Yeadon Westfield Infant SchoolReception: Blog items
Date: 3rd Jun 2025 @ 4:37pm
This week the children have been enjoying riding the new balance bikes in Early Years.
Diplodocus Class Blog - Summer Term 1
Date: 23rd May 2025 @ 11:45am
This last half term has been quick but great! The sun has shone and every child has continued to flourish.
We have been joined by Miss Rhodes a student teacher this half term and she will be with us until June. The children have enjoyed having her as part of our class.
The children have continued to work hard to develop their phonics and writing skills. They are using their phonic knowledge to complete more independent pieces of writing. A lot of children are challenging themselves to write even more which is so good to see. Please continue to work with your child at home on any unfamiliar sounds. New sounds and red words will be introduced in Year 1 so it is helpful if your child is secure on most/all of the sounds we have introduced this year.
In maths, we looked at symmetry and the children enjoyed creating their own symmetrical patterns. Can you spot any butterflies in your garden? We also looked at grouping and using the language of ‘lots of.’ We have continued to look at simple addition and subtraction. We have also had a go at counting in 10’s!
We enjoyed looking at life cycles within our topic. What can the children tell you about ladybirds, frogs, butterflies and spiders? They all have a very interesting life cycle and go through metamorphosis – probably the trickiest word Reception have learnt this year! The children love being outside in the sunshine and they have such a fantastic area to play in and enjoy.
The children absolutely love junk modelling (which you have probably gathered) so please keep saving any small boxes and sending them in. Thank you
Have a lovely half term holiday and we will see you for the last half term which is a busy one!
Thank you for your continued support – the Reception team.
Diplodocus Class Blog - Spring Term 2
Date: 4th Apr 2025 @ 11:29am
And that was the Spring Term! After a very cold start in January we are ending with plenty of sunshine.
During this half term the children have loved exploring fairy tales. These classic and much-loved tales have enabled the children to listen to stories with enjoyment, join in with familiar language, flourish as story tellers and develop even more their skills as writers.
Each week the children in Reception focused on a different fairy tale.
Week 1: The Gingerbread Man
Making the clay gingerbread men was enjoyed by all the children in the class. All were truly unique! As a side note these were not to eat!!!The children quickly joined in with the story language and adapted the story when playing independently.
Week 2: The Three Little Pigs
The children had a go at making houses out of various materials and engaged in lots of other provision. We listened to various versions of the story.
Week 3: Red Riding Hood
This week the children had the opportunity to make some delicious lemon cheesecakes. The children could decide if they would give their dessert to an adult, just like Little Red Riding Hood did, or if they would eat them themselves!
Week 4: British science week
Taking a break from fairy tales, the children had a jam-packed science week. The children loved being introduced to their very own wormery! There was lots of science in provision for the children to access.
Week 5: Goldilocks
What has happened to Goldilocks? This was the question on everyone's lips. During the final week of our fairy tale topic the children had a go at solving a crime! Knowing that Goldilocks and the Three Bears had been in our classroom sparked some wonderful imaginative play and lots of independent reading and writing. Well done, Reception.
Week 6:
We have enjoyed learning about Easter and joining in with Easter crafts and activities within our provision. We took part in the Big Sing for parents and Reverend Richard came to school for our annual Easter Service.
The children are all making good progress and as each half term finishes we become even more proud of them. All your support at home is greatly appreciated.
All children have thoroughly enjoyed this half term and we look forward to another hugely successful half term after the holidays.
Enjoy your break!
Team Reception xxx
Diplodocus Class Blog - Spring Term 1
Date: 14th Feb 2025 @ 12:01pm
Wow, where has time gone? Another half term done and dusted! We now have Miss Holmes and Mrs Whitehead in Reception and the children have adapted to this change so well. They’ve had another amazing half term of learning through play, exploring new resources and becoming an integrated part of the school.
We have spent a week thinking about E-safety and the importance of asking a grown up for help if we are unsure about anything when using tablets, computers or other devices. The children have listened to some lovely stories that cover the importance of staying safe online .
In phonics and literacy, the children have been focusing on recognising digraphs and have been working hard on their letter formation when writing words and sentences. They all continue to try so hard and it is a joy to watch them grow in confidence each and every day. They can all write their name and are finally starting to put it on their pictures and models!
The children are challenging themselves when reading in school and hopefully are enjoying sharing their reading books at home. Thank you for your continued support with this. We are asking that you try to hear your child read at least three times a week and leave a comment in the yellow reading record. Please return your child’s reading book to school by Wednesday and we will send a new one out every Friday.
