RS

Summer Holiday Project 

 

Thanks to everyone for the presents and cards! I hope you have a lovely, relaxing summer and I look forward to seeing you in September. 

 

The 'Summer Holiday Project' for children in Reception and Year 1 will be sent out by ParentMail, so look out for it!

 

Angie Stephens

Week Beginning 13th July 

 

As you will be aware, this is the last week of the school year and tomorrow is the last day for RS. 

 

To end the school year, we thought it would be nice if the children could produce a little leaflet, letter, poster or picture to introduce themselves to their new teacher, Mrs Ovel. They might want to include things like - 

 

• who their family members are 
• their pets
• hobbies they have outside of school 
• other interests that they might have, e.g. dinosaurs, Lego
• something they like doing in school
• their favourite tv programme
• their favourite food
• their favourite game
• what they look like
• what they are looking forward to in Year 1

 

If anyone would like to send it to me at angela.stephens@buckhursthill,essex.sch.uk, I will send it on to Mrs Ovel. 

 

I will be helping the children settle into Year 1 for the first week back in September and look forward to seeing the whole class together then. Of course, feel free to contact me at any time over the summer holidays at the email address given above. 

 

I am so sad that our time together was cut short this year, they are such a lovely class, but I look forward to seeing them progress in Year 1. Thank you for your support. 

 

I wish you all a wonderful, relaxing summer holiday. 

 

Take care 

 

Angela Stephens 

Week Beginning 6th July 

 

This week's focus story is 'The Fish Who Could Wish' by John Bush and Korky Paul. Here is an animation of the story for the children to watch....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtifEkwIZDc

 

Here are some ideas of activities the children could do based around the story - 

 

Talk to the children about the things the fish wished for in the story. Which wishes were the most useful and why? What happened at the end? Why was it a silly thing to wish for? What can't ordinary fish do? Why was this his last wish? 

 

What would the children wish for, if they could? Can they draw and write what their wishes would be? What would they wish for if they could make a wish for someone else, and why? 

 

Can they draw and write their favourite part of the story? What was their favourite wish in the story? 

 

In the story the fish wishes to be different shapes. Can the children explore shape? Can they go on a shape hunt around the house or garden? What shapes can they see? Can they talk about the shapes? Ask the children questions such as - how do you know it is a square and not a rectangle? Which shapes have the same number of sides? Are the triangles the same? How are they different? 

 

nrich have some shape activities - 

https://nrich.maths.org/13373

https://nrich.maths.org/9020

 

Topmarks also have some games - 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/shapes

 

You could play a feely bag game, where the children have to feel what shape is in the bag and explain how they know. 

You could describe a shape - e.g. 'it has one curved side and no corners' and ask the children to say which shape they think you are talking about. 

 

In Reception this week, we will be making fish pictures, and other pictures, using different shapes. We will also be using the different construction toys to explore the different properties of shape and which shapes are most suited to different purposes. We will be continuing to find out about underwater creatures. What can the children find out at home? 

 

Have a lovely week! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Beginning 29th June 

 

This week, our focus story is 'Billy's Bucket' by Kes Gray and Garry Parsons. Here are two storytelling's on CBeebies.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJOszyHKjMk

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ft545

 

You could talk about the best birthday presents the children have ever received or things they have wanted for their birthday. Talk about how it feels to have your birthday approaching...

 

You can brainstorm ideas for other things the children might see in the magic bucket.

 

 

They can draw and write what they would like to see in a magic bucket - 'In my bucket I can see…..'

 

You could talk about whether Billy’s parents believed that he could see different sea creatures in his bucket and how they can tell this (that they don't believe Billy). Talk about what his parents thought at the end of the story.

 

 

You could identify and talk about the underwater creatures in the story - can they think of any others?

 

 

They could find out some facts about underwater creatures and write a fact about one.

 

You could talk about the materials that buckets are usually made of - plastic and metal - and the different uses for them. You could talk about materials which wouldn't be suitable and why - e.g. cardboard. You could talk about buckets being made of wood and leather in days gone by…..

 

 

 

For Maths, we are having a 'capacity' focus. 

 

If possible, sand and water play is great, with different size and shape containers.

 

 

The children could order some containers by the amount they hold. They can experiment by counting blocks or similar into containers and talking about which holds the most, least, more than, less than, same as ….

