The beginning of this week marked the Autumn Equinox signifying the start of Autumn and changes in the natural world, bringing with it glorious sunny days for our Forest School sessions which has been a welcome change to the storms we experienced towards the start of term.
Reception children have really enjoyed themselves investigating and exploring the Forest School site through creative and imaginary play and their shared experiences.
For some children our site is unfamiliar, however consistent reinforcement of the Forest School boundaries along with child led play and adventures with their new friends has enabled the children to quickly become more comfortable and confident in the natural environment. Whilst playing and exploring in the wooded area the children notice and identify different mini beasts and plants, demonstrating curiosity to find out more about the natural world.
We have been focusing on naming different woodland animals and birds and engaging in group games such as ’We went for a walk and saw ....’ This opens up discussions on different features and characteristics of our Forest friends -
“Owl feathers feel all soft and smooth.”
“Hedgehogs are spiky like sweet chestnuts, for protection.”
“Badgers have sharp claws for clawing.”
This years bumper crop of acorns, sweet chestnuts and conkers in and around the Forest School site has provided us with a wonderful collection of natural materials for play and creative activities. We’ve created squirrel snacks which double up as beautifully coloured decorations . The use of palm drills for drilling holes in conkers and threading them on twine is a great way to develop motor skills and dexterity and the children display obvious pride in their finished results. We’ve also been challenging ourselves to come up with ways of collecting the “spiky green pom poms” and moving them into the compost bin, so far the giant pegs seem to be the safest option!
We will be engaging in lots more seasonal fun and activities throughout the term.
More Year Group Stories
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Forest Friends Autumn
The beginning of this week marked the Autumn Equinox signifying the start of Autumn and changes in the natural world.
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J’aime le français!
Year 5 French is off to a fantastic start!
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Our little artists at work!
Little Doves Nursery has been full of colour, creativity and excitement as the children experiment with paint, glue, scissors and a variety of materials.
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Phonics in Year 1
Phonics is the way in which children are taught to read and write, as pupils learn to hear, identify and use different sounds that distinguish words.
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Making sense of numbers in Year 2!
This term so far in Year 2, our budding mathematicians have been diving into the essential concept of place value.
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Year 3 Exploring Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx
This term, Year 3 have been diving into the world of ancient myths and courageous adventures through Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd-Stanton.
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Year 4 Music - The Kodály Method
"Teach music and singing at school in such a way that it s not a torture, but a joy for the pupil; instill a thirst for finer music in him, a thirst which will last for a lifetime (Kodály)"
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Year 6 Battle Abbey Trip
To enhance their studies of the Norman Invasion, Year 6 journeyed back in time to Senlac Hill, the site of the famous Battle of Hastings fought on 14th October 1066.
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Year 7 Get Dotty!
Year 7 have begun exploring how to code onscreen graphic objects in Computing, writing the necessary Swift programming language commands to create and precisely plot circles with varied radius and color properties.
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From Circuits to Combustion: Year 8 Scientists at Work
This term, Year 8 pupils have been busy conducting exciting experiments and exploring key concepts in both Chemistry and Physics.