St Anne's Class 2023-2024
The EYFS (St Anne's Class) team are : Miss Hardy, Mrs Mulholland, Mrs Jones and Miss Jackson.
Welcome to St Anne's Class page.
23.4.24 Outdoor Learning
Today we had another wonderful Outdoor Learning session with the theme of imagination. We were innovative when creating culinary delights in the mud kitchen, weaving worms and star dream-catchers, role-playing with minibeast small world and helping to make a wormery, thinking about how the worms might live and move.
We learned some more amazing facts about worms when reading some non-fiction books in partners. To finish, we enjoyed popcorn and hot chocolate around the firepit. What a super day!
19.4.24 Minibeast fun
We have truly been immersing ourselves with our new topic, Down in the Garden. We have been exploring gardening tools and learning about how to grow plants - we will start to grow our own plants soon and watch them grow which we are very excited about! We have been brainstorming everything we already know about worms. We even found some in our outdoor area in a damp, muddy spot under a crate. We have been discussing whether we think worms are 'yum' or 'yuck' and so far we think they are 'yuck' due to the way they wriggle and feel slimy. Miss Hardy says we will be learning lots about worms so maybe we will change our minds...
We have been building numbers beyond 10 in Maths. We have been looking at the composition of numbers between 10 and 20 using minibeast counters and tens frames. We even wrote corresponding number sentences!
Elza found a ladybird!
19.4.24 Islam Week
This week we have been celebrating Islam. We have learned many interesting facts about Muslims and how they live their lives. We were fascinated to learn that Islam is the second largest religion in the world and that Muslims pray five times a day to their God, Allah. The first prayer happens before sunrise and the last is between sunset and midnight. No matter where you are in the world, Muslims must pray facing towards the Ka'bah in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. We decided to design our own prayer mats as we were admiring their beauty.
15.4.24 Sensational Start!
We decided to go on a worm hunt to be able to observe them and learn more about them. We decided to write a list of what we would need to charm the worms out of the ground. We used different techniques to try and find worms e.g. stamping our feet and using watering cans to trick the worms it is raining. We were so thrilled when we found some, we carefully carried them back to the classroom in buckets before moving them carefully into a glass box for closer inspection. We had so much fun finding wriggly worms!
Summer 1 - Down In The Garden
Our new topic this half-term is all about minibeasts, non-fiction texts and learning how to take care of plants and animals. Take a look at the topic web to see all the learning we will be doing: Summer 1 - Down in the Garden Topic Overview.docx
28.3.24 Easter fun!
Today we have had so much fun! We had a special assembly all about Maundy Thursday and learned all about the Last Supper before Jesus died on the cross. We learned about the symbolism of bread and wine and saw the Year 6 children role-play being Jesus and washing the Apostle's feet. We went on an Easter hunt around the playground, searching for chickens with words to create an Easter message that read: We wish you a very happy Easter this year! We all earned a small chocolate egg as a treat which was delicious! We have also been making Easter crowns and wore these to the Easter Raffle. We went on a 'Big Lent Walk' all around the playground whilst wearing purple wristbands which we enjoyed.
26.3.24 Repeating patterns
We have been exploring various patterns and looking closely at what comes next. We have been independently copying and continuing patterns and have been noticing that patterns are all around us! We spotted patterns on a metre stick, bead string and board game spaces. Take a look at our super patterns!
21.3.24 Hot Seating
In Literacy, we had so much fun planning how the old lady from our 'No Dinner' text could get back home without being eaten by fierce, hungry animals. We had so many imaginative ideas from swinging through the trees, digging underground and camouflaging in the trees! We then took on the role of either an interviewer or the old lady, imagining what each of them would say and react and performed to the class.
19.3.24 Outdoor Learning - Seeking Science
Today we had another fantastic Outdoor Learning session. We focused on scientific aspects of the outdoors including habitats, categorising natural found objects and materials, measuring items using cubes and comparing appearance and using a tally chart to hunt for signs of Spring. We have also been painting flowers as so many beautiful ones have started to bloom. We have been so busy and really enjoyed the freedom of the outdoors (before the rain came!).
