Ducklings Newsletter 9/1/15

Friday 9th January 2015 Our News!

Happy New Year and a big ‘Welcome Back’ to you all. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

The children certainly seem to have enjoyed themselves! All the staff would like to say a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ for all the lovely Christmas cards and gifts. They were very much appreciated.

We are incredibly impressed with how the children have settled back into their routines. Well done everyone!

This week we have enjoyed continuing with our addition skills in Mathematics and have been writing our own sums using a toy shop prices to add together. In our mental maths we have been trying to estimate how many toys are in a group and then to check our ideas by counting accurately.

In Literacy we have been talking about the Christmas holidays and all the things we have done.

The children have used ‘Kung Fu’ punctuation (actions) to say and then write a sentence or two about their holidays. They did extremely well with remembering capital letters and full stops.

Ask them to show you the actions for a capital letter, full stop or exclamation mark!

We have been talking about the season of Winter and have read a lovely story about Jack Frost.

The children have done a fantastic job making bird feeders. They have followed instructions to mix the ingredients for the cake and have worