Location, location, location

Weekly update

This week is fantabulous!!! (not sure if this is actually a word but I like it and it sums up this week - BOOK WEEK)

The children will have the opportunity to dress up on Friday as a character from a traditional tale or nursery rhyme and there is a competition for the best costume. You will have the opportunity to purchase books from the fair held after school from Wednesday evening. We get 100% commission on the fair which results in lots of new and exciting resources for our school. Please come along and support us - every little helps! If your child goes to link club then please do not fret. The children will have the opportunity to browse the fair prior to its opening. If they want a particular book let us know we will let you know how much it is and then you can send in the correct amount. In saying all of this, the link clubs are great as they do set aside a particular day for the children to come to the fair, so try having a chat with them.

On to the nitty gritty of the week! What are the children learning?

A delivery? By whom? From whom? A mystery? Who you gonna call? No! Not Ghostbusters! The problem-solvers! On Monday, the children will be greeted with a rather large parcel.(Actually, the packaging from the new CD player in the hall, but one man's rags are another man's riches!) Who is it from? Ooooh let's open it and see... Haha! Straw? Sticks? A Brick? It can only be THE THREE LITTLE PIGS! (Los tres pequenos cerdos in spanish)

Your child can learn all about this story with a visit to the following website, highly recommened by my daughter Faith and myself:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/storycircle/fairystories/index.shtml?fairystories2

And for the adults... http://www.cupola.com/html/wordplay/3pigs.htm - if you have never read Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes then this is a real treat for you.

Communication, Language and Literacy
The children will learn about the key features of the traditional stories. These include:
Starting with 'Once upon a time' and ending with 'happily ever after';
The opening of the story includes a setting (time and place) and introduces the characters; -this may include the language ' a long time ago' etc
A series of events build up - the pigs mother said they had to leave home which resulted in them building the houses out of different materials
There is a complication with resulting events - the wolf manages to blow the straw and stick houses down resulting in them going to the third pigs house
There is a resolution and ending - the wolf is tricked and the pigs live happily ever after!

The discussion of these features can be applied to any traditional tale and later used when retelling a traditional tale in writing.

By the end of this week, the children:
MUST be able to match two rhyming words
SHOULD be able to continue a rhyming string e,g mat, cat, rat, sat
COULD be able to change the initial sound (the onset) of a word to create a new rhyming word

Help Your Child Improve Auditory Skills by Teaching then how to rhyme. Knowing how to rhyme will help your child read word "families" such as let, met, pet, wet, and get. They will notice that rhyming words have the same sound endings (rimes - no, this is the correct spelling) but different beginning sounds (onsets). Some words don't look the same: ache, cake, steak but they rhyme. To teach your child how to rhyme have a go at playing this game.

Body Name Game
How to Play:
Begin by modeling how to rhyme.
Point to parts of your body, say a rhyming word and your child should say the body part.
This puts rhyming into her ears with a visual cue (pointing).
If you point to your nose and say rose, they will automatically say nose.
Tell your child, "We are going to play a rhyming game.
Rhyming words have the same sound endings. I'm going to point to something on my body, and say a word. You're going to say the body part that rhymes. Okay?"
Give them two examples: "I'm pointing to my leg, and I say beg. You say leg. I'm pointing to my nose. I say rose, and you say nose.
Here's a list of body parts and rhyming words:

deer-ear, pail-nail, sack-back
go-toe, gum-thumb, put-foot
bye-eye, deck-neck, see-knee
bear-hair, fin-chin, band-hand
peek-cheek, farm-arm, feel-heel

When your child is able to do this, turn it around. Point to your knee and your child will say a rhyming word such as bee or me! When your child rhymes body parts, play this game:
Say, "I'm going to say a word and you'll tell me as many rhyming words as you can. I say bee." Your child then says words such as "he, she, we three, free, or agree."
Choose one-syllable words that are easy to rhyme with such as had, rat, man, fall, ten, red, big, fill, hop, dog, bug and sun. All of these have multiple words that rhyme.
A website you may want to visit it:
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/wprds/dgi.shtml
Happy rhyming!!!

Mathematical Development
WOW!!!!!!! We can't believe just how quickly the children have learned how to add two numbers by counting the two sets and combining them to find the total. This week, we would like to continue to develop the children's addition skills further. This week the children will focus on the vocabulary of addition and learn the strategy of 'counting on from the larger number' in order to speed up their addition of two numbers.

By the end of the week, the children:
MUST be able to practically combine two sets to find the total;
SHOULD be able to count on from the larger number when addit two numbers together;
COULD be able to understand and use a range of vocabulary associated with addition when completing the addition of two numbers.

The following websites should be useful:
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/ch1.shtml - click on the owl.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc-home/vtc-ey-home/vtc-ey-md/vtc-ey-md-number.htm - this site includes the story of different numbers and supports number recognition to 10. http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/toftwood/beaver.html - making totals of 10 www.ictgames.com/10pipe.html - select the number to match the pipe to save the whale.

Yes, this week is all about developing those property developers of the future! (Hence the title of the blog)

Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Creative Development
The children will review all the work they have done so far on transport - identifying modes of transport that travel by land, sea and air, and how transport has changed over time. The children have really loved this topic and have really developed their hidtorical understanding well. This week the children integrate their knowledge and understanding of the world activity with their creative development. They will encounter the work of the artist Fernand Leger. He created a piece of art titled ' The two cyclists, mother and child'. You can have a look for yourself by visiting the following website:
http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/exhibitionInfo/exhibition/17004
The children will discuss what they like and dislike about the piece of art and then create their own art work inspired by it. The children have been preparing for this week by developing their drawing skills.

In addition to this, the children will be working in teams with Miss Davies to create a house that the Big bad Wolf can not blow down. They will be allowed to select any materials they wish and each child is to have a role within the team i.e The BOSS! The GOFER! The PHOTOGRAPHER and the CLEANER. The children will get to test their models in our Golden Time Extravaganza when they will see which team has created the most stable house for the pigs...Basically they are going to use my hairdryer (so forgive the frizz for a week) to measure how far their house is blown. The house that doesn't 'budge' is the winner.

As if that wasn't enough the children will finally complete their final ICT painting of a mode of transport. We hope to have these displayed in the hall so why not pop in and have a look next week.

Physical Development
The children are really getting much better at changing for PE and getting dressed - thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. They had a great week last week, as the large apparatus was out and the changing of the children into monkeys in literacy really helped them climb those monkey bars!! (sorry couldn't resist!) We are going to be focusing on the children's ball skills. never one to miss an opportunity to review the children's previous learning, they will not call their balls 'balls' but 'spheres'. The children will develop the ability to roll, throw, kick and catch a ball in their PE lessons.

