Acorn Class
Look Around
Sian Peel (speel) on: Acorn Class
Our Spring Term topic has been ‘Mountains, Deserts and Seas’- Look Around. We have introduced a whole school 'Sign of the Week' to link in with our topic work so have a look at the newsletter each week to see what sign we are learning that week.
We have looked at the mountains and deserts so far this term, learning that there are very cold, frozen deserts, as well as hot, dry sandy ones but even in both of these climates we have seen animals that can live there. We have been reading a lovely story about the Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson which is about a journey around the world to see different environments linked to our topic. We have also been enjoying a short sensory story where we can explore each aspect of the different habitats ending up with a small volcano with erupting lava!
We have been able to enjoy the outdoors a bit more now the weather is improving so we have made a few trips out and about to different local habitats for instance the park to explore for ourselves.
Some of the children have been taking part in 'Tots on Tyres' session over the last few weeks which they have really enjoyed. Some of the other pupils have been taking part in Conductive Education with Jules McDonald and again have had fun, but been working really hard too. Well done Acorn Class for learning lots of new and exciting skills!
In the Spotlight
Sian Peel (speel) on: Acorn Class
We have continued to enjoy our topic ‘In The Spotlight! - Here I am!’ The stage has been extremely popular with children dressing up and performing; singing, dancing and playing instruments. We have also made our own instruments using natural materials which has been a big hit! We have also been using our nursery rhyme choosing board to encourage choice making and to promote independence.
This term we have created a display of the silhouettes and faces of the children. The children really enjoyed being creative, firstly looking in the mirror and then making their paper plate faces. They also loved being traced around to create a silhouette which we then painted in school uniform colours.
We have been reading a variety of story books relating to different emotions. We have been linking the School Emotion characters; ‘Good to Go’, ‘Low’, ‘Unsettled’ and ‘In Crisis’, to different parts or events in the book. We have also related the emotion characters to how we are feeling eg when we made pancakes we tasted lemons which made us sad but tasting the icing sugar made us happy. We are looking forward to continuing our work on emotions.
Pancake Day was a success! The children loved exploring the ingredients and mixing them together.
Spring Term
Sian Peel (speel) on: Acorn Class
We welcomed everyone back after the Christmas holidays and started straight away on our new topic – ‘In The Spotlight! Here I am!’ We have a small stage with mirrors and a disco light all set up and ready for any performances! Gradually we have introduced some instruments and a microphone and in the last week we have added a dressing up basket which has gone down a storm!! We appear to have some keen musicians, dancers and generally children who are enjoying being ‘ In the Spotlight’.
This topic is perfect for us to focus on lots of singing with action songs and songs with body parts which have all become a regular part of our weekly routine. We will be learning more about ourselves; what we look like, emotions that we feel and how our expressions change. We will explore things that they like to taste, to play with, making music and different sounds.
We had a lovely Chinese New Year celebration recently when we used some amazing resources in class. After the children had watched a short film about how families clean the house to make way for new things, we have learned how red is an important colour to bring good luck and have watched a dragon dance. We then had our own celebration in class which ended with a dragon dance!
As we head into Spring we will be looking forward to Pancake Day, Easter and maybe even manage to create a little show with videos of everyone taking a turn on the stage.
Autumn Term
Sian Peel (speel) on: Acorn Class
We welcomed 3 new starters in September and they have all settled well and are enjoying all the activities and day to day ‘hustle and bustle’ of Acorn Class.
Our topic this term is based on the whole school theme of The Victorians, but we have been focussing on ‘Old and New’ to make the learning activities more meaningful for our pupils.
We have compared old and new coins and stamps which linked in at the time of the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth so we looked at the different monarchs on the stamps and coins images. We also held a class tea party to commemorate her reign as Queen which the children really enjoyed.
The children had a wonderful Victorian wash day experience with lots of interesting items to explore – there was a washtub and board and a big block of soap. Then they used wooden tongs to lift out the clothes and hang them on the maiden.
We have explored old and new transport and have spent the last couple of weeks looking at old and new experiences of seaside holidays. The children have really enjoyed watching and then making our own Punch and Judy show, building sandcastles and then having ice cream – so some things haven’t changed that much!
After half term we will be learning more about ‘Old and New’ toys and household items, then I’m sure our Victorian Christmas preparations will be here before we know it!
Summer!
Sian Peel (speel) on: Acorn Class
We are fast approaching the end of the summer term and it seems like this year has flown by. We have been enjoying practising our class Singalong performance and hope those of you who came to watch, enjoyed it.
Acorn Class have all been enjoying their weekly visits to The Space Centre and also the lovely weather we have had so far. We have been able to get to play outside in our outdoor area and also visit the sensory garden each week. We hope that the Easter egg seed bombs that your child brought home have done as well as the one we put into our garden - it is amazing! As well as all the fun things we have been up to, the pupils have also been working hard and it’s fantastic to see that the hard work over the year has paid off as they are showing us lots of new and independent skills nearly every day! They seem to have grown up so much.
We hope you have an enjoyable summer break and look forward to welcoming everyone back in September! We bid farewell to some pupils moving into other classes and hope that they settle in quickly and enjoy their new classes.
Welcome back
Welcome from Class 1
Sian Peel (speel) on: Welcome back
Firstly we would like to welcome back to school, all the children in Class 1, along with new pupils and a new member of staff. This term our topic is 'Music Moasic', and we have been listening to a variety of music, from 'Classical' to 'Rock and Roll'. We have discovered we can move our bodies to the beat. As a class we have listened to lots of sensory stories and rhymes, our favourites being 'Dear Zoo' and 'Hickory Dickory Dock'. We particularly enjoyed listening to the animal sounds and bell chimes. Sensory and messy play has also proven to be popular, exploring a variety of different textures and smells. 'We are all Artists' in Class 1. We have created our own picture frames and look forward to our work being displayed. The winner of a new resource is ....... 'a giant cardboard box'. All the children have loved exploring the twinkling lights and material.
We are looking forward to next term to find out what more we can learn and discover.
