What a big year we have had in Reception, both in terms of having two classes and all the exciting learning and visits we have managed to pack in since September!
The children settled in brilliantly, exploring our indoor and outdoor areas and making new friends. The Reception staff were so pleased with the number of home visits we were invited to make this year, and found the meetings invaluable when getting to know your children.
Our topic about ‘Space and Light’ offered us many exciting learning opportunities. The children were fascinated when learning about Diwali, The Festival of Light, and enjoyed making their very own clay diva lamps. The visit from Jason Fortune, a ‘real’ astronaut, towards the end of the term created a buzz of excitement, and the class were bursting with questions, and some even got the chance to try on his space helmet.
We had a theatrical end to our Christmas term with our annual visit to the Stag Theatre to see the pantomime. Our Reception classes thoroughly impressed us with their sensible behaviour when walking there and back and in the theatre. We all joined in with gusto and laughed at all the jokes, children and staff alike. The children’s performance in our very own nativity production was equally as impressive, playing the parts of the animals in the stable.
Many of the children’s most memorable moment of the year was our trip to Hever Castle. A ride on a double decker bus, getting lost in the maze and exploring the castle were just some of the highlights of our day. When asked about their day, one of Miss. Allen’s class said, “It was fun because we got to see what happened a long, long time ago.” Another happy memory was going to measure the oak trees on The Vine cricket ground. Who would have thought we would get caught in a hail storm in Hollybush Park, in the month of May!
We have been lucky enough to have had our learning furthered by some wonderful visitors to school. We were amazed by the size of Farmer Tim’s tractor wheels and enjoyed digging and planting with a green-fingered grandma. Two of our Reception Dad’s offered us their expertise by showing us bricklaying and as one of Mrs.Temp’s class said, “Real jellyfish in a jar!” as part of our learning about sea creatures.
We discovered the way to a Reception child’s learning is through food! During the year we have made sandwiches, decorated gingerbread men, grown cress, tasted new fruit and vegetables, tried ‘Tudor’ bread and wine, sampled honey on St. John’s day and had fun with smarties in maths!
The year has flown by and the children have matured and learned so much. We can’t believe it is already time for them to be moving on, and will all look back on this year with fond memories.