The children's fine motor skills are still developing well but we do need to continue to develop these so that they are able to communicate their knowledge in writing. Any support you can give at home to encourage your child to draw, cut with scissors etc would be greatly appreciated.
Here I Am
This week we move on to our final part of our topic on books. The majority of the children recognise the Bible and know that it is God's Holy Book. Please find below a prayer that you may wish to share with your child at home: The response is 'Thank you, God!'
For all the books that we use and enjoy
For all the people who write them
For all the artists who draw the pictures
For the photographers who take photographs
For everyone who works hard to make our books
For all that we learn
For this special Book, the Bible
For the stories of God's love.
The children will also be singing the song they have learned with Mrs Bishop in the Tuesday Infant Assembly titled 'Picture Books'.

In addition to this, the children will be celebrating that they have so many books, remembering the many different kinds of books we have and that are used on Sundays in church, and have the opportunity to renew their learning - What do they know now that they didn't know before?

Alas...we have now come to the end of our 'little' blog spot (always have been prone to exageration).

Have a great week. We know your child will!

Take care and best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx

It's a kind of magic!

Weekly update 22nd January 2007

So what's happening this week?

Communication, Language and Literacy
Last week was great fun! The children loved the recipe for making people SMILE.
Take:
One compliment
Two tickles
Three hugs
And abracadabra!!
This week we continue with our magical theme when the children will create their own spells. This will be closely linked with developing their understanding of recipes and the need to follow instructions. You may wish to practically support your child at home by baking or looking at recipe books. There are some great children's cook books around and involving your child in food preparation does make them want to eat it more readily. This week, without a doubt will be very interesting as the children will have to decide what to put into their spells. The stimulus for this will be provided through The Mantle of the Expert. The children will once again become problem-solvers. Wizard Why (aka Mrs Latham) will be visiting them with a problem. The wizard has lost his magic spell book. Can the problem-solvers create some new ones for him? Therefore the focus for this week is mainly on writing.

By the end of this week, the children:
MUST be able to hear and say the initial and final sounds in words;
SHOULD be able to hear, say and write the vowel sounds in simple three letter words;
COULD be able to write dominant sounds in words when writing independently.

In order for the children to achieve this, they need to continue to work on their phonological awareness. The following websites should prove useful in supporting your child at whatever level they are:
www.starfall.com/n/skills/vowels/load.htm?f - this is a movie about how vowels are important to words.
www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f - play any of the games up to game 5 and read books with the spelling pattern in.
www.starfall.com/n/matching/short-vowels/load.htm?f - the children must read the three letter word and then find the matching picture.
www.e-gfl.org/e-gfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/teacher/other/spark/itsagoal/itsagoal.html# - click on the link to play. This is a lovely website and I shall be using it as a teaching tool myself in class.

Running alongside the work on recipes, the children are continuing to experience the magic of traditional tales. The following websites are great for this:
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/storycircle/fairystories/jackbeanstalk/jack_s.shtml?cbeebies - from this link you can also look at other stories such as The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/rolymo/library/stories/rumple.shtml?fairy - by far my most favourite story - Rumplestiltskin!!!
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/assets/Flash%20Studio/cfslit/Storyseq/storyseq.swf - this asks the children to sequence the story of The Three Little Pigs.

Mathematical Development
We have covered quite alot of the curriculum for Shape, Space and Measure and now we move onto the Calculating. This week, we start our work on addition. Before, we teach the children any addition we ensure that they understand how to find one more than a given number. It may be worth a review at home too.

By the end of the week, the children:
MUST be able to find one more than a given number up to 10;
SHOULD be able to practically combine two sets of objects and find the total;
COULD be able to identify the larger number and count on from it to find the total of two sets.

This area of mathematics is key to the children and it is worth us taking our time and ensuring that their learning is firmly embedded. In your child's diary you will receive a sheet with Mr Adder on it. The snake contains the langauge the children need to understand and use when working on addition. Any opportunity you have to develop this langauge would be greatly appreciated. In addition to the snake, you will have a sheet with information regarding how to start your child off with learning about addition. Over the years I have looked for ways of helping children remember the process of adding two numbers, and finally, last year I found a solution!!! The children learn the mantra:
COUNT, COUNT, TOGETHER, COUNT
The children count out the two sets, put them together in a line and then count the total.

The following websites should be useful:
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/ch1.shtml - click on the owl.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc-home/vtc-ey-home/vtc-ey-md/vtc-ey-md-number.htm - this site includes the story of different numbers and supports number recognition to 10.
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/toftwood/beaver.html - making totals of 10
www.ictgames.com/10pipe.html - select the number to match the pipe to save the whale.

Topic Work
The children are continuing with the theme TRANSPORT. The role-play area has been changed into an areoplane for the children to play in. If your child has ever been on a plane then it would be great if you could remind them of what they had to do etc. This will then feed into their play. The children will be shown how to use the areoplane, make their own passport and boarding passes, etc.

Miss Davies was ill last week and so she will be working with the children, learning how to program the Roamer to move backwards. In addition to this, the children will continue to develop their mouse skills by exploring the use of other tools on the ICT art package before completing a final piece of art work on a transport theme.

The large apparatus was out last week and the children were so excited. They were asked to explore ways of travelling on, under, over and around the apparatus. This week, we will be assessing the children on the skills they learned last week.

As part of our endeavour to teach the children Spanish, they will learn the names of some modes of transport in spanish.

Here I Am
The children will be continuing to learn about books and in particular The Bible. The children have really enjoyed listening to the stories of Jesus. You may wish to share some with your child at home. This week we look at the story of Jesus in the temple. The children will be acting out the story using props, and then individually sequencing the story using pictures.

And finally...
Unfortunately the wind did not allow us to take our walk to Honiton Square. However, we will aim to go at some point in the half term.

Have a great week!

Best wishes

Jayne Nararway and the Foundation Stage Team xx

Izzy Wizzy Let's Get Busy!!!

Weekly update for week beginning 15th January 2007

Who would leave a trail of shiny pebbles throughout our classroom? Who would need to leave a trail? Yes! Watch your step as you enter the classroom on Monday for we have had visitors. Who could they have been?

This week The Jolly Postman continues his travels posting a letter to the Wicked Witch's Gingerbread House from the traditional tale, Hansel and Gretel. Finally, our interactive whiteboard is in full working order and the children will be able to share the electronic version using the following website:
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/somethingspecial/stories/hanselandgretel.shtml
But what does he deliver I hear you ask? The contents of the correspondence includes an advertisement for goods for the witch to purchase to make her magic potions. YES!!! You've guessed it! WE are going to practise being magicians this week.

Communication, Langauge and Literacy
Through the text 'The Jolly Postman' the children will learn about advertisements and recipes. They will be shown a recipe for a special cake which will make them SMILE!!! The children will learn about the way in which a recipe is set out and its purpose. You may want to don those aprons and reinforce this with a little Delia personating! There are only a few websites that I found to support this:
www.britishcouncil.org/kids-print-spell.pdf - this gives a spell and the children can then make their own up. I'd love to see any they do make up for themselves.
www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-magic-spell.htm - this tells the story of Billy and Tom's magic spell.

