It has certainly been a super busy week which consisted of lots of winter-themed activities. The children had lots of fun creating beautiful pictures with a variety of winter coloured resources. Silver shiny materials and cotton wool were used to create snow and frost. White paint was also used to resemble snow and the children enjoyed dabbing their paint brushes into the paint and then onto the paper. 

The Robins enjoyed collecting our groceries from the pop-up shop. They carefully packed our shopping inside our bags and helped to unpack everything on our return to class.

In true Robins-style, we wiggled and jiggled as we made marks to music. All the children listened really well to my instructions and, most importantly, they had fun! Stickers were also used to work our finger muscles to create a full fine-motor workout.

As part of our topic, cornflour and hand cream were mixed together to create snow. All I can say is WOW… this sensory activity promoted lots of rich language and it was wonderful to see the Robins play alongside each other.

Cyril the squirrel ate his way through lots and lots of seed. The children are so lucky to get so close to nature and they tell each other when they notice him at the feeding station. We have also spotted blue tits, robins and dunnocks.

For our Talk for Learning activity, we identified different types of birds on last year’s bird calendar. We reused the pictures to support our understanding of garden birds. There was frost shown in one of the winter pictures, so we made connections to this week’s topic.

I am so proud of how helpful and independent the Robins have become. At snack time, they are able to clear the table, tuck in their chairs, tidy away their plates and bottles and then return the milk carton and coasters to the kitchen. Well done, Team Robins!

On Wednesday, we explored the school grounds. We changed into our wellies and jumped in lots of puddles before making our way to the Outdoor Classroom. The children all enjoyed a warming treat and biscuit. We encourage holding cups with two hands as this makes it easier for the children whilst also minimising any spillages. A train whooshed past and the children waved as they watched it travel to London.

We are certainly very lucky to have such wonderful grounds. The children have enjoyed exploring the classroom environment, front garden and long garden during free-play. Our doors are always open so children make their own decisions whether to play inside or outside. The long garden offers a more physical type of play and the children enjoy using the climbing frame independently. The Robins enjoyed playing in the sand beach hut and they enjoyed filling and emptying different-size containers.

This week’s cooking activities consisted of; bread rolls, winter cakes, meringue nests and snowflake sandwiches. Cooking provides lots of learning opportunities and fundamental life skills.

During our afternoon sessions, the children are encouraged to make their own sandwiches and they have the option of cheese spread or jam. Each child is encouraged to spread their fillings independently using a knife. Of course, not miss a learning opportunity, we remind the children that we should never lick our knives.

The children have enjoyed listening to stories with Miss Ruby. They all showed her their good listening and good sitting skills. We also repeat many stories as this supports the children’s communication and language through repetition.

It has been lovely to have Form 6 visit us and the Robins thoroughly enjoy playing with the older children. Interestingly, they also like playing with our little ones and it is so lovely to watch and listen as they engage together through play.

We ended the week with an energetic PE session in the Russell Hall. The children were able to negotiate space and climb and jump with minimal support. 

Next week’s topic is Weather and we have lots of fun activities planned. This includes lots of cooking and arts and crafts. Perhaps your child might like to bring in something from home linked to our topic.