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Orchard Primary

& Pre-School

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Orchard Primary & Pre-School

"Small enough to care, Big enough to inspire"

2021 - 2022

Summer 2

Week 6

We really enjoyed taking part in our first show at Number 8! Reception all performed together as cats and sang the Daisy Cats Song.

Week 5

Making Transition Turtles, beginning to talk about our new class. We shared the story, Our Class is a Family, by Shannon Olsen, then made our own turtles. We used green card, tissue paper and PVA glue to create these!

For our last Muddy Monday session this year, we had so much fun making our own bubble wands! We used nature finds and pipe cleaners to make them, then dipped them in bubble mixture to see if we could make different sized bubbles.

We shared the story The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch, by Ronda and David Armitage. Then, we worked in small groups to make our own sandwiches for Mr Grinling. We used butter, and chose different toppings for our sandwiches. Then we tasted them!

Some more of this week's learning opportunities...

Week 4

As part of our RE topic, Which stories are special and why, we explored different Bibles, looking for similarities in them. In small groups, we shared the story the Calming of the Storm. We then took our learning outside and drew pictures of Jesus Calms the Storm, using watercolours to paint them.

Making our own Ice Cream Mud Cones. We used nature finds to add sprinkles and toppings to our ice creams!

Exploring repeating patterns in maths this week. We took our learning outside to create patterns using beanbags and have also been creating our own patterns using nature finds.

Finding out all about caterpillars! We talked about the life cycle of a caterpillar and then went on a caterpillar hunt in our outdoor area, we looked under leaves and on plant stems for them. We also used sticks and wool to make our own caterpillars.

Week 3

Using different coloured pens to decorate shells. We talked about the patterns and colours we had used, we really enjoyed making them!

We shared the story, The Secret Path, by Nick Butterworth. Then, we worked in small groups to collect signs of summer and used them to create our own summer suncatchers!

Some more learning opportunities this week...

Week 2

Using nature finds and sticks to mark make and draw patterns into the sand! We talked about the texture of the materials we were using and used nature finds to create our own repeating patterns.

Exploring water play in the sun! Turn taking and using different pipes and jugs to measure amounts.

We had so much fun using different materials to make our own jellyfish! We used foam and wool, and practised threading wool through the foam to create the jellyfish's tentacles. Then we added some wavy lines for the jellyfish body and googly eyes!

Week 1

In maths this week, we have been finding out all about time! We have been using mathematical language when saying o’clock for time on the hour. We have also been measuring one or five minutes using sand timers.

We have really enjoyed writing sentences about sea creatures and the Rainbow Fish this week. We talked about using finger spaces to separate our words and were so proud of the writing we produced!

We really enjoyed PE this week and were exploring movement styles. We worked in teams to collect different materials and grouped them into hoops around our hall.

Finding out all about animal babies that are born in the summer months of June and July! We talked about squirrels and hedgehogs and then worked with a partner to make a clay hedgehog family. We searched around our outdoor area for different natural materials we could use for the spikes, then stuck them into our clay!

Summer 1 2022

Week 5

We had so much fun celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee! We sat in our houses for our whole school street party, then enjoyed playing games in the sunshine after.

In preparation for the Queen's Jubilee, we have been using nature finds to create our own Queen's Nature Crowns! We used double sided sellotape to stick them down and chose different colours and created different patterns.

Beginning to measure the weight of different objects! We explored using Numicon to balance the bucket balance scales, finding different ways of making the same number, and used different colours to colour in the heavier box.

Exploring our outdoor area for leaves! We became leaf detectives searching for different leaves outside. After that, we searched outside for a range of leaves to create leaf rubbings from.

Week 4

In PE this week, we have really enjoyed using balloons to practice throwing and catching! We then threw beanbags into a target.

In Muddy Monday, we were finding out about the seasonal changes in summer. We went on a nature walk and then worked in small groups to collect different flowers and leaves that we might see during this time of the year!

Week 3

We had so much fun taking part in a cricket session from All Stars Cricket! We practiced throwing and catching, rolling and moving the ball around using a cricket bat.

We began creating our own pieces of dotty paper, inspired by the cover artwork from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. We used pegs and cotton wool to create the dots and explored mixing the primary colours to make secondary colours!

Finding out all about bees and why they are so important to us in Muddy Monday! We worked in small groups to make our own bee hotels, for solitary bees to stay in. After that, we put down some wildflower seeds to encourage bees and butterflies to visit our forest area.