The writing task for this week will be to create their own magical spell, complete with gruesome, disgusting and revolting ingredients and the ever-so-important magic words. I know we will have GREAT fun with this! (My mind is already doing overtime at the thought of what to add to my spell when I am modelling the writing)

We can have lots of fun with the content of our writing, but as always, we must continue to work on the basics. This week I will be assessing the children again on their letter sound and name recognition as I feel that we are now ready to move onto the next stage in their phonological development. This year group have been particularly impressive with the speed at which they have acquired the letter sounds and names. Many thanks for your partnership in this. The following websites are great to help your child with their learning.
www.starfall.com - the old ones are the best!
www.atschool.eduweb.co.uk/toftwood/machine.html

By the end of this week the children:
MUST be able to hear and say the initial sounds in words;
SHOULD be able to identify the initial and final sounds in words;
COULD be able to identify the initial, medial and final sounds in a simple three-letter word, spelling it independently.

As always, the children will have a rich experience of literature with the telling of many traditional tales during story time. Please continue to read stories to your child. They fill their minds with imagination which comes out in their play and in eventually in their writing.

Mathematical Development
This week we return to looking at shape. However, we do continue to work on number recognition and capacity. I love doing shape as it gives me a license to plan for lots of creative activities! You should have received a sheet with information regarding the langauge we use in your child's reading diary on Friday.

By the end of this week, the children:
MUST begin to use mathematical names for flat 2-D shapes and mathematical terms to describe the shapes.
SHOULD use language such as circle or bigger to describe the shape and size of flat shapes. Begin to name flat shapes such as circle, triangle, square, rectangle, star.
COULD begin to name solid shapes such as cube, pyramid, cone and sphere and use everyday language to describe familiar 3-D shapes including cube, cuboid, sphere, pyramid, cylinder and cone referring to properties such as shapes of flat faces and the number of shapes or corners.

I found loads of websites on the internet that support this area of learning. Here goes!
http://demo.iboard.co.uk/screens/thread_home.htm?thread_id=2 - this is a fab website and, although it is an evaluation copy, the children can still use it to colour in shape pictures, move shapes to make a picture and make patterns/pictures with 2d shapes.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/build_game/eng/Introduction/default.htm - this looks at shape patterns with 3d shapes.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/build_it/eng/Introduction/default.htm
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/maths/maerdy_2d/frames.asp - the children must guess the shapes from their properties. This extends the children beyond the Foundation Stage!
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/funandgames/flash/pictureperfect/pictureperfect.html - the children must match the shapes before the timer runs out.
www.rainforestmaths.com - if you select reception and patterns then the children can make patterns with shapes. The activities under SPACE for 2d and 3d shapes are great too. However, to stretch the children I would aim for the Year 1 activities which ask the children to sort according to their properties and guess both 2d and 3d shapes from their descriptions.

We always continue to work on the children's understanding of number throughout any week regardless of the topic focus. This week we work on recognition of numbers and the ordering random numbers. These websites support this:

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/games/find_the.shtml

www.ictgames.com/postletter.html - the children post the letter through the correct letter box working with numbers to 20;

www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/online_downloads.htm - the children are asked to order random numbers;

www.learningplanet.com/act/rats/rats1.htm?rats_numbers - love it!! You can actually put n the numbers your child needs to learn

www.primaryonline.co.uk/sitetour/pol/findra.html - find the missing number activities

Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Creative Development

We continue on the topic of transport, but after asking the children to draw modes of transport that travel on the land, in the air and on the sea, we found that we desparately need to work on the children's drawing skills. Therefore, the activities for Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Creative Development will be closely linked. The children will be taught how to draw simple representations of cars, hot air balloons, lorries etc. Any time you could give to this at home would be greatly appreciated. We will be drawing modes of transport using pencils and also the computer art package called Dazzle. In addition to this the children will be using clay to create a tile with a mode of tranport on it as a gift for Father's Day in June - Yes June!

ICT will feature heavily this week with the continuation of the children's programming skills. This week they will learn how to program the Roamer to go backwards. As part of their learning in Mathematical Development, they will learn how to work our new 'toy' the BEEBOT too.

Here I Am
This week we move on to RELATE where the children will learn about the books that are used on a Sunday in church. They will have the opportunity to look at a child's missal and a Mass book. A visit to church, if you do not already attend, will provide a real context for the work we are doing in class.

Of course, if I was to type in everything we did throughout the week both you and I would have cobwebs dangling from us!

So finally...

The children make their journey to Honiton Square on Thursday to deliver their letters to Goldilocks. What will the outcome be??? Please remember to sign your child's diary to give permission for them to go. I am currently working on organising a visit to either the Science and Industry Museum to look at the old modes of transport there (indulging myself in my passion for history) or to Manchester Airport. If anyone has any contacts to enhance the children's experiences please feel free to let me know.

Oh! Just one more thing...

The Golden Time treat for this week will be...a 3d shape party!!

Take care and have a great week.

Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx

Who ate the porridge?

Weekly update week beginning 8th January 2007

We are looking forward to a full week this week as we were a little too ambitious last week aiming to pack so much into the two days we had. Therefore, you may see a little repetition from last week's blog in this week.

Uniform
As you may have read on the school newsletter, we are ensuring that all children wear the correct uniform for school. Each teacher has been asked to talk to their class about the correct attire for school from their bobbles to their shoes. On 'inspection' of the children in the Foundation class we were really pleased with the level of smartness and adherence to the school uniform and we thank you for this. There are only two things to mention:

Girls must always have their hair tied up in a bobble that must be either black or navy blue.
If girls are wearing tights on cold days, they must be plain navy, black or grey, and likewise socks must we either grey, white or navy.

We have taught the children a catchphrase to help them understand the importance of looking smart - 'Look Smart, Think Smart'

Here I Am
As you are aware from last week's blog, we are starting our topic on BOOKS. This links in very well with our literacy activities for the half term also. There are clear expectations for the children in RE and they are as follows:
By the end of the topic the children:
MUST be to name some of their favourite books, know that books are used in church on a Sunday and that the Bible is a special book;
SHOULD be able to identify different books used in the classroom, know that special books are used in church on Sunday and be able to retell some of the story of the Presentation and know that it comes from the Bible;
COULD be able to sort a variety of books into different categories, say why the Bible is special for the family of Jesus and know the names of some different books people use in church on a Sunday.

This week we will be looking at three areas of the Here I Am curriculum. The children will to RECOGNISE some different books, REFLECT on the different books used in the classroom and RESPECT there are many different kinds of books. By the end of the week we hope that all children know and understand that there are a variety of different books.

