Headteacher: Anna Moss

Happy Half Term Everyone!

Thank you for all your support in getting the children settled into new school life.  Dropping them in the mornings with an unknown adult is tricky for them and for you but it worked, they are all sailing in now.  That is the hardest term done.

In Music this week, we have continued to feel the pulse and rhythm with the use of a tambourine.  A tap on the tambourine = clap, a shake of the tambourine = roly poly and a silent tambourine = freeze.  In Write Dance we have been riding on horses to Horsey Horsey, stretching our arms forwards and backwards with our bodies.  As we increase our circle time expectation, we have played two Listening games to practise two of our listening skills.  Our good sitting game has been the trickiest yet as you had to keep hands in your lap when the bubbles were flying around you.  Our staying quiet game has been the game of Chinese Whispers where we had to work as team to whisper the name on the face that Mrs Mander and Mrs Allen had chosen.  Our Maths has had us hunting circles, creating small and large circles altogether and playing a “sand is lava” game in the sandpit and stepping across on the circles we had marked ourselves.  Outdoors, in your C&L session, Mrs Allen has been sharing the story The Very Helpful Hedgehog and you have continued to show your Autumn finds – we have such a collection now so thank you!  In Forest School you had fun collecting and creating your own mark making tool using “wrapping” and mud – an interesting way to make those marks!  Our playground game has been “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” as we moved the circle both ways and crouched down to splash!  In Art on the balcony you have been printing with those magic hands as you mixed red and yellow together to make a new colour – can you remember what it was?  These three colours together have made your bonfire art ready to continue when we return after the holiday.  Lottie chose our Dough Disco song, Brown-Eyed Girl sang by Van Morrison as we combined the pat, pinch and roly poly to dance with our dough.  Enjoy this holiday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOXaSFkZzMQ

A message for parents – over half term, continue to keep your hands in your pockets and give them time to sort those coats and those shoes for themselves.  You could begin to push them now as well (if you haven’t already) by teaching them how to put on their own clothes as well.  All of this is getting them “school ready” and creating resilient, independent people.

Enjoy your family time everyone, we know we will!

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen and Mrs Franklin X

Happy Friday All!

It was lovely to see you at Parent Consultations this week and have a chance to catch up to discuss how your little one is getting on.  Following requests from a few parents, the class list will be coming home in bags today (next week for non-Friday friends) so you are able to talk about friendships that are developing. 

We have met a new friend in our Music circle time as we have sung our name to our bee Hickety Tickety and, in the afternoon, we took a popular song outside and found some hammers to hammer in the outdoor area!  This leads us beautifully onto a new circle time session that will begin after half term – Phonics, the start of our reading journey!  Rowing the Boat as part of our Write Dance was fun and we even added a prop today, an oar.  We have introduced two Listening games this week as we have practised two listening rules – sitting still and staying quiet.  Musical bumps and chairs are always a popular way to show off how good we are at sitting still – we just need a little practise at applying this now during snack/lunch times.  Autumn Bingo was fun - can you remember any of the signs of Autumn on our boards?  I wonder if you will be able to spot any this weekend….?  In Maths we have been putting together our learning of Number 1 and Number 2 as we had to make our own groups of 1 and 2 and then, with the use of a blanket, put our soft toy friends into groups of 1 and 2.  I wonder whether your toys at home can make these two groups at the weekend?  Outdoors, Mrs Allen has been having fun with you sharing a special scarecrow story and you have had the chance to make a special Harry O’Hay scarecrow ready for the festival tomorrow.  I do hope you come and give him a wave tomorrow!  We chose him as our hero as he is all the things we are trying to be – kind and always looking after his friends.  Your story session has been Pumpkin Soup and you have had the chance to role play the story in the Quiet area thanks to Mrs Allen and her favourite toys!  Dough Disco this week was chosen by Harriet – Mamma Mia, Abba.  If you have dough at home, get moving it and show your family your first disco routine by remembering when to squash it with a pat!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unfzfe8f9NI

A message for parents – next week is a week learning and talking about circles and ovals.  If the children have any clothing with circles or ovals on, please wear them as they always make the best talking points.

Enjoy the festival all!

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen and Mrs Franklin X

Happy October Everyone!

This month soon crept upon us and we officially have our first month complete.  Parent consultations are being held next Wednesday and Thursday evening – thank you for the return of the slips so quickly – times will be coming out to you today in bags.  Take time to find them somewhere in there.