The children have continued to work hard in maths. This half term we have covered adding, subtracting and sharing with numbers to 10. We are encouraging the children to count objects reliably up to ten and developing the skills of counting objects to 20 (and beyond). We are now working on the numbers 11-20. We are really proud of how the children engage during our carpet sessions and then independently access their own learning through our provision.
Tapestry is working well. Thank you for sending in photos and videos of your children at home, keep sending them in. We love seeing what they get up to and we think it is equally important for you to see how happy and busy they are in school! Please remember to 'like' any of our Tapestry posts so we can see who we are reaching.
Next half term we will be thinking about Fairy Tales and story language. The children will be working in groups to retell the stories. If you have any fairy tales at home, please share them with your children over the holidays.
Enjoy your break and we look forward to another exciting term in Reception.
Team Reception
xxxx
Diplodocus Class Blog - Autumn Term 2
Date: 20th Dec 2024 @ 10:05am
We’ve made it!
Can you believe it we have finished Autumn 2! We had our first Parents’ Evening, a trip out to watch The Snowman, we dashed for Santa, had a disco and went to Bethlehem!
The weather has got colder but this hasn’t stopped Reception enjoying our outdoor area. The children are using the outdoor space incredibly well and are developing their physical, imaginative, speaking, listening and social skills whilst they play.
The children have been working hard on developing their fine motor skills. They have been busy building models in the DT area and participating in weekly fine motor activities in our ‘Funky Fingers’ area. Furthermore, the children have been working extremely hard using a pencil. Correct letter formation is being taught and children are encouraged to write in all areas of the classroom. We have now introduced all 26 letters of the alphabet. The children are growing in confidence when forming their letters. We are beginning to write simple words and are working hard on segmenting a word in order to spell.
Children are now reading on a daily basis as a whole class and these books are coming home. They are developing their blending skills in order to read simple words and sentences. Please continue to read with your child at least three times throughout the week and return your child’s book by Wednesday so a new one can be sent out on Friday. Thank you for your continued support with this.
In maths, we have explored the numbers from one to ten. The children have really enjoyed investigating numbers practically, using everyday objects and mathematical resources. They have also focused on exploring and finding different ways to make a number using Numicon I.e. 6+3+1=10. The children are developing their 1:1 counting skills and continued support at home is much appreciated.
Tapestry is now a well-established way of communication. We hope you love it as much as we do! Please continue sending in photos and video observations of your child, this will enable us to achieve a well-rounded picture of each individual child. As always, if you have any questions or need any support in using Tapestry then please speak to a member of the Reception team. We regularly put photos up so please give them a like!
Children have made super progress this half term. We are so, so, so proud of them. We look forward to helping them grow and develop in the Spring term. We are also excited to have Miss Holmes back in our Dream Team!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Team Reception
xxxx
Diplodocus Class Blog - Autumn Term 1
Date: 25th Oct 2024 @ 8:13am
Wow! We’ve made it! This half term has seen the children settle into school life incredibly well and it has been a joy to watch new friendships form and the children develop their independence. It’s been tricky for the children to learn all the new rules and routines but they are working hard every day to follow these to the best of their ability. We are super proud of all of them.
The children are working hard on speaking in clear sentences and listening to others when adults or children are speaking. We have learnt lots of new, interesting and amazing things about our reception class already and have loved receiving the Family Bags!
The class have been busy learning new sounds in phonics and are trying hard to sound out words and blend them together in order to read. We will continue to learn new letter sounds next half term too.
We are having lots of fun developing our gross motor skills. Climbing, crawling, and using chalk outside, ‘painting’ large areas with water and much more. We are also busy developing our fine motor control by using Lego, being creative in the DT area, using scissors and investigating ‘funky fingers’ activities. All these activities (and many more) will help your child develop strength in their fingers and will help them to gain more pencil control.
In maths we have been learning all about a number each week. So far we have learnt all about 1, 2,3 and 4. Within these number sessions we have looked at 2D shapes, objects that have 1, 2, 3 and 4 things. We have been counting lots of things in the classroom (saying each number as we count each object).
We have been enjoying our weekly PE sessions learning new skills and developing on existing ones. We have been concentrating on body management and the fundamental skills such as hopping, skipping, jumping, walking and running. They have learnt lots of new warm up games and they are becoming quite competitive!
They have had a really busy first half term in school and are so ready for a week off ( as are the staff!) They were amazing in the Harvest Assembly and definitely perfected those actions! Well done reception for a successful first half term. We look forward to seeing you all after a week off and starting a new half term of learning and fun.
