Spring 1: 

 

This half term, Reception have been exploring hot and cold places around the world. They began their learning journey by discovering Antarctica and learning all about penguins. To finish this topic, the children wrote their own non-fiction books and proudly read them to the Nursery children.

Reception then moved on to explore the continent of Africa, focusing on the country of Kenya. They learnt about the animals that live there and discovered what life is like on safari. The children were delighted to take part in an African dance workshop led by a special visitor. They enjoyed learning the dance and proudly performed it for parents during a workshop session. To complete the experience, the children created their own costumes, including animal headbands and African necklaces, which they wore for their performance. 

 

In Maths, the children moved on to exploring mass and capacity through a range of practical, hands-on activities. They compared and measured objects using everyday language, such as heavy, light, full and empty. Alongside this, the children focused on recognising, counting, and representing the numbers 6, 7 and 8, developing their understanding through games, songs and problem-solving activities.

Art has been a very exciting area of learning this half-term. Linking their learning about hot places to a new topic on sculpting, the children explored what clay is and discussed its properties. They experimented with a range of techniques, such as rolling, pinching and joining, to see how clay could be shaped and manipulated. The children then designed and created their own animal sculptures, carefully adding details and features to bring their ideas to life. Throughout the process, they developed their creativity, fine motor skills and confidence in working with a new material. 

 

In Phonics, Reception have made fantastic progress and have started Level 3, already reaching the halfway point. The children have learnt a range of new sounds, including several digraphs, and have been practising recognising them in words. They have been using their phonics knowledge to blend sounds for reading and to segment words for spelling, building confidence in both their reading and writing skills.

 

In Spring 2, Reception will be starting a new adventure all about growing. The children will be exploring the stories Jack and the Beanstalk and The Enormous Turnip, using them as a starting point to learn about plants, growth and change. As part of this topic, the children will be planting their own seeds and caring for them, observing how they change over time. They will watch their plants grow, learn what plants need to stay healthy, and record their observations as they develop. 🌱

Autumn 2: 

Reception had a wonderful time exploring the season of autumn and learning about the changes it brings. The children really enjoyed discovering autumnal weather, woodland areas, and the animals that live there. We explored this in lots of different ways, including making playdough forest animals, creating paintings, and designing forest scenes using loose parts. We also acted out stories such as Owl Babies, enjoying pretending to be the different characters.

 

Reception enjoyed their very first school trip, taking a walk around their local area, exploring what was around them and looking at what was happening in the Autumn weather.  On the trip we also sent letters to Father Christmas! The children were so excited, and were even more thrilled to receive letters back from him in the North Pole.

 

 

In Maths, the children explored numbers 1 to 5 through a range of practical and hands-on activities. They developed their counting skills, number recognition and understanding of quantity. The children also learnt to recognise, name and describe shapes, including circles, triangles and a variety of four-sided shapes, talking about their properties and identifying them in their environment.

 

In Design and Technology, the children explored threading techniques, learning how to safely use tools and materials. They practised their fine motor skills while designing and making their own bookmarks, carefully selecting colours and patterns to create a finished product they could be proud of.

 

We had a very busy half-term filled with lots of exciting celebrations, including Bonfire Night, Anti-Bullying Week, International Men’s Day and Christmas. Reception took part in a range of workshops to celebrate these events and enjoyed lots of exciting classroom activities, such as making delicious chocolate apples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Christmas, we enjoyed a festive Christmas disco, and the children worked incredibly hard on their EYFS Nativity. They learnt songs, practised their actions, and grew in confidence as they performed in front of their parents and the whole school. It was a beautiful performance and a joy to watch.

 

This half-term, the children will be learning about hot and cold places. They will learn the names of different animals, their characteristics and their habitats. We will be focusing on penguins when we learn about Antarctica and Winter, and we will look at other wild animals in hot places with a focus on elephants.  They will also be taking part in a very exciting African Dance workshop! 

Autumn 1: 

What an exciting start to the year we’ve had in Reception!

This half term, we’ve been busy settling into our new routines and getting to know each other through our topic ‘All About Me’. We’ve loved sharing stories, especially The Friendship Bench and Amazing, which helped us think about kindness, friendship, and what makes each of us so special. We’ve also explored pets, celebrations, and even threw a fantastic birthday party for our class friend, Zibbo!

                                                                            

In phonics, we’ve made a brilliant start — learning half of our Level 2 sounds and beginning to blend and segment words. We’ve been stretching out words to hear all the sounds and are starting to write them too. It’s amazing to see everyone growing in confidence and becoming super readers and writers already!

In maths, we’ve been busy building our early number skills and exploring lots of new ideas. We’ve already completed our first two topics and have just begun our third! So far, we’ve been learning all about matching, sorting, and comparing, as well as exploring measure and patterns. The children have loved using practical activities and games to help them make connections, spot similarities and differences, and talk about what they notice. It’s been fantastic to see their confidence growing as they play, explore, and begin to think like mathematicians!

We’ve also been very lucky to have coaches from Manchester City coming in to teach us our multi-skills each week. The children have absolutely loved these sessions! We’ve been playing lots of exciting games that help us move with control, balance, and coordination, while working together as a team. We’ve been practising our ball skills — throwing, catching, rolling, and dribbling — and getting quicker and more confident on our feet. The coaches have been so impressed with how hard everyone is trying and how much enthusiasm the children bring to every lesson. It’s been wonderful to see their teamwork, determination, and big smiles shining through each session!

It’s been a half term full of smiles, laughter, and lots of learning and we can’t wait to see what adventures next term brings!

Next half term, we’ll be diving into our exciting new topic — Autumn! We’ll be exploring all the wonderful changes that happen as the season arrives, noticing how the weather turns cooler, the leaves change colour, and animals begin to prepare for winter. We’ll be going on autumn walks, collecting leaves and conkers, and using what we find to inspire our creative work in class.

Our focus stories will be Owl Babies and The Leaf Thief. These lovely books will help us learn more about animals and the changes that happen in nature, as well as explore feelings like curiosity, patience, and friendship. We’ll use these stories as a springboard for our art, writing, and role play, and to encourage the children to think about how we can care for the world around us.