LIVING & GROWING (RECEPTION

Reception pupils enjoyed learning all about ‘Living and Growing’. The topic was brought well and truly to life (excuse the pun!) with the arrival of an incubator containing some very special eggs. The children monitored the eggs for signs of cracking and were delighted when the first little duckling, ‘Pip’, made an appearance. Pip was joined by the equally fluffy and adorable ‘Squeak’, who found his legs just in time for our Prep Easter Bonnet Parade. The pupils were fascinated to observe the newly hatched ducklings feeding and swimming around in a washing up bowl in a sunny corner of the garden. After learning how to handle them safely, they also enjoyed lots of cuddles. A wonderful start to their topic and something they will no doubt remember for a long time to come. The ducklings weren’t the only visitors to the Reception classroom. Pupils also took delivery of some tadpole eggs - experiencing the life cycle of amphibians first hand - and a butterfly garden. By the end of May, the caterpillars had eaten their way through lots of food and transformed into chrysalides. As the children waited patiently for them to emerge as beautiful butterflies, they painted their own brightly coloured butterflies to display on the classroom walls. Some of the pupils were able to add their own labels for the eyes, thorax, antennae, abdomen and wings. The class also looked at butterfly markings to understand symmetry, making their own symmetrical patterns. In science, the children looked at different habitats and why certain animals choose to live there, learning about the weather, camouflage and diets. They had lots of fun creating their own habitats, including a sea (in the water tray) filled with fish and other marine life and a sandy desert with some cleverly adapted animals. They also learned about plants and the conditions in which they grow. The children sowed sunflowers which they labelled with their names and looked after carefully to ensure they had enough light and water. Having learned about animals and plants, the class moved on to look at human growth and healthy living, including the importance of having a good diet, doing plenty of exercise and looking after your teeth. They listened to stories such as ‘Oliver’s Fruit Salad’, ‘Oliver’s Vegetables’ (both by Vivian French) and ‘Peppa Pig’s Dentist Trip’, and enjoyed sharing their own experiences of visiting the dentist and talking about their favourite healthy foods. Other topic-related books included ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ (of course!) and a range of non-fiction texts. On Fridays, the pupils headed to our outdoor classroom where there were endless opportunities to extend their topic while enjoying plenty of fresh air and exercise. You can read more about outdoor learning on pages 3-6.

The tadpoles that emerged from the little green eggs were very wriggly and the children had fun trying to count them all! It takes between 6 and 8 weeks for the tadpoles to turn into froglets.

Scan the QR code to watch a video

Our adorable ducklings were, without doubt, the highlight of the term. The precious eggs hatched just in time for our Easter Bonnet Parade (scan the QR code to watch a video!). By the time the ducklings left the Prep School for their forever home, they had received LOTS of cuddles and were quite possibly the tamest ducklings in Warwickshire!

The children were very proud of their sunflowers as they began to grow, and rightly so! All of their watering paid off and they were able to take the thriving plants home with them to enjoy in their gardens.

When we visited the Reception classroom, the caterpillars in the butterfly garden had turned into chrysalides. As the children waited for them to emerge as beautiful Painted Lady butterflies, they made their own colourful display of butterflies and added labels. Did you know that the thorax is the butterfly’s engine room, containing the muscles that power its wings? The children also enjoyed looking at butterfly markings and learning about symmetry.