Reception Blog

Autumn 1

Week 3

Our first full week in Reception without our grown-ups is complete!

We have been getting to know one another, and our environment and learning the rules and routines at school. Despite a few tears, we are all settling in well!

Next week we will be starting our topic - Space! Our first story will be 'Whatever Next' by Jill Murphy,

Perhaps this weekend you could look at pictures of The Moon. Or even better, see if you can spot The Moon in the sky (as long as it's not past your bedtime!)

Sun and Moon

Week 4

We came into Mora eager and ready to learn. We have been embedding our new rules, routines and behaviours and have been extremely successful at it.

This week we were reading a book called ‘Whatever Next’. We learned to listen and respond to longer stories. We sequenced the story and shared our ideas of what we would like to take to the moon.

In Maths, we learnt about subitising. Subitising is when we recognise a small number of objects without needing to count.

We have been busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t

Reminders

All children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

All children need a book bag so they can take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled.

Reception Sun & Moon

Week 5

Literacy

This week we read "The Way Back Home" by Oliver Jeffers.

An alien spaceship has crash-landed in our classroom! The alien inside needed our help! We were super curious about the crash landed so we drew observational pictures of the space ship. We investigated the spaceship, collected evidence for the police and labelled the bags using our sounds.

Maths

This week we were engaged in activities that drew attention to the purpose of counting – to find out ‘how many’ objects there were altogether.

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n

Reminders

All children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

All children need a book bag so they can take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled.

The way back home...

Week 6

Literacy

This week, we were reading the book called ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ by Claire Freedman. The story was about adventurous aliens coming to earth to steal under pants as they do not have any of their own in space. We were exploring different types of underpants and used key vocabulary such as pattern, colour, stripes, spots, zigzag to describe pants.

Maths

This week, we explored how numbers can be composed of 1s and, from this, began to investigate the composition of 3 and 4. We used different resources to compose and decompose numbers.

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g

You can practise reading the following words:

at, it, an, in, and, dad, sit, mat, pig, sat, pat, pit, man, map, sip, nip, nap

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I

Reminders

All children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

All children need a book bag so they can take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled.

Aliens love underpants

Week 7

Literacy

Our final week of Autumn 1 is complete! We are so proud of your children's learning and development so far. The past 6 weeks have gone so quickly and we are looking forward to welcoming you back after half term.

This week we watched the performance of the book Handa’s Surprise. Our teachers performed the story for us!

We used our own words to retell the story and we had lots of fun to act it out some part of the story.

At the end of the week, we celebrated the BHM by dancing and talking about some African cultures.

Maths

This week we recognised and made our own repeating patterns. We focused on AB patterns using different resources and different actions.

Maths Challenge is:

Go on a nature walk to collect a range of natural objects for example small pebbles, twigs, leaves and count them.

How many objects did you collect?

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k

You can practise reading the following words:

at, it, an, in, and, dad, sit, mat, pig, sat, pat, pit, man, map, sip, nip, nap

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a

The caption for this week was:

dog is in a cap and a kit

Reminders

Please read the book your child has in their book bag and write a comment in their reading diary.

Please complete the activity from your home learning journal.

All children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

All children need a book bag so they can take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled.

Have a lovely half term!!!

Handa's surprise and BHM

Autumn 2

Week 1

Our first week back after half term this week, and what a busy one it's been! This week, we learned about helicopter stories. We dictated our stories to an adult to scribe word for word. Helicopter stories develop communication and language skills as well as personal, social and emotional development. In Math, we learned how to estimate. We made sensible guesses about the number of objects in a group. We introduced a special place called an “Estimation station” in our class to help us practise this new skill every day. The children were also keen to talk about what they had done in the holidays and what activities they had been doing leading up to Halloween.

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u

You can practise reading the following words:

at, it, an, in, and, dad, sit, mat, pig, sat, pat, pit, man, map, sip, nip, nap, pet, up, got, get, mum

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the

The caption for this week was:

pet duck is in the mud

Reminders

Please read the book online and book your child has in their book bag and write a comment in their reading diary. All the children have the login details for BigCat online reading.