 

Talk about 'full', 'empty' and 'half full' with the children.

 

 

Children could estimate and then find out which containers hold most/least by counting in blocks, or scoops of sand, etc. Talk about the shape being important, not just the height of a container.

 

The children could do some problem solving e.g. which container would be the best to hold enough water for 6 people, how many more blocks/scoops of sand does this container hold?

 

Here are some links to some capacity activities. 

https://nrich.maths.org/12491

https://nrich.maths.org/10499  

 

Have a great week! 

 

 

Week beginning 22nd June 

 

This week, our focus story is going to be 'Tiddler' by Julia Donaldson. If you haven't got the book at home, there are a few readings of the story on YouTube, for example -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcTQADUywZY

 

Here are some ideas of activities the children can do based on the story. 

You can talk about the stories told by Tiddler and brainstorm some other imaginary excuses for being late....'sorry I'm late,.......' The children could write their story down or draw a picture. 

 

They can draw and write their favourite part of the story.

 

You could identify and talk about the underwater creatures in the story - can they think of any others? 

 

They could find out some facts about underwater creatures. They could write a fact about one of them. 

 

Here are some clips and programmes about underwater creatures. 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011l4gy

 

Andy’s Wild Adventures - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06tmn51

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/p0159165

 

You can talk about why it is important to be on time, how the teacher would be worried about Tiddler, about why you shouldn’t tell tales. 

 

For Mathematics, the children can start to learn about 'time'. They could learn the days of the week, they could begin to tell the time - o'clock and half-past. They could make their own clock using a paper plate and pipe cleaners, or similar. 

 

They could sequence a typical day - drawing pictures of getting up, having breakfast, cleaning teeth, playing.......or an activity, such as making a sandwich. 

 

The children could experiment with water, if they have a suitable container for outside, or in the sink/bath. They could try floating and sinking objects - can the children predict what objects might float. which might sink and test their ideas. Do bigger objects sink and small objects float? Does the shape/material affect whether things float or sink? ….investigate! 

‘Come Outside’ Fish episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZmkh7KXz2Y

 

There are lots of fish and boat crafts which you could search on the internet. In school, are going to paint underwater creatures, collage some fish shapes in different colours and make some boats with plastic containers. 

 

Enjoy the water activities in this lovely weather! 

Week Beginning 15th June 

 

This week our focus book is going to be 'The Very Busy Spider' by Eric Carle.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfL0g-XRxnA - This is an animation of the story 

and a reading is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEPYKmIt4dU

 

You can talk about times when we are busy doing something important. You can talk about why the spider doesn’t answer the animals and why spiders need to spin webs. 

 

The children can draw and write about their favourite part of the story.

 

If you have the board book at home. talk about what you can feel when you touch the board book. What does it feel like? Generate a list of words which describe the texture of things - rough, smooth, bumpy, soft.....

 

You could compare this story to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ - what do they notice about the artwork? 

 

You can talk about the animals that are in the story. Where do they live? What noises do they make? What vehicles might they see on the farm?

 

This is a clip about spiders...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011t71w 

 

Talk about where you might find a spider or a spider web. Can the children write a fact about a spider?

 

Here is an episode from CBeebies about spiders. 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/andys-secret-hideout-spiders

 

There are lots of ideas for spider crafts online - e.g. paper plates with pipe cleaners and spider hand prints. The children can have a go at making webs with wool and paper plates too.

 

For Mathematics this week, the children could practise their number formation, forming numbers from 0-9. They could use a pencil or pens, paint the numbers, use a paint brush and water on the ground outside, chalk them, arrange objects or natural resources to make the number shape, use toy cars with their wheels dipped in paint....anything to engage the children in mark-making. 

 

Have a great week! 

 

 

Week Beginning 8th June 

 

This week our focus book is going to be 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. 

 

This is a link to Eric Carle reading the story  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXHScpo_Vv8

 

and an animation of the story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY.

 

 

Here are some activities which the children could do relating to the story. 

 

Talk to the children about how the caterpillar might have felt when he turned into a butterfly. Talk about why the caterpillar was eating lots of food and how he felt when he had eaten so much food. 

They could draw pictures or write some sentences about their week in food. 

    

On Monday I ate one apple...

On Tuesday I ate two cupcakes....

 

They could draw a picture and write about their favourite part of the story. 

 

They could write a list of the food the caterpillar ate or a list of their own favourite food. 

 

The children could find out about caterpillars and butterflies and write a fact about them. Here is a link about metamorphasis - 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/how-caterpillars-change-into-butterflies-no-narration/zn4rkmn

 

The children could find out about other animals which look very different when they are born - e.g. a frog. 

 

They could go on a butterfly hunt. 

 

The children could talk about the healthy and unhealthy foods the caterpillar ate. They could draw and label a plate of healthy/unhealthy food. 

 

There are lots of 'Hungry Caterpillar' crafts the children could do. In school we are going to make a hand print caterpillar like this....

 

http://toysinthedryer.com/very-hungry-caterpillar-crafts/

 

Here is a link to how Eric Carle created his artwork for the book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCaFkD5xrXI

 

For Mathematics, the children could have a go at ordering numbers to 10 or 20. Here is a link to an interactive game - 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ordering-and-sequencing/caterpillar-ordering

 

Here is an episode of Come Outside and an episode of Andy's Wild Adventures which both look at butterflies - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf9HZztj02M

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01dn3fr/andys-wild-adventures-series-1-15-monarch-butterflies 

 

Have a great week!

Week Beginning 1st June 

 

This week our focus story is 'What the Ladybird Heard' by Julia Donaldson. Here is Julia Donaldson reading the story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKadke35cs and performing it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NbyiDpY6Ww. 

 

Here are some ideas of what the children could do with the story - 

 

You could talk about the adjectives used to describe the animals - can they think of any others? You could identify all the rhyming words in the story - can they think of other words which rhyme with those words? 

 

You could talk about what a ladybird might hear at your home, at the park, in the garden, in the supermarket. They could write some sentences using their sounds e.g. 

'At home the ladybird could hear children playing, the grass being mowed, the washing machine turning, the radio playing......

 

They could find out about and write some facts about ladybirds - here is a little information clip from CBeebies - 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01cb05t

 

They could write a little character description about the robbers in the story or could create some 'Wanted' posters. 

 

They could draw or paint some ladybirds

 

They could complete a ladybird craft - 

 

They could make or decorate some ladybird biscuits using red icing with choc buttons or raisins 

 

They could make some tiny ladybird houses using construction resources such as Lego 

 

They could go on a ladybird hunt in the garden or at the park. 

 

 

For mathematics they could have a go at this interactive game - 

 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/ladybird-spots

 

They could draw some ladybirds and add a certain number of spots.

 

An adult could draw a large ladybird and they could experiment with ways of making different numbers to 10 using counters, or whatever you have at home, adding different numbers to each wing, e.g. for 5, experimenting with 1 counter on one wing and 4 on another, then 3 and 2, 5 and 0....

 

They could practise doubling - adding a number of spots to one side of the ladybird, adding the same number on the other side and counting how many all together.

 

They could practise addition by putting spots to both sides, counting how many on each side and then adding them together by counting all. 

 

Feel free to send us any photos of things you've done at home and we will post some photos of the things we have been doing in school. Have a great week! 

 

 

 

 

School re-opening arrangements for RS

 

School opens for RS on Tuesday 2nd June. RS will only attend school on Monday's and Tuesday's until further notice. 

 

The children who have currently confirmed they will be returning are split into three groups, taught by myself, Mrs Tassie and Miss Whitehead. I will be based in RS, Mrs Tassie in RJ and Miss Whitehead in 1B. Please bring your child through the side gate and directly to their class. Miss Whitehead, Mrs Tassie and I will remain with our groups throughout the entire day. 

 

In order to stagger year groups entering and leaving school, school will begin at 9.30 am and will finish at 2.30 pm for reception children. 

 

Children must wear a clean uniform each day. If that isn't possible, or they have grown out of their uniform and you have been unable to purchase more, please dress your child in appropriate clean non uniform. 

 

A packed lunch will be provided for your child or they can bring one from home. Children must not bring anything else to school from home. 

 

Please refer to Mrs Farquharson's letter for full details regarding the re-opening of the school. 

