We welcome a new starter: Josie, and will welcome another new starter after half term: Rosie.
This half term starts with a new worship topic: 'Helpfulness'. We are learning that helpful hands are kind hands. We ask ourselves: How can we be a gift? We can use our kind hands to help.
We also start a new focus in 'movement in music' : Instruments - sounds, beat and rhythms.
In PE, we will be developing our ball skills (rolling, throwing, passing, catching, bouncing and kicking), as well as performing ring games and circle dances - following instructions. Each PE lesson will start with a coordinated aerobic warm-up.
Other adult-led activities include the 3 ability-based phonic groups each day, which are short, interactive and fun. I have just introduced a daily small group activity for the children who have attended F1 since before the start of this academic year. This sessions focus on extending literacy (reading and writing) skills and maths (numbers and shape, space, measure) skills. These children are all enjoying these activities and progressing very well.
The children are enjoying learning through play and this is child-led and quite often leads to in-the-moment learning. A classic example of this was last week, when a number hunt in the woods turned into the realisation that number 11 was missing. The children had convinced themselves that a cheeky fox had taken it, and maybe ate it. At lunchtime, a letter was left for us from the fox, saying he had thought that the number 11 was for him as it was his birthday and he was 11 today. We voted on what to do (let him keep it or ask for it back) and it was agreed that the fox shouldn't have taken it as it wasn't his to take. The children had a great idea: make him a birthday card - lots of imaginative drawing and writing came next, and another trip to the woods was in hand. We left our card, an orange and a sock (as the video footage we watched as part of our research into what foxes like, included fruit and socks).
The next day, we went back to the woods and to our surprise, the number 11 had been returned as well as a thank you note. The birthday card had gone, and so had the sock. During our walk to the woods, we saw orange peel on the ground. This in-the-moment activity lasted 2 days, ignited such interest, developed skills in the 7 areas of learning and developed a positive mindset.
The children love 'Toast Tuesday' - where they develop their skills in using tools, noticing changes, using their senses. The UK wide "big garden birdwatch' of 2019 was fun and educational last week. The bread the children threw resulted in us seeing lots of pigeons, magpies, crows and even a robin. Thank you to those children who carried on this activity with their parents at the weekend.
We look forward to the rest of this half term and want to thank you - the parents - for your continued support.
From The F1 team.