For Golden Time on Friday, the children are allowed to bring in their favourite book to share with the rest of the class. They will need to be able to tell us the title and explain why they like the book so much. Please place the book in your child's reading bag to avoid any mix-ups with our books in school. Thanks.

Communication, Language and Literacy
Our work on traditional stories got off to a flying start last week with the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children role-played the story and tasted some of Ma Latham's special porridge during Golden Time. This week the children will use the story 'The Jolly Postman' as a stimulus to much of their literacy work and ICT activities. The children left a bowl of porridge out on Friday becuase they read in a newspaper that there was a 'porridge burglar' on the prowl!!! They decided to leave a trap. Will it still be there on Monday??? Doesn't take a genius to work out that it won't be. It's all part of the master plan!!

The porridge will be eaten and a letter from Goldilocks will be delivered by The Jolly Postman (aka Mrs Latham) at sometime during the first part of the morning, apologising for taking the porridge again. We hope that this will stimulate the children to write a response on the writing table.

The text for this week, The Jolly Postman, starts with him visiting the Three Bears Cottage with a letter from Goldilocks. The text is rhythmic and includes rhyme to consolidate the children's previous learning. The children will learn about the purpose and organisation of letters and the task for them is to write a letter of response back as if they are Baby Bear.

The Jolly Postman visits the Gingerbread House from Hansel and Gretel next week and therefore, we will read the story in class. You can find a lovely electronic big book on the following website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/somethingspecial/stories/hanselandgretel.shtml

We are also continuing with the children's phonological development through a series of structured activities which support their reading and writing. By the end of the week, the children:
MUST know five new letter names/sounds;
SHOULD be able to identify and write the initial and final sounds in simple three letter words;
COULD be able to spell simple three letter words such as cat, man, pit etc
The following websites will support this:
http://www.atschool.eduweb.co.uk/toftwood/machine.html - the children look at the object and then select the three letter word to match it bu sounding out the words and blending the sounds together.
www.ictgames.com/phonic_fighter4.html - a game to support letter identification
www.starfall.com - by far the best website for letter recognition but make sure they use the letters they are unfamiliar with. The updated list should help.

The children are progressing well but their handwriting is one thing that may hinder their ability to communicate their skills in a written form. Thank you for your support in completing your child's handwriting homework. We will now be stepping up a gear in order to help the children write more proficiently and therefore, demonstrate their learning. You can support this by encouraging your child to colour in pictures, play with play dough, thread pasta on string or wool, any activity involving small finger movements.

This website is worth a look at:

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/learn_y4/main.asp?lesson_path=year_4/matching_level_2&lesson_file=lesson.swf&language=eng - This is a great website. The children can play snap with high frequency words, letters amd lower and upper case.


Mathematical Development
We will be continuing our work on weight and capacity. By the end of the week, the children: MUST be able to order two objects by capacity;
SHOULD be able to use language such as more, less, full, half full and empty to compare two quantities (then more than two) by making direct comparisons of capacities;
COULD be able to compare two or more capacities by direct comparison, measure using uniform non-standard units (e.g. yogurt pots), or standard units (e.g. litre jugs) and understand and use the vocabulary related to capacity.

MUST be able to order two objects by weight;
SHOULD be able to use language such as more or less, heavier or lighter to compare two quantities, then more than two, by making direct comparisons of masses;
COULD be able to compare two or more masses by direct comparison, Measure using uniform non-standard units (e.g. wooden cubes), or standard units (e.g. plastic weights) and understand and use the vocabulary related to mass.

Due to postal delays over Christmas and New Year the children did not receive their parcel from Mr Measure. It will arrive on Monday, delivered by The Jolly Postman. Inside the parcel will be some measuring items - a pan balance, scales, objects for measuring, bottles, jugs, funnels etc. A letter will be enclosed asking the children to help him answer some very difficult questions. Can they help? (Yes they can!!) They will set about comparing objects by weight and capacity.

The children always enjoy this type of mathematical activity but each year the stumbling block is the VOCABULARY used to compare the objects being measured. Any support you can give to this at home would be greatly appreciated. What language do the children need to develop?

WEIGHT - weigh, weighs, balances, heavy, light, heavier, lighter, heaviest, lightest, scales - please note that children do mix up the term 'lighter' with that associated with colour and light.
CAPACITY - full, half full, empty, holds, container, holds more, holds less

Here is a great website to support this area of learning.
http://www.rainforestmaths.com/ - If you click on the Kindergarten/Reception link then on 'mass' and 'capacity'. I loved this website but think the children could have a go at the Year 1 level. Feel free to make use of the other games too.

Although this is a fab website, the best way of learning these concepts is through play and activities around the house. An opportunity for comparing weight may arise when you are putting the shopping away in the cupboard, which is heavier/lighter the beans or the rice? Likewise for capacity, bath time is the most obvious time to support language development. Take plastic container and compare which holds more/less? How many cups does it take to fill the larger bowl? Believe me, this does stick because it is a different environment for learning.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World
In ICT this half term we focus on the use of an art package to create pictures on the computer. Linked with the half term topic on Transport, the children will be asked to choose an mode of transport to create a picture of using the shape tools. The children:
MUST be able to select a colour from the colour palette;
SHOULD be able to change the colour and create a shape using the shape tools on the program;
COULD be able to change the colour, create a shape and use the flood fill tool with some degree of independence.
Each group of children going into the ICT suite will have a challenge to create a certain mode of transport. If you do not have an art package for children to use at home, you can always use the paint program under accessories on your home computer.

We will also be teaching the children how to program a programmable robot. The children love it! The Roamer will be dressed up as The Jolly Postman and he needs to deliver the letter to The Three Bears Cottage. The children must programme the Roamer to move from the Post Office to the Three Bears Cottage on the floor map provided. As the half term goes on the children will have to visit other characters from the text and this will involve extending the children's programming skills to involve making the Roamer move backwards and making turns. (That is once we ourselves have mastered it!!)

In addition to this, the children will be sorting modes of transport according to whether they travel on land, on the sea or by air. They will also be classifying different forms of transport according to given criteria e.g Can fly by has no wings etc.

Physical Development
The children will be learning to move in different ways and refining their movements before working on large climbing apparatus next week. The children have a great song and story as the stimulus called The Animal Boogie, from which they will warm up their bodies before the main part of the lesson. Please make sure your child has a PE kit in school that is clearly labelled. Could I also ask that their names are marked on the OUTSIDE of the bag for quick identification. Thanks.

Finally, thank you for encouraging your child to come into school on their own.

I bet your week was as exciting as ours!!

Take care

Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxxx

Feliz Ano Nuevo

Weekly update week beginning 1st January 2007

Happy New Year to one and all! What an exciting half term we have in store too!

This half term the theme of our work is TRANSPORT.

So what is happening on Thursday and Friday?

Although we only have two days of this week, they will be action-packed as usual.

