Unicorn Class Blog                    Term 1 Week 2                Week Commencing 9th September 2024

This week we have had another fantastic week of fun, creative learning and exploring.

We have enjoyed listening to different versions of The Three Little Pigs’, acting out the story. Using straw, sticks and bricks to make houses and then using the characters to retell the story and make up different versions. We have also been making houses using a range of construction and media. The Big Bad Wolf hairdryer came to visit the straw house and blew the house everywhere when he huffed and puffed. The other houses were made strong like the brick house in the story. When the wolf came down a chimney he burnt his tail, the children helped pretend to put water on it and took him to a wolf hospital, like in the book ‘Suddenly’ that they have also enjoyed listening to and discussing this week. They gave him medicine, injections and food and made his tail feel much better. With all their kindness and care he then became a kind wolf. We made delicious pig faces using rice cakes, strawberry yoghurt and fruit.

 As part of our all about me topic this week there have been lots of discussions about who lives in their family, what our homes are made of and similarities and differences. On a large piece of paper we drew around a child then discussed and labelled the body parts. We sang songs using names of some of our body parts such as Head, shoulders, knees and toes and ‘If you're happy and you know it’. The Mr Potato heads were very popular and we enjoyed showing each other the features we had added.

This week we have also enjoyed looking at and sharing books in the cosy area and also discussing the zones of regulation pictures, looking at photographs of children expressing different emotions and discussing how they are feeling today.

We enjoyed our first Forest School for this academic year. We did lots of exploring, climbing, using the rope swings and hammock, some of us who had been before noticing changes such as the blackberries growing on the bush, we collected blackberries and enjoyed explored and commenting on what happened when we used sticks and our hands to stir and squash them, some of us made blackberry juice and cakes. 

In the garden we enjoyed using the big balls to play catch and kicking, gardening, make dens, pretend to be builders, discover ways to move around, balance and climb over the climbing frame, used the bikes which became delivery vans and ice cream vans, the large sandpit was used to make sand castles, ice-creams, smoothies, tea, coffee and other food to serve and sell at the café. We played ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’ and other chasing games. We found a baby toad in one of the storage boxes. We wondered how it had gotten in the box and were very fascinated by it, we were very quiet so that we did not scare it then we found it a nice safe place and released it. The toad was very hard to spot once it had been released. Mrs Fenwick explained that it was because it was camouflaged. We also got to see photographs of a hawk that Margot and her family had rescued because it had an injured wing.

Although maths is being used throughout continuous provision for example in the home corner working out how many plates and cups are needed so that everyone around the table gets one. Our main focus for this week has been understanding and using prepositions such as ‘in’, ‘on top of’ and ‘in front of’. We have also been using a range of objects to develop fast recognition of up to 3 objects without counting them individually. We looked and talked about what we could see and what we noticed.

During phonics we have been listening out for environmental sounds, learning and singing a range of nursery rhymes and making silly soup with rhyming objects and words.

Next week we will be continuing with our ‘All about me topic’ and having a ‘Handa’s Surprise theme. 

Just a reminder that there is no Forest School this week, Wednesday 18th September.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and looking forward to seeing you all next week for more exploring.

Best wishes

Mrs Fenwick