We started our literacy lesson by reading the story Superworm by Julia Donaldson which is a real favourite with many of the children. We focused on describing the characters and how these were different from one another. Form 1 then wrote a wanted poster for the villain in the story, Wizard Lizard. The children drew a picture of him, described him and wrote a sentence about his crimes. The posters look great and we will be displaying them to make sure everyone looks out for Wizard Lizard! 

In maths, the children have learned how to use tally marks to record data. The children were given the challenge to find out which minibeast was the most popular in Nursery and Transitions class. The children tried hard to remember to use only one tally line for each response and to cross through the gate when they got to 5. Form 1 loved asking the other children for their responses and venturing into other classes armed with clipboards! Once we had collected our data, we returned to Form 1 to count the tally marks and record the totals. The children then shared what they had found out with each other. Form 1’s data showed them that the most popular minibeast overall was a bee.

Form 1 have also loved learning how to count in groups of 5. They were great at remembering how to count in 10s and 2s and they were able to notice the pattern that emerged when doing this on a 100 square. We spotted that when we counted in 5s, all the numbers either ended with a 5 or a 0. Soon we were all counting to 100 in 5s with no problem at all.

After learning that worms make lots of tunnels which help aerate the soil, the children were keen to create their own worm tunnels. They cut strips of masking tape and stuck them onto a large piece of paper to create lots of tunnels. Using sponges dipped in brown paint, the children then covered their paper and tape. Once dry, the children peeled off the tape to reveal lots of worm tunnels on their paper. It was fun adding worms and other minibeasts to their tunnels using pens. Some children even added the items that were mentioned in the story of Super Worm.

Form 1 have also learnt about different habitats that minibeast can be found in. After learning all about this, the children wanted to create their own minibeast hotel to attract more creatures to our outside space. They knew it was important to make sure there were lots of nooks and crannies for the little creatures to hide in and that there were different habitats for a variety of minibeasts.

• Dead wood and bark: ideal for beetles, centipedes, and woodlice
• Dry leaves and straw: perfect for ladybirds and spiders
• Bamboo canes: perfect for solitary bees
• Stones and tiles: create cool, damp conditions for frogs and toads

Using some old baskets to create a sturdy frame, the children gathered twigs, leaves, pine cones, bark, stones and grass. Mr Phil cut some bamboo canes to size as we thought they would be perfect for bees. We added all these materials to our baskets and positioned our minibeast hotel just outside From 1. We hope we have lots of minibeast visitors soon!

In addition to lots of activities that have been provided for the children, they have also loved leading their own learning. We have had some great junk model creations, games involving being monster detectives where they made their own footprints to follow, den building, dressing up and lots of creative drawing! Another super week in Form 1!