Jambo! We’ve been on safari this week in the wild savannahs of Africa as we continue our Amazing Animals topic. We’ve dived into the grasslands of Africa on Google Earth to explore the landscapes that are home to such impressive animals as lions, giraffes, elephants and gazelles. We learned some fascinating facts about these animals and the children were encouraged to engage in a range of activities around these animals.
Our role-play safari vehicle proved very popular, with many children donning explorer kit and trying to spot animals on the savannah through their binoculars. We read the story of Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne with it’s colourful depiction of the animals of Kenya sneakily stealing fruit from Handa’s fruit basket. The children then enjoyed retelling the story with props and masks before some children chose to cut and stick their own fruit basket together.
We’ve also had some fun painting activities, with children using bubble wrap to print the colourful scales of chameleons, or painting vivid sunsets to create some lovely African savannah silhouette pictures. Some children even took to the DT area to build some African animals out of wood!
The children were also encouraged to practise their maths work by carefully counting a selection of African animals or adding colourful bugs to leaves to visualise number bonds to ten. Last week’s exploration of comparing masses using balance scales was even continued this week with children presented with samples of different animal dungs to weigh and decide which was heavier or lighter (don’t worry – not real animal dung! Mr Verdi got creative with breakfast cereals!).
On Monday the children really enjoyed having a go at another draw-along video to produce a picture of a cheetah. The children are really improving their careful line drawing and attention to detail by following along with these drawing tutorials and it is lovely to see how proud they are of the finished pieces.
In phonics this week we have introduced the new level 3 phonemes ‘x’ (as in box and six); ‘y’ (yo-yo) ‘z’ (zig-zag) and it’s digraph counterpart ‘zz’ (buzz). The children practised reading words containing these words and deciding if they were real or ‘nonsense’ words. Also, the children continued practising their word writing neatly in their own books. Most fun was deciding if a range of foods were a ‘yum’ or a ‘yuck’ – with the children encouraged to try eating some foods then filling in their own opinions on their sheet using the newly learned sounds.
Our maths sessions this week have concentrated on investigating the numbers 6, 7 and 8. We have looked at the many different ways that these numbers can be represented with objects and pictures and practised careful counting by sorting a variety of pictures by the number represented in them. The children have also investigated different way that these numbers can be composed by using part-whole models (6=4+2 or 6=3+3 for example).
UPCOMING TRIP : In a couple of weeks time, we will be taking the children on a visit to Tropical World in Roundhay to compliment our Amazing Animals topic. We are visiting on three consecutive afternoons (Tues 04/Wed 05/Thurs 06 February) but each child will join one of the visits only with approximately 15 children attending each time. To allow for flexibility should any children be absent over these days, we shall not give out a set day for each child – they shall simply go on either the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. If this will prove particularly upsetting for anyone please speak to us in the coming week and we’ll take this into account wherever possible.
Have a lovely weekend!
The Reception Team
DATES FOR THE DIARY:
Tuesday 3rd, Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th February: Group visits to Tropical World (each child will attend on ONE of these days)
Friday 13th February: Last day of Spring 1 Term
Monday 23rd February: First day of Spring 2 Term
Tinshill Drive
Cookridge
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS16 7DH
0113 386 2500
