Early Years Blog 2024/25

This week in Early Years, the children had an exciting time exploring computing through play with Bee-Bots and coding Robot Kits. They practised inputting simple commands to guide the robots on themed mats, and used interactive tools like a pen controller. It was amazing to see their problem-solving skills and teamwork in action as they experimented with new challenges. 

 This week we have learnt the last few single sounds before we start learning digraphs. We have learnt y, z, zz and qu. We have played bingo, matching games and sound hunts to help us learn these last few sounds. We have been learning the letter formation, all these sounds are in the Let's fall family. Some children have even been writing some short 3 letter words.

This week, we’ve been delighted to see independent writing all around the provision! The children have been putting their fantastic phonics skills to good use, and it’s been so exciting to see how confident they’re becoming with writing during adventure time. Notes, signs, and cards have been appearing everywhere. A particular highlight has been the messages they’ve been leaving for our class elf.  It’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm for writing growing each day.

This week the children have been busy revisiting key concepts like repeating patterns, subitising to 5, and representing the number 5 in various ways. They’ve enjoyed identifying and creating patterns using Christmas pictures and cubes, while their subitising skills have grown as they practised recognising quantities up to 5 without counting. 

This week in Drawing Club, the children explored the classic tale of The Gingerbread Man , discovering new vocabulary like tiny , toss , bank (edge of a river), and proud while creating incredible drawings and practising their letter formation. Inspired by the story, they designed their own gingerbread biscuits, which we all enjoyed eating together while watching a performance of The BBC Philharmonic: The Musical Story of the Gingerbread Man , narrated by Nihal Arthanayake, blending music and storytelling into a magical retelling of the tale.

Last  week, the children enjoyed exploring our new hot chocolate role-play cafés, which popped up in each classroom. These little cafés have been buzzing with lots of lovely learning and conversations, as the children took on roles, shared ideas, and worked together to create their imaginary café scenes. Their play then took an exciting turn when the children decided they needed biscuits to go with the hot chocolate! Using clay, they drew on their previous experiences of rolling and cutting playdough, transferring those skills beautifully to the new material. It’s been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and creativity shine through as they worked together to make their cafés even more special.

 On Thursday Cherry and Oak children embarked on a delightful walk to All Saints Church, showing wonderful behaviour and curiosity along the way. A highlight of the journey was stopping at the post box to post a very special letter, adding an extra touch of excitement to our outing. On arrival, the children were warmly welcomed by Dave, who shared the Christmas story and brought it to life with his guitar and festive songs. The visit continued with exploring the church, where the children looked closely at the beauty and intricate details of the stained glass windows.

This week, the children have been diving into the world of shapes, focusing on those with four sides. Through hands-on activities, they practised identifying, making, and transforming shapes. A shape hunt added an element of adventure, as they explored their environment to find squares and rectangles in everyday objects.