Howick Church of England Primary School

Class 1 - Reception

Welcome to Class 1!

My name is Miss Hardiman and I will be your Reception Teacher. Mrs Morris is our wonderful Teaching Assistant who helps us with all of our learning.  We are very fortunate this year to also have Marian, our volunteer, working in class. Marian loves to spend time getting immersed in play and exploring the outdoors! 

We are looking forward to a fantastic year of learning with our Reception Class.

Important Dates

PE Days: Monday and Thursday 

Book Change and Homework: Thursday

Our Approach

As an EYFS team, our approach to early childhood is one that can only be described as a beautiful recipe of ingredients influenced by early childhood pioneers. Our curriculum is designed with our school driver words in mind, establishing a broad and rich curriculum; creating curious and creative ‘thinkers and doers’ of the future. At Howick, we want the very best for our children. We recognise that a rich broad and balanced curriculum that is surrounded by meaningful relationships ensures that our children are able to flourish in confidence, self-belief and wisdom. 

Throughout this magical year, children will experience an abundance of opportunities to learn through play. We recognise that children are unique individuals and therefore no two children will develop at the same rate. No matter where their starting point may be; our curriculum is designed to aid children to develop resilience, perseverance as well as challenge and support, enabling them to have the confidence to aim high and aspire to more. As an EYFS team and effective role models, we will provide high quality interactions in order to develop and deepen the children’s learning opportunities. We will deliver our curriculum through a balance of adult led and child-initiated activities based on the EYFS Framework 21’ as well as children’s interests.

Please find attached the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974907/EYFS_framework_-_March_2021.pdf 

Our Learning Intentions (2024-2025)

Whilst our curriculum overview outlines topics, skills and suggested activities, this plan will change and adapt to the needs and interest(s) of our cohort. Whilst skills are set in an orderly fashion, we recognise that skills will be revisited throughout the year and built upon. Content and skills are based on possible lines of development.

Our Wonderful Classroom

Our classroom is all set and ready to welcome our new members of the Howick family. This safe space reflects the children's interests and needs. Rainbow Challenges are in each of the areas to stretch and challenge learning and development further. 

There are also lots of changes taking place outside - we can't wait to use our new areas.

Class Time Table

Here is our class time table! On Thursday afternoons the children take part in forest school. Sessions are run by Mrs Overland our Forest School Leader. During forest school the children wear their school uniform underneath their outdoor wetsuits and wellington boots. 

Literacy

We have had so much fun learning our new sounds! To help us with our writing we have been doing lots of ribbon dancing and dough disco. It is very important that our little ones build their strength from the core to help with their writing. 

Maths Magic! 

In Class 1, we have been learning about sorting and matching. We have also been exploring shapes in our classroom and environment. It has been wonderful to watch their confidence grow and see maths in action around our wonderful provision. Well done little mathematicians! We are so so proud of you. 

Number Day was so much fun in Class 1! The children took part in activities in the hall and classroom exploring number in lots of different ways. 

RE

The Easter Story

Topic
Signs of Spring 

The children have enjoyed looking for signs of spring. It has been lovely to keep a track and observe how our daffodils have grown from bulbs since September. A lovely way to keep a lasting legacy of our little ones time here at Howick - pure magic! 

Celebrations from around the world 

Diwali: We have loved learning all about Diwali the festival of light.

Chinese New Year:The children had the pleasure of taking part in a Chinese drums workshop. Together we learnt how to play the drums and even had a turn with the famous Chinese dragon! It was so much fun. What a fabulous way to celebrate all together! 
I think you can tell by Louis face just how excited we were to celebrate together! 

We designed and made Christmas stockings and learnt about why the Christmas tree is a tradition. Did you know that the a Christmas Tree is a symbol of hope because of its evergreen leaves? 

PE 

In PE we practise our fundamental skills. These life long skills we need are fundamental to building strength and stamina. We are really lucky in Class 1 to be taught by Mrs Morris once a week. Mrs Morris is a PE teacher and gives us expert advice on how to develop our key skills. The children look forward to their PE lessons and enjoy releasing all of their energy! 