Week 2

Reception became beautiful butterflies! We used playground chalk to draw our butterflies' wings, choosing colours to use and creating a symmetrical pattern.

Week 1

We began learning the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar! We've enjoyed drawing our own story maps and have been labelling them. After we had finished, we shared our ideas with the rest of our class.

As part of our home learning, we have been collecting leaves from our gardens or a local park. We then wrote the numbers 1 to 20 onto each leaf, putting them into order. After that, we used our leaves for a scavenger hunt, finding them and then putting them back into order!

Spring 2 2022

Week 6

In preparation for Easter, we had so much fun making our own Easter nests! We melted chocolate, then mixed it together with cornflakes. After that, we pressed them into a cupcake case to make the nest shape. We were very excited to take them home to share with our families!

We used watercolours to paint our drawings of tulips. We observed the reflection of real tulips and discussed the different colours we might like to use when painting them. Using colouring pencils, we also chose our own picture of flowers we might see in the Spring time and coloured them in!

Using the baskets we had made last week, we went on an Easter egg hunt! We found lots of different eggs hidden throughout our forest. We talked about the colours of the eggs we had found and then put them into our basket to take home...

Week 5

In Religious Education, we have been learning all about why Easter is special for Christians. We talked about the different traditions that are usually celebrated at Easter. Then, we made our own flower crosses. We also enjoyed colouring in stained glass windows, similar to those we would see in a church.

In Muddy Monday, we found out about the garden birds; robins, blue tits and blackbirds. We worked in small groups to create our own bird feeders and then used binoculars to become bird detectives in our forest!

Week 4

Lots of fun telling dinosaur stories in our storytelling area! We really enjoyed looking at the pictures and discussing what we could see. We also began to spot and read familiar words from the text.

In Muddy Monday, we really enjoyed investigating new growth in our forest area! In groups, we searched for signs of new growth and marked each discovery with an arrow we had made using natural materials. We also planted our own tulip bulbs, using compost. We will care for these and watch them grow over the next few weeks!

Week 3

Exploring songs and musical patterns linked to the time of year, spring! We enjoyed using drums alongside the song, We are the Dinosaurs, and used our parachute and some petals and leaves when singing our Spring Song.

Using scissors, paper punches and hole punches to practice our fine motor skills to help make our fingers nice and strong! We used scissors to cut up the pieces of nature into small pieces and used hole punches to make holes and shapes in the leaves and petals.

Week 2

Creating watercolour paintings of dinosaurs! We used shapes to draw the outline, then added watercolours to our pictures.

Exploring our forest, searching for growing buds as a sign of spring! We also worked with a partner and chose our favourite tree in our forest area, then we used ribbons, bows and googly eyes to decorate them and gave each tree a name.

Week 1

We celebrated World Book Day! We dressed up as our favourite character from a story. In the afternoon we shared our favourite story with a friend from Year One. We then went on a scavenger hunt in the library and made our own bookmarks...

When we arrived at school, we found some dinosaur eggs! We used pipettes to add liquid to them to see if we could hatch them...

Searching for signs of spring in our forest area! We found nests, seedlings, leaf buds on trees and bumblebees. We then used clay and natural materials to create our own spring pots. Click here to find out about some ways you can continue your child's outdoor learning at home!

Spring 1 2022

Week 7

Using Now Press Play to retell the story Jack and the Beanstalk! We loved pretending to be Jack and exploring the Giant's castle...

Week 6

We found that a beanstalk had grown in our classroom! We've loved retelling the story Jack and the Beanstalk and have been busy writing labels and captions for different parts of the story.

In Muddy Monday, we found out about how minibeasts survive over the colder months in the winter by hibernating! We went on a Minibeast Hunt around our forest area, then worked collaboratively to make Twig Towers, for some minibeasts to hibernate in over the winter.

Creating different pieces of artwork for Valentine's Day! We used watercolours to paint our drawings of lovebugs, tissue paper to create heart suncatchers and paintbrushes to draw patterns into red, sparkly glitter.

Week 5

Using play dough to create our own story scenes! We added woodland animals, pebbles and beads...

In Muddy Monday, we found out all about winter birds! We talked about the birds we might see in the UK and created our own pine cone bird feeders. We also played a game of follow the leader, and explored how birds stay warm in the winter by making a huddle!

Week 4

Painting cardboard rolls to create the three little pigs and the big bad wolf!