Here I Am
We begin our new Here I Am topic titled 'Books'. On Thursday, the children will introduced to the topic by enabling them to recognise that there are all kinds of different books. The children will explore a selection of books, including story, picture, information, workbooks and big books. They will be encouraged to answer questions such as:
What kind of book is it?
What is it about?
What is it for?
What does it tell you?
How does it begin?
How does it end?
Which books do you like and why?
Which books don't you like and why?
On Friday, the children will experience the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with props and a story board to support their love of books and stories. This will be closely linked with our Communication, Langauge and Literacy work. You may wish to support this by look at and sharing different types of books in the home with your child.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Now that the Christmas carol service and production practices and performances are over, the weekly PE sessions will resume. Yes! You've guessed it! So it's back to fastening buttons and getting dressed independently again. Our aim is to have EVERY child dressing and undressing independently by the end of this half term. Please can you check that your child's PE kit still has their name in it and that their pumps fit?

In addition to this, we really focus on developing the children's attention and concentration skills now. We do expect the children to develop rapidly from Christmas onwards and good attention and concentration skills are vital.

In order to develop the children's turn taking and sharing skills, I would like to set up a 'games workshop' on Wednesdays from 2.30pm. The children are to come in from playtime and then be split into small groups to play games like, snakes and ladders, number games, dominoes etc. The timing of this is to make it more accessible for parents to become involved in a small way in supporting the work in class. If you would like to become a 'games master' please call in and see a member of the team. Once we have enough adults we will be able to start the workshops.

Communication, Language and Literacy
After a very successful first term the children are doing extremely well with this area of learning. We have been amazed at the speed at which the children have developed their letter sounnd/name recognition. This good foundation of basic phonics will be the key that opens the door to your child's love of reading and writing. Thank you for all your support in this. If your child knows most of the letter sounds and symbols then maybe try boosting their high frequency words as now they know the letters the initial letter can give them a clue to the high frequency words. This half term the children will be experiencing the magical world of traditional fairy stories. On Thursday and Friday, the children will use the text Golidlocks and the Three Bears in preparation for the following week's surprise! I shall say no more!!!

The children:
MUST be able to identify the main characters in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears;
SHOULD be able to identify the main events in sequential order;
COULD be able to retell the story in the correct order using the appropriate story language.

If you would like to share the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears on the computer, then the websites below are good. However, nothing beats a cuddle and a story with Mummy, Daddy, Grandma or Grandad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/snapdragon/yesflash/story.htm
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-goldilocks.htm - this is an animated version
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/storycircle/fairystories/

This website is also worth a look at:

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/learn%5Fy4/main.asp?lesson_path=year_4/matching_level_2&lesson_file=lesson.swf&language=eng - This is a great website. The children can play snap with high frequency words, letters amd lower and upper case.

Mathematical Development
As we only have two days, the children will work on WEIGHT (after an indulgent Christmas and New Year, very topical!) and CAPACITY.

The children:
MUST be able to order two objects by capacity;
SHOULD be able to use language such as more, less, full, half full and empty to compare two quantities (then more than two) by making direct comparisons of capacities;
COULD be able to compare two or more capacities by direct comparison, measure using uniform non-standard units (e.g. yogurt pots), or standard units (e.g. litre jugs) and understand and use the vocabulary related to capacity.

MUST be able to order two objects by weight;
SHOULD be able to use language such as more or less, heavier or lighter to compare two quantities, then more than two, by making direct comparisons of masses;
COULD be able to compare two or more masses by direct comparison, Measure using uniform non-standard units (e.g. wooden cubes), or standard units (e.g. plastic weights) and understand and use the vocabulary related to mass.

The children will receive a parcel from Mr Measure. Inside the parcel will be some measuring items - a pan balance, scales, objects for measuring, bottles, jugs, funnels etc. A letter will be enclosed asking the children to help him answer some very difficult questions. Can they help? (Yes they can!!) They will set about comparing objects by weight and capacity. The children always enjoy this type of mathematical activity but each year the stubling block is the VOCABULARY used to compare the objects being measured. Any support you can give to this at home would be greatly appreciated.

What langauge do the children need to develop?

WEIGHT - weigh, weighs, balances, heavy, light, heavier, lighter, heaviest, lightest, scales - please note that children do mix up the term 'lighter' with that associated with colour and light.

CAPACITY - full, half full, empty, holds, container, holds more, holds less

Here is a great website to support this area of learning.

http://www.rainforestmaths.com/ - If you click on the Kindergarten/Reception link then on 'mass' and 'capacity'. I loved this website but think the children could have a go at the Year 1 level. Feel free to make use of the other games too.

Although this is a fab website, the best way of learning these concepts is through play and activities around the house. An opportunity for comparing weight may arise when you are putting the shopping away in the cupboard, which is heavier/lighter the beans or the rice? Likewise for capacity, bath time is the most obvious time to support language development. Take plastic container and compare which holds more/less? How many cups does it take to fill the larger bowl? Believe me, this does stick because it is a different environment for learning.

The rest of the Curriculum
The children will learn to program the programmable toy called a Roamer and will be working in the ICT suite playing on the www.starfall.com website to support their letter recognition. They will also talk about the different types of transport they know and possibly learn about some new ones too. The children will be asked to complete either a painting or collage of a mode of tranpsort.

http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/display.php?id=291 - This website allows the children to create modes of transport using 2d shapes. They can change the shape, colour, size and orientation of the shapes being used.

Goodness me! What a lot to fit into two days!

Finally, could we please ask that you encourage your child to come into school on their own from now on. For any child who experiences dificulties still, just take it step by step.

Thanks and here's to another great term!

Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx

Navidad Feliz

Weekly update for week beginning 18th December 2006

Can you believe it? Your child has now done a full term in school and what a term it has been! the children are all fully settled now and the speed of progress the children are making is fantastic. May I take this opportunity to thank you all for your part in the partnership between home and school. Your child's progress is evident of the hard work yourselves and the school put in.

We had a fabulous time at the cathedral and Mr Barker was full of praise and admiration for the children. We even got to have our photograph took infront of the nativity scene. I have placed the photograph on the desktop of the Interactive Whiteboard if you want to have a look at it.

This week is only short but nevertheless action packed with seasonal activities. On Monday, the children will have a some-what normal afternoon (if it is at all possible to call the foundation Stage 'normal) which will be followed by their Christmas Party and a visit from Father Christmas himself! No expense spared for our little treasures! We would like to thank Mrs Lockett who works with us on a Thursday and a Friday for trudging around the shops for gifts for the children. The children do not have to be in their school uniform for this day and can come donned in the latest fashion, hair gel, etc. PS Don't forget their dancing shoes!

Tuesday morning the children will be practising for the Christmas carol service which is being led by the 'giants' of our school - the Year 5/6 children. Our class will be singing Rat-a-tat-tat, Horrid Herod and Away in a manger with the rest of Key Stage 1. Although space is very limited, you are welcome to attend the carol service on Wednesday morning (as long as you join in with the singing!)

