A sense of belonging
08 Sep 2023Form 1 have had a fantastic start to the new term having settled well into their new classroom and routines.
A special welcome to our new children, who have quickly become part of the class and been wonderful additions to Form 1.
This week we have focused on becoming familiar with the classroom, getting to know each other and having lots of fun together. The children have enjoyed making cakes in the playdough area, playing games together on the carpet, completing puzzles and playing outside in the water tray.
As a class, the children decided on some class rules or promises that we have displayed in our classroom. Firstly they discussed the qualities they would like in a great friend and brainstormed ideas together. Children suggested someone friendly, kind, thoughtful, polite and gentle. They were then able to think about how these might shape our class rules. The children all agreed on these rules and signed their names to make things official!
To help the children put their own stamp on the classroom, they have been creating self-portraits that we will use to decorate our class and give a sense of belonging. Using mirrors, they looked carefully at their faces, eyes and hair and noticed differences and similarities between themselves and others. By mixing paint carefully to get just the right colour, children painted their portraits. Some children had the creative idea of turning some sticks that were found outside into wands, adding wool, tissue paper and a sprinkling of glitter to finish things off.
In maths, children have been exploring matching amounts to numbers and our new pop-up shape game has been very popular. Some children had lots of fun building a number line that stretched across the classroom and then turned this into a track game using a large dice. Great teamwork and turn-taking, Form 1!
Of course, the children have also enjoyed playing outside in the sunshine, exploring the climbing equipment and listening to stories in the shade of the trees after their long and exciting (and rather hot!) first few days of term.