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled.

All children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Helicopter stories and Estimation

Week 2

This half-term our topic is winter and arctic animals. We read the story ‘Lost and Found’ by Oliver Jeffers, one of our favourite authors. We used props to retell the story and we travelled to South Pole with a penguin. We were busy building boats with our peers using loose parts and we labelled the parts of our boats on post-it notes. The South Pole can be a bit chilly so we packed a bag with important items we needed for our trip. We ended our week learning super facts about penguins. They are super interesting creatures. Did you know, that penguins are birds that do not fly!

This week, in Maths we explored and compared Capacity. Capacity is the amount something can hold. We used key vocabulary such as empty, half-full, full to describe the capacity of different-sized containers. We investigated capacity in our water trays, filling and emptying different containers and comparing how much water each container held.

Maths Challenge: How many cups of water does your water bottle hold? Can you measure it?

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b

You can practise reading the following words:

at, it, an, in, and, dad, sit, mat, pig, sat, pat, pit, man, map, sip, nip, nap, pet, up, got, get, mum, red, rat, rip, hat, hot, hop, bed, bin, back

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has

The caption for this week was:

bat has a rock as a hat

Reminders

Please read the book online and book your child has in their book bag and write a comment in their reading diary. All the children have the login details for BigCat online reading.

Please be aware some children do not have books on Big Cat because they are still working towards sounds.

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

Please bring back your Home Learning Journal and Reading diary & physical book on Mondays.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled.

All children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Lost and Found - Capacity

Week 3

This week, we read the story ‘Jonty Gentoo The Adventures of a Penguin’ by Julia Donaldson. Jonty, the little Gentoo penguin wants to find his true home at the South Pole. We used our phonics knowledge to write some words and phrases about Jonty’s journey to the South Pole. We also created a missing poster for Jonty Gentoo.

In Maths, we sorted and grouped different objects by colour size and shape. We used fluffy pom-poms, and classroom resources such as pencils, scissors, cubes, and magnets to sort them out and put them into the correct groups.

Maths Challenge:

Can you go for a hunt in your house and collect food?

How can you sort it out? Perhaps by grouping it as healthy or unhealthy, sweet or sour.

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l

You can practise reading and writing the following words:

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has, put

The caption for this week was:

put a leg in as a cuff

Reminders

Please read the book online and book your child has in their book bag and write a comment in their reading diary. All the children have the login details for BigCat online reading.

Please be aware some children do not have books on Big Cat because they are still working towards sounds.

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

Please bring back your Home Learning Journal and Reading diary & physical book on Mondays.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled and all children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Friday 22nd November school in closed.

Jonty Gentoo

Week 4

This week, we read the story ‘Bear snores on’ by Karma Wilson. It is a warm story about animals' friendship. The children engaged in various creative and educational activities inspired by the theme of bears and their habitats. We drew pictures of their favourite animals from the book, labelled their work, and wrote the initial sounds of the animals’ names. Children also wrote lists of everything Bear would need to make his den cosy and warm, suggesting items such as rugs, blankets, pillows, and books. As a challenge, we built dens for teddies using various materials and labelled the parts on post-it notes. As part of continuous provision, the children created bear faces using loose parts and drew pictures of bears and other Arctic animals. Bears are interesting animals. Did you know that they are hibernating during the winter?

In Maths, the children consolidated their counting skills by matching numbers to corresponding quantities. They used various resources, including number cards, toys, numicon, dots, cups, and pictures, to reinforce their counting and subitising abilities while building their overall number sense. Perhaps you can try and do a Maths' challenge at home.

Maths Challenge:

Draw a picture of a garden. Can you draw five trees, seven butterflies and ten flowers? Can you find the correct number card to show these numbers? What else can you add to the garden?