18.3.24 St Joseph's Day 2024
We recognised Joseph was Jesus' father when he was on Earth and how respectful and hard-working he was. We decided to bake hot cross buns which symbolise Jesus' resurrection and new life. We learned about how Joseph was a carpenter and looked after Mary so we had a go at role-playing carpenters too! We found out so much about him and looked at the different ways St Joseph's Day is celebrated all over the world.
14.3.24 Jesus entering Jerusalem
In our recent R.E sessions, we have been learning about the story of Easter. Today, we learned about Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. There were crowds of His followers welcoming Him into the city, waving palm leaves and shouting "Hosannah!" We are welcome to welcome Jesus into our lives and worship Him as our King.
We took on the role as Jesus and His followers welcoming Him into Jerusalem. We decorated palm leaves and imagined what the people of Jerusalem might say to a King to welcome him,"Jesus our King is here!" and "Jesus, I have been praying for you, Hosannah!"
12.3.24 3D shapes
This week we have been learning all about 3D shapes. We have been looking closely at each shape's properties and comparing them to 2D shapes. We noticed 2D shapes are flat whereas 3D shapes are chunky and even have 2D faces on them. We have been learning the various 3D named shapes - we love the cone because it reminds us of ice-creams!
7.3.24 World Book Day!
We came to school very excited dressed as our favourite book characters to celebrate World Book Day. We even had a parade in the hall to showcase our costumes and love of books. We made bookmarks, shared stories and had a special treat - time to share stories in the cosy Book Nook with blankets, fairy lights and cushions. We then shared some hot chocolate, how yummy! Look at our wonderful costumes!
1.4.23 Goldilocks Intrusion!
We decided to make some delicious porridge and left it to cool whilst we went for a quick run around outside. When we returned, we saw our classroom was in a huge mess! There were chairs knocked over, books and toys all over the floor. We noticed that our delicious porridge had been eaten! Who on Earth would break in, damage property and eat porridge?!...Goldilocks!!!
We were so shocked and a little cross that our classroom had been messed with and porridge had been eaten so we decided to write wanted posters to alert others in the area.
23.2.24 Goldilocks and The Three Bears
We have been enjoying our new role-play corner based on the story of 'Goldilocks and The Three Bears'. We have been learning about settings, characters and sequencing events. We have been having so much fun re-telling the story of Goldilocks, completing independent writing and maths, role-playing making porridge and taking on the different characters in the story.
We have also been engaging in loose part play to create Goldilocks and bear faces. We love activities that we can do however we like!
23.2.24 Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras parade and Ash Wednesday
This week we looked closely at Shrove Tuesday (Pancake day) and the meaning behind it for Christians. It is a feast day where many people eat pancakes before fasting or giving up something during the period of Lent (40 days and 40 nights). Ash Wednesday commences Lent which leads up to Easter. We learned that Christians receive ashes on their foreheads in the Church to remind them of the things they have been sorry for and encourage them to care for others during Lent.
We all had crosses drawn on our foreheads (just oil pastel - don't worry parents/carers!) to remind us of the times we may have not done the right thing. We then decided to bless one another and to ensure we show love and care for each other, particularly during Lent. We learned that in New Orleans they have a big festival called Mardi Gras ('Fat Tuesday') where everyone dresses up in purple and green, dances in a parade and wear masks. We decided to make our own masks and have our own parade too!
We have also been writing pancake recipes and helped to make some with Mrs Mulholland - and of course we ate them! They were delicious.
Spring 2 - Once Upon A Time...
Our new topic this half-term is all about fairytales, traditional stories and comparing modern and classic tales. Take a look at the topic web to see all the learning we will be doing!
9.2.24 Valentines Day Cards
We have been collaging hearts to create Valentines cards for our loved ones at home. We took great pride and care to show our appreciation for them. We are so lucky to have people in our lives who make us feel safe, happy and loved. Take a look at our fabulous cards!
9.2.24 Jesus Feeding the 5,000
We have been learning about the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and were amazed to learn He was able to feed so many people with only two fish and five loaves! We recognised Jesus blessing the food helped to multiply the amount so everyone was full - there were even twelve baskets of leftovers at the end. Jesus was so kind to share food others and His disciples helped Him to do this. We blessed the hungry people too, they were so grateful for the fish and bread.