 

 

Mrs Stephens - based in RS 

Jack

Freddie

Noah

Norma

Kaylee

Olivia

Boris- end of June

 

Mrs Tassie - based in RJ 

Ayla

Dalal

Joshua

Tommy

Teddy

 

Miss Whitehead - based in 1B (come in the side gate and continue forwards to the scooter sheds, passing the Sport's Hall on your left. 1B is the first classroom on your left). 

Max

Luca

Lana

Jessica

Reeva

 

Please contact me at angela.stephens@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to welcoming the children back to school next Tuesday. 

 

Angela Stephens 

 

 

Week Beginning 18th May 

 

This week our focus story is 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. The children can listen to it here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/eyfs-listen-and-play-billy-goats-gruff/zr3yt39

 

Here is a telling of the story from CBeebies - https://vimeo.com/34022461 and here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p064kjkd/happy-tent-tales-3three-billy-goats-gruff

 

You can also find various animated versions of the story on YouTube. You could talk to the children about the main characters and events in the story. You could talk about how the goats might have felt as they crossed the bridge, how they felt when all were safely across and what they did to get across the bridge safely. You could talk about what the troll should have done (let them cross his bridge).

 

Here are some ideas of what the children can do, based on the story. 

 

They could have a go at drawing or painting a troll!

We thought that we could upload their pictures to the website to show their friends. Send them to claire.james@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk and she will post them. 

 

They could write some words to describe their troll, e.g angry, unkind, hairy.....What name would they give their troll?

 

They could write a sentence about the troll or about the story. They could write the repetitive refrain - 'who's that trip trapping over my bridge?' They could switch the sound words to an action e.g. 'who's that skipping over my bridge?', 'who's that hopping over my bridge?', 'who's that running over my bridge, stamping, jumping, stomping......?' Can they pretend to do those actions? 

 

They could make some bridges out of construction toys or boxes? Again, send Mrs James any pics and she will post them here. 

 

They can draw and cut out the characters in the story and role-play with them. 

 

They could find out some information about goats. 

 

They could look at some photos of famous bridges from around the world. 

 

For Maths, the focus could be 2D and 3D shape. Can the children find items around the house and talk about their shape using words such as 'round', 'curved', 'flat'. Can they begin to name shapes such as square, rectangle, circle, triangle, cube, sphere, cuboid, pyramid, cylinder, cone? Can they find any of those shapes around the house? Can they talk about their properties and what they can be used for? How many sides, faces, corners have they got? Can the shape roll? Can it be stacked? Are all the sides the same? How do they know the shape is a square, triangle, circle.......? Do all triangles look the same? They could sort a set of items by shape. 

 

There are some shape games on Topmarks - here is an example....

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/early-years/shape-monsters

 

If you scroll to the bottom on this page, there are some good shape activities to try at home. 

https://nrich.maths.org/9020 (3-5 age range) 

Some of the other games in the 5-7 age range are suitable as well, in encouraging the children to explore shape - https://nrich.maths.org/239/note

 

Hope that you have a great week. We look forward to seeing your troll pictures! 

Look what you've been doing! 

Week Beginning 11th May 

 

This week, we thought our focus story could be 'The Little Red Hen'. Here is the story to read to the children. 

https://images.scholastic.co.uk/assets/a/f6/d5/little-red-hen-story-pcp-114774.pdf

 

The children can listen to the story here - 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03g6twg (the story begins at 6 mins, 20 secs). 

 

and here is another version to watch- 

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/fairytales/redhen.htm

 

and another version to listen to - 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/floellas-story-sack-the-little-red-hen

 

You could talk to the children about the word 'lazy'. What does that mean? What should the hen's friends have done? Why would teamwork have been better? 

 

Talk to the children about where the animals live? What other farm animals do they know? Can they find anything out about farm animals or farm vehicles? What farm vehicle could have been used to cut the wheat? The children could have a go at drawing a farm animal or vehicle and writing a sentence about it, using their sounds. 

 

The children could have a go at writing the things the hen did to make the bread, e.g. plant the seeds, water them, cut the wheat, carry the wheat to the mill, grind the wheat, knead the dough, bake the dough.

 

The children could help to make some bread rolls. Here is a recipe. 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-bread-rolls

 

They could use play dough to pretend to make bread, kneading and rolling - here is an easy, quick recipe if you do not have play dough at home. 