Wednesday is obviously the carol service and the children have a lovely day. The children are allowed to bring in a toy to play with. We do encourage the children to bring in a toy that the can share with a friend e.g a card game, Buckaroo, Hungry Hippos, etc (I love those!!) They are finally treated to a pantomime performed in the school hall by our parents. We all have a great laugh! Last year I had to do a 'bush-tucker trial' involving jelly and creepy-crawlies. The children love it (and secretly so do the staff). All in all, the children go out on a high and are ready to drive you mental over the Christmas holidays. Ha ha ha!!! Please don't worry for I too have a three year old excited to the point of explosion to contend with over the Christmas break.

In addition to this, we will be completing our assessments of the children. WOW!!! is the word that comes to mind so far as we collate our information. Please remember to check out your child's diary for information on the letter names, sounds and numbers they need to work on as well as any other additional information we may need to pass on.

After lulling you into a false sense of security, I have found a series of websites which you can use to give your child a 'taster' of what is in store for the New Year. These should keep them busy over the holidays.

www.ictgames.com/letterlifter.html - develops letter recognition and keyboard awareness
www.ictgames.com/phonic_fighter4.html - love it!!
www.ictgames.com/plankgameR.html - remember to keep those high frequency words going.
www.ictgames.com/lcwc.html - type in your own spellings to learn
www.ictgames.com/machine.html - look at the picture then blend the sounds together to read the words and click on the matching one. Remember to use pure sounds.
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/games/find_the.shtml - fnd the number that matches the one under Bill's feathers
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/numbertime/games/snakes.shtml - snakes and ladders for one and two players
www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/numorder.swf - ordering random numbers
www.ictgames.com/caterpillar_slider.html - ordering random numbers
http://pbskids.org/lions/games/ears2.html - hearing the initial and final sounds in words and matching the letter symbol
www.ictgames.com/postletter.html - number recognition game
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/christmas/santa%20count.html - a little festive counting
http://pbskids.org/lions/games/pounce2.html - using the initial letter to identify words

And for some Christmas fun...
http://www.merry-christmas.com/games/games.htm

http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/christmas/ Christmas resources from Northumberland Grid for Learning.

http://www.btinternet.com/~tony.poulter/xmas/xmastlinks.htm

http://members.tripod.com/~newyearseve/

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html

http://www.star28.net/snow.html hilarious!! the penguin will write your message in the snow - perhaps you could write the high frequency words.

http://dingo.care2.com/cards/new/0422/Do-a-rain-deer.swf play the reindeer noses!!

http://www.icq.com/friendship/pages/browse_page_7944.html reindeer band

http://www.bry-backmanor.org/actpag75.html a to z of Christmas book

The children have also been working extremely hard on their Christmas gifts for you and you will eventually get to see them this week.

Thats all folks!

Have a fantastic Christmas and an amazing New Year.

Mmmmm...what will we be up to in 2007?????

Take care

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team xxx

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Weekly update week beginning 11th December 2006

Hi there!

Didn't they do well? The children really did us proud in the Christmas Production last week. It just shows how much their confidence has developed in such a short space of time. many thanks for the lovely costumes. I am sure that you saw how they added 'sparkle' to the performance. Now the week of the production is over we have more festive treats in store.

Monday - the whole school will be going to the Gatheway Theatre to watch 'The Wizard of Oz'. Please remember to be in school for 8.15am for an early registration.
Tuesday - In the afternoon we shall be going to Liverpool Catherdral for the carol service. Please note that the children will be returning late from this. You can collect your child in the normal way from the classroom door at about 4pm. The children may take a small gift for a child less fortunate than themselves to present at the altar whilst we are there. We are very lucky to be going to the catherdral. It is a magical experience for the children.

But what about the rest of the week?

This week is dedicated to assessment and review of the the learning the children have experienced since the start of this half term. It is a time when we stand back in amazement at the swift progress the children have made and set challenging targets for the Spring Term. Therefore, any of the websites from previous blogs can be used to review the children's learning. At the beginning of the final week, you will receive an update on your child's progress.

Mathematical Development
We will be looking at shape, pattern, number recognition, counting and finding one more/less than a given number.

For pattern making, the children:
MUST be able to continue a repeating pattern
SHOULD be able to create a two colour repeating pattern
COULD be able to create a repeating pattern with up to four colours.

For shape the children:
MUST be able to name a circle, square, rectangle and triangle
SHOULD be able to talk about how many sides and corners each shape has
COULD be able to describe the properties of a 2d shape.

For counting, the children:
MUST be able to count 6 objects reliably
SHOULD be able to count10 objects reliably
COULD be able to count 20 objects reliably

For one more/less, the children:
MUST be able to practically find one more and one less than up to 6 objects
SHOULD be able to practically find one more and one less than up to 10 objects
COULD be able to mentally find one more and one less than a given number up to 10.

For number recognition, this information will be given to you via your child's reading diary.

Communication, Language and Literacy
We will be assessing the children on their understanding and ability to rhyme.

The children:
MUST be able to recognise rhyming words in familiar contexts
SHOULD be able to match rhyming pairs
COULD be able to continue a rhyming string.

The children's high frequency words and spellings will be updated also. In addition to this, the children's letter sound and name recognition will be updated and reported to you. Some children will be assessed for the next level in their reading.

Other areas of the curriculum
The children are busily creating their Christmas gifts for you and this week they will be making a party hat for their Christmas dinner. We will be continuing with our Advent tasks and the story of the birth of Jesus. The role play area has been changed to the stable in bethlehem ready for the children to re-enact the story. Much of this week will be devoted to the Christmas story.

Did the tree get its decorations?
Yes, Timmy Tree did get some decorations made for him. One little girl wrote a letter back to the tree. I wonder if she will get a reply?!?

That's all for this week. Relatively short but sweet!

Take care

Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team

Shining Stars and Shimmering Snowflakes!

Weekly update week beginning 4th December 2006

Navidad Feliz (Spanish for Happy Christmas)

Tis' the season to be jolly tralalalala - lalalala...Yes, in my book it is officially Christmas now we are in the twelth month of the year! Wow! What a start the the month we have with a long awaited Christmas Production 'A Christmas Rose'. Many thanks to you all for making sure the costumes were in on time and Mrs Johnson for coming in and checking them and fitting the tinsel to size. I am sure you are looking forward to the performances as much as the children are eager to strut their stuff. However, even the most talented and well-seasoned performers suffer from fatigue after a week of being on the stage. Please expect your child to be tired this week, and it is for this reason that we will not be expecting them to complete their handwriting homework this week.

Here I Am, Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Communication, Language and Literacy
This week we will be combining the children's learning in these three areas. The children will use a text which tells the Christmas Story. Throughout the week, the children will learn about the build up to the birth of Jesus, the angel's visit to Mary and the shepherds, etc. The class target for this week is to share the Christmas Story with your child. Whilst reading our text, the children will learn about the use of the pictures in conjunction with the initial letters in supporting their word identification.