This Bible story taught us that we should share what we have with others. We decided to recreate this story through role-play, taking it in turns to be Jesus, His disciples or one of the hungry 5,000. We also replicated a soup kitchen to show that some people today do not have enough food and can be helped by generous others through donating food or volunteering time to serve.
7.2.24 Bear Hunt continued
We have continued to enjoy our bear cave role-play. We have been playing games involving tens frames representations using bears as counters, counting bear hunt objects, ordering bear numbers to 10, reading books about bears and re-telling the story off by heart. We have loved the repetition of this story and the different sounds each environment makes!
6.2.24 Outdoor Learning
Today we had another fantastic Outdoor Learning session. We learned all about art of the outdoors and took inspiration from famous artists and their work including Van Gough and Goldsworthy; we made our own 'Almond Blossom' paintings using cotton buds and found and arranged natural objects to mimic Goldsworthy's style, focusing on the circular shapes and ombre colour schemes. Also, we printed and painted around different leaf shapes to make unique, creative designs.
We made rafts using natural found objects including twigs, twine and leaves, we enjoyed finding art everywhere we went!
We watched a leaf dance video which gave us some great ideas for our own dances. We have been so imaginative in the great outdoors today!
1.2.24 Sensory Bear Hunt Adventure!
Today we retold the story of 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' by experiencing it first-hand by travelling through the different habitats with our bare feet! First, we went through the long, wavy grass, then a deep, cold river, then thick, oozy mud, next a big, dark forest and a swirling whirling snowstorm that led us to a cave where a bear lived! When we saw his two furry ears, two big goggly eyes and his wet nose, we quickly were chased back through the various environments to our 'house' and rested under some blankets. We had so much fun acting out this experience and gained a good understanding of different habitats and textures.
Are you brave enough to go on a bear hunt?
31.1.24 Split-pin firefighters
We were so inspired by our Fire Crew visitors yesterday that we decided to make split-pin firefighters. We independently cut out each body part before making a hole for the pins using a sharp pencil and some blu-tack. We poked the pins through for the head and the limbs and spread the backing to make it secure. Some of St Anne's Class are aspiring firefighters, how brilliant!
30.1.24 East Sussex Fire Brigade Visit
We learned about the fire emergency service from having a visit from East Sussex Fire Brigade. We now know to leave a burning building immediately when the smoke alarm goes off and not to return, even for pets (as they are good at escaping quickly on their own) or our favourite toys. We can call the fire service to help us on 999 and crawl on our knees if there is lots of smoke as heat rises. We learned firefighters not only help our community put out fires, they also help with floods, rescue animals and even with cars that have crashed. They are so helpful!
Firefighters wear special protective clothing including helmets, gloves and a big tank of air to fill up their breathing masks. We were lucky to have a close-up look at a fire engine and noticed the valves of water in the back, lots of hoses and some spare clothing in the back of the truck. We noticed the reflective stickers on the side and how the firefighters all have torches on their helmets when it is dark. We had so much fun exploring the fire engine and using the hose!
22.1.24 Ice, natural paintbrushes and harder to read and spell words
We enjoyed discovering ice from leaving a tray of water outside and explored changes of state through melting and breaking the ice. We discussed that as the Earth is getting hotter, the ice caps are melting quickly and the animals who habit there are struggling to survive. We learned polar bears often have to swim for miles to find another ice cap to rest.
We went outside to hunt for natural resources to use as a paintbrush, we found lots of treasures including sticks, buds, leaves and flowers. We discussed how as the season is Winter, there are not many plants growing besides ever-green ones. We then used these items to make a paintbrush and create beautiful pictures, we liked seeing the different textures and effects we could create compared to regular paintbrushes!
We have been hard at work practising our harder to read and spell phonics words. We enjoyed using the tweezers to match the magnetic letters to the cards and taking it in turns to test each other just like Miss Hardy!
19.1.23 The Colour Monster, monster colour sorting and monster artwork
This week we have been learning all about feelings and have used The Colour Monster story to help us understand different emotions. We looked closely at happy, sad, angry, calm, scared, loving and confused in detail and discussed what makes us feel each of these emotions. We have been matching up scenarios to feelings independently e.g. spiders for feeling scared!
