Hatchmere Class Blog 21.10.22

Date: 20th Oct 2022 @ 9:30am

Is it really Half Term already!?

We are so proud of all of our children, they have settled into Hatchmere life perfectly! We have spent this half term getting to know each other, exploring our classroom and the areas within it that we love to play and learn in. All of the children are caring and friendly; they have gelled together beautifully. Our learning has progressed at a rapid rate, particularly these last couple of weeks. You may have noticed that your child is showing you how they can form a letter, they may be noticing sounds in the words that they see, they may have become more creative, they may be engaging you in conversations more, they may be noticing numbers and shapes in their environment and as we have all seen, they have definitely become more confidant!

This week we have been writing! The story of the Gingerbread Man has been hugely popular so we have challenged the children to re-tell it through their writing. Already we are starting to see that recognition of the sounds that they hear translate to graphemes (corresponding letters) on a page, which is fantastic. We also opened our own bakery and our bakers got right to work selling their cakes/buns/donuts to some very hungry customers! Well done Hatchmere.

You may have heard about our trip to the shops. We decided what ingredients we needed to make an Autumn Vegetable Soup, so off we popped to the shops to buy the veggies. The children behaved impeccably and kept themselves safe while walking next to a busy road. We were very impressed. Inside the shop we explored the fruit and veg section and the children pointed out the produce that they recognised and liked. They returned to school and chopped, sliced and peeled various vegetables to make their Autumn soup. It smelled yummy!

Hatchmere have also explored weight and the Autumn season inspired us to look at this through balancing pumpkins on a scale...not as easy as it sounds! We had some big pumpkins and the children had lots of fun. We heard lots of mathematical language and reasoning such as lightest, heaviest, this is bigger so it will weigh more, this is lots smaller so it won't be very heavy. Try bringing these words and reasoning into your routine at home. You could explore the weight of toys, food and people. It will really help develop those mathematical reasoning skills when you ask 'why do think that?', 'what do we know about weight and size that will help us to work it out?'.

During this half term the children have developed a love of creativity. They can now confidently collect the materials they need for their art project. Paint is carefully chosen and small amounts poured out to use, materials are put away neatly and equipment is cleaned by the the child themselves. Scissor skills have developed enough for the children to cut out shapes from paper, card and boxes. Amazing structures are produced in the inside and outside block corner straight from our children's imagination It is lovely to see these artists at work.

Developing outdoor games has also been a focus since the children joined us. Hatchmere can now confidently play numerous large group games; Stuck in the Mud, The Traffic Light Game, Tig and The Floor is Lava. These games help to develop spatial awareness, listening skills, working as team and good sportsmanship. The exercise involved also improves fitness and mental health and wellbeing....and they are FREE!! Why don’t you take some time to play these games as a family? We'd love to hear all about it.

It is at this time of year that children start to bring in hats and gloves, please can I remind you to name these clearly. Next half term the children will be working on fastening up their own coat independently and will be rewarded with a sticker. Please help your child to develop this skill at home too. Being able to dress and undress themselves is a skill we look for and asses so please allow your child to do this task independently. It helps build self-esteem and confidence when they can do the same as the rest of the children in the class and don’t feel left behind.

During the half term break, continue looking for signs of Autumn. The children have really enjoyed discovering their learning on this subject. There are lots of local areas where your child can go and explore the natural environment. What animals do we see? How do the leaves feel/sound underneath our feet? What is the weather like outside? Compare your findings to other seasons and discuss the differences.

Thank you for all of the Harvest donations that will be donated to our local foodbank, more details of this can be found on Mrs Snowdon's weekly blog. Thank you all for your continued support with reading at least 4 times a week at home, please continue to do this through the half term break as that week will still be counted towards the children's reading stars. Your child should now have their books with words and practising the skill of reading is paramount to their continued development as a reader.

We have had a super start to the Hatchmere 22/23 year and the Hatchmere team are very much looking forward to the next half term on the lead up to C*******s (we won't say that word just yet!). Please stay safe, have some fun as a family, and we will see you all on TUESDAY 1st NOVEMBER.