As always we will be developing the children's letter recognition and we are amazed at the progress the children are making in this area of the curriculum. I don't think we have ever moved so swiftly through them. Many thanks for all your support in helping your child at home. Once the children do know them, they will spread their wings and fly!

Mathematical Development
I love this week's topic - pattern making (only because it means more paint, glitter and sequins). Many of the children entered school being able to copy a repeating pattern. Therefore we will be concentrating on developing their ability to continue and create their own repeating pattern. The websites below will be used in class to teach your child and I am more than happy for you to use them at home.
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/assets/Flash%20Studio/cfsey/beads.html - this site can just be used to review the children's ability to copy a pattern.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/simple_patterns/eng/Introduction/default.htm - the children are asked to make patterns with 2d shapes, colours and pictures.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/building_game/eng/Introduction/default.htm - this is an extension of the above one with the children making patterns with 3d shapes.
If your child can do the above and create their own repeating pattern with at least three different colours then the next website will provide a challenge for them. It is actually a Year1 activity!
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/patterns_and_patterns/eng/Introduction/default.htm - the children have to solve problems involving patterns.
http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk/server.php?request=cmVzb3VyY2UuZnVsbHZpZXc=&resourceId=11770 -(with all the letters in this url address I'll be amazed if this link works!) - click on 'simple repeating patterns' under the 'materials' heading on the right hand side.

You can also practice pattern making using the cutlery - knife, fork, spoon etc as well as socks, pencils, blocks etc.

Creative Development
This week is the week when we blitz our Christmas decoration making. The children will be making their very own Christmas baubles, so be sure to leave a space right in the middle of your tree for it. They will also be making a table decoration fit to don even the most decadent of tables as well as making their Christmas cards. You may have noticed that we have gone a little multi-lingual this year. As a school we are trying to develop Spanish as our modern foreign language, and so do not be surprised if your child comes out with the odd phrase or two and the insert of your Christmas card can't be understood! Unfortunately for us the children are picking it up faster than we are!

Musically, the children will be adding musical accompaniment to the song Little Donkey. Mrs Bishop has been working with the infant children to learn Away in a manger and Rat-a-tat-tat for the production. They sound fantastic so many thanks to her. This may be the next song for the children to learn.

Physical Development
Get those scissors out and start making some snowflakes. If you'd like to do one on the computer try out this website:
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/ - move the scissors around until the centre turns from red to green and then click. Create the outline by doing this of the shape you want to cut out and then you can see the finished product. My neice loved this one! If you want to be really clever though there is a website that has some great 3d snowflakes. I make one with Olivia, my niece of 6years, and it wasn't too stressful.
www.talentedkidzone.com/crafts/flakehowto.html

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Many thanks to you for persevering with the children in getting changed on their own. We can see a real improvement. Please carry on though. I'm smiling as I type this, as I know we face the task of getting twenty-two boys into tights this week!

As part of the children learning about their own culture, they will be completing Advent tasks. each window on the calendar has a task for them to do. Last Friday the children had to say thank you every time in spanish. This type of activity will also allow the children to maintain their high standard of discipline and care for one another.

So what is the surprise for the children this week?
A letter will be hanging from our bare Christmas Tree. BOO HOO! The tree is sad and asks that the children make it some decorations and in return it has left a surprise for the children in the box under the tree. It says they can only open the box on Friday after they have done their performances and its Big Brother will be watching them in the hall (aka the Christmas Tree in the school hall).

Can you believe it? I've finished!

Enjoy the week

Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team x

Starlights and Snowflakes

Week beginning 27th November 2006

This is our final week of practising the Christmas Production ' The Christmas Rose'. The children have been amazing! We are so proud of them and they have all been eager to take their position on the stage and take part. I would recommend that you get your tissues at the ready, for you will cry with amusement as well as pride. Mrs Higgins, Mrs Latham and myself have been prone to the odd tear or two so far, and they aren't even our little angels.

In order for you to see a performance fit for 'The Palladium', much of this week will be taken polishing our performance in the hall with the year one and two classes. However, we will be keeping to the basics of reading, handwriting and mathematics throughout the week.

Here I Am
As our topic develops about GIFTS we ask that the children bring a treasured gift in to school to share during Circle Time. The children will need to be able to say WHEN they received the gift, WHO gave it to them, and WHY it is so special to them. Please place your child's gift into a labelled bag and send it in on Friday. We promise that it will be returned the very same day. As a stimulus to this, and a build up throughout the week, a mystery gift with a label saying 'To Tina Tinsel from Gordon Glitter' (oh believe me it gets worse as the year goes on!) will be left in the classroom for the children to guess what is inside. On Friday, Mrs Higgins will be in character for our Mantle of the Expert as Tina Tinsel. She will come in to see the problem-solvers because she was expecting a parcel from her friend Gordon Glitter and it hasn't arrived. Of course the problem solvers will know where the parcel is, but when Tina Tinsel opens the box the present has broken and she is unsure what it was. The children are to use the pieces throughout the week to support their learning in Knowledge and Understanding of the World.

Do you have those Advent calendars at the ready? Although the chocolate is scrummy and delicious, please be sure to explain to your child that Advent is a time when we await Christmas, the celebration of God's gift of Jesus. Throughout the next few weeks we will be sharing the Christmas story with the children and changing our home corner into the stable in Bethlehem. A lovely electronic book telling the nativity story can be found on the following website:
www.topmarks.co.uk/christianity/nativity/index.htm

We will be having our own home-made Advent calendar. Inside each numbered pocket will be a deed the children have to accomplish for the day e.g say somthing nice to someone or help a friend, etc.

Communication, Language and Literacy
As we are doing 'gifts' in Here I Am, we have decided to concentrate on labels this week in Communication, Language and Literacy. On the writing table the children will have tags to write on for gifts they wish to send. We will be looking at the different external parts of the human face and body and labelling them. This will enable the children to start using the initial letters in words as a cue to supporting their word identification when reading.

We will also be looking at the sounds that appear at the beginning and end of words. The children are now rapidly starting to hear these words and therefore, we are focusing on communicating the sounds they hear into their writing.

Whilst on the subject of writing, can I express our pleasure at how well the children are coming on in their handwriting skills. Your support at home completing the handwriting homework enables the speed the children progress through the letters to be much faster than if we were only doing it at school.

Any of the previous letter recognition websites detailed in this blog are suitable for this week's tasks. The sooner the children know their letter sounds and letter names, the quicker their reading and writing develops.

Mathematical Development
We did not get as much of our work on symmetry done as we would have liked last week. Therefore, we are going to spend this week on it as well. The children will be dip-dying fabrics to make a symmetrical square, investigating which letters and shapes are symmetrical, as well as making funky symmetrical masks.