We have been practising our fine motor skills using tweezers to colour sort and even decorated a large confused colour monster using our finger prints. We are really enjoying the monster den and the monster cafe, we have been coming up with all sorts of disgusting recipes and potions!
18.1.23 Qualities of gold and finding spaces to be close to Jesus
We have been revisiting the story of Jesus' birth and focusing on the importance of the Three Wise Men's gifts. We recognised that the Three Wise Men wanted to bring Jesus gifts because Jesus is very special and the King of Kings. We have been exploring the qualities of gold through shiny, golden objects and been reflecting on how expensive and valuable gold is.
We have been learning that Jesus welcomes everyone. We listened to the story of 'Jesus and the Children' and saw how Jesus wanted to bless the children, not keep them away like the disciples wanted. We re-told this story using small world figures, making sure that everyone is welcome. We decided to go on a hunt around the school to find spaces that make us feel close and talk to Jesus - we found lots!
11.1.23 Our City Our World Launch Day
We engaged in some fantastic activities to help us be greener. We recognised wasting and throwing away food warms up the planet so we brought in over-ripe bananas and decided to use them to create something delicious...banana bread! We didn’t just put our banana peels in the bin, we put them into the compost bin where rich soil can help to grow new plants!
We also transformed old plastic bottles into an amazing way to collect rain water to help us water the plants! We really enjoyed reusing and decorating the water butts, making them our own.
What small changes can you make to help the world be greener?
9.1.23 Bikeability
This week we have been fortunate to have had multiple balance bike riding lessons including fun games, obstacles and team-building. We learned about being safe on our bikes and about protective gear we can wear to protect us. We thoroughly enjoyed our sessions and feel more confident with beginning to ride a bike!
8.1.23 Stunning Start - Going on an Adventure!
After having played outside in the snow, we re-entered the classroom to discover large snowy footprints with three toes! We were so surprised and decided to investigate these by following the trail throughout the classroom and looking closely at the prints using magnifying glasses to help us gain clues as to whom they may belong to. We contemplated many ideas of who might have left the footprints including the Colour Monster, a yeti or even a dinosaur.
We have been discussing whether we think monsters are real or not through our new Power of Reading text, 'Bedtime for Monsters' by Ed Vere. We will continue our work on monsters and adventure stories - how exciting!
Spring 1 - Going on an Adventure!
Our new topic this half-term is all about creative story writing and re-telling stories that show various environments and habitats. Take a look at the topic web to see all the learning we will be doing!
5.12.23 Monsters and The Three Wise Men
We have returned to school feeling refreshed after the holidays, ready to learn. Our new topic, Going on an Adventure has begun with some monstrous activities including creating deliciously disgusting concoctions in the Monster Cafe in our new role-play, discussing fears and making our own monster artwork.
We have been revisiting the Nativity story of Jesus' birth and focusing on the Three Wise Men and their travels. We were amazed to learn they studied stars and mapped them each night, whereby noticing a new star and following it to find Jesus. We looked closely at the symbolism of the star and gifts they brought. We decided to make our own star constellations to help us understand the excitement the Three Wise Men must have felt when discovering a new star!
15.12.23 Christmas Fun!
We have have had a time of great festivity. We have been practising our fine-manipulative skills to decorate Christmas trees in various ways, making fairy lights by printing with corks and cotton buds, writing lists in our Christmas Workshop role-play, creating origami Santas, decorating biscuits, making crowns, playing party games and face-painting. We even had a cheeky elf called Buddy visit us each day in December to check we are making good choices.
We learned about how celebrations of Christmas differ all over the world due to different beliefs which we found very interesting. In France they eat oysters instead of a roast dinner, in Australia it is very hot in December so they celebrate on the beach and in Japan they make decorations by folding paper which is called origami. We also looked at how birthdays are celebrated across the world and discovered that in China noodles are eaten to symbolise a long life, in Indonesia a special decorated cone of rice is presented as a birthday treat and in Denmark presents are left when children are sleeping, much like our beliefs of Christmas in the UK!
