Please watch the children recite Joseph Coelho’s, ‘Take a Deep Breath’: the poem we have shared this week in celebration of National Poetry Day.

We really enjoy taking deep breaths and the sense of calm that this brings after a morning fizzing around Reception. The children considered which places make them feel safe, relaxed and happy.

Sophia is happiest at home: “I love all my family”. Maya enjoys her bed, which she describes as “nice and cosy”. Ruby relaxes with at her “Grandma’s”. Eliza’s happy place is “at the top of the climbing frame”. Rory feels most relaxed having “lunch with the buddies”. Poppy’s “playroom” is her sanctuary; she likes to “lie down and then jump up”.

Well done, RS, we are very proud of you!

Our Reception maths journey started with matching and sorting games. We talked about why objects are the same or different and then went on a hunt to ‘Find a match’.

We challenged ourselves to build matching towers.

We played SNAP! Lids were matched. Sets were created and incorrect sets were fixed.

Some of the children were so keen to demonstrate their sorting skills that, one afternoon, they tipped out all the resources on every shelf in the maths area! They discovered that, despite being skilled sorters and matchers, they had set themselves a time consuming challenge!

We have also been comparing quantities. Are there more boys or more girls in our class? Which colour lunch band is most popular today? Who has fewer banana slices? How many more bears does Cheeky Monkey have? We discovered that it’s easier to compare quantities when we line them up carefully or use a ten-frame.

Next week, we will be comparing size and mass. Please chat over the weekend about who is taller and shorter at home. How do the children know? Can they have a go at being human scales? Take a walk indoors or out and pick up an object in each hand. Does one object feel heavier than the other? The children might discover that size is not always an indicator of mass.

Phonics lessons have started this week and the children have shown lots of enthusiasm for saying, reading and writing a new sound each day. Can you go on a hunt at home to find objects beginning with the following sounds: m, a, s and d?

We walked through the wardrobe to make our first visit to the school library and to chose our library books for the week. Please return them next Thursday so we can swap them over. Our librarian – Miss Whiteley – explained how important it is that we take care of books.

Why not join our family library sessions, which take place on Tuesdays 3.00-4.00pm? Siblings are welcome to come along too.

On Wednesday, we welcomed the last of our new starters into RS: a very warm welcome to everyone.

Snack time under our class tree – the mighty willow at the front of school – gave us the opportunity to make observations about the leaves, bark, size and shape. Jemimah thought that the tree “looks a bit bendy” and Rory described the bark as “lumpy”. The children also considered what type of creatures might inhabit the tree. Not sure about the tiger suggestion but we might see an owl, squirrel, ladybird or pigeon at some point! We will revisit our willow regularly to notice and discuss seasonal changes. Rio-Bailey wonders if “the leaves might go down” as we move into Autumn.

Is there a tree at or near your home that the children could choose to follow? We would love to hear about any comparisons with our willow tree.

We thought that Eliza’s comment about the apple she spotted in the orchard was very amusing but also symbolic in the first week of Reception. The children, who joined RS this week, have made a wonderful start to their year. They have been exploring indoors and out, building relationships with friends, buddies and teaching staff and launching their Reception learning journeys. Here we all are in the orchard, where we talked about what we noticed before returning to the classroom to smell the apples and talk about how we might cook or eat them: apple pie was a popular choice.

I wonder if the children can recall what crawled out of bug-loving Mia’s apple?

We are looking forward to welcoming the remaining children into RS next week. Your teddies can’t wait for their first cuddle.

Thank you, parents, for all of your support in naming items coming into school.