Alongside this the children will be continuing to focus on finding one more and one less than a given number.
www.ictgames.com/mucky.html - you may wish to go over the term 'less' with your child to enable them to find one less.
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/maths/counting/rocket%20count.html

Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Time is limited due to the rehearsal of our Christmas production. However, to elaborate on the Mantle of the Expert for this week, inside the gift will be a selection of construction pieces. The children are to use the construction equipment to make a gift for Tinal Tinsel. As each child makes a model, they will take photograph with the digital camera.

In ICT, the children will be developing their hand-eye coordination further through the use of an art package called Dazzle. They will create a friend for Elmer by selecting a colour from the palette and then clicking on the outline of a patchwork elephant. This will be further developed by the use of the text icon, when the children will be asked to type in their name as a label for their picture. Finally, the print button will be introduced to the children.

Here are some great websites for your child to practise their mouse skills:
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/assets/Flash%20Studio/cfsey/colour-sequence5.html - select a colour by clicking to paint a picture like Lecky's.
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/assets/Flash%20Studio/cfsey/scarymain.swf - click and drag parts of the body to make a 'scary spud'.

Finally...
On Friday the children are allowed to come into school in their own clothes in exchange for a contribution to our Christmas Tombola. The school council are holding a bring and buy sale and any toys and games in good condition that you need to clear room for before Christmas would be greatly appreciated.

As you may be aware, only one ticket per family has been given to you for each performance. This is for the health and safety of your child as well as fire regulations. Please feel free to swap your tickets with each other if you wish. Unfortunately, prams will not be permitted into the hall on the performances due to lack of space as the children require access around the side and back of the hall during the performance.

I think that is all!

Have good week!

Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team x

Let's sing and dance!

Weekly update 20th November 2006

Hi!

Firstly, I'd like to pass on our appreciation to the children for their exemplary behaviour during our Ofsted inspection. They really did do us proud and it was commented on how engaged and enthusiastic the children are when they are learning.

Here's what we are doping this week.

Here I Am
Last week we completed our topic on Initiation with Mrs No-Idea coming to school and asking for information about things we do to make new children feel welcome. This resulted in the children taking photographs with the digital camera, printing them out and writing captions. There were some great drawings of myself, Mrs Higgins, Mrs Latham and Mrs Walker.

This week we start a new topic about GIFTS. The children will learn to appreciate what a gift is, that Jesus was a gift from God and the meaning behind we celebrate Christmas. This is all supported by practising for the Chistmas Production, where the main character looks for a gift for the baby Jesus.

Communication, Language and Literacy
This week we will be concentrating on the children's phonological awareness, the ability to use the sounds they hear to support their reading and writing. Therefore, I have listed websites which will support this. I hope to give you an update this week on the letters of the alphabet your child needs to work on. These do need reviewing as the children have really made lots of progress since the parents' evenings.
www.ictgames.com/letterlifter.html
www.ictgames.com/plankgameR.html
www.ictgames.com/phonic_fighter4.html

Mathematical Development
This week is great!!! The children will be exploring symmetry. You can find examples of symmetry all around us, in faces, nature etc. The website: www.adrianbruce.com/Symmetry/ gives examples of symmetry for the children to look at.
A lovely activity is to fold a piece of paper in half. Pain on one side and then fold and open. Simple but it gets the point across. We will also be looking at symmetry in multicultural art.
You can make your own symmetrical design on: http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/symmetry/index.html
You can also get a pair of scissors and make snowflakes.

Other activities will take place throughout the week but I'm afraid it's OPERATION CHRISTMAS PRODUCTION this week.

See you soon
Best wishes

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team x

Sounds good! Smells fantastic!

Weekly update 13th November 2006

Hi there!

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Firstly, thank you to all those parents who have encouraged their child to come into school in the morning on their own. The morning process is getting quicker now and the children's learning is starting earlier in the day. Please continue to encourage your child to be as independent as possible and, if anyone has not quite taken the plunge yet ...go on, have a go!

GOOD NEWS! The children are doing fantastic at getting dressed more independently. Well done children and thank you to you as parents for your patience and support in this.

Here I Am
The school will be looking at Hinduism and Divali this week but we have already covered this. Therefore, we are continuing our work on Initiation. This week's Here I Am will incorporate our Mantle of the Expert. The children are to get a visit from 'Mrs No-idea'. She has a little boy who is starting our school but she needs to convince him that this is the place to be! She will ask the problem solvers to create an information book containing all the things they know about St Vincent's. By the end of the week the children will have a book to give to her. However, that is not where the story ends. Oh no! She has a little baby girl and she needs information about Baptism. Can we help?

Communication, Language and Literacy
This week is another one of our favourite week (I say that alot!) The children will work on a poem called 'Sounds Good'. It talks about sausages sizzling, crispbreads cracking, popcorn popping etc and yes, you've guessed it! We will be cooking our own sausages for butties and making popcorn to see if the poet chose the correct vocabulary. Hence the title of our blog this week!

They will review their understanding of alliteration and rhyme. The websites from the previous postings will still stand. However, I do have a good rhyming game for you to play. Forget cherades...try a ryming string.
Take a long piece of string or wool. Hold one end and say a word. One member of the family says a word that rhymes with it and then takes hold of part of the string (you keep hold). Another member of the family says a word that rhymes and then takes a part of the string. Eventually you have a web effect. Then you start all over again with another word.

Mathematical Development
This week we will be working on length. I have enclosed an information sheet in your child's diary about how we teach length. In addition to this we will be continuing to develop counting skills and reinforcing the ability to add one more to a given number. These websites may help:
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/maths/num%20machine/add1.html - the children type in a number and then the machine adds one more. Can they work out the answer before the machine?
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/maths/num%20machine/add2.html - this is the same game as above but it extends the child's learning to adding two more.
www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1.english/fruits/level2/12/activity2.html - the children must count the fruits and match to the number.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World
This week we will be moving onto looking at different sources of light and sound. The children will be asked to sort artefacts according to the criteria and then be given the opportunity to explore how things work. You may wish to have a look around the environment with your child for sources of light and sound, identifying which are natural and which are man-made.

In ICT the children will have an opportunity to use the computers and interactive whiteboard to extend their learning in all the areas of learning.

Physical Development
The children will be focusing on their throwing and catching during PE lessons. They will also be given the opportunity to reinforce the skills learned last week when making models. They can choose to make a robot with the remaining junk materials we have. As always the children will work on their cutting skills.

Creative Development
The children will learn about dynamics in music - fast, slow etc. Looks like a very noisy week! In addition to this the children will be learning about the effects of adding white to a colour.

Finally, please make sure your child has their hats, scarves and gloves labelled as we have had a few mix ups. Thanks.

I think that is all for now.

Have a great week

Jayne Narraway and the Foundation Stage Team x