 

2 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of salt, half a tub of cream of tartar, 1 tablespoon of oil, food colouring. 

 

Put all the ingredients except the colouring in a bowl and stir.  Add 1 and 3/4 cups of boiling water and the colouring (obviously this is a recipe for adults to make!) and stir until it comes together.  Leave it to cool in the bowl!! 

Once cool, knead into a dough - add more flour if necessary. 

 

If you store it in the fridge it should last for some time. 

 

The children could have a go at writing down the ingredients for bread or step by step instructions of how to make bread. 

 

They could draw the characters in the story and write a sentence describing the character. They could draw the characters and write a speech bubble for each one e.g. ' who will help me...?',  'not I' or 'then I will'. 

 

The children could have a go at building a farm with Lego or other construction toys. 

 

They could have a go at making a rocking hen or another farm animal craft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AznOunc-ggI

 

The children could draw or paint a picture of themselves with their friends and could talk to you about good friendship qualities e.g. being kind, helpful, supportive, sharing.....

 

This is an episode of 'Come Outside' which the children are familiar with. The 'Little Red Hen' story is told within the programme and they find out how bread is made. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlW9lgAZurI

 

For maths, the children could have a go at estimating how many objects there are in a container, recording their estimate then counting  the objects to check how many. How close was their estimate? At school we put marbles or bricks or pencils into different sized containers. We talk about the quantity in relation to the size of the object and the size of the container. We show them how to count accurately by removing the objects from the container one at a time and lining them up, pointing and touching them as we count. We talk about whether the next container might have more or less. We model number formation. 

 

Keep sending photos of things you have been doing to claire.james@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk to share with your friends here. 

 

We are missing you lots, have a lovely week! 

 

 

Walks around Buckhurst Hill

 

For those of you who are getting out for some daily exercise, here is a link to some walks around Buckhurst Hill.  

 

http://www.buckhursthillresidents.co.uk/index.php/bh-walks

Week beginning 4th May 

 

If anyone would like to email Mrs James a photo of something they've been doing at home, by the end of Sunday 10th May, we will post it on the Class Page next week. The email address is claire.james@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk. 

 

Thanks 

Week Beginning 4th May.

 

This week we thought the children could read the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood' . Here are two versions that the children could watch. Twinkl.com also has an online version of it.

 

https://www.worldbookday.com/videos/little-red-riding-hood-2/ 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/english-ks1-little-red-riding-hood/zfg2jhv.  

 

Here are some ideas of things to do relating to the story....

 

Talk to the children about why Little Red Riding Hood was given that name? What does she wear? Why does she go to visit Grandma? What does she take for her? Where does she have to go to visit Grandma? How would the children feel about going into a deep, dark wood alone? Talk about the main characters in the story and the main events.  Talk to the children about the repetitive refrains in the story 'what big eyes/ears/teeth you have', 'all the better for'.... The children could have a go at writing the story or a sentence about their favourite part. They could have a go at writing one of the repetitive refrains (see above). They could draw Grandma, the wolf or Little Red Riding Hood and label their main characteristics. They could draw Little Red Riding Hood or the wolf and add some speech bubbles. 

 

The children could talk about people they can't visit at the moment - perhaps extended family or friends - and could think about what they would take to them if they could. They could send a card or picture to someone they aren't able to see. 

 

The children could help to bake a cake to deliver to someone or for their family. 

 

They could write a shopping list or the ingredients needed to make a cake. 

 

For maths, the children could talk about sharing. They could practise sharing objects or things such as raisins, cheerios into 2/3/4 groups. How many are in each group? Has everyone got the same? 

https://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/busyday/dogs/ is an online game which practises sharing.  

 

The children could look at some family photos with you and talk about any extended

family. They could help to make a simple family tree. 

 

You could take a walk through the forest like Little Red Riding Hood. What might she

have seen when she walked to Grandma's house? The children could find out which

animals might live in a wood. 

 

The children could draw a map of the route to Grandma's house or a map of a route familiar to them, like their house to school. 

 

The children have enjoyed watching episodes of this when related to their weekly

learning. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn8dAkehFQ8

Have a great week!

Don't forget that you can email me at angela.stephens@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk if you have any questions, concerns or for any more information or ideas for home learning. Thanks. 