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ss j

You can practise reading and writing the following words:

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has, put, pull, full

The caption for this week was:

the jam pot fell in a mess

Reminders

Please read the book online and book your child has in their book bag and write a comment in their reading diary. All the children have the login details for BigCat online reading.

Please be aware some children do not have books on Big Cat because they are still working towards sounds.

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

Please bring back your Home Learning Journal and Reading diary & physical book on Mondays.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled and all children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Bear snore on

Week 5

We had an exciting time exploring the story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen. The children were thrilled to discover our classroom had been "destroyed," turning it into a real-life crime scene! They became investigators, collecting and bagging evidence, and used their phonics knowledge to label what they found. Through this hands-on activity, the children practised key vocabulary from the story, such as stumble, tiptoe, squelch, swishy, splash, snowstorm, and forest. They also read and retold the story, creating wonderful story maps to showcase their understanding and storytelling skills.

In Maths, we’ve been exploring positional language to help us describe the location of objects using words like under, over, behind, next to, between, and in front of. We had lots of fun practising these concepts with activities involving toy bears, where children described their positions and gave instructions like, “Put the bear in front of the chair” or “Place the bear behind the table.” We also took turns directing each other with phrases such as, “Go next to the table” or “Sit under the table.” To make learning even more exciting, we used tablets to take photos of our peers in various positions. The activities were not only engaging but also a fantastic way for children to build confidence in using positional language in a fun, hands-on way!

Maths Challenge: Positional Treasure Hunt at home

Hide a small toy or object (like a favourite stuffed animal or a small box) in a specific location in a room. Give clues to your child. Use positional language to guide your child to find the hidden item. For example:

It’s under the chair. Look behind the couch. It’s next to the table.

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ss j v w x

You can practise reading and writing the following words:

at, it, an, in, and, dad, sit, mat, pig, sat, pat, pit, man, map, sip, nip, nap, pet, up, got, get, mum, red, rat, rip, hat, hot, hop, bed, bin, back, fin, fat, fun, puff, cuff, huff, leg, lit, log, lip, lick, sick, kiss, hiss, miss, mess, jam, jet, jog, jump, jug, vet, van, vat, wet, wax, win, wall, fox, box, axe

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has, put, pull, full, go, no

The caption for this week was:

Will the fox go in the van?

Reminders:

Please read the book online and book your child has in their book bag and write a comment in their reading diary. All the children have the login details for BigCat online reading. Also, be aware some children do not have books on Big Cat because they are still working on sounds.

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

Please bring back your Home Learning Journal and Reading diary & physical book on Mondays.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled and all children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Please do not forget to book your parent's evening appointment on ParentMail.

We're going on a bear hunt - Positional language

Week 6

This week, we enjoyed exploring the story ‘The Leaf Thief’ by Alice Hemming, a delightful tale about a squirrel who notices leaves disappearing from the tree outside his home. As the story unfolded, we eagerly speculated: Who could be the mysterious Leaf Thief? Could it be Bird? To bring the story to life, we went on a leaf hunt and created "wanted" posters, imagining someone had stolen leaves from our classroom. We also made "missing" posters for the vanished leaves and used our phonics knowledge to write words and phrases for our creations. It was a wonderful way to combine storytelling, creativity and literacy skills!

In Maths, the children were busy learning to identify one more within 5 and 10. They practised using their counting skills to find one more than a given number. To make the learning engaging, we used different resources tools and objects such as toys, cookies, everyday objects, cubes and number lines. The children enjoyed these hands-on activities, which helped them build confidence in their counting and number recognition skills.

Maths Challenge

For a fun at-home challenge, encourage your child to find "one more" using objects around the house! For example, you can ask, “If there are 4 apples on the table, how many will there be if we add one more?”

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ss j v w x y z zz

You can practise reading and writing the following words:

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has, put, pull, full, go, no, his, her

The caption for this week was:

Can a yak buzz and zap?