Computing  

As part of our computing lesson, the children created their very own avatars. We spoke about how are avatars should not look like us, to make sure we stay extra safe online, almost like a superhero hidden identity. It was lovely to see the children’s creative minds set to work! 

We used simple instructions to code the BeeBots. We made a prediction as to which face the BeeBot might land on! 

Art

Exploring Colour 

The children have enjoyed mixing primary colours to create secondary colours. It was so much fun! 

Winter Magic!

We have been learning all about seasonal changes by creating ice baubles! The children were amazed by the natural beauty they created using water and foraged leaves, berries and sticks. We hung our ice baubles in our outdoor classroom and will observe them over the coming days. We then returned back to the warmth inside with delicious hot chocolates and hot vimto! 

Courageous Superheroes! 

We have been learning all about courageous superheroes and their impact on society today. The children have inspired and have begun to gather ideas on what difference they can make. 

In Class, 1 our children are passionate about saving our wonderful earth. Inspired by the Kings Coronation and a desire for change, our class came up with their own set of promises to live by. The children came up with their own art work to showcase the world that it is becoming and the world they want to see. 

We created a Rainbow Fish using single use plastic and crisp packets. We displayed our art work to raise awareness of ocean pollution. 

Comparing life in Ghana with life in the United Kingdom

The children also had a special visitor, Katie, who’s told the children about her time in Ghana. The children enjoyed comparing life in Ghana with life in the United Kingdom. 

Curiosity, Awe and Wonder - Our Curiosity Cube

Our curiosity cube encourages the children to look at things in a different way and talk about what they see as well as develop their ability to ask questions. We have recently enjoyed investigating a birds nest filled with eggs. This has sparked a thirst for new information and desire to find out more about the world in which we live. 

Here are just a couple of our questions: 
Why do they have spots? 
Will they crack? 
Where have they come from? 
Did they come from an eagle?

Outdoor Learning

At Howick CE Primary School, we understand and appreciate the importance of the outdoor environment for our children. It is a continuation of our indoor provision and it will be used at every opportunity. We provide our children with opportunities to develop their gross motor skills, to deepen their imaginations and also their sense of curiosity.

As part of our learning, about seasonal change, the children have enjoyed learning about the challenges that animals can face. We created a special home for hedgehogs to hibernate. We even found some juicy worms to leave as a special treat for any special visitors that may need a toasty home for the colder months. 

Recently, we made some bird feeders to hang in our outdoor area. It has been wonderful observing all of the different wildlife visiting our grounds. 

Forest Schools

 We will be going to the Booths Plantation Site for 6 weeks to take part in Forest School sessions.  

Week 1 was so much fun, playing games, learning how to keep safe, creating pictures with leaves and hunting for bugs.  

Literacy Development

 There are lots of additional ways that literacy development can be supported at home. Here is the link to our Literacy Curriculum page: https://www.howick.lancs.sch.uk/curriculum/literacy 

Phonics: Information for Parents

At our school, we use the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised scheme. This is a complete systematic synthetic phonics programme (SSP) that helps our little ones to develop the best possible foundation for reading, writing and language skills.

The following videos will help parents/carers with the pronunciation of phonemes (sounds). 

Additional Support

Little Wandle Teaching Videos 

If your child is finding a particular sound difficult, here you will find a link to an online Little Wandle video which might help.  I have also attached some videos for you to watch at home which should help with grapheme recognition and letter formation.

