This week, in our topic lesson, the children have been learning about the life cycle of a butterfly; eagerly observing our butterfly chrysalises and waiting for the metamorphosis into butterflies! They have ordered and labeled the life cycle and written sentences describing the different stages. The reading focus during free learning involved the children reading statements about the life cycle and adding their own illustrations. In Maths, the children have been introduced to subtraction stories; they have used the language ‘first, then and now’ to solve simple subtraction number sentences. The children have used both 10 frames and number lines to support their learning and have enjoyed playing  a ‘bus stop’ game in the class tuff tray by taking away passengers according to the roll of a dice. Out in the Learning Garden, the children have been using chalk to draw the lifecycle of a butterfly and have been collecting their own natural materials to make their own minibeasts. Continuing on from our plant topic work, the children have been learning how to care for the plants in the Learning Garden and, along with watering the plants, have been singing and reading to them too! As part of Vineyard Adventures, the children have been observing all the habitats in our forest area including the pond, trees and bushes. They built dens to make their own ‘homes’, moving large objects safely. In phonics, we have been revisiting the set 3 ‘chatty’ special friends - a-e (make) and i-e (nice) and o-e (home). We have also been learning the Red Words your and said in English- why not have a go at hiding some of  these words around the house to see if your children can read them? In the creation station, the children have loved creating their own caterpillars using paper chains and exploring symmetry by designing butterfly wings.

             

             

            

 

Key messages:

• Friday 24th May - ‘Bug Ball’ - your child can come to school dressed as a minibeast for the day to conclude our minibeast topic this half term.

        

• To review the phonics sounds that your child has been learning, please visit the phonics website: https://sites.google.com/thevineyardschool.org/phonicsthevineyard/reception 

• Please continue to give us donations of clean recycling to add to our junk modelling as we use it throughout the year. Egg boxes, small boxes, toilet rolls etc. 

• Vineyard Adventurers has started; please make sure children come in their PE kit with long trousers to cover their legs, with some wellies and a waterproof coat. If they have waterproof trousers, please send them in too.

• Urban farm  21st May-  we will be getting a coach there and back. They will need a nut-free packed lunch and water bottle in a rucksack that they will carry themselves. If your child gets travel sick, please let us know in advance so we can be prepared for it, and preferably seat them near the front. Please pack them a spare change of trousers, jumper and t-shirt. Thank you if you have already let us know. We can give them medicine for the journey back, but this must be agreed with the class teacher and a form must be filled out at the office.