Our daily circle times are in full swing.  In Music we are learning about pulse through song and actions as we added our “Cookie” song, the first song with a call and respond element.  In Write Dance we have been bus drivers and have travelled to some wonderful places – Hollywood for Lottie, London for Harriet and the airport for Henry.  Our listening game has been Kim’s game where we split into two teams and following being blindfolded, we had to name the item that was missing.  Quite a challenge for some – a game we will need to replay.  In Maths we have been learning all about the number two by finding two the same, making a team of two in Musical Twos and finding Numicon Two in a game of Hide and Seek!  Finding two on our body was a little trickier – a weekend challenge for you.  After lunch Mrs Allen has been giving you time to share all those Autumn objects you have brought in for our topic followed by sharing the story The Nutty Nut Chase.  Next week she has some scarecrow fun planned with an excellent story and plans to build a Nursery scarecrow for the festival.  The highlight of the outdoors this week was our Autumn walk to the big forest school over the road on Tuesday – so many signs of Autumn.  With the Autumn collection, Mrs Allen has been showing you how you create some art with them.  Leaf printing and conker rolling with the paint have been our art activity up on the balcony.  Gosh what a week!

A message for parents – our Dough Disco circle time is in full swing now when we return to the cabin from Forest School in the afternoons.  This is a session to strengthen our hands, wrists and fingers ready for writing.  The children have the opportunity to choose their favourite disco song and a routine is made for us all to follow.  Please do let me know which song they would like to choose – classics are always the best!

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen and Mrs Franklin X

­­­­Happy End of Topic Day!! 

Many thanks for all the pet and family photos that were brought and emailed in.  These have helped support us with our Show and Tell session after lunch as they have given you a boost to stand up and talk in front of your friends as part of our Communication and Language (C&L) session.  Next week, we move in to our Autumn topic and so Show and Tell becomes all about Autumn objects.  When you are out and about on your Autumn walks this weekend, see what you “notice” and if you can, collect and bring it in for our Autumn table. 

This week our morning Music sessions are in full swing as we now have three songs learnt – Everybody Do This, Johnny hammers and Buster Buster.  Feeling the pulse through songs and games is our objective this half term and Mrs Moss would be impressed to see some of you are already there!  Our daily Write Dance to exercise our arms, shoulders has been fun as we have been jumping, swinging, stretching and shaking them to “We can do anything”.  Our Listening game has been matching pairs as we have taken turns to find two faces the same.  Using our eyes is key when practising the RED listening rule – Good listening is looking at the person talking.  In Maths we have been learning about the number 1.  We can now name numicon 1 (including the colour it is) and have been on an outdoor and indoor number 1 hunt.  Why not go for one this weekend and show your family all the ways you can show 1 on your hands.  Mrs Allen has been sharing her favourite All About Me books over the past few weeks – What Makes Me Me, Little Home Bird, A Secret Worth Sharing and When We’re Together – she loves a topic story!  Outdoors, the sand and mud have continued to be popular.  Delivering four letters to our friends has been fun with the blocks and the song “Early in the Morning” (our afternoon circle time song).  Mrs Allen finally opened the gully and talked about keeping yourself safe.  Apologies in advance for the wet bottoms and socks – somehow the water will always find a way!

A message for parents – please help support us by allowing time for them to find and put arms in coats; find, open (for those Velcro shoes!) and put on their shoes (using hands) and put on their own warm hat now the cold weather is beginning to kick in.  Independence and Resilience are two of our Key Competencies at Blackwell and three year olds are more than capable.

Have a lovely weekend everyone – don’t forget to bring in those Autumn objects.

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen and Mrs Franklin X

Happy Friday All! 

Another week has flown by and you are certainly picking up our daily routine well.  Our visual timetable helps you to see the order we do things – we hope you are able to bring your grownups next Wednesday 28^th (6-7pm) to see it for themselves.

In the cabin our Write Dance journey has continued as we have been dancing like penguins to The Penguin Dance.  Enjoy showing your families this weekend - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkiglO98YYo .This week we have introduced a listening game after our morning dance.  We have begun to look at the RED listening rule – Good listening is looking at the person talking.  Mrs Allen kept hiding our faces around the cabin and it was our job to use our eyes in a game of Hide and Seek and find them.  After morning Forest School, our Maths has been all about a familiar sequence – hand washing.  See below for ways you can practise this at home!  After lunch, Mrs Allen has shared her family photograph as part of our Communication and Language (C&L) session.  Thank you for those that emailed them in – please keep them coming for our final week of All About Me.  Outdoors, the patio shed is now open and it has been a huge hit.  The red crates have been used as post-boxes, a train and seats.  The wooden blocks are always a good choice for creating new spaces but it is the ribbons that seem to be popular this year as we have some great weavers!

