Year 1 Ruby Class

Mrs Reed	Mrs Sherwood
Class Teacher	Teaching Assistant

This half term we have learnt lots about England and the capital city London. We have read lots of stories set in London and this has helped to build their understanding. The children used a range of resources to research facts about England and recorded this as collaborative posters. The children also had fun drawing maps of London and constructing models of London using small world resources. They included key features such as the underground system, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square. They were even able to locate London on the map!

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Ruby Class have enjoyed learning to code this half term. Using Scratch Jr the children made their own maze games. They started by designing their backgrounds to create a maze route. After they were happy with their design, they chose a character that would complete the maze. They added a simple code to their character so it would follow the maze, changing their code where necessary.

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During Spring Term 1, Ruby Class created fantastic puppets inspired by story characters. They started by designing their characters and selecting fabrics. The students then traced their templates and cut the fabric themselves. After joining the pieces, they had fun decorating their puppets to bring their characters to life. This project helped them develop creativity, fine motor skills, and their decision making skills.

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In Science, Ruby Class have been learning about sustainability and how to take care of our planet. They suggested lots of good ideas such as creating habitats for animals and littler picking. Another idea they had was to plant wildflowers to help minibeasts. The children all took turns preparing and planting these seeds and we are excited to see what may grow in the summer term.

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Year 1 had a fantastic time this week taking part in a special Toys of the Past workshop led by Chertsey Museum as part of their history topic!

The children were transported back in time as they explored a fascinating collection of old toys. They began by observing and listening to information about a range of toys, noticing how different they are from the toys we play with today. It was great to see their curiosity sparked as they discussed what the toys were made from and how they might have been used.

Next, the children had the chance to play with a variety of replica toys – from spinning tops to cup and ball games – and experience firsthand how children entertained themselves long ago. They showed great determination as they discovered how tricky some of them could be!

In a fun sorting activity, the children worked together to group the toys in different ways – by materials, how they move, or when they might have been made. This helped them think like real historians and use what they had learned to make careful observations.

The children also created their very own bird in a cage thaumatrope – a Victorian optical illusion toy that showed a bird inside a cage when spun quickly. The results were fantastic, and the children loved seeing the illusion come to life!

It was a hands-on, engaging day full of learning and laughter – well done, Year 1!