Our Year in Pictures

Summer Term - Week 6

This week we have been looking at the work of a famous artist - David Hockney and have been recreating his art work 'The Arrival of Spring.' 

As part of our enrichment day, we went to the library to develop our love of reading.

Summer Term - Week 5 

This week we have been learning the names of the four seasons, looking at how they are different and what makes them beautiful. 

We had Amy Smith, an Olympic swimmer visit us for our sponsored fun fitness classes 🏊‍♀️
We enjoyed listening to how she became a swimmer, her competition experiences and we loved joining her for the exercises 🏅

Summer Term - Week 4 

We have been exploring different minibeast found in nature. We sorted minibeasts by different criteria and went on a bug hunt.

As part of our Enrichment day, we have been busy making bug hotels using recycled materials ♻️

Summer Term - Week 3

This week we have been creating observational drawings of plants and leaves. We now know observational drawings mean looking closely and drawing what we can see. 🌱

Summer Term - Week 2

This week we have explored how to create different effects using crayons. We used crayons to create different effects and lines and then experimented with leaf rubbings.

Summer Term - Week 1 

This week we have started to explore our enquiry question 'Is nature beautiful?' 

We have been learning about the primary colours - red, blue and yellow, learning how to colour mix and how to make a colour lighter and darker. 

As part of our Enrichment afternoon, we planted seeds for a future plant sale we will be holding. We are going to carefully look after the seeds by watering them every day and making sure they have plenty of sunlight, in order to grow.

Summer Term - Enquiry Launch Day 

Wow, what fantastic launch day we’ve had! We planted seeds in our EYFS garden that will hopefully grow into beautiful flowers, painted pictures of flowers and enjoyed dressing up colourful. 

Spring Term - Week 10

This week we have been identifying and investigating materials. We have been on a material hunt around school and found objects made from glass, metal, plastic, wood, paper and fabric. We have also worked in small groups to build castles out of each material and tested its strength to see which material would defend Robin Hood's bow and arrows. 

As part of our Enrichment afternoon, we went to New Cross Church to deliver some donations of food and drink, as part of our enquiry “How can we help others?” The church was extremely grateful for these donations and spoke to us about how they provide food for the homeless. Our good deed was then returned with drinks and biscuits for us.

Spring Term - Week 9

This week we have been making our products (cakes) and sold them at a cake sale to raise money for the Comic Relief Charity. We then evaluated our cakes to see what went well, what we would change next time and which cake was the most popular at the sale.

As part of our enrichment day, we had two lovely scientists visit us from 'Hand On Science' called Laura and Tim. We thought about different energies needed to create movements. We now know that there is sound energy, height energy and movement energy. We observed testing these energies through flying rockets and exploding rockets using bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. We then had a go at making our own rockets out of straws and using air to see if we could get them to travel. What a fun day of being scientists!

Spring Term - Week 8 

This week we have been learning what charities are and how they help others. We have been thinking about how we can help raise money for charities, and in DT we have designed a product. As a class we thought about designing and making cakes to sell at a cake sale, in order to raise money for a charity that helps others.

Spring Term - Week 7 

This week we have been exploring the lifecycle of an oak tree. We know that Robin Hood's tree at Sherwood Forest is an oak tree, called the 'Major Oak'. We looked at the different stage of how an oak tree grows. We know it starts as an acorn in the ground, then a shoot comes out, that grows into a seedling, that grows into a sapling, that grows into an Oak tree. 

As part of our enrichment day, we had two lovely policemen visit us to tell us about all the things they do to help people and how they keep everyone safe. We got to ask them questions, go in the police van, try helmets on and listen to the siren! 

Spring Term - Week 6 

This week we have been exploring Nottingham. We know that Nottingham is a city near Sutton in Ashfield. We looked at where Nottingham is on a map and at the different features that Nottingham has. 

We also went on a school trip to Sherwood Forest. We got to hear and act out stories about Robin Hood, see the Major Oak, look at real coins from medieval times, build dens and even have our photos taken with Robin Hood and his swords. What a fantastic trip!

Spring Term - Week 5

This week we have been exploring music. We know you can make music with our bodies, voices and instruments. We have been using instruments to explore volumes of loud and quiet.

We have been using instruments  to tap to the beat of the 'Song of Roland'

We have been singing and clapping along to the beat of 'Robin Hood'

As part of our enrichment day, we visited the library to develop our love of books. 

Spring Term - Week 4

This week we have been learning about past and present. We know the past is something that has happened and the present is now. We have been comparing and sorting items from medieval times.

As part of our enrichment day, we used our outdoor area for our learning, as part of Welly Wednesday.

