Blackfell Primary School

Our Five R's

The Monkey... The Risk Taker!

We will be learning about our five animals that we have in our class. Each one stands for something different. This week we have been learning about the Monkey! He stands for being a 'risk taker'. We talked about how he likes to take risks and how we were going to try to take a risk by doing something we find hard to do. We talked about trying new things even though sometimes we don’t want to because we might think it’s too tricky. We discussed how we could all help each other and we all talked about the risk we were going to take to improve ourselves. We are going to do that... Monkey Business!

Great enthusiasm to start the new term! Well done Reception!

Traditional Tales!

Oh! What big characters we have!

"Oh! What big characters we have in Reception!" We have been developing our language and communication skills through role play. We became the characters and retold some of the traditional tales we have been listening to and made up our own narratives combining all of the stories. We loved getting dressed up and playing the part of some of our favourite characters. Some of us didn't want to dress up but we still enjoyed participating in role play with our friends. We used the props to help us act out parts of the stories and we thought we looked really funny too. We changed some of the outcomes of the stories and characters got the Happy ever after... they have probably always wanted. The Wolf had a change of heart and decided to be a 'Good Wolf' after 'Grandma' looked after him and he became her new pet... And 'The Gingerbread Man' forgave 'The Fox' and the two became 'best friends'... For now! And so the stories continue...They can be whatever you want them to be!

Great team work developing story book language. Lovely interpretations of these traditional tales!

Character Creations!

We have been creating characters from the traditional tales we have been listening to ... 'The Gingerbread man,' 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' 'The Three Little Pigs.' 'Goldilocks and the Three bears' and many more. We decided which character we were going to create then thought about which '2d' shapes would be best to represent  different features. We chose our colours carefully and some of us got busy in the creative area to add lots of different materials to create our characters features. We ascribed meaning to our marks while others wrote labels or captions and some of us wrote parts of the story or made our own books. We tried hard to  incorporate speech and repeated refrains from the stories in our learning.

What a class full of characters!

Well done!

Exploring '3d' shapes!

We have been learning the names of '3d' shapes and talking about the properties of them. Some of us decided to look for the shapes around our classroom during our independent learning time. We had great fun and were surprised to discover that so many of these shapes are all around us every day. This has helped us to think about the models we make in the construction area and to be more confident to use the correct mathematical language for the '3d' shapes we have used in our play.

Well done shape hunters!

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Year of the Dog!

We have been learning all about 'Chinese New Year'. We found out it is the year of the dog and watched a short film to help us understand how Chinese people celebrate this special event. We have been busy in all our areas doing lots of activities related to Chinese New Year. We have built some terrific temples using the small and large construction blocks and some of us even tried to build the Great wall of China. We created dragons in the dough and we used our creative skills to make dogs, lucky fish and lanterns. We played in the Chinese restaurant and took orders from our friends then tried to write the orders using our phonic knowledge and used chopsticks to pretend to eat our food. We also used chopsticks in the maths area picking up cubes and putting the correct amount into the numbered takeaway boxes and outside we tried our best pick up cubes out of the water and count them. We even created some fantastic fireworks using the interlocking shapes. We have had such a lot of fun learning about about how another culture celebrates this special time of year and thinking about similarities and differences that we do at 'New Year'. Well done Reception! 

Blossoms in Bloom!

We did some observational art work of the... 'Chinese Cherry Blossom Tree'. We looked at a range of different pictures to help us create our own interpretation. We thought carefully about the different materials and techniques we could use and the results were fabulous! 

You will be able to see the finished results later...Watch this space!

What a bunch of budding artists we are in Reception!

Our finished creations!

Our 'Cherry Blossom Tree' cards are complete and ready to take home. We are so proud of our cards and can't wait to give it to that 'special' someone. Well done everyone! You will make someone very happy. 

Oh! No! It's the Gruffalo!

We have had a very busy time doing lots of different activities surrounding the story...'The Gruffalo'. We have used a range of materials in the dough and the creative area to make the Gruffalo and then added his strange features. We retold the story in the small world area and tried hard to write recipes to make Gruffalo crumble or scrambled snake. We build log pile houses using the lego and we made some fantastic Gruffalo's and other characters using the blocks. We did a range of number activities such as counting out warts and adding prickles to practise our number formation and recognition and some of us  created number sentences. We have done so many other jobs including reading, making a jigsaw, and going on a 'Gruffalo' hunt. Well done reception!

