. We moved our bodies to this week’s Write Dance, “Sandy Hill” and we played the beans game – jumping beans (jumping), jelly beans (wobble like a jelly), runner beans (jog on the spot) and baked beans (curl up into a small round shape) – have a go at home…I’m sure the children will show you how!

Welsh Language Development

Children have been trying their best to use their welsh words when they check-in with Rhodri in the morning – Hapus (happy), wedi blino (tired) and trist (sad).

We have also been learning how to ask for our snack in Welsh – “Ga I banana/afal/oren”. Some children have even been confident enough to say “os gwelech yn dda” as well! Bendegedig!!

Anything else!

Kipper is coming home to visit children again this term. If your child brings Kipper home, please let your child watch you write in the diary and then give your children a turn at doing their own writing in the diary, even if they are just making marks that we can’t read, it means something to your child and is an important part of building confidence as early writers.

Don’t forget…jogging bottoms and trainers for Move it Monday and wellies for Welly Wednesday.