On the farm

As we move into our Summer term we begin to look at the exciting world of farming! The children will be learning about where food comes from, what farming is and how to stay happy and healthy, making good life style choices. Children will also be looking at different animals which they may find on a farm and how they are part of the farming world. In Maths this term the children will be using all of the knowledge they have gained so far on numbers from 0-10 to now move beyond 10! An exciting term ahead!

Reception had the opportunity to read a book for pleasure with their friends this afternoon in the outdoor area. The children used props to retell the different stories and enjoyed getting comfortable and cosy whilst sharing a book. 

As our topic this term is `On the farm,` Reception this morning had a tractor visit from Willoughby Farm. There were many opportunities for the children to recap their learning from the previous term as they could discuss why tractors are important and the different features. The children also learnt about how a tractor helps with the production of their food and what the role of a farmer is. Everyone was very excited to see the tractor and the children were able to ask the farmer lots of questions.

The children this term will be taking part in the unit of Dance. This will involve the children moving in time to music and creating their own sequences. In today's lesson, the children used their imagination and pretend they were walking around the park. They created their own movements to show swinging on a swing, sliding down a slide and climbing a climbing frame. The children created a sequence to music and used the count of 4 to help with timings. They then worked in groups to create a different sequence.

This week in the afternoon sessions, the children have been exploring different instruments but focusing on the percussion family. Together they identified different musical instruments and discussed how we could create sounds in different ways, such as hitting, tapping, shaking or scraping. The children then had the opportunity to work in groups to create their own rhythms and beats. 

This week the children are learning all about worms linking to a non-fiction book that we have been reading in our Literacy lessons. By the end of the week, the children will have created their own class book which will include lots of different facts, art work, pictures and labels. One of the activities that all the children will get to take part in is searching for worms in our outdoor area. The children used water to try and encourage the worms out of the soil as they know they like the rain. They also created vibrations by stamping on the floor next to the soil and then they waited patiently. The children used vocabulary such as wiggly, squirm, damp, soil, earth and cast when taking part in the group discussion. 

The children have continued learning about bugs which followed on from the children's interest week last week. This week, they read the story of `The Very Hungry Caterpillar` in Literacy and explored the outdoor area looking for different insects and minibeasts. The children in groups, designed and made their very own bug hotel. They worked collaboratively, shared ideas and thought about how they would need to include places that were dark and in the shade for some minibeasts but also provide lots of safe places to move about to avoid predators. During this week, the children were very excited because they received their very own caterpillars to look after. They have enjoyed observing them in the investigation area and reading a range of non-fiction books and writing sentences. Some children went onto create their own symmetrical butterflies using natural objects. 

Throughout this term, the children have been learning where our food comes from and the types of food that are healthy and keep our bodies strong. The children could articulate that eating fruit and vegetable keeps our bodies full of vitamins and minerals that will help us fight off colds and sickness. They could also explain why it is important to drink lots of water whilst also taking part in regular exercise, brushing our teeth and talking about our feelings. This week, the children had a little visit from the dental nurse team from Lincolnshire Smile, who came to observe them brushing their teeth after school. The children were fantastic and followed the correct procedures throughout. Well done Joy Class. After all of this fantastic learning, the children designed their own healthy pizza and then created it using a selection of toppings. Their favourite part was the taste test and they all agreed their pizza was delicious! 

In our Maths lessons, the children have been practicing their addition by solving addition stories. The children enjoyed looking at the different amounts and solving the total. The children could explain that when we add amounts together, the total amount becomes bigger. Some children have progressed onto using vocabulary such as `more`, `greater than`, `increase`, `total` and `altogether` when finding the answer to their problem. 

Following on from their learning on percussion instruments, this week the children worked in small groups to follow a range of marks and colours to play a tune using the boom whackers. The children were able to follow the musical code independently and performed the song Frere Jacque.