Thank you to all the grown ups as well for your support.
Team Reception 😊
Date: 8th Oct 2024 @ 2:03pm
End of year message from Reception
Date: 19th Jul 2024 @ 2:53pm
Hi all,
Thank you so much for your generous gifts, kind words and overall thoughtfulness. Mrs Thacker and I are touched and feel very lucky to have worked with you and your children this year. A very special year.
Have a super summer.
The children have enjoyed playing games on this website Maths - Topmarks Search and they wanted me to share it with you so on a rainy day they could perhaps have 5 minutes screen time to play a fun educational game.
Thank you again and take care,
Date: 24th May 2024 @ 9:51am
This last half term has been wonderful as we have seen every child continue to flourish.
The children have continued to work hard to develop their phonics and writing skills. The children are using their phonic knowledge to complete some lovely independent pieces of writing. Most children are accessing the challenges and are working hard to complete them. Please continue to work with your child at home on any unfamiliar sounds. New sounds and red words will be introduced in Year 1 so it is helpful if your child is secure on most/all of the sounds we have introduced this year. The red words we have looked at so far are being sent home today.
In maths, we looked at symmetry and the children enjoyed creating their own symmetrical patterns. Can you spot any butterflies in your garden? We also looked at grouping and using the language of ‘lots of.’ We have continued to look at simple addition and subtraction. Can you continue this skill at home?
We enjoyed looking at life cycles within our topic. What can the children tell you about ladybirds, frogs, butterflies and spiders? They all have a very interesting life cycle and go through metamorphosis – I think the trickiest word Reception have learnt this year! We enjoyed looking for mini beasts in our outside area. The children love being outside when the weather suits – they have such a fantastic area to play and enjoy.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the author and interacted beautifully with her story telling. A lot of children then took the story telling drama into the creative areas within the classroom. Fantastic! The theatre performance of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was also a great hit and the children were excited about it for days.
Next half term we begin by looking at recycling, please can you start at home and collect any suitable materials for our junk modelling/creative area. Thank you.
Have a lovely holiday and get some rest. Next half term is a very busy one!
Thank you for your continued support – the Reception team.
Date: 28th Mar 2024 @ 2:42pm
During this half term the children have loved exploring fairy tales. These classic and much-loved tales have enabled the children to listen to stories with enjoyment, join in with familiar language, flourish as story tellers and develop their skills as writers.
Each week the children in Reception focused on a different fairy tale.
Week 1: The Gingerbread Man
Making the clay gingerbread men was enjoyed by all the children in the class. All were truly unique! The children quickly joined in with the story language and adapted the story when playing independently.
Week 2: The Three Little Pigs
The children had a go at making houses out of various materials and engaged in lots of other provision. The children had to imagine they were the big bad wolf and blow objects across the table to see which one would blow and which would not.
Week 3: Red Riding Hood
This week the children had the opportunity to think about keeping safe. The children enjoyed the story and worked hard in re-telling the story.
Week 4: British Science Week
Taking a break from fairy tales, we had a jam-packed science week. The children were all able to grow a rainbow. Maybe they could do another one at home over the holidays? We had sinking and floating competitions. We also had an ice investigation where we wanted to see how quickly ice would melt in different environments. We added photos to Tapestry. We discovered that if you want to keep a snowman colder for longer, wrap him up in a jacket.
Week 5: Goldilocks
What has happened to Goldilocks? This was the question on everyone's lips. During the final week of our fairy tale topic the children had a go at being Goldilocks. Knowing that Goldilocks and the Three Bears had been in our classroom sparked some wonderful imaginative play and lots of independent reading and writing. Well done, Reception.
Week 6:
We have enjoyed learning about Easter and joining in with easter crafts and activities within our provision. The easter hunt was very eggciting!
Please continue to hear your child read at least three times a week. The children are all making good progress and have become very engaged in writing – please remember to pick up a pencil in the holiday and continue to support your child with their letter formation.
Any support at home is appreciated.
All children have thoroughly enjoyed this half term and we look forward to another hugely successful half term after the holidays.
Enjoy your break!
Team Reception x
Date: 9th Feb 2024 @ 1:38pm
We have spent a week thinking about E-safety and the importance of asking a grown up for help if we are unsure about anything when using tablets, computers or other devices. The children have listened to some lovely stories that cover the importance of staying safe online and have worked in small groups to act out different scenarios and help their friends.
