Week Beginning: 18th December 2023
What a fantastic final Christmas week we have had Gruffalos We have been so very busy creating lots of Christmas crafts, having our Christmas party, lots of dancing and even a visit from Santa himself!
We have had so much fun in the playdough area making different Christmas shapes, In the creative area we have been painting handprint wreaths, and on the fine motor table we have been using our fine motor skills to snip different Christmas designs. In our small world area we have been playing with snow and different snow animals. On our writing table we have been making Christmas lists to Santa and making Christmas cards.
In our writing groups we have been using our Phonics knowledge to write different Christmas words such as elf, hat, pudding, sack, and log.
We have been very busy learning about The Jolly Christmas Postman and writing letters, using envelopes and stamps to ensure they can be delivered by the postmen and women!
Have a lovely Christmas Gruffalos, I hope Santa brings you lots of presents and I hope you have such a fun Christmas break, I can’t wait to hear all about it when we’re back at school ready for the new year!
Merry Christmas! x
Week Beginning: 11th December
The end of a very special nativity week in the Gruffalos. Well done everyone for a wonderful performance. You sang beautifully, your costumes looked amazing and you delivered your lines with such big voices. We could not be prouder of you all.
Back in the classroom we have been busy in the elves workshop wrapping presents and helping Santa to get ready for Christmas. On the fine motor table we have been cutting and looping paper to make paper chains to decorate the classroom. On the creative table we have enjoyed using Christmas stencils and making Christmas cards.
Our class elf has been very checky this week we have found him in the phonics cards and up the Christmas tree!
Next week we will be sharing the story of the Jolly Christmas Postman.
Week Beginning: 4th December 2023
What a fabulous week we have had in the Gruffalos learning all about The Nativity. We have had so much fun in the playdough area making playdough stars! In the creative area we have been painting the characters from The Nativity, and on the fine motor table we have been using our fine motor skills to snip the different characters from the Nativity out. In our small world area we have been acting out the Nativity in preparation for our performance. On our writing table we have been matching the different characters from the Nativity and their names. We even have our very own Santa’s grotto in the home corner where we have been busy being little elves and learning how to make and wrap the presents ready for Santa to deliver them on Christmas Eve! We even have our very own Buttons the elf from the North Pole who has been up to so much mischief and making us all giggle!
In our writing groups we have been very creative and drawing the scene from the Nativity, we have worked so hard remembering the names of the different characters and the role they play in the Nativity.
We have been very busy learning about how Christmas is celebrated all around the world, we have been learning about different traditions and how we celebrate Christmas differently to other cultures and countries may.
We are also absolutely loving Mansfield Town coming in to teach our PE lessons this half term, we are learning so many new skills!
Week Beginning: 27th Novemeber 2023
This week has been party week in the Gruffalos as we have been reading Kipper’s Birthday! The house was transformed into a birthday party, with tea and cakes, decorations and balloons -it has been a lot of fun!
In our literacy groups we have been writing and drawing about our families. We have worked hard to write our names independently and use our phonics to write Mum and Dad.
In maths we have been exploring the numbers 4 and 5. We have been recognisng the numerals, exploring collections of 4 and 5 objects and looking at different compositions,
In our continuous provision we have been exploring balloons in the water tray, having a teddy bears tea party in the small word area and writing party invitations on the writing table. On the creative table we have been making birthday cards.
Next week we will be sharing the story of the Nativity and beginning our Christmas festivities! In maths we will be looking at day and night.
Week Beginning: 20th November 2023
What a fabulous week we have had in the Gruffalos learning all about Autumn. We have had so much fun in the playdough area making playdough hedgehogs! In the creative area we have been creating leaf rubbing pictures, and on the fine motor table we have been using our fine motor skills to make faces with different autumn objects such as pine cones, leaves, conkers and sticks. In our water tray we have been washing conkers with toothbrushes and paintbrushes. On our writing table we have been writing Autumn words.
In our writing groups we have been writing about the different things we found on our Autumn walk, and have used our Fred Fingers to help us spell lots of words like leaves, sticks, berries, and conkers.
In maths we have been looking at one more one less, we have had so much fun singing different nursery rhymes based on one more one less, singing 5 currant buns and focusing on the one less relationship.
Next week we will be learning all Kippers birthday. In maths we will be looking at 4 and 5 and our nursery rhyme will be ‘Ring o Roses’.
Week Beginning: 13th November 2023
It has been another exciting week in the Gruffalos learning all about the celebration of Diwali. We have enjoyed all the sparkle and glitter that comes with Diwali and have made some very sparkly diva lamps using playdough! In the creative area we have been making Diwali cards and on the fine motor table we have explored colored sand with paint brushed to create rangoli patterns.
In our writing groups we have been writing about a Diwali Party and have used our Fred Fingers to help us spell lots of words like hat, cup, fun, pop and bun!
In maths we have been looking at positional language, we have had fun playing Simon says and putting her hands on top of our heads, behind our ears, in front of our knees and next to our friend.
Next week we will be learning all about Autumn. In maths we will be looking at one more and one less and our nursery rhyme will be the Grand old Duke of York.
Wk Beginning: 6th November 2023
Welcome back to Autum Term 2! It has been lovely to see all the children back and hear all about their half term holiday!
We have really enjoyed learning all about Bonfire Night this week. We watched a virtual firework display and then worked so hard to write words to describe the night sky. On the creative table we have made very bright and colorful fireworks splatter pictures using paint and glitter. In the water we have been using nets to collect sequins and colourful numbers and letters. In the small world area we have loved exploring the bonfire scene and telling stories about what we see and do on Bonfire Night.
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n maths we have been looking at the composition of numbers. We have introduced the children to using 5 frames to explore the composition of numbers up to 5.