Week beginning 27th April

Here's a song you could learn to go with 'The Enormous Turnip' story. The lyrics are to the tune of the song 'There were 10 in the bed'. The children could have a go at thinking up some actions to go with the lyrics.

Here are some well-being resources you might be interested in from the ECFWS Public Health and Healthy Schools Team, Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service. Their website is https://essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk/

Week Beginning 27th April 

 

This week we thought the children could read 'The Enormous Turnip' or one of the variations of the story such as 'The Gigantic Turnip'. There are several animations of the story on YouTube and you can sign into twinkl.com for a version as well. 

 

You can also listen to the story here (from 5.15 mins). 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/eyfs-listen-and-play-the-enormous-turnip/zh6md6f

 

Talk to the children about the word 'enormous' and what it means. Can they think of any other words that are similar to 'enormous' e.g 'huge', 'massive', gigantic......? 

 

Talk to the children about the different characters - is the little mouse the strongest or was it teamwork which made the turnip finally come out of the ground? 

 

The children can order the events in the story and can identify the key characters in the story. 

They could write a sentence such as 'the old man went to get the old woman' or ' the turnip came out of the ground with a 'POP'. They could have a go at writing the story. 

 

The children could collect items from around the house and put them in order, from tallest to shortest or in relation to their weight, from lightest to heaviest. Are the tallest or biggest items always the heaviest? Encourage the children to put their findings into full sentences such as 'the car is bigger than the Lego', 'the bat is heavier than the ball'. 

 

Talk to the children about ordinal numbers - The old man was first to try to pull out the turnip, second was the old woman, third was the little boy......the children could play some games which involve being 1st, 2nd, 3rd. They could try the Topmarks games, if they didn't do them last week....

 

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/measures

 

and there are some ordinal numbers games here 

 

http://resources.hwb.wales.gov.uk/VTC/ordinal_numbers/eng/Introduct/default.htm

 

The children could have a go at growing a vegetable or plant, and could measure and record  its growth in cm's or blocks. They could have a go at learning the names of the parts of a plant and labelling a plant - stem, leaf, roots, flower, seed/bean. 

 

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1science.html

 

The children could experiment with different pull and push toys if they have any at home. 

 

The children could try drawing or painting the key characters such as the old man, woman, girl, boy, dog, cat or mouse. 

 

The theme of the story is 'teamwork' so encourage the children to help with household tasks such as baking or tidying up and any other team games. 

 

We are missing you all. Have a lovely week! 

This is an email from one of our parents - any pictures can be given in at the school and if anyone has any ideas, email them directly to the school to pass on. Thanks

 

 

Hi everyone, I stopped to chat with one of my elderly neighbours (Betty, aged 92) yesterday. She lives by Buckhurst Hill Primary School and always stands at the window and waves to the children - it’s always the highlight of her day. Since the school has closed and we’ve been in lockdown she seems so lonely, one of her neighbours died recently. She has no family at all. She goes out EVERY DAY to the local shop at the top of the road (the shopkeeper is making sure she has everything she needs) - she really shouldn’t be putting herself at risk like this but she is craving company so she won’t let anyone shop for her.

 

I wondered how I could help her and cheer her up. I’m going to get my son to draw her a picture and write her a letter and I wondered if any other children might want to write to her too. I can print off letters and post them through her door if anyone would like to help or if you are passing her house, please wave and chat to her. Her name is Betty, she loves cats and foxes (she feeds the foxes every evening) and she has lived in Loughton/Buckhurst Hill since 1941.

 

I just feel so sad for her, if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

Week Beginning 20th April 

 

Here are some ideas of things to do this week.....we've based our ideas on the traditional tale 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. 

 

Read 'Jack and the Beanstalk' together. Talk about the key events, sequence of events and main characters in the story. Here is a link to the story - there are lots of animated versions online too. If you have signed up for twinkl.com, they also have an online 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/english-ks1-jack-and-the-beanstalk-home/zff42sg

 

Talk about how Jack feels about selling the cow, coming face to face with the giant, stealing the golden eggs....talk about how his mum feels when he returns from the market with beans and when Jack arrives home safely with the golden eggs, harp.....