In phonics and literacy, the children have been focusing on recognising digraphs and have been working hard on their letter formation when writing words and sentences. They all continue to try so hard and it is a joy to watch them grow in confidence each and every day.
The children are challenging themselves when reading in school and love sharing their reading books at home. Thank you for your continued support with this. We are asking that you try to hear your child read at least three times a week and leave a comment in the yellow reading record. Please return your child’s reading book to school every Wednesday and we will send a new one out every Friday.
The children have continued to work hard in maths. This half term we have covered adding, subtracting and sharing with numbers to 10 and beyond. We are encouraging the children to count objects reliably up to ten and develop the skills of counting objects to 20 (and beyond). We are really proud of how the children engage during our carpet sessions and then independently access their own learning through our provision.
Next half term we will be thinking about Fairy Tales and story language. The children will be working in groups to retell the stories. If you have any fairy tales at home, please share them with your children over the holidays.
I have settled in very well and am thoroughly enjoying teaching here - I feel like I have been here for years. This is a credit to you, your children and of course the wonderful staff at our school. Thank you.
Have a lovely half term holiday.
Date: 22nd Dec 2023 @ 12:38pm
The children had a special surprise visitor this morning. Santa chatted to the children and delivered a present to each class. Thank you!
Date: 22nd Dec 2023 @ 8:40am
This half term the weather has got colder but this hasn’t stopped Reception enjoying our outdoor area. The children are using the outdoor space incredibly well and are developing their physical, imaginative, speaking, listening and social skills whilst they play.
Children have been working hard developing their fine motor skills. They have been busy building models in the DT area and participating in weekly fine motor activities in our ‘Funky Fingers’ area. Furthermore, the children have been working extremely hard using a pencil. Correct letter formation is being taught and children are encouraged to write in all areas of the classroom. The children have done incredibly well to remember all the new phrases. The children are growing in confidence when forming their letters. We are beginning to write simple words and sentences and are working hard on segmenting a word in order to spell.
Children are now reading on a daily basis as a whole class and individually once a week with an adult. They are developing their blending skills in order to read simple words and sentences. Reading books will continue to be sent out. Please continue to read with your child at least three times throughout the week and return your child’s book by Wednesday so a new one can be sent out on Friday. Thank you for your continued support.
In maths, we have explored the numbers from one to ten. The children have really enjoyed investigating numbers practically, using everyday objects and mathematical resources. They have also focused on exploring and finding different ways to make a number using Numicon I.e. 6+3+1=10. The children are developing their 1:1 counting skills and continued support at home is much appreciated.
Tapestry is now a well-established way of communication. We hope you love it as much as we do! Please continue sending in photos and video observations of your child, this will enable us to achieve a well-rounded picture of each individual child. As always, if you have any questions or need any support in using Tapestry then please speak to a member of the Reception team.
Children have made super progress this half term. We look forward to helping them grow and develop in the spring term.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Team Reception
xxxx
Date: 19th Dec 2023 @ 10:24am
Well done to the Reception children for their amazing singing today and thanks to the staff for all their hard work. We hope everyone enjoyed the performance.
Date: 26th Oct 2023 @ 4:20pm
This half term has seen the children settle into school life incredibly well. It has been a joy to watch new friendships form and the children develop independence.
New rules and routines have been established and the children are working hard every day to follow these to the best of their ability.
The children are working hard on speaking in clear sentences and listening to others when adults or children are speaking. We have learnt lots of new, interesting and amazing things about our reception class already.
The class have been busy learning new sounds in phonics and are trying hard to sound out words and blend them together in order to read. We will continue to learn new letter sounds next half term too.
We are having lots of fun developing our gross motor skills. Climbing, crawling, and using chalk outside, ‘painting’ large areas with water and much more. We are also busy developing our fine motor control by using Lego, being creative in the DT area, using scissors and investigating ‘funky fingers’ activities. All these activities (and many more) will help your child develop strength in their fingers and will help them to gain more pencil control.
In maths we have been learning all about a number each week. So far we have learnt all about 1, 2, 3 and 4. Within these number sessions we have looked at 2D shapes, objects that have 1, 2, 3 and 4 things. We have been counting lots of things in the classroom (saying each number as we count each object).
We have been enjoying our weekly PE sessions learning new skills and developing on existing ones. We have been concentrating on body management and the fundamental skills such as hopping, skipping, jumping, walking and running. We do our PE sessions following the PE Hub scheme and have enjoyed playing lots of games using the new skills we have learnt.
Well done reception for a successful first half term. We look forward to seeing you all after a week off and starting a new half term of learning and fun.
Team Reception 😊