Professor Nitrate!

As part of 'science week' each class took part in a range of activities with 'Professor Nitrate'. Reception and Nursery classes joined together to watch and learn some rather interesting scientific experiments that they took part in. We learned all about the words 'heat' 'fuel' and 'oxygen' and not to cross  the safety line in the hall to keep us safe. We were introduced to the reasons we use 'fire'. The children came up with some great answers including... to keep us warm and to toast marshmallows. Then we watched closely as we pretended to throw 'oxygen' at the fire and a bunsen burner was lit onto a fire protective glove. We were amazed at what we saw happen. Next we watched as a vitamin c tablet was placed into a container with water and the lid put on then some of us helped to shake the containers. We moved out of the way to keep us safe and the lids popped off... We all thought that was really funny. We then launched some rockets and they shot across the hall making us laugh. We then talked about the word 'gravity' and what it meant. We jumped up and down and found out that gravity is the force that pulls us back down. We watched as professor Nitrate used a hairdryer to blow a toilet roll all over and then how a bigger pressure machine blew a massive beach ball out of our hands and we were amazed to watch it hover above us as we learned about pressure. What a fantastic morning we had learning all about 'science' and how it is all around us.

We are great little scientists in 'Nursery' and 'Reception'.

Well done everybody for taking part.

Happy Easter!

We designed our own Easter cards using a range of materials and our imaginations. We created chicks, roosters and bunnies using different techniques developing our fine motor skills as we created our individual designs. Take a look at how creative we are! Happy Easter Everyone!

We love the snow!

We had so much fun in the snow! We came to school in our warm outdoor clothes and could not wait to get outside with our friends to play in the fresh snowfall. We worked together to build snowmen and threw some snowballs at the wall to see who could throw the highest. We then got to pull each other around the yard on the sledge. We took turns to sit in it and had a fantastic snow ride. We got cold and wet but enjoyed playing out for a little while with our friends! We just love snow!

Our 5 R's

The Fox... Helps us to Reflect!

We have been learning about the 'Fox' and what he means to us. We found out that the 'Fox' stands for 'Reflection'. We began to understand what the word 'reflection' meant in circle time. We needed to think about some of the things we had been doing and maybe change the way we did it to make it even better the next time. The children had some really good ideas and reflected on situations, friendships and other things they had been doing during the week. We now know all about the 'Fox' and how reflecting on things we have done can make us feel better about ourselves and make others very 'proud' of us. Well done Reception for trying so hard to think about a very important word.

All about Numbers!

We have been working on developing our number skills through practical activities surrounding 'Traditional Tales' We picked flowers or apples for 'Grandma' to make her feel better and counted how many we had in our baskets or how many we had threaded onto string. We tried hard to find the number in the sand to match how many we had been able to count. Some of us practised our number recognition by adding the corresponding number of beans to the 'Beanstalk'. Some of us were able to create number sentences and used addition and equals signs by generating our numbers using two dice. We also used the interactive white board to put the correct amount of cherries on the 'Gingerbread Man'.

Learning all about numbers has been so much fun! Well done Reception!

A changed character!

We carried out an experiment to find out what would happen to four 'Gingerbread men' biscuits when placed in four different liquids. First we talked about the equipment we needed and then used our sense of sight and smell to try and identify the four liquids. The children had some good answers as to what the liquids might be and some guessed correctly by linking what they could smell to other smells they are familiar with. We used water, oil, fresh orange juice and vinegar. We discussed and predicted possible effects the liquids might have on the biscuits before testing them to find out exactly what did happen. We used magnifying glasses to look closely and used some good language to describe what we could see happening. We learned new words like 'dissolving' and 'absorbing' too. It was great fun finding out how this little character changed!

Outside Learning!

We continued our learning outside where we were able to develop our problem solving skills. We had to think about how to get 'The Gingerbread Man' across the river, thinking about what sort of materials we could use and solving problems along the way. We enjoyed using the large construction blocks to build beanstalks, the Giant's castle, bridges, the three pigs houses or Grandma's house. Take a look at what we have been doing!

Chinese New Year!

Getting Ready!

