Bonkers about Beetroot

It has been a bonkers week! The children had the opportunity to taste some beetroot. They used all their senses to explore the root vegetable. Many of the children could not wait to try it but others were a little reluctant (including some of the staff). We had a look at some beetroot seeds and talked about where beetroots grow. The children also created a wonderful list of all the things seeds need to grow. The children decided we would plant the beetroot seeds (and lots of other seeds we have) in our environmental area next week. Instead, we are going to try and grow some cress in the classroom so we can observe what happens.

The children also enjoyed playing a game with chocolate brownies. They tasted the brownies and had to decide what the secret ingredient was. They ate the brownies at lightning speed! So quickly that we did not have time to take any photos. There were mixed opinions but some of the children guessed beetroot but this surprised lots of them. The brownies were very delicious, our thanks go to the chef. We hope to try more recipes and even a smoothie with beetroot as an ingredient – I wonder if we will turn purple!

The children have been sharing their favourite parts of the story and practicing their independent sentence writing. We encourage the children to use their phonic knowledge to write. We are currently supporting the children to reread their writing to make sure they are including all the sounds they can hear in each word. For example, if they are trying to write bonkers, we want them to use their Fred Fingers to spell and write. Here is a link to explain Fred Fingers: https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/qHsuBYQP/Czs7PJOf (valid until 9th May).

They may write b-o-nk-u-s and this is fine as they may not hear or know the er sound. However, we need to practice breaking down words into sounds (segmenting) and then writing the word, as sometimes children are only writing the first initial sound in a word or missing lots of sounds. This becomes more complex when they are writing a sentence as they have lots of words to write and also need to remember; capital letters, finger spaces, full stop and writing in/on a line. We are very impressed with the determination and creativity of the children and would like to encourage the children to practice this at home as well. We have put an activity on Seesaw for the children to complete. They will see a picture and can listen to the sound clip (multiple times) and then they can write the sentence using pen and paper. Not forgetting to use Fred Fingers to help them.

Lego Discover – Playmakers Session 6 – Let’s use ramps

This week the children were asked; How can we use ramps to help us have fun and be active and healthy? The children made a cube in the six brick activity and we discussed why it would not roll down a ramp. We looked at and talked about different shaped objects rolling down a ramp; marbles, toy cars and people rolling down a hill. We discussed the difference between sliding and rolling.

To support our session and promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) discussion, our key vocabulary this week was ramp, gravity, and momentum. We gently threw a Duplo brick up in the air and asked, why does it come back down? Although the children did not know the word ‘gravity’ at first, a couple were able to tell us that gravity keeps us on the ground.

In their teams, the children were tasked to make a ramp to roll things down. We were very impressed with the creativity as it was tricky to make a ramp using the Duplo. They also made some fun vehicles to roll down their ramps. They were great problem solvers and showed wonderful resilience when things became tricky.

The children were then challenged to think about how they could change their ramp to give their object more momentum. They enjoyed testing and creating their ideas. We explored the concept of making the ramp steeper to give the object more momentum! Needless to say, we were very impressed, and we definitely have some future scientists and engineers in our presence.   

Six Bricks at home

On Seesaw you will find details of another six-brick activity to enjoy at home. Please let us know how you get on.

PE

In PE this week we have been enjoying parachute games and we also tried something new. The children were very excited to try archery. They learnt the names of the different pieces of equipment and had a go at hitting the target with an arrow. The children were very safe and great at listening to the instructions. They are looking forward to having another turn soon.

 Woodland Camp activities

We are always looking for ways to innovate our curriculum and provide children with different experiences. Every Monday afternoon we are offering a variety of activities in our woodland and environmental area for the children to enjoy. They can try; fire lighting, woodwork, visit the chickens, gardening, or make up their own creative games. Please ask your child about the wonderful things they have been doing.

Home Learning

Six Bricks – A new six brick challenge has been set for you on Seesaw.

Storytime – Mrs Bastin has recorded you the story of The Enormous Turnip to listen to on Seesaw. I wonder if this book is similar to another story you know.

Maths & Writing – Activities have been set for you on Seesaw to try.

Phonics and reading – Enjoy reading your Read Write Inc Books and sharing your library book with a grown up. Please remember to bring in your book bags every Friday so that we can swap your RWI reading books. Library books will continue to be changed every Monday or Tuesday. It is good practice to bring your book bag in daily.

Messages

A reminder that drinks bottles in the classroom should only be filled with water. This is to avoid any sticky mess should a spillage occur (and this does happen quite often). If a child is having packed lunch, they can have an alternative drink, but this is only for lunchtime.  

We hope you have a wonderful bank holiday weekend. School returns on Tuesday 4^th May.

From Mrs Bastin, Mrs Clague and the Foundation Stage Team