This week the children started their new topic about Autumn. To inspire the children we started with a circle time to explore the inside of a pumpkin and the children talked about what a pumpkin feels like, looks like and smells like, which then enabled them to think of describing words during their English work this week.
It has been fantastic to see the children’s progress with learning their sounds and identifying initial sounds in words. Alongside this the children developed their fine motor skills when hammering golf tees into pumpkins and in the outdoor area they used knives, spoons and tools to cut up and dig out the inside of a pumpkin. The children listened to the story of Pumpkin Soup and were given props to retell the story during their learning time. Additional autumn themed English activities have included conker paint rolling, making leaf shapes with playdough, identifying initial sounds on autumn themed picture cards, autumn themed cutting sheets and making trees out of mobilo.
This week’s Maths focus has been ‘repeating patterns’ and during their maths inputs the children have been exploring patterns using colours, shapes and movements. We have also been continuing to develop our counting skills by playing number swap and being given clues to identify a number. As part of an adult-led activity the children have been creating repeating patterns using 2D shapes. Additional autumn and pattern themed Maths activities have included fishing for numbered conkers, matching the correct amount of minibeasts to a number on a leaf, making autumn patterns with playdough using natural autumn materials (e.g. sticks, conkers, acorns, leaves), making patterned necklaces using pasta and using compare bears to follow and complete a pattern card.
During PE this week the children were excited because they were able to go outside where they practised their throwing and catching skills using large balls. The Foundation Stage outdoor area is now in use and will be developed into an outside learning environment for the children in the forthcoming weeks.