 

Here's a short 'Jack and the Beanstalk' link 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01ftf1d

 

Ask the children to think about what they would like there to be at the top of a magic beanstalk which they have grown. Can they try and write or copy the sentence 'At the top of my beanstalk is......' then they can write their ideas, e.g. a swimming pool, a football pitch, Disneyland, a toy car, a play house.....

They can write a longer piece describing a land at the top of their own beanstalk if they are able. 

 

The children could have a go at drawing or painting what would be at the top of their beanstalk. 

 

The children could also write a sentence or two about the story, such as 'Jack climbed up the magic beanstalk'....and could draw a picture to go with it. They could write the repetitive refrain 'Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum!' 

 

To tie in with the story, children could do some measuring/size activities. They could look for items longer or shorter than a ruler (or something else), taller and shorter than themselves. They could find items which are the same length or height. They can write or draw what they find. 

They could measure items in non-standard ways e.g. 'how many cars long is the rug?', 'how many paper clips long is the book?' 

They could order items by length and height. 

Topmarks have some 'measure' activities, such as this...

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/early-years/lets-compare

 

They can have a go at counting different quantities of beans.

 

The children can sort different beans (if you can buy some) by colour, size...

 

They could make a picture from beans/pulses. 

 

The children could make their own castle using boxes. They could draw or paint a castle. If they have a sand tray, they could make sand castles. 

 

The children could grow their own beanstalk! 

 

Mrs Farquharson has sent out these links via ParentMail with some further guidance and links to aid learning at home.

 

www.gov.uk/guidance/help-primary-school-children-continue-their-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesizehttps 

 

Here is another useful link for phonics...

https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/help-during-school-closure/

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me at angela.stephens@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk if you need any further support. Have a great week! 

Easter Holidays 

 

 

Here are some ideas of things to do over Easter! 

 

 

Have an Easter egg hunt

 

Make some chocolate egg nests; here's a recipe! 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/shredded-wheat-nests

 

Decorate a boiled egg using felt tips, paint......

 

Practise hopping like a bunny, rolling like an egg....

 

We usually learn this 'Spring' song; why not have a go at learning it at home!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKEwyLCKLwI

or 'Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken, lay a little egg for me...'

 

Create an Easter window in your home - decorate a window with coloured eggs, spring animals and flowers......

 

In Reception the children enjoy a 'pass the parcel' challenge. Between each piece of newspaper there is a challenge such as ' do 5 star jumps'. 

 

Make up a story called 'We're Going On an Easter Egg Hunt' adapting the words from the classic story, 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt.' 

 

We're going on an egg hunt 

We're going to find a big one

What a beautiful day

We're not scared....

 

The children could have a go at writing a bit of this - perhaps one of the repetitive refrains e.g. ' we can't go over it' or they could make their own little book.

 

The children could find out about the life cycle of a chick or duckling (we usually hatch these in the spring in Reception). They could write a sentence about this such as 'the chick came out of the egg.' 

 

Make Easter cards or bunny ears. 

 

Play an interactive Easter counting game

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/teddy-numbers/easter

 

Mrs James and I hope that everyone is keeping well and staying busy! We are missing you all very much.

 

We will post a new set of learning ideas after the Easter break. 

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions or concerns about your child's learning - angela.stephens@buckhursthill.essex.sch.uk 

ONLINE SAFETY 

 

Here are some links if anyone is concerned about online safety.

 

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

https://www.internetmatters.org

https://parentinfo.org/

https://www.lgfl.net/online-safety/

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/

 

Thank you 

 

Week Beginning 30th March 

 

Hello everyone! We hope that you are all keeping well and busy. We thought we would add

some ideas to the Class Page every week so that you can focus the children's learning. 

 

This week, why don't you read the 'Three Little Pigs' (you can find this online if you haven't got a hard copy). The children can have a go at :-

 

- verbally retelling the story. See if they can remember the key events, characters and repeated refrains in the text (e.g. I'll huff and I'll puff......') .

 

- let the children have a go at writing the repeated refrain using their sounds. They might be able to write more than this, and could make their own little book with drawings of the characters? Always use lower case letters when demonstrating. 

 

Following on from the story, the children could have a go at making their own houses for the pigs. You could talk about the different materials that they were made from, why one was stronger than another. You could talk about which shapes would be best for building. The children could use Lego, other construction resources, cardboard boxes etc. 