A message for parents – simple sequences has been our focus in Maths this week and we have used something familiar – hand washing.  The children will come home with the hand wash “poster” in their bags.  Over the weekend, ask them to verbally tell you the sequence and for those that want a little more, chop up the order and put it back together.  You can certainly make some funny combinations.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, let’s hope for some September sunshine like we have had this week.

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen and Mrs Franklin X

Happy Friday All! 

Our first full week and what a difference we are starting to notice in you coming away from your grown up, your independence with the waterproofs in getting in/out of Forest School and picking up our daily routine (it stays the same!).

Indoors we have begun our Write Dance journey as we have marched, built and zigzagged to our first song “Just Like This”.  We have also begun our Maths journey together with our speckled frogs indoors who got some of you wet when they jumped into the cool pool.  You had fun being frogs in our whole class role play outdoors – how funny was it to watch Mrs Allen leap frogging from the fire circle to our speckled log area.  After lunch, Mrs Allen has been sharing your family pet photographs (thank you for sending/bringing them in – keep them coming) as part of our Communication and Language (C&L) session.  Outdoors, the sand and the mud are officially………..OPEN!  The dinosaurs have been the biggest hit with lots of you enjoying hiding and finding in the sand.  In the mud kitchen, baking chocolate cakes seems to be the biggest hit. I wonder what area Mrs Allen will open next week?

A message for parents – clapping syllables for words is the start of our Literacy journey.  This weekend, can you model (and see if they join in), clapping out their name accurately.  If they are keen – family members too!

Have a lovely weekend all, be it a sad one!  School is open again on Tuesday.

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen and Mrs Franklin X

Our final blog and what a fun one to finish with.

Computing week has been a huge hit with all of you (and us adults!).  Every day you have brought in a new batch of computer toys that have been shared, talked about and most importantly, played with with friends.  Our objective was to “explore and talk about toys that use technology” and I think it is safe to say, objective achieved.  Many thanks to everyone that brought one in, it has made our week.

Much the same as the weeks before, our days have been mostly spent outdoors enjoying this glorious settled weather.  We are all enjoying the extra-long summer play with friends and on Thursdays, lots of you sailed into the Red class story club – Mrs Webb was blown away by your listening skills.  Mrs Allen has been parked up on the patio with her Art tray and lots of you have chosen to make Superworm leaves to take home as part of our Creepy Crawlies topic.  We have all enjoyed revisiting some old Music songs – Jump Jim Joe and Let us chase the squirrels. 

A message for parents – the children’s learning journeys are ready for the big reveal.  Next week, they will choose an adult to share their journey with through the special book all about them.  We will then send home for you to keep and treasure and pull out when they are teenagers!

Have a lovely weekend all!

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen, Mrs Franklin, Mrs Thomas X

Are you ready for hot weather?

With the sun shining upon us, our days are spent mostly outdoors apart from a lunch break and quiet time.  Thank you for all the sun cream applied in the morning, sun hats and sun cream in the bags. 

Our Creepy Crawly topic officially began this week as we went on a hunt for them at the beginning of the week and discovered their hiding places!  It was fun to try and take each and every one to the Bug Hotel – I wonder if you have one at home in your garden?  We have shared a story about a Lazy Ladybird as part of our Communication and Language session and sang Creepy Crawly songs with Incy Wincy and Little Miss Muffet; changing the name of the bugs that sat next to Miss/Mr Muffet.  In Maths, we have played games with our beanbag ladybirds as we subitised the spots and were able to say its name e.g. I have a 2 3 ladybird, you have a 1 2 ladybird.  We have also all enjoyed a BINGO themed week this week as we have played Summer bingo for our Listening game, met a new character called Bingo (am sure you all know her!) and sang a song about her.  It was fun to replace each of her letter names with a clap as part of our Music session.  Apologies if the song made it home, it really is a hard one to remove from your head.  Outdoors we have enjoyed Theo’s dough disco with a classic S Club 7 track, Reach.  Enjoy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50kP4S0peAs

Next week, alongside our Creepy Crawly topic, we are planning on having a Computing week.  We are learning about “how things work” by using toys with moving parts, technology.  Would you be able to send in one toy from home on one day (we have 26 to get through potentially!) which uses technology to make it move, light up, make sound?  Choose the toy, choose the day and let the Show and Tell fun begin!

Get the paddling pools out this weekend everyone!  Have fun!

Mrs Mander, Mrs Allen, Mrs Franklin, Mrs Thomas X