Autumn Term Week 9

Our week has been full of space and planets and our solar system and the children have soaked up so much knowledge and have been fascinated by the theme. It is wonderful to see them all totally engaged in so many different ways by our teachers here. More detail on the circle times further along in my blog but a favourite moment from the week “I will be an astronaut when I am bigger but I will stay inside my rocket, I won’t do a space walk like Tim Peake, I don’t want aliens to get me!” – wonderful language and a lovely thought process, it made me smile a lot that our teaching and learning has inspired this.

We will be tidying up the rocket and the space station today and may revisit that again later in the year as it was a really popular topic and so easy to add in new vocabulary, physical development, counting, colour, stories and create awe for the world and what is around us.

Forest School has started again and this half term the Moons are out in our forest school on a Thursday and the Sun group on a Friday. They have been lighting the fire, enjoying hot chocolate and using the tools this week – the photos are wonderful.

We have also welcomed back our friend Robot Reg! He visits every Thursday and Friday afternoon to see the Sun and Moon groups and helps us to teach letter sounds to the children, he comes with his helper Rebecca and makes the children dance and laugh and learn. He is very popular indeed!

Our circle times have been focused on space with lots of added extra learning –

Star group – have chatted about the moon and stars and practised their pen grip, they have made moons and rockets – helps to learn about shape and creativity, they have learnt about where different animals live on our planet, enjoyed space rocket dancing and watched Tim Peake launch into space and then loved stamping on our rocket launcher to send their own rockets into space.

Sun and Moon – started the week learning Andrea’s planet and solar system song, they have created planets using chalk looking carefully at colour and learning facts about each planet and choosing their favourite. The groups have also made rockets using shapes, made craters using flour and big pebbles, and chosen a planet each and moved around the sun to replicate the solar system’s movement. Lots of facts and communication and sharing of ideas. We finished the week making a poppy wreath to thank those who keep us safe and to remember Mandy’s husband Bill who sadly passed away recently – he was in the RAF and we will be laying the wreath we made at the Memorial in Cullompton on Sunday if anyone would like to support that.

Next week we have a shift to a new set of planning and our theme for the week will be literacy, we will be reading, enjoying story sacks, choosing books, creating a cosy book area outside in our hut and encouraging all children to take time to sit and listen to a lovely story.

We have started Disco Thursday! It was a great success last year and we would love to hear what favourite songs get your child moving! Follow us on facebook and comment on the post to let us know what to add to our playlist.

In line with this and to build confidence ahead of our Christmas performance we will have a theatre week – lots of dressing up and dancing and moving and singing.

Next Friday is Children in Need – we will be dressing up in SPOTS – if you have something spotty please send your child in wearing it over the whole week and please if you can, make a donation into our box in reception. We will be spotty on FRIDAY.