Spring Term - Week 3

This week we have continued learning about sculptures. We know you can change the shape of a material by rolling, pinching or pressing it. We used salt dough to create our own sculptures of Robin Hood.

As part of our enrichment day, we discussed the Chinese new year celebration and their culture. A huge 'Thank You' to the Red Lantern Chinese take away on Mansfield Road for donating the egg fried rice and prawn crackers, for us to taste some authentic Chinese food. 

Spring Term - Week 2 

This week we have been learning about sculptures. We have been thinking about what they show and why we have them. We have been looking at sculptures of Robin Hood.  

As part of our enrichment day, we have been through a time machine, to the past and met Robin Hood 💚
The children loved telling him everything they knew about him, asking him questions about the past and watching his archery skills 🏹

Spring Term - Week 1 

This week we have started to explore our enquiry question 'How can we help others?' and have been learning about a person from the past (Robin Hood). We have been acting out the story, can recall facts about him and know how he helped others. As part of our enrichment day, we used our outdoor area for our learning, as part of Welly Wednesday.

Spring Term - Enquiry Launch Days

Wow, what fantastic launch days we’ve had! Everyone looked amazing dressed up as characters from Robin Hood, Medieval times and wearing green and brown! 💚🤎
We have had so much fun! We loved showing off our outfits in a fashion show, we’ve read the story of Robin Hood and now know somethings about him, we’ve made our own Robin Hood hats, we’ve made a timeline (of Robin Hood, the years we were born and the current year), and even had a go at archery 🏹

What a busy few days!

EYFS Playground

We have been really lucky this term as we have had a brand new playground built for us in EYFS. We love learning outdoors and now have dedicated areas to use when using our provision.

Autumn Term - Week 11 - What makes us unique?

We have put all of our learning from the term together to answer our enquiry question. We have made a fact sheet about ourselves and put them in a time capsule. It won't be opened until we are in Year 6, then we will be able to see if we have changed.

Autumn Term - Week 10 - How do we express ourselves?

This week we have been looking at how we can express ourselves in Art. We have used different techniques and materials with our self portraits. 

As part of our enrichment day, we made Christmas crafts. 

Autumn Term - Week 9 - Do we all look the same?

This week we have been looking at our similarities and difference and have had a go at drawing self portraits. We used a sketching technique to create our masterpieces. 

As part of our enrichment day, we made odd socks to celebrate anti bullying week. 

Autumn Term - Week 8 - What is family life like in India?

This week we have been comparing India to England looking at families, houses, clothes, transport and foods. We tried some Indian foods such as onion bhajis, samosas, poppadoms and mango chutney. 

As part of our enrichment day, we made poppy wreaths and walked down to the cenotaph to lay them. 

Autumn Term - Week 7 - How is Diwali celebrated in India?

This week we have been learning about Diwali. We know Diwali is celebrated in India and we celebrate Christmas is England. We looked at the the story of Rama and Sita and know Diwali is the festival of light. As part of our enrichment day, we used clay to make our own lamps. 

Autumn Term - Week 6 - What would it be like to live in India?

This week we have been learning about another country. We have been comparing climates, flags, languages and dances. The children know that India is a hot country and they speak English and Hindi / England is a cold country and we speak English. After reading the book 'Chapatti Moon' by Pippa Goodhart, we made our own chapattis. As part of our enrichment day we walked to Sutton library and loved exploring all the books. 

Autumn Term - Week 5 - What does my community look like?

This week we have been learning about our local environment. We know Sutton has many features like Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton Lawn, the Reservoir, shops, schools and houses. As part of our enrichment day we went on a walk around our local environment.

Autumn Term - Week 4 - Where do belong?

This week we have been learning about where we live. We can recall the country we live in is England and within England we live in Sutton. We can find the UK on a globe and an atlas. We also know maps tell us where to go and we followed one around school. As part of our enrichment day we made the English delicacy of scones.

Autumn Term - Week 3 - How do we stay healthy?

This week we have been learning about keeping our bodies healthy. We can recall our bodies need healthy foods, exercise and sleep, we know we need to brush our teeth twice a day and can name fruits and vegetables. We have also been using our senses by going on a listening / looking walk and have been using smelling pots and feely bags. As part of our enrichment day we made a healthy fruit salad and got to taste it too. 

Autumn Term - Week 2 - Who am I?

This week we have been learning about our birthdays and our families. We can recall the year when we were born, name people who are older and younger than us and name who is in our families. As part of our enrichment day we made faces and bodies using natural materials, and we had a go at labelling them in our writing area.

Autumn Term - Week 1 - What does Reception Look like?

This week we have settled in well to Reception class and have started exploring our enquiry question 'What makes us unique?'. We found out about the all the Forest Glade values and made flying high Kites as part of our enrichment day.