EYFS at Woodland Grange

• We encourage children to be curious and imaginative. 
• We teach them to ask and answer questions — find things out and explain to others. 
• We want our children to be aware of the world around them.
• We encourage them to be independent.

General Information:

We hope that you all have a fantastic week. Please get outside and enjoy the fresh air (if the rain doesn't stop you). Stay active and enjoy yourselves - please send any photographs or videos you wish to share to Tapestry - while we still have it. 

Continue to practise your reading, writing and maths skills at home. This is so important and will really help you to continue to develop your confidence and progress. We look forward to seeing and hearing how you get on with your homework tasks. Enjoy! 

Reading at home:

Please could we remind all families how important practising phonetic sounds and reading, at home, is. Those children that read and share books at home regularly are progressing so well. They are super confident and are beginning to segment and blend independently.

We all understand how busy life can get, but 5 minutes daily will make a huge difference. If you would like any support or suggestions regarding reading and/or phonics at home, then please let us know. 

The first week back - Week beginning : 2/6/25

This week's learning: 

Focus text: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carle) 

 

Eric Carle's 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' is a perennial favourite with children and adults alike. Its imaginative illustration and clever cut-out detail charts the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through the week.

Some of the things the children can look forward to seeing in the classroom this week:

The construction area - it is wooden blocks, this week. What creations can you make? Have fun and use your imagination and building skills. We have seen some amazing creations - keep it up.  

Finger Gym - to build up the children's muscle strength and memory and develop their dexterity and fine motor skills. The classroom has a finger gym - the activities in this area will change regularly and include activities to help build children's motor skills and confidence - all of which should help the kids to improve pencil grip and handwriting. This week, children can use their fine motor skills to create perfect pennae pasta caterpillars. 

Role-play area - New hairstyle or manicure anyone? Children have absolutely loved the role-play area, this year. This week, the children can get into character as business owners, beauticians or lucky customers. 

Reading area - familiar stories, sharing and retelling stories. The children really enjoy sharing and exploring a range of different texts. It is a pleasure to see such joy from reading! The children's phonics skills are improving, and it is amazing to see their confidence develop and observe them sharing books in our reading area. 

Malleable - Play-dough - can you help feed the hungry caterpillar - can you create some snacks for him? 

Maths area - can you create some repeating patterns? 

Tuff Spot - time to go on a mini-beast hunt. What will you discover? 

Our carpet sessions will include English sessions (Talk through stories), maths sessions and phonics sessions. This week, we will be focussing on the below: 

Phonics

Our Rocket Phonics phonic sessions continue to happen once a day, 5 times a week. This week we will be focussing on the digraphs er, ar, or, ur and ow. Lot's of revision. We will also continue to learn Common Exception Words (tricky words). Why not practise these initial sounds at home with your children?

Maths

This week’s focus is on on assessing and deepening the children’s developing automaticity with some number facts. Throughout the Mastering Number Programme, the children have been focusing on number relationships and on the composition of number in a variety of contexts. They have had repeated practice of exploring the ‘numbers within’ the numbers to 10. This week’s activities will help you to check the children’s understanding of all of this, and will provide further opportunities to develop their familiarity with these number relationships. 

• knowing that whole amounts can be split into parts
• knowing that parts can be combined to make whole amounts, and that the whole is larger than each of its parts
• knowing the ‘numbers within’ 3 (i.e. that 3 is composed of 2 and 1)
• knowing the different ‘numbers within’ 4 and 5, and naming the parts that make the whole number (e.g. that 5 is composed of 4 and 1, and 3 and 2)
• when shown a quantity to 5, saying how many are subsequently hidden under a cloth or bowl
• knowing the different ‘numbers within’ 10, and naming the parts that make the whole number, e.g. that 10 is composed of 5 and 5, or 6 and 4
• knowing doubles facts up to ‘5 and 5 make 10’.

Other areas of the curriculum....

Music - we will be enjoying some fun and familiar songs together.  

Topic - life-cycle of a butterfly.

RE - which stories are special and why?

PE - as always, the children will do a PE lesson on a Friday afternoon. 

Please make sure that all jewellery is removed, including religious bracelets. Could we please ask that all earrings are removed for our Friday lessons? This is really important for safety. Thank you to the vast majority of parents/carers that continue to do this. 

This week, we will be beginning our new unit - Games 1. Please see the relevant knowledge organiser below:

Thank you to all the families that have been continuing to practise their Big Moves - we are very proud of you. The children often share what they have been up to and it is lovely to hear. 

Keep it up by visiting the website below and clicking on 'Big Moves parent videos' and using the password: 

LSLSSPBM

Big Moves – Learning South Leicestershire School Sports Partnership

Remember that the House list has been shared on Tapestry and your children should now come to school, on a Friday, in their full PE kits. 

Please see the family area of the Get Set 4 PE website. We use this scheme at school, so why not see what they suggest for some fun activities at home - Get Set 4 PE - Resource Bank (getset4education.co.u