We have had a whale of a time this week! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
8.12.23 Santa Dash!
We had so much fun running around the playground in festive accessories! We stepped through the ladder, jumped over hurdles and weaved in and out of obstacles. Exercise makes us feel happy and part of a team!
6.12.23 Mapwork
We have been focusing on maps this week. We had a look on Google Maps to identify local geographical features surrounding our school and picked out some key symbols. We were able to identify stations, hospitals, parks, roads and the sea.
We decided to go on a journey ourselves around the school using prepositional language to help us with our own maps later. We went up the stairs, through the carpark, past the office, down the stairs, under the playground shelter and over the tyres. We thought back to this journey when describing how the mother owl from the 'Owl Babies' text might have travelled in the woods back to her babies.
We made simple roadmaps using familiar locations such as the Sealife Centre, Brighton's Upside-down house and McDonald's. We described how we would get from one location to another and features we might see along the way such as parking, stations and hotels.
4.12.23 Re-telling 'Owl Babies', owl collaging and description
We have enjoyed reading the text, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. We were inspired to describe an owl baby, we came up with some brilliant ideas including: a sharp beak, big, brown eyes and fluffy feathers. We used our phonics to help us segment and blend the words to check.
We have been mimicking the characters of Sarah, Percy and Bill by re-enacting their speech in our play e.g. "I want my mummy!" and "What's all the fuss about?" We have been able to confidently re-tell the story using sequencing cards and using connectives to link ideas. We have absorbed new vocabulary such as 'swooped', 'silent' and 'flapped' and empathised with the characters' feelings; "The mother owl might be lonely on her own.", "I would feel afraid in the tree without my mummy."
We have also been collaging owls this week, building texture and looking at the nuances of colour shades.
30.11.23 Nocturnal role-play
We have been enjoying our nocturnal animal role-play. We have been using masks to become various animals including foxes, bats, owls and badgers and pretending to sleep in the day! We have been acting as some animals that have a very long sleep all winter-long such as hedgehogs and mice, we learned this is called hibernating. We were fascinated to learn that tortoises often hibernate in a shoe-box!
We have been looking at different animal habitats for woodland animals including dens, setts and even caves. We liked using torches and writing inside our own one in the classroom!
29.11.23 Outdoor Learning
Today we focused on the use of our senses in the great outdoors. We listened to the sounds of nature around us including birds tweeting, wind blowing and crunchy leaves falling to the ground. We made our own rain stick instruments using rice and seeds to create our own rhythms. We enjoyed collaging owls using twigs and branches - just like the ones in our Owl Babies story.
We looked carefully at the sky and drew the clouds and beautiful sunshine. We could feel squelchy mud under our feet, wind blowing through our hair and rough bark on the trees. We made leaf and tree rubbings, feeling all of nature's wonderful lumps and bumps. We made our own natural 'perfumes' by combining woodland-found treasures and named these fragrant creations. What a fantastic day we had!
24.11.23 All about bones!
We have learned lots about bones this week and were amazed that each of us has a skeleton inside us! We learned some names of bones and began to see how they are all connected to make the structure of a human body. We drew round some of our friends and independently labelled each part. Our phonetic knowledge really shone here!
We learned how to look after our teeth including visiting the dentist, brushing twice a day and flossing, and trying not to eat too many sweet treats!
22.11.23 Owl paintings and nocturnal animals
We enjoyed using various tools and mixed-media to create a fluffy, textured effect for our owl paintings, inspired by the 'Owl Babies' text. We used paint brushes, straws and sponges to create our masterpieces.
We find it fascinating that owls and many other animals are nocturnal! We have enjoyed sorting animals including humans into those that are awake in the day or at night.
17.11.23 Children in Need Day
Today we celebrated Children in Need by coming to school dressed in spots and donating money. We learned the money raised helps children who are disadvantaged and can make a huge difference to their lives.
We used icing and chocolate chips to make spotty designs when adding one more in Maths, searched for 20 hidden Pudseys all over the classroom and made up our own games using spotty dice!
13.11.23 Anti-Bullying Week
This week we focused on kindness. In St Anne's Class, we show kindness everyday by complimenting each other, inviting others to play and using our manners. We came to school in odd socks to encourage one another to express themselves and show that each of us is unique! We drew pictures of our friends and designed some odd socks to celebrate individuality. We spoke about what we could do if anybody was ever unkind and knew that there are lots of adults who will gladly help!