In our P.E lesson this week we have been learning how the Chinese people get their homes ready to start this special celebration. First we had to warm up our bodies, stretching, skipping and changing directions when we heard the symbol. Next we listened to instructions and tidied the house putting away all the toys and clothes, dusting high and low and shaking our cloth when we heard the music. After that we needed to clean the kitchen and sweep away any bad luck to get it clean ready to cook a lovely meal to share with family and friends. We then had to open all the windows and doors to let all the 'good luck' in. We imagined going to a Chinese market and ran quickly to every stall to buy everything we needed to decorate our homes like food, lanterns, plum trees and wind chimes. We hung the wind chimes at the entrance to our homes for 'good luck'. Finally we listened to ingredients cooking in a 'wok' and we had to chop, stir and sizzle using different parts of our bodies to prepare the ingredients to make a 'stir fry' then we lay down after a very busy day to cool down and rest. What a great time we had preparing for 'Chinese New Year'! Well done everyone.

Traditional Chinese Creations!

As part of our homework we were asked to create something related to 'Chinese New Year'. The children have been working really hard as you can see. They have impressed us once again by thinking of some great ideas that represent how creative they all are. Look at our fantastic Chinese related artwork! A big thank you to everyone who helped the children with their unique designs. We will be displaying the children's work in class. Well done Reception! 

Gruffalo Art!

We have been developing our creative skills using different techniques to create the characters from 'The Gruffalo'. First we decided which character we wanted to make then with some help we thought about the colours and materials we might need. We really enjoyed making our chosen character and they looked great in our woodland cafe. The children then went on to make other characters from the story on their own using the skills they had learned. Brilliant work everyone!  

Ch! Ch! Ch! Ch! Chicken!

Look at us handling the chicks! We were a little bit nervous at first but soon got the hang of holding the chicks carefully. We were so brave and most of us loved holding them!

Exciting Experiments!

We continued investigating by taking part in more scientific experiments later on in the week. First we placed some skittles on a plate and added warm water. We watched the colours dissolve and were amazed to see lovely rainbow patterns forming. Next we created 'rain clouds' in a jar using water, shaving foam, food colouring and pipettes. We thought they looked like ice-creams. Finally we used our bunny pots we had made earlier in the week to plant some cress seeds. We can't wait to see how they grow. What a super science morning we had. We really enjoyed taking part in the experiments and learned so much. Well done everyone! You were great little professors! 

Easter Bonnet Parade!

We created some amazing Easter bonnets at home with our families and invited them to our Easter parade so we could entertain them with our collection of Easter songs along with Nursery. We all looked amazing as we paraded around the hall and onto the stage. We sang songs and did the actions. We also showed off our spring animals we had made in class. The Easter bunny thought we were so talented that he left us all an Easter Egg as a special treat to say well done! We were able to show off our Easter hats again when we performed once more for the whole school in our Easter celebration assembly. Thank you to everyone that helped create some of the most fantastic creations we have ever seen.

We are so proud of you all!

Our five R's 

The Elephant... Encourages Relationships!

We have been learning how to be a good friend. We closed our eyes to think about 'how' and 'why' we have been a good friend. We thought about what we could do to show each other how we could be kind and helpful to each other and then told everyone how we thought we had been a good friend whilst holding the 'Elephant'. We have all demonstrated how we are developing our feelings and behaviour towards others through our actions and words. Well done reception for trying so hard to help one another!

Phonic Fun!

We have been developing our 'phonic knowledge' and 'word building' skills through a range of activities. We have been working together to say sounds in words and blend them together. We have been looking at words that rhyme and noticing which letters are the same in each word. We have also been practising our letter formation and repeating the letter rhymes to help us form them correctly. We are also trying hard to develop our pen/pencil grip and control. We have been adding sound buttons along with learning about two letters that make one sound. We have tried hard to use our phonic knowledge in our independent time thinking carefully about the strategies we need to use to help us build words and develop sentence structure.

Well done reception! keep practising!

Our five R's 

The Beaver... Helps us to be resourceful.

We have been learning all about 'The Beaver' and what he stands for. We found out that he represents being resourceful. We listened to what the word 'resourceful' means and thought about how we have been resourceful in our independent learning time. We thought about what materials we needed to create some of our 'Traditional Tale' characters and what we needed to create other things in all of our different areas. The children came up with some really good thoughts to tell each other how they had been 'Resourceful'.

Well done to everyone in reception for thinking hard about this difficult word!