Autumn Term 

Week 1 (s,a, t, p) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCKu-m-8czk&list=PLBylnf4b6qQvsCziWw816PVJ7ye7ef9gO

Week 2 ( i, n, m, d)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofBrSdYCpN8&list=PLBylnf4b6qQvsCziWw816PVJ7ye7ef9gO&index=2 

Week 3 (g, o, c, k) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qual9RfvVVg&list=PLBylnf4b6qQvsCziWw816PVJ7ye7ef9gO&index=3 

Week 4 ( ck , e, u, r)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvECOGh_VFo&list=PLBylnf4b6qQvsCziWw816PVJ7ye7ef9gO&index=4 

Week 5 ( h , b, f, l) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NfruAF9_mE&list=PLBylnf4b6qQvsCziWw816PVJ7ye7ef9gO&index=5 

ai - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sonzCnU6BP4 

ee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cMtu2oHWQM

igh - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsyyBalkGj0 

oa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y61k6QylNl0

oo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7GE4OaXFW4 

oo (u) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEAucz3Tw7A 

ar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3cp24bAB_Q 

or - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyB7HCxqOc 

ow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPDqZeU9Sl0 

ur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hNuzPjBMBY 

oi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiT5KWDQt8c 

air - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ybaKtxpMY 

ear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Soi95mq1jU 

er - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2deUwkPaRM 

Tricky Words

In Class 1, we love a good sing-a-long and a boogie to a song. Here are a couple of tricky word songs that help us with our learning. 

Mathematic Development 

Number Bonds to 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrhDYWNZE2k 

Count to 20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0Ajq682yrA 

Count to 100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGetqbqDVaA 

Topic - Superheroes! 

As a class, we have really enjoyed learning about superheroes at home and at school. We are now beginning to talk about superheroes in the past (Captain Tom Moore), as well as superheroes in our local community. Recently, P.C Lizzie and PCSO Danielle came into our setting. They told us about their very important roles as Police Officers. We are really looking forward to exploring other superheroes and their special roles!

As part of our learning, the children explored historical superheroes and their roles. We learnt all about Captain Tom Moore and the fabulous work he did for charity. The children were so inspired that they decided that they also wanted to make a difference. They became real life superheroes for the day! We used our baking time to make just over 65 cakes and sold them at our very own cake sale. Altogether, the children raised just over £50 for the people of Ukraine! 

On Thursdays We Bake
Each Thursday, we sit together and bake a delicious treat. We have made lots of different things including seasonal soups, shortbread, sour dough bread, gingerbread biscuits,  fruit kebabs , and even mince pies! It’s been interesting learning about different ingredients, where they have come from, and how we can transform them into something new! 

At the end of each session, we evaluate our baking and talk about what might make it even better. 

Our Howick Values 

As a school, we are guide do by our school values. Each half term, we focus on a different value. We have focused on Creativity, Friendship and Hope so far! 

This half-term, we have focused on the value of Hope. The children have enjoyed making links between the significance of the Christmas tree and our school value. We each designed and made a beautiful hanging Christmas decoration to share Hope at this magical time of year. 

Meet Norman! 

We recently adopted a class pet. Norman is a wonderful friend to our children and loves nothing more than to explore and investigate! The children enjoyed learning lots of facts about sails and related this to our topic -habitats. 

Celebrating Cultures and Faiths

We have really enjoyed learning about different cultures and faiths. Recently, we learnt about Diwali and that this is the Hindu festival of light. Class 1 had three very important visitors into class! We finished our week by having a Diwali party and tasting traditional treats.  

As part of Equality Week, we learnt about Rosa Parks and her important role. Her story has inspired us to be positive role models and treat everyone equally and fairly. 

We had the most incredible time at our very own Holi Festival. The children dressed in white clothing and experienced throwing powder paints into the air. It was wonderful to see how the different colours began to merge together and mix. I think you can tell by our faces just how much fun was had by all! 

Christmas Crafts and Learning 

Seasonal Changes

Ways to Support Learning at Home

There are lots of fabulous ways that you can continue your learning at home! I have attached a couple of links to fantastic websites and activity ideas. 

Phonics: There are lots f ways that you can support phonics learning at home. I have attached a PDF document below with lots of suggested activities. Additionally you might like to watch Alphablocks at home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7LjGDcXqcs).  

Mathematics: Top Marks offer fantastic games for children to practice their mathematic skills! Remember to check that the games are age and ability appropriate  (https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=16&AgeGroup=1). You might also enjoy watching Numberblocks which is a firm favourite in Class 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhbE8aMfC0). 

Information for Parents: Guides and Information