This week in Cherry class we have been continuing to get ready for Christmas! 

We had a visit from Santa and lots of the children went down to Santa's grotto to recieve a present. The children have been writing Christmas captions, lists and cards. They have enjoyed using role play in our Santa's workshop, wrapping and designing presents ready for delivering to children. 

We have been reading a lot of Christmas themed stories including 'Christmasurus, Aliens love Panta Claus, The Christmas wish'. 

In Maths we have been exploring measure and capacity. We have been making Reindeer food and juice. The children have been measuring out amounts and comparing them. They have been using the vocabulary 'full, empty, half, nearly full, nearly empty'. 

We have been learning about how Christians celebrate Christmas. The children looked at images and described what they could see. The children talked about their own experiences of Christmas with their families. 

We have had a super week in Cherry class this week! We began the week by reading the story 'Dear Santa'. The children then shared their own wishes for Christmas presents and what they would like to ask for. The children then wrote their letters to Santa and we then walked down to the post box to post them off! We can't wait to get a reply back to school. 

The children have been beginning their Christmas nativity worship rehearsals. We have been reading and watching the story of the Nativity. The children have been using role play and small world characters to retell the story. They have been creating pictures and writing captions about the different characters in the nativity story. Keep your eyes peeled for any lines that your child brings home to learn for the performance. Please also bring in any costumes next week. 

In Maths we have been learning about number bonds to and within 5. We have been exploring making numbers within 5 using different amounts. The children have enjoyed making 'Numicon sandwiches' and using the part whole model to find number bonds. 

In phonics we have learnt the digraphs 'ch, sh, ng, nk, th' this week. Please continue to read with your child at least 3 times a week, as this really does help them consolidate their learning and help fluency. 

The children have continued to enjoy the vets role play area, so we have kept this for this week. They have been acting in role and enjoying looking after the poorly animals. We look forward to making a Christmassy role play next week!!

We began our week on Remembrance day. The children all made a poppy the week before. We added these to the whole school poppies outside the school office. The children took part in a minute silence. 

Lots of the children were interested in the poppies and said they had seen them around at the weekend in town or at parades. The children described the poppies and applied their phonics to write simple words such as red, seeds, black and stem. 

We had a fantastic trip to the woodland, we went bug hunting and created our own creatures out of clay and natural resources.

In Maths this week the children have been ordering numbers within 10 and finding one more and one less than numbers within 10. 

In phonics this week the children have learnt the sounds v,w,x,y. They have read simple 3 letter words containing these sounds such as - wax, vet and yum. They have also learnt the tricky words her, his, has, and. Please read with your child at least 3 times a week and record this is their reading record. Supporting your child with reading at home will help them to make good progress in their phonics and reading. 

We finished our week by celebrating children in need day. The children wore yellow, spotty clothes. They cut out bears, made bears with yellow playdough and created Pudsey collages together. We have had a very fun day!

What a wonderful week we have had in Cherry class to finish our first half term together at school. The children have been busy learning all about Autumn and the seasonal changes. They are now expert Autumn leaf detectors! 

This week we read the story 'Leaf Man'. The children created their own leaf people using natural resources. They then thought carefully and shared the names of their creations and where their leaf man would go, just like in the story. 

We had a visit from Brent Lodge animal hospital. The children loved finding out about how they look after poorly wild animals in the hospital. Thank you so much for all of your donations to the hospital. They were very grateful. The children found out about hibernating animals, different woodland animals and species of owls. They were engaged and fascinated by the animal facts! The children have been drawing woodland animals all week long and labelling their pictures. 

In Maths we have continued to learn about patterns. This week we have looked at 3-step repeating patterns and the children have enjoyed creating their own patterns in different ways, by drawing and using concrete resources. 

In phonics we have been reviewing the sounds that we have already learnt and writing simple 3 letter words. The children are becoming more and more confident in their sound recognition and blending. 

The children have been learning about the creation story. We have been reading the story from the bible and the children have been drawing pictures of the different days and what God created on those days. 

Our week finished with a visit from 6 very cute and very cuddly PUPPIES!! Cherry class loved stroking and finding out about how to care for puppies. 

We have had such a busy and fun week in Cherry Class! We began the week by making bread after reading the traditional tale 'The Little Red Hen'. The children loved finding out about how to make bread. They poured in the ingredients, stirred them, kneaded the dough and let it prove. We then cooked the bread and the children took their delicious rolls home!

We talked about the meaning behind the story- and how none of the Little red hen's friends helped her, so at the end she didn't share her bread. We talked about helping and sharing with our friends at school and our families at home. The children ordered the story and verbally retold it. They also ordered instructions on how to make bread and orally told these to a teacher. 

The children have been working hard in phonics and during discovery. Some children have begun to apply their phonics to write CVC words, such as pat, pin, cat. Other's have been writing shopping lists and including some of the initial sounds they have learnt. The children have been encouraged to practise writing their names and sign their name on all their learning. This is something they could also practise at home too. 

In phonics the children have learnt the sounds ck, e, u, r, . They are becoming much more confident at segmenting and blending simple CVC words. 

In Maths we have been learning to find one more and one less than amounts within 5. The children have been recognising amounts of resources and learning to see small amounts by sight and not always have to count them up. We have been counting daily, to and within 20 and back. 

The children loved their trip to the Woodland this week! They have been spotting the signs of Autumnal changes. 

The last two weeks in cherry class we have been learning about ourselves. All the children have brought in pictures of themselves and their families. We have created a family tree in the classroom, displaying all our families. Each child has shared in front of the class and we have explored how all families are different and what makes us unique. 

We have introduced toast during snack time on our snack table which the children have loved! The children have created self portraits using paint and thought carefully about the colours they were using. 

We have been reading a range of texts including 'only one you', 'incredible you' and 'we are all welcome'. We have also been reading well known traditional tales such as 'Goldilocks and the three bears'.

We have continued to learn the initial sounds s a t p i n m d in phonics. The children have been reading simple words by sounding out (segmenting) and blending the sounds. As your child becomes more confident in their recall of the initial sounds we will be sending home reading books containing these sounds for them to read at home. Please read with your child and complete the yellow reading record book. The children have also been writing their names in different ways. Practising your child's name with them at home is a great way for them to consolidate this. 

In Maths we have been learning about the numbers 1-5, making them using a range of resources, counting, ordering and recognising them.