We discussed lots of ways we can be kind - even a simple smile can brighten someone's day! How can you show kindness?
13.11.23 Remembrance
We discussed the importance of Remembrance and learned that many soldiers gave their lives for us to have freedom. We had a two-minute silence to pay our respects for those who fought for us and are now in Heaven. We understood how lucky we are to live safely and peacefully.
We explored the symbol of the poppy through various activities. Take a look!
10.11.23 Diwali and Bonfire Night Celebrations
This week we have enjoyed celebrating the Festival of Light, Diwali as well as Bonfire Night. We have looked closely at the story of Rama and Sita and how Diwali came to be, designed and painted Mehndi patterns on our hands and made our own Rangoli patterns.
We explored painting fireworks using different effects such as blowing paint through straws and using metallic paint. We wish you a very happy Diwali this weekend!
09.11.23 Campfire Experience
St Anne's Class were so excited to come back to school after dark to have a campfire. We used our torches to find our way down to the Outdoor Learning area to find a crackling fire. We remembered our 'Green dragon' and 'Red dragon' fire safety rules and watched the beautiful flames before toasting a delicious marshmallow! We listened carefully to the the different sounds we could hear e.g. the wind blowing, foxes scurrying and rain tapping. We discussed all the different animals that sleep in the day and are awake at night - we learned these are called nocturnal animals.
We told stories around the fire and we even saw Miss Hardy make some shapes and letters with a sparkler! We spoke about the fireworks we had seen outside of school and felt so excited! We were very brave outside in the dark and were courageous enough to listen to 'Funnybones' by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
Back inside our classroom, we enjoyed hot chocolate and told stories. We had so much fun, an experience we will never forget!
03.11.23 Vets/Grooming Parlour role-play
This week we have been exploring a new role-play corner. We have been signing in animals, taking note of their name e.g. Huff, Tom and Bev, then reading the collars of pets and putting them in a matching bed for a good night's rest. We have been using each care station to ensure each animal has the best treatment including brushing their teeth and fur, giving them vaccinations and shampooing, drying and styling. We have given them treats and toys if they have been good!
03.11.23 CVC writing
We have been working hard on our segmenting and blending skills in our phonics sessions. We love using our robot arms and our blending hands to create words. Our letter formation is coming along so well and we love showing off our fabulous writing!
31.10.23 Making potions
We made our own spooky potions by mixing different textures and coloured ingredients. Some of the ingredients were thought were sticky, bubbly and slimy. We came up with delicious names for our potions and described what they do e.g. 'Spider surprise' makes you grow eight legs! We had so much fun being scientists!
31.10.23 Black History Month
St Anne's Class enjoyed learning about the amazing achievements of Black role-models, we found them so inspiring. We focused our learning on Lewis Hamilton, we were so impressed he is the first Black racing driver for Formula One with seven world championships!
We recognised that anyone can accomplish their dreams, no matter what colour their skin. In our class, we have lots of different colour skin and we know we can all achieve great things.
We had the pleasure of having an African drumming session where we looked at different animal skins over the drums and some drums even had fur. We learned to use two hands and noticed the drums make different sounds depending where you place your hands. We looked at some more instruments including cow bells, claves and güiros then did some dancing - we had so much fun expressing ourselves!
20.10.23 Baptism
This week we learned all about Baptising, the way Christians are welcomed into God's family. We watched a video about the ceremony then acted it out through role-play to understand its symbolism and importance.
We brought in photographs from our own experiences of Baptisms including attending them as well as having our own. We recognised how special it is to be a part of God's family, he loves us very much.
20.10.23 Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!
This week we have been mad about pumpkins! We have been exploring Autumn produce and noticing the natural seasonal changes. We collected 'Autumn' treasures (pinecones, conkers, orange/red/yellow/brown leaves) and decorated our classroom with our artwork. We made observational drawings of a pumpkin, noticing the curved lines, oval shape, stalk and of course the wonderful orange shade.
We helped to scoop the insides out of the pumpkin as we were curious as to what was inside. We found lots of seeds and stringy pulp, we loved the way it felt.