Counting pennies to pay the price on each of the presents! We took it in turns as the shop keeper and customer and then made marks to record how much we had paid...

Week 3

Exploring different types of movement and making our own jumping sequences in pairs in PE!

In Muddy Monday, we became Animal Detectives! We were exploring our outdoor area for any clues that wild animals might have been there. We looked for holes, burrows and footprints...

Week 2

Using different materials in our outdoor area to build a house for the three little pigs! We then retold the story, pretending to be the three little pigs and the big bad wolf.

Finding out all about 2-D shapes and exploring them in our environment...

Exploring our outdoor area as part of Muddy Monday and finding out all about mistletoe!

Week 1

As an introduction to our Terrific Tales topic, we chose one of the Three Little Pigs and drew a picture of them! We then used watercolour paints to add colour to our drawings...

Autumn 2 2021

Week 7

Wearing Christmas jumpers for Christmas Jumper Day! We also enjoyed our Christmas lunch.

We walked down to the Abbey at Pershore to perform our nativity, Wriggly Nativity. We performed our songs; Wriggly Nativity, Knock on Another Door and Twinkling Stars! Click here to view our Nativity!

As part of DT week, we had a go at weaving with some Christmas themed activities! We used pine cones and pipe cleaners to create Christmas trees, and used pipe cleaners and different coloured beads to make candy canes.

We talked about how Christians prepare for Christmas by celebrating Advent. As a class, we worked together to make an Advent Calendar!

Week 6

Busy making Christmas cards! We used cotton buds and paint to make a snowy background, then cut out a photo of ourselves and stuck it on top to finish.

Lots of fun in maths this week, finding the odd one out and one more and one less...

Using play dough to explore texture and create our own winter-themed story lines and narratives!

Exploring deciduous trees as part of our outdoor learning. Then using wax crayons and paper to create bark rubbings to compare the textures of each tree.

Week 5

After sharing the story Mog's Christmas, by Judith Kerr, we hot seated Mog and asked lots of different questions...

Exploring 2-D shape and beginning to use mathematical names for each shape!

We walked to our local post box to post our Christmas letters to Santa!

In our outdoor learning this week, we were learning all about the signs of winter and how we can stay warm and look after wildlife during the colder, winter months.

Week 4

Out and about on a 2-D shape hunt outside, searching for 2-D shapes in our environment!

Week 3

As part of Anti-Bullying week, we all wore odd socks to school! We also used playground chalks to make a handprint heart and made our own worry dolls.

As part of Children in Need, we had a very special visit from Pudsey! We focused on team building during the day and worked together to make a new den for Pudsey and Blush...

Learning all about bird's migrating when it gets colder during our outdoor learning this week!

Week 2

Using pennies to count and ordering numbers up to 5 in maths...

We shared the video "Poppies", by CBeebies and used loose parts to create our own poppy pictures. We also created our own pieces of artwork, "Poppy Fields", by printing, for Remembrance Day.

Creating our own movement routines inspired by Bonfire Night in PE!

Finding out all about squirrels in our outdoor learning this week! We found out about where they live, what they eat and how we can help to protect the endangered red squirrel.

Week 1

Counting and adding amounts up to 8 this week!

Creating our own Bonfire Night pieces of artwork using a printing technique. We also made firework patterns into coloured sand!

In our outdoor learning session, we looked for signs of autumn and learnt how to keep wildlife safe on Bonfire Night.

Autumn 1 2021

Week 7

Playing instruments in time to autumn themed music and exploring autumn leaves falling and floating on a parachute!

Creating autumn themed pictures by printing! We also used tissue paper to make our own pumpkin suncatchers...

Using leaves, twigs and sticks to make witchy autumn wands in our outdoor learning!

Week 6

Counting using pennies and dominoes in maths this week...

Exploring mixing primary colours together to create secondary colours, in a variety of ways!

Using salt free play dough to create autumn animal faces onto bark in our outdoor learning session.

Week 5

Practicing forming the numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3 and exploring positional language!

Throwing, catching and rolling small tennis balls in PE!

Collecting autumn leaves to create autumn suncatchers in our outdoor learning. We talked about the texture, size and colour of the leaves and discussed why the leaves fall off deciduous trees in the autumn.

Week 4

Matching objects by size, number and colour up to 3...

Using Word Time cards and magnetic letters to create and write our own CVC words.

Exploring the forest for signs of autumn! We were being leaf detectives in our outdoor learning session and made our own leaf friends using what we had collected from the ground.

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