 

Relating to the story, you could talk about 'one less', as each house is blown down. The children could have ten houses represented by objects and the wolf could blow down one at a time. The children should then say how many are left. You could also focus on using mathematical language for shape such as the names and to talk about the properties (e.g. curved, straight, corner...) 

 

You could talk about how the characters feel in the story. How do the pigs feel each time a house is blown down? Perhaps the wolf is lonely and looking for a friend? You could talk about being kind to others. 

 

The children could role-play the story. They could make a house using sheets and pegs. 

 

Don't forget to keep active.....the children could be mastering hopping, skipping, balancing, hopscotch, jumping.....

 

Phonics 

You could use a game like this to recap as often as possible sounds already learnt. 

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/member-only/Flashcards.html

This game helps the children to apply the sounds they've learnt by blending them together. 

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/member-only/BuriedTreasure2.html

 

Select Phase 2 and 'revise all Phase 2'. 

 

Oxford Owls has a page showing you how to pronounce the sounds correctly. https://cdn.oxfordowl.co.uk/2016/05/05/20/22/32/561/20097_content/index.html?id=ae

 

Numberblocks on iPlayer 

You could watch a number every day, beginning with number 1. 

 

These are just ideas if anyone is overwhelmed by what to do. Please do not worry if your child is not able to do the activities or your home circumstances don't allow it. At this age, children are learning through play every day and just sharing your normal routine will support their learning. 

Reading any stories with your child is hugely beneficial, these are just our ideas. 

 

We are currently looking after key worker children, so are still busy but are missing you all very much. Hope to get back to normal as soon as possible. 

 

Mrs James and Mrs Stephens

Websites for Children 

 

Here are some online resources for your child to access from home. 

 

This is a great website with interactive games and resources to support the teaching of phonics. Reception children will be able to play the Phase 1, 2 and some of the Phase 3 games too.  

https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/

 

This website has lots of interactive maths games.

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/3-5-years/counting

 

Another great website with suggestions for maths-related games and activities. 

https://nrich.maths.org/13372

 

The Oxford Owl website has games and activities to support English and Maths.

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/

 

Twinkl is used regularly in school and has a wealth of resources to support learning across the curriculum. They are offering free membership at the moment. 

https://www.twinkl.com/resources/parents

 

Numberblocks episodes can be found on YouTube and iPlayer. A great educational maths programme. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08bzfnh/numberblocks

 

This website has links to various apps which can be downloaded from the App Store. 

https://www.earlylearninghq.org.uk/childrens-apps/

 

These are the Jolly Phonics songs in the order they are taught. 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2wpdvv

 

These are various songs which can be found on YouTube which the children enjoy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMyssfAUx0

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0dJWfQHF8Y

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ-qLUIj_A0

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrlgH97v94

 

Enjoy! 

Here are the Phase 2 and Phase 3 sounds to practise at home (the children have yet to learn many of the Phase 3 sounds, so don't worry!) 

 

Here also are some letter and number formation sheets. 

Here are the first 100 words which the children are learning. 

 

When your child can read the first 100 words on sight, they can begin to spell them. 

The Reception Newsletter will be added to the website on Monday as we are having issues with our server this week. You should receive it via ParentMail in the meantime. 

 

Show and Tell for week beginning the 27th January is to talk about a walk that the children have been on - through the forest, along a beach, to the park. They can bring in a photo, something they have collected, or a drawing, if they would like. 

 

Thank you 

Show and Tell  Days

 

Monday

Akshara

Anna 

Ayla

Bella

Bora

Boris

Dalal

 

Tuesday

Ellsie

Elsie-Mae

Freddie

Jack 

Jasmine

Jessica

 

Wednesday

Kaydee

Kaylee

Lana

Larisa

Lily

Luca

Maxwell

 

Thursday

Maysan

Noah

Norma

Olivia

Reeva

Scarlett

 

Friday

Teddy 

Tommy 

 

A warm welcome to RS' class page!

 

Mrs Stephen's is the class teacher and Mrs Tassie and Mrs Clements are the Learning Support Assistants. Your child will also be supported by Mrs James (the other Reception teacher) and Mrs Balchin.

 

P.E. - Wednesday and Thursday

Welly Walk - Wednesday

 

Each week, we will upload the Reception newsletter to the website along with any other information you might need.