This week we have been looking at germs and hygiene. We began the week by telling the story of the little princess who didn’t like washing her hands in our language for thinking sessions. We discussed who the characters were in the story and why certain characters kept telling the princess to wash her hands. We discussed the importance of clean hands and how germs can spread. We demonstrated the spread of a sneeze by using a water pistol. The children then had the opportunity to pretend to sneeze using the water pistols in the water tray.

During our language for thinking sessions we used glitter on our hands as germs and watched as they spread when we shook hands. We also learnt how to wash our hands properly using soap and water. The children have been involved in lots of activities during discovery time linked to our topic.

This week we began our formal phonics lessons and learnt the graphemes and phonemes s, a, and t. During discovery time the children were able to practice what they had learnt.

During discovery time children are able to practice their mathematical skills such as counting, recognising and matching numbers, shape and measurement through a range of open-ended activities which change regularly.

The outside area also gives children an opportunity to practice their mathematics. Here the boys have made a bowling alley. They were counting the skittles as they fell and estimating how far the ball would roll. They were also practicing their cooperation and turn taking skills.

This week during our Muddy Monday session we were looking for signs of autumn. Children were encouraged to find as many different coloured leaves as they could. There were lots of brown and yellow ones.

On Thursday afternoon there was a learning journal workshop held in the Reception classroom for parents to come along to and learn all about the electronic learning journal. This is how we share information with parents about their child’s learning. The parents that attended are now set up to receive their child’s learning journal when it is sent.

This week the Swans class went to the forest classroom and participated in Muddy Monday for the first time. They were very excited as they practiced their independence skills putting on their waterproofs and wellington boots.
We started the session sitting in a circle on the logs and going through the expected behaviour while in the forest classroom.

Then the children had the opportunity to explore the classroom and encouraged to find lots of different things.
The children had lots of fun.

This week we have been continuing on with our topic ‘All About Me’. We started off by looking at ourselves now and painted self-portraits. We created faces with loose parts, on the smartboard and in the playdough.

We looked at photos that children bought in of themselves as babies and discussed how they had changed and things they could do now that they couldn’t do as babies. Then the children created a time line placing their photos in order which are now displayed in the classroom.

This week we celebrated two more Swan birthdays. Happy 5th birthday boys.