Physical Development - Gymnastics (Travelling)

We continued to explore travelling in Gymnastics this week. First we tried to move around the hall on different parts of our feet (heels, tip-toes etc), then we had a go at travelling around the hall in different ways. Some of us hopped, some jumped, some skipped. We also tried to travel about using tiny steps and big steps. We tried to make use of all the space in the hall and were careful not to bump into each other!

Thinking skills - develop

Communication skills - oracy

Mathematical Development - language of position

This week we have been thinking about the language we use to describe position. We have had loads of fun placing toys 'behind', 'in front of', 'below', 'above' and to the 'right' and 'left' of tables and chairs in our classroom . We also listened carefully to instructions when we placed coloured shapes on a grid - "Can you place the yellow triangle below the red square?" We then tried to describe the position of the shapes to our friends. It was quite hard but we managed very well.

Thinking skills - develop

Communication skills - oracy

Creative Development - observational drawings

We have made FANTASTIC observational drawings of our favourite toys this week! We took our time and concentrated hard to look at the shape/lines/form of our toy and tried really hard to copy it. We made sure we used the same colours too! Our teachers are proud of what we achieved.

Thinking Skills - plan, develop and reflect.

Personal and Social Development, Well Being and Cultural Diversity

This week we brought in our favourite toys! In circle time we took it in turns to tell everyone why it is our favourite toy, how we look after it, how we play with it, where we keep it etc. We were all very good at talking about our toy and listening to our friends as well! Then we had our photographs taken with our toy to go on our topic book cover. Here are some of them but our parents will be able to see all of our photos when they come to the next parents evening!

Communication skills - oracy

Thinking skills - refect

We also had lots of fun playing with our favourite toys. We were very good at sharing the toys and playing together.

Creative Development/RE

On Monday we watched a Powerpoint presentation about 'St.Dwynwen'. She is the Welsh patron saint of love. People in Wales celebrate her life on the 25th January. We cut out and decorated a heart and gave it to someone we love!

Spring Term Overview

This term's topic in Reception is Toys. Below you will find the 7 areas of Learning with the content we hope to cover. For further information on the experiences, learning opportunities and skills being developed please speak to a member of staff.

Language, Literacy and Communication Skills

• Listening to/ respond to stories, poems and rhymes rhymes – books, tapes, internet, cds. Theme related (Toys - etc)
• Listening carefully to others - Show and tell, news, talking partners, message taking, using a microphone.
• Re-telling stories, sequencing stories,
• Theme related role play using story language.
• Jolly Phonics – blending, identifying sounds in words, dictation, continuing Tricky Words, reading books, introduction of letter names, introduction of capital letters.
• Guided reading
• Letter formation, blending , identifying sounds in words and introducing tricky words.
• Mark making using variety of equipment including IWB activities, writing patterns, classroom labels, lists, writing familiar stories- emergent writing, over/under
• Imaginative writing – emergent writing, over / under writing.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

• Consider similarities and differences between toys of today and toys of the past.
• Sort toys by different criteria – materials, colour, old and new etc.
• Sequencing toys – their own toys and toys played with by parents / grandparents.
• Explore our locality using play mat and small world.
• Create simple directions and instructions on how to move around our locality.
• Woodland winter and spring walk.
• Make simple maps of journey to our local park using photos and ordinal numbers.
• Investigate floating and sinking using toy boats

Religious Education
• Festivals –Valentines Day / St Dwynwen, St David’s Day, Mother’s Day, Shrove Tuesday, Lent, Easter

Mathematical Development

• Recognise, order, compare and count numbers to 20 and beyond.
• Estimate, count and record numbers up to 20.
• Use the language of position.
• Adding 2 or 3 to a number up to 10 – finding a total by counting on when that object is hidden.
• Understanding addition as a combination of 2
• Comparing lengths of 2 / 3 objects
• Compare heavy and light objects - estimate and begin to measure weights on scales using non- standard units.
• Sort 3-d shapes – recognising properties and naming.
• Recognising hours on an analogue clock – reading / setting the time to the hour,
• Use of money in Toy Shop.
• Interpret information presented in simple graphs / diagrams.