We decided to use the pulp and make pumpkin soup! We were very busy chopping onions, grating potatoes and stirring in stock cubes. We added a touch of cream to finish and it was simply delicious! Can you try making some healthy recipes at home?
20.10.23 Oh No George!
We have been looking at the text, 'Oh No George!' by Chris Haughton this half term. We started by making predictions about the book using the front cover, scribing thoughts about the dog's physical appearance and perceptions about what he may be thinking or feeling on the inside.
As we gradually read the book in stages, we discovered George can be a cheeky dog who makes bad choices (e.g. eating a whole cake and digging in soil). We decided to write the owner, Harris a letter to tell him our thoughts about George's behaviour, emphasising the consequences of actions. We were so excited to receive a letter back from Harris! He told us that sometimes it is tempting to make a bad choice and that George is still learning rules as he is a new puppy. We noticed that we are still learning rules here in St Anne's class as we are new to Reception - we wrote back to tell Harris about the good choices we can make in our class (e.g. kind words, gentle hands, taking turns). He was very impressed!
We had lots of fun role-playing a picnic and re-telling the story in a small world tuff tray. We were able to sequence the events of the story and found the repetition of the phrase, 'Oh No George!' very entertaining. We even used freeze-frames to take on the roll of one of the characters, trying to empathise with how they might be feeling and what they might say or think. A fantastic example was when the children pretended to be a lady and a man in the park eating a picnic and saying, "I hope that dog doesn't eat our food, I'm very hungry!"
We were so inspired by the colourful front cover that we decided to draw George using oil pastels. We thoroughly enjoyed smudging and blending the colours together.
13.10.23 Marvellous Me Self-portraits
St Anne Class have been painting self-portraits. We have been looking closely at our features in the mirror and noticed no two people look the same! We are all unique and special. As we have got to know one another better over the last few weeks, we have been discussing our likes and interests. Some of us share these interests and have helped us to make new friendships. We have been reading stories such as, 'I Like Myself' by Karen Beaumont which has taught us that there is no one better to be than yourself!
Take a look at our brilliant self-portraits!
World Mental Health Day 10.06.23
We celebrated World Mental Health Day by discussing how we can not only keep our bodies healthy, but also our minds. We shared that showing kindness, spending time with friends and family and being in nature can help us best.
We played an emotions board game, made feeling monsters puppets and coloured in with our friends. These activities helped us to recognise and use strategies to self-regulate emotions e.g. deep breaths, reading a book or talking to a trusted friend or adult.
Doctor's Role-play 06.10.23
We have been enjoying exploring our new Doctor's Surgery role-play. We have been learning about bodies, making pretend medicine and using phonics to help us schedule appointments. We love dressing up and helping each other get better!
Grandparents' Day 29.09.23
Today we celebrated our Grandparents' by welcoming them into our classroom for 'Explore and Learn' time. We showed them how we make good choices and told them our class rules. Lots of Grandparents had quiet voices, gentle hands and walking feet - how brilliant! We really enjoyed playing games with our Grandparents and making friends with other children's Grandparents too! It made us feel so happy to share our learning with our loved ones.
After all the excitement in the classroom, Grandparents were invited to the hall for well-deserved tea and cake. Thank you for coming - we hope you had as much fun as we did!
Outdoor Learning 26.09.23
We experienced our first Outdoor Learning session today. We learned about ‘green dragon’ and ‘red dragon’ fire safety rules and made rhythm patterns using sticks to welcome everybody.
We made art using natural resources from the woods, created leaf collages and explored in the mud kitchen. Hunting for natural objects and making ‘chocolate’ mud pies, cake and soup was so much fun!
We enjoyed a special treat at the end, kindly provided by Mrs Mulholland.
"Marvellous Me" Sensational Start 25.09.23
For our ‘Sensational Start’ as part of our ‘Marvellous Me’ topic, the children brought in a small soft toy and some photographs of their families. We shared why our toys and families were special to us and noticed how unique and different each family is.
We celebrated different family members and communities and discussed our relationships. We recognised no two families are the same, showing us each child is a valuable, unique individual!
We enjoyed some healthy snacks and even had a mini disco to celebrate how marvellous we really are!