Reminders:

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

Please bring back your Home Learning Journal and Reading diary & physical book on Mondays.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled and all children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Wednesday 11th December - School closes at @1 pm for parents' evening.

The Leaf thief - One more

Week 7

The children had a wonderful time during the EYFS Winter Workshop. They engaged in a range of exciting activities that captured the spirit of the season. Together, they created festive Christmas and winter cards, showing off their artistic talents. We also enjoyed watching them toast marshmallows, an activity that brought lots of smiles and excitement. The group listened attentively to a heartwarming story and ended the day by singing songs they had learned in their music lessons, filling the room with joyful melodies. It was a memorable event that we were thrilled to be part of!

We had an exciting week. We read Alice Hemming and Nicola S.'s story ‘The Snow Thief’ and participated in different experiments to melt ice. We used key vocabulary such as melt, hot, solid, liquid and heat. We used our sounds to label resources used and wrote observations about our experiments.

This week we learned to recognise and name 2D shapes. We created pictures using 2D shapes and we used key words such as sides, round, and vertices to describe the properties of 2D shapes.

Maths Challenge

Go for a walk in your house or in the park. Can you spot any 2D shapes? Can you describe their properties? how many sides does each shape have? How many vertices?

We were busy in phonics learning our first set of sounds;

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ss j v w x y z zz

You can practise reading and writing the following words:

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has, put, pull, full, go, no, his, her

The caption for this week was:

pet duck is in the mud

Reminders:

Please complete an activity from your home learning journal.

Please bring back your Home Learning Journal and Reading diary & physical book on Mondays.

All children need a book bag to take a storybook home to share with their family. Please bring storybooks back to school the following day so the children can take a new one home.

Please make sure all uniforms and clothing are labelled and all children need a spare bag of (old) clothes on their peg.

Friday 20th December - School closes at @2 pm

The Snow thief - 2D shapes

Week 8

We had a wonderful time learning about celebrations, including Christmas. We had lots of fun talking about Christmas, writing cards and letters to Santa and friends, and exploring the traditions that make this time of the year so special. We focused on the keywords: Christmas, Jesus, tradition, Santa, presents, Christmas tree, and celebration. The children wrote sentences about Christmas, made gift lists, created letters to Santa, and designed their own Christmas cards. It was a joyful week filled with creativity and meaningful learning experiences!

We had an exciting time exploring the world of 3D shapes with the children! We learned the names of various 3D shapes, such as cubes, spheres, cones, and cuboids. We also used real-life objects such as boxes, party hats, and wooden blocks to help children recognise shapes in their environment.

Maths Challenge:

Perhaps you could help wrap some presents this festive season and identify which 3D shape it is. Or you could go on your own 3D shape hunt around your house or the park.

In phonics, we have been revisiting and reviewing the sounds we have learned so far. We used the sounds to read and write simple words and phrases.

s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ss j v w x y z zz

You can practise reading and writing the following words:

Tricky words we learnt are:

is, I, to, a, the, as, has, put, pull, full, go, no, his, her

The caption for this week was:

The dog has a spot

Congratulations to all the children on completing your first full term in Reception! We are so proud of everything you have achieved so far and all the progress you have made. You worked really hard. Have a lovely break and we look forward to seeing you in the new year. Don't forget to read lots of books with your grown-ups.

Mora Primary & Nursery School

Mora Primary & Nursery School

Reception Blog

Autumn 1

Week 3

Sun and Moon

Week 4

Reception Sun & Moon

Week 5

The way back home...

Week 6

Aliens love underpants

Week 7

Handa's surprise and BHM

Autumn 2

Week 1

Helicopter stories and Estimation

Week 2

Lost and Found - Capacity

Week 3

Jonty Gentoo

Week 4

Bear snore on

Week 5

We're going on a bear hunt - Positional language

Week 6

The Leaf thief - One more

Week 7

The Snow thief - 2D shapes

Week 8

The Spring Term starts on Tuesday 7th of January.

Celebrations and 3D shapes

Spring

Summer