Physical Development

• Using large equipment – bikes, scooters, trikes, climbing frames, fort
• Rolling and kicking balls.
• Throwing, passing and bouncing balls and beanbags
• Travelling taking weight from one part of the body to another
• Spatial awareness and relationships – using language of position.
• Describe how they look / feel after physical exercise.
• Scissors skills – cutting out letters, numbers, shapes, art and craftwork.
• Controlling mouse, IWB pen, Beebot, cd players etc.
• Manipulating clay / playdough

Personal and Social Development, Well being and Cultural Diversity

• Discuss and share special/favourite toys.
• Become aware that we are all good at different things.
• To set own goals/targets
• Develop concentration for longer periods of time.
• Sharing/taking turns -
• Cooperating- playing games as a team

Creative Development

• Explore and experiment with 3D images – toy junk models
• Using ICT package to draw a variety of toys
• Modelling with clay
• Make puppets for role play activities
• Observational drawings of toys
• Celebration craft – St. Davids Day, Mothers day, Easter
• Learn a variety of theme related songs

Welsh Language Development

• Communicating in Welsh through Speaking and listening, reading and writing Covering topics of:
• Greetings
• Numbers
• Toys
• Shops
• Family

Jolly Phonics

We enjoy listening to our Jolly Songs cd. The actions help us to learn our sounds. We managed to remember the actions for all of our 42 sounds and we had lots of fun!

Communication skills - oracy and wider communication

Physical Development - Travelling.

For the next few weeks we will be learning about travelling in Gymnastics. This week we tried walking along a straight line and then a wavy line on the floor. Then we put out the benches and had a go at travelling along the benches in different ways - forwards, sideways and backwards. We concentrated very hard and got to the other end without wobbling!

Thinking skills - developing and reflecting

Communication skills - oracy

Creative Development - Music.

This week in Music we listened to the track 'Walking Robot'. We pretended to be robots, moving different parts of our bodies in time to the music.

Thinking skills - developing

Communication skills - oracy and wider communication

Language, Literacy and Communication - Tricky Words

The tricky words that we will be covering this term in Reception are:

Week 1 : you, your
Week 2 : come, some
Week 3: said, here
Week 4: there, they
Week 5: go, no
Week 6: so, my
Week 7: one, by
Week 8: like have.

We will also continue to revisit the spelling and recognition of all of the tricky words that we covered last term.

Dear parents,

A belated Happy New Year to everyone!

Our theme in Reception throughout the Spring Term is Toys. We would appreciate it if you could talk to your children about this topic at home. We have also planned several activities that will require your help!

On Monday we would like the children to bring in their favourite toy to school. This toy will be kept safely during the week and will be used to extend the children’s understanding of how toys work and what they are made of. They will also be used as a stimulus for art, dance and language activities.

The children will then be learning about the similarities and differences between toys of today and toys of the past. To help the children understand how toys have changed since their parents and grandparents were children, we would appreciate it if you could talk to the children at home about the toys that you played with when you were a child.

To help you with this we have attached a simple questionnaire with a few relevant questions for you to complete. There is also space on the sheet for you to draw the toy that you are describing or maybe even attach a photo of you playing with the toy! If the children are able to talk to an older relative, such as a grandparent or older auntie /uncle about the toys that they played with, we would also love to hear about this. Additional questionnaires are available.

We would appreciate it if the questionnaires could be returned by Monday 1st February.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Mrs Vaughan, Mrs Abel and Mrs Utting.

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My favourite toy
Completed for (child’s name): ………………………….………………………………….
By (your name/relationship to child):……………………………………………...

What was your favourite toy when you were a child?



Can you explain how you played with the toy?




How did the toy work?




What was the toy made of?



Can you draw a picture of the toy / attach a photo?