Little Gems Class Page

Spring Term One

What a busy half term it has been, the children have been learning about healthy and non-healthy foods and can now with little support sort the two different food groups.

We have enjoyed using stories to help teach us and look at different fruits and vegetables.

The children have loved making their own fruit salads, they were excited about using their own knives, but of course we spoke about how to use the knife safely, keeping our fingers out of the way. They chose the fruits they would like to use, and it was lovely seeing some try new fruits.

They have had the opportunity to design a healthy meal using pictures from magazines, cutting these out and designing their plates of dinner, we have used different vegetables as mark making tools, which the children found very amusing.

During our maths sessions we have been learning about numbers four and five, to help us, we looked at the artist Mondrian as he created art using tape and paint to create four-sided shapes. The children loved creating their own pieces of Mondrian artwork.

We cannot ignore the rain, what a very wet half term it has been, this has not stopped the children from exploring the outside, we have used brooms, bubbles and food colouring to help develop our gross motor skills while creating large marks on the ground, we enjoyed making bird feeders and did a little bird watching, although we tried our hardest to be quiet and still the birds were still a little hesitant about stopping by for some food but Mrs Sherlock assured us that she did see some Blue tits early one morning enjoying a feast.

During our phonics lessons we are becoming experts at clapping out syllables and rhyming, our younger children have been practising those vital listening skills by identifying a sound and matching it to the corresponding picture.

I would like to say a big thank you to those parents that have come in and read to the children in their home languages, it has been a great experience for the children and they have loved it, if any other parents would like to come in and read we are always happy to arrange a time for you to do so.

It was lovely getting to meet and talk to you during out parents’ meetings, it was lovely to share the fantastic development your children are making.

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Autumn Term Two

What a busy half term The Little Gems have had.

Our pre-schoolers have been learning about rhyme and how to break words up in to syllables by clapping them out. The younger children have continued to take part in rhyme time sessions and build their repertoire of nursery rhymes up. These are all the early stages of reading and writing.

In maths we have been looking at numbers one and two not just recognising the numeral but the quantity too, we have also begun to look at pattern, using natural objects.

The children enjoyed learning about Vincent Van Gough and looking at his painting Starry Night. They then created their own master pieces, using their skills to mix colours to create light and dark blue for the nighttime sky.

We have enjoyed reading lots of different stories about Autumn and the dark nights, the children got to explore the dark using a dark tent and torches. They enjoyed looking at books in the dark tent, using the torches to see the pages.

We have been strengthening our hands with messy play, small hammers and golf tees and making super sculptures out of playdough.

We have enjoyed looking at different celebrations we all take part in, Diwali, Fireworks night, Remembrance Day and finally Christmas.

We got to share Christmas lunch together, and the children loved having the grown-ups sit and eat lunch with them.

I am so impressed with their skills to learn new songs, they have worked hard on learning five new songs for the Christmas Concert, I hope you are as proud of them as we are. It is very daunting to get up on stage for most people let alone when you are only 2-4 years old. We hope you enjoyed the performance.

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Autumn Term One

Little Gems have all settled back into the Little Gems routine, since returning from the summer.

It has been lovely welcoming new friends and watching new friendships bloom. The children are picking up the routines and settling in lovely.

They have all loved our weekly PE sessions with Mr Fenton and Mr Bachelor where they are learning to follow instructions while learning new skills.

We have been learning lots of new nursery rhymes during our daily rhyme time sessions. During these sessions, the children learn the new rhyme, listen to sounds associated with the rhyme and use their voices to make sound patterns. Our older children are learning what rhyming words are and how to clap out syllables.

The children have loved learning about and recognising different colours during maths, they have enjoyed making rainbows and sorting coloured objects into groups. We have also looked at matching and the same.

They have loved spending time in our garden especially the mud kitchen, collecting leaves and adding them to their delicious recipes they make.