To parents of children in the Lower Prep

Dear Parents,

We are delighted to be welcoming Miller's Ark animals into school on Tuesday 15 May. They will be bringing with them an assortment of friendly farm animals for the children to cuddle, stroke, feed and groom. This is always an enjoyable occasion, and one from which the children gain a real insight into the handling and care of the different farm animals. All children in the Lower Prep will benefit from the visit, spending time with the animals during the course of the day.

I'd be grateful if you could complete the slip below giving permission for your child to take part in the visit and giving details of any special instructions regarding allergies. The cost of the visit will be £3.50 and should be returned along with the permission slip to your child's class teacher as soon as possible.

This term has started well, with our new themes and topics generating great enthusiasm amongst children and staff alike. Reception have been finding out about what plants need to live and grow; and have been enjoying weekly stories, practical investigation and hands on exploration. The outdoor area has been transformed with the addition of numerous pots and plants, whilst the indoor flower shop role play area allows the children to develop their creative and imaginative talents! We are currently having a bean stalk competition to see who can grow the tallest beanstalk, and the children have written some imaginative stories about where this beanstalk may lead! Nursery and Pre-Prep have been looking at animals and have recently created a wonderful Noah’s Ark display, which seems particularly appropriate given the current weather! Their wonderful creations explore lots of different habitats and animal types, and the children are particularly excited about what they have been learning, as many are able to relate it to their own ideas and experiences.

Early years and KS1 enjoyed some exciting Easter activities on Tuesday.

The day started with an egg rolling competition in Reception, where the children rolled their hard boiled eggs across the playground, trying to get their egg to land nearest to the Easter egg target. Hannah and Maddie were victorious, but all the children enjoyed the challenge and lots of interesting techniques arose!

The Easter Bunny had been hard at work in the woods, and all year groups enjoyed searching for the Easter eggs, which he had thoughtfully left behind. This was certainly the highlight of the day for many, and we had some very vigilant Easter egg hunters! The eggs came in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes, and were found in some unusual places! Fortunately we were very thorough and every class ended up with a sizeable collection to share out.

Members of Early Years enjoyed our investigation afternoon, and were encouraged to explore a variety of different activities in order to find out more about the world around them, and how it works. The children loved feeling, moulding and manipulating different types of "gloop" with Mrs Love, and were not afraid to explore the endless possibilities that this offered. Mrs Spooner's Ice Mountain was another favourite with the children, and they were amazed to see the creation gradually melt and changed shape. The children in my own class were keen to investigate light and shadows using an OHP, and made a range of patterns, drawings and designs on the walls and even the ceiling! It was nice to see the children mix freely between the year groups and experiment with the resources available - as well as their own ideas.

On Monday early years enjoyed a visit from the Ivydale Science and Technology Workshop. The sessions were led by Paul Newham, who was accompanied by all sorts of spikey, scaley and crawly creatures.

The children in reception enjoyed a design technology workshop, where they learnt how to make and create wind up toys. The theme was creepy crawlies, and great fun was had by all! The children developed their own “scuttlebugs”, through a particularly hands on and practical approach, and they were all very proud of their newly created species! Cardboard, cotton reels, pipe cleaners and elastic bands were all put to good use, as the bugs gradually came to life. The session culminated in a “scuttlebug” race across the classroom, and we were surprised to see how quickly the models moved! The bugs then enjoyed a well earned rest, before being taken home at the end of the day!

After play, the children in nursery and Pre prep, joined in with the activities, as the whole department enjoyed an animal and insect show. The snakes, stick insects, millipedes, lizards, and even spiders were an unusual but very much welcome sight in our classrooms, with nearly all the children volunteering to hold and look after the creepy crawly visitors. We learned all about where they came from, and how to look after them, as well as some of their more disgusting habits! All the children had a wonderful time, and even some of the staff overcame their fears!

Welcome to everyone in Early Years, especially to those of you who are new. We have already begun lots of exciting work through our termly topics. Reception children are looking at toys this term and have so far enjoyed investigating pushes and pulls through the different ways toys move. In literacy they particularly enjoyed a recent scavenger hunt, looking for alphabetical toys to add to Kipper’s Box. The search took them to all sorts of interesting places around the school, and some of the older children helped to provide some thoughtful ideas too!

Nursery and Pre-Prep have been busy finding out about houses and homes, and have produced some wonderful pictures, paintings and models.

The early years department has been very busy over the last few weeks and with the run up to Christmas, it is one of our most exciting times! Nativity Play rehearsals are well underway and with several art attack sessions planned over the next few weeks, the children will have plenty of opportunities to explore the true story of Christmas through large scale paintings, models and collages.

Environmental day was great fun for all and the children enjoyed a range of activities including woodland walks, junk modelling and learning how to be environmentally friendly. Reception children made a fantastic outdoor collage using natural resources, whilst Nursery and Pre prep worked in groups to build models from recycled materials.