We can move in different ways!

We have been thinking about how to move our bodies in our P.E lessons. We thought about the traditional tales that we had been listening to and incorporated how we thought some of the characters might of moved on their adventures through the woods and across rivers. We went under bridges and trip trapped over them and jumped in and out of puddles on our way to Grandma's cottage.

Well done everyone some interesting ways to move your bodies!

Internet Safety Day!

We have been talking about how people use the internet and social media to stay in touch with friends and family, sharing thoughts and pictures with each other in a class discussion. We also listened to a speaker in assembly along with  year 1 and 2 to help us become more aware of the positives and negatives of using the internet and how to stay safe. In our PSE session we learned about ‘stranger danger’ through the story ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. The children showed some good understanding and delivered some good answers to our questions to help them think about what they ‘should’ and ‘should not do’ to help them to stay safe. The children got dressed up to act out what they might say as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters to help them understand this better.

Well done Reception for trying hard to understand how to be safe on...

Internet Safety Day!

Circle Time!

Learning about Chinese traditions! 

As part of our circle time this week we looked at some traditional objects that are part of Chinese culture. We looked at costumes and some of us got dressed up and we talked about how they looked different from the clothes we wear. We talked about the use of the parasol and hat and why we wear hats and use umbrellas for different reasons. We had a go at moving the dragon and tried to make him dance like he does at 'New Year' on the street as part of their celebrations. We also looked at some lucky money bags and learned that Chinese children receive these as presents usually in red envelops and that the 'red' colour is said to bring 'good luck' and keep 'bad luck' away. We also looked at the bowls and small dishes they use and how they look different to our kitchen accessories. We know they use chopsticks and we use knives and forks to eat food. We have found out so much about this culture and how we all celebrate

'New Year' differently but with some similarities.

Well done reception for understanding all about 'Chinese' culture and traditions!

Our five R's 

The Penguin... Helps us to be resilient.

We have been learning all about ‘The Penguin’ and what it stands for. We found out that he represent ‘resilience’. We listened to what the word ‘resilience’ means and thought about how we have been resilient in our independent learning time. We thought about the jobs we had been doing and talked about the things we found difficult to do and what we did to try and to improve our work.

The children came up with some really good answers and have tried to show us how they demonstrated ‘Resilience’ in their independent learning time.

Well done to everyone in reception for thinking hard about this difficult word!

Spring Chickens!

We were so excited when the chicks arrived. We have really enjoyed watching them hatch, feed, and grow. We enjoyed helping to take care of them for two weeks. We kept them warm using a special lamp and checked on them every day to make sure they had plenty food and water. We helped to keep their home clean and made sure they got some exercise to make their legs strong. We learned how to hold them carefully and they were so soft, cute and fluffy… We loved them. We now know so much about the 'Life cycle' of a chick and what they need to grow into hens and live happily on the farm. We loved taking care of them. Well done Reception!

Ball Skills!

In our P.E lesson we have been practising our ball control skills. First we sat down with a ball and practised rolling it on different parts of our bodies using one hand then the other. We tried hard to control the ball down one leg then up the other. We then rolled it up our arm round our neck and down the other arm. We then tried hard to roll it around our back then through our legs. We then worked in pairs to practise controlling rolling the ball to each other making sure we didn't roll it too far. After that we worked in groups rolling it through our friends legs, forwards then backwards which was a challenge. After gaining better control we played a game. We got into teams and had to run with a ball then stop half way and roll our ball into the hoop in the middle, some balls made it into the hoop, some didn't quite make it and some rolled to far. The team with the most balls in the hoop won. Finally we sat in a big circle and shouted the name of a friend opposite us and tried really hard to roll the ball directly to them. This was really good fun and we enjoyed developing our ball control skills.

Great work Reception!

Easter Fun!

We have been learning through a range of different ‘Easter’ related activities. We have created some fantastic chicks, bunnies, hens and lambs using various materials in our creative area and in the dough area. We developed our phonic knowledge and writing skills through a range of activities. We counted chicks on the maths table and some of us are beginning to write number sentences. We have created chicks and bunnies using the small construction blocks developing our ideas together. We have also enjoyed using our role play area as a farmhouse kitchen to develop our language skills. We have worked independently and as a team to get all of our important jobs done. What busy little bunnies we have been!