Next week we will be sharing the Diwali story and in maths we will be looking at positional language
Week Beginning: 16th October 2023
The end of a busy first half term in the Gruffalos. Well done everyone we have worked so hard, settled into school life wonderfully and have had a lot of fun!
This week we have really enjoyed the story of Cinderealla. In our literacy groups we have spent time drawing our favorite characters and thinking of words to describe what they look like. In our continuous provision we have been washing pots like poor Cinderealla and in the sand tray we have creating sand palaces. The creative area has been very popular with lots of fantastic crowns being designed and made. In the small world area we have been re telling the story with masks, puppets and a big palace! In maths we have been looking at the concept of one more and one less, using a dice and a numberline to help us.
Next half term we will be starting a new topic, sparkle and shine! The first week we will be learning all about Bonfire Night.
Week Beginning: 9th October 2023
What a fun filled week in the Gruffalo’s! We have been busy sharing the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. On Monday we explored the large construction sets to build bridges for the goats to cross the river. We thought about how we could make it strong and sturdy so that the big goat could cross safely to the other side. In our continuous provision we have enjoyed making grass prints using green paint and forks. On the fine motor table we have been using scissors to cut zig zag lines and in the water tray we have explored everything green!
In Literacy we have been using our developing phonics knowledge to describe the noise made by the goats on the bridge, we spelt tip and tap. We also thought about the troll and spelt the words big and bad. In maths we have been looking at the concept of size, comparing the difference in size between the three goats.
Next week we will be sharing the story of Cinderella.
Week Beginning: 2nd October
It has been another brilliant week in the Gruffalos, we have been continuing our topic ‘Once Upon a Time’ and we have shared the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’. We have had so much fun following the recipe to make gingerbread men and decorating them!
On the creative table we have been printing using gingerbread men cutters. In the sand tray we have been creating houses for the gingerbread men. On the writing table we have been using our Phonics knowledge to write CVC words. The story basket has been full of characters and we have enjoyed retelling the story together with the props in the small world scene. The water tray has been full of baking equipment and we have been practicing using it to bake gingerbread men!
In Literacy we have been working so hard and have been using our phonic knowledge to write CVC words! In Maths we have been looking at 2D shapes and discussing how we know shapes are 2D and how many sides and corners circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles have.
Next week we will be sharing the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff and our nursery rhyme of the week will be ‘How many fingers’.
Week Beginning: 25th September
It has been another fabulous week in the Gruffalos, we have been continuing our topic once upon a time we have shared the story of the three little pigs. On the creative table we have been printing houses using different sized bricks. In the sand tray we have constructing houses using a variety of builders tools with straw and sticks. On the writing table we have worked really hard to trace words from the story. The story basket has been full of characters and we have enjoyed retelling the story together with the props in the small world scene.
In Literacy we have been using our phonic knowledge to listen to the initial sounds of words and finding the magnetic letters on our boards, we then did a brilliant job of spelling some CVC words too! In maths we have been looking at the concept of subitsing, this is when we are able to recognise groups of 1, 2, and 3 without counting them but instead recognising the pattern of numbers.
Next week we will be sharing the story of the Gingerbread Man and we will be introducing an action song using our names.
Week beginning 18/09/23
What a brilliant week in the Gruffalos! We have enjoyed reading the story of ‘Jack and the beanstalk’ and the WOW moment of our week was planting beans!
In maths we have been looking at making repeating patterns. We have been busy making a coloured bears repeating pattern. We have been busy in Literacy using our Phonics knowledge writing initial sounds for different objects.
In our continuous provision we have been busy practising writing giant letters on the writing table. On the creative table we have made beanstalks using scissors for our fine motor skills! In the playdough area we have been making a beanstalk with playdough. In the small world area, we have been busy with farm yard animals in a farm setting, and in the water we have been catching water beads with nets.
Next week we will be sharing the story of The Three Little Pigs and our nursery rhyme will be 5 Little Ducks. In maths we will be looking at representing 1,2,3.
Wk Beginning: 11/09/23
A fabulous week in the Gruffalos. Well done everyone for working so hard, we are getting really familiar with our class routines and settling in really well to school life. We have enjoyed reading the story of Goldilocks and the three bears and the highlight of the week was definitely making ad tasting porridge! We worked so well as a team, writing a set of instructions and following them step by step to make delicious porridge that was just right!
In maths we have been looking at height and length. We sorted and orgamised the three bears bowls and spoons into size order and then measured the spoons to find out which was the shortest and which was the tallest using cubes.
In our continuous provision we have been busy sequencing the story on the writing table. On the creative table we have made bear masks using lots of paint and string – lots of funny and very messy! In the small world area we have been using puppets from the story in a woodland scene and in the water tray we have been helping to wash bowls and spoons in soapy water.
Next week we will be sharing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and our nursery rhyme will be This old man. In maths we will be looking at recognsing and crating patterns.
Week Beginning 04/09/23
What a fantastic first week we have had this week Gruffalos! You have all settled in so very well, and I am so very proud of each and every one of you! We have been reading the story ‘The Ugly Duckling’. We have loved being in the creative area and looking in the mirrors to draw our self portraits. On our writing table we have been busy writing our names on the ducklings. We have really enjoyed playing with the ducklings in the pond in the small world area. In the water area we have been using nets to catch the fish in the pond. In the construction area we have been busy creating a house for the ugly duckling.
In Maths this week we have looked closely at matching and sorting and have been focusing on matching colours, putting the maths bears into size order and organising shapes, we have been fantastic with this!
Next week our story of the week is ‘Goldilocks and The Three Bears’, our nursery rhyme of the week is ‘1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive’ and in Maths we will be looking at length and height. In our writing we will be working on initial sounds.
Have a lovely weekend and I will see you Monday!