EYFS popped on their mathematical hats this week as each class from Pre-Nursery to Reception joined the whole school in celebrating Pie (π) day. With our special numbers given to us by Mr Rosenberg (Head of Secondary mathematics), each class worked out how to represent that number on special bunting. There was creative counting through mix media resources, fingerprinting, number symbols created that represent numbers to number sentences used. A fantastic interactive mathematical activity for us all to do. Well done EYFS!
Pre-Nursery
Pre-Nursery have been having ‘cat’ fun as they went off to London to visit the Queen with the rhyme ‘Pussy Cat Pussy Cat’. Through our cross-curricular activities, the children have enjoyed learning all about cats, the Queen and London.
We started our adventures learning the rhyme with actions and props while learning about the emotion of been frightened, as the naughty cat frightens a mouse under a chair! The children learnt how to pounce like a cat to frighten the mouse and make a scared facial expression like the mouse.
‘Where is cat?’ was our next question as mid-week we went on a hunt around the classroom, with picture clues to find different places cat could be hiding. Pre-Nursery loved this adventure as they ticked off the places on their special picture list.
To round of our week, Pre-Nursery enjoyed learning all about London through a beautiful picture book. We named key things we saw: Big Ben, Red Bus and identified the colours in the British flag. To finish the children donned their Queen crowns made in our art activity to pretend to be the Queen sorting beautiful coloured jewels.
Nursery
The dog sat on a frog! Oh no poor frog! Nursery children enjoyed another week of rhyming books, retelling stories and identify the rhyming play on words.
Over the past 7 weeks, we have enjoyed some wonderful stories across traditional tales and rhyming genres, and we have exercised our developing language and literacy skills through activities including role play, puppet play and conversation around props and art. Nursery have begun using their knowledge of storytelling to communicate their own interests using their “superhero sentences” and in detailed art and mark-making skills. They have begun the journey of narrating and writing their own storybook through action, song and art; understanding the importance of pictures in books to portray meaning. Nursery are excited about producing their own picture storybook which they will soon each bring home to share with parents.
In Mathematics, Nursery have demonstrated their knowledge of number, shape and pattern by participating in the wider school Pie (π) Challenge. We skillfully wrote our numbers, number sentences, symbols, and shapes onto bunting flags to contribute to the whole school project and cleverly talked about our mathematical ideas. Using animal props from this week’s story, we played a game of hide and seek using our positional, mathematical language to describe where they were found, “the cat is on the mat!”, “the frog is on the log!”
Reception
Reception were busy this week learning all about number bonds to 10. We learnt rhymes and sang songs to remember the different ways to make 10, discovering there are more ways than they thought! We used spots, pegs, cubes and even our own bodies to play games to find the different number bonds to 10, having lots of fun whilst doing so.
In literacy we focused on rhyme, learning how Julia Donaldson uses lots of rhymes in her books, and challenged ourselves to think of some more.
In phonics, we continued to learn new sounds and tricky words, whilst also practising how to write full sentences using a capital letter, fingers spaces and a full stop!
We look forward to next week when we will read one of Julia Donaldson’s most popular books, ‘Stickman’.
Isla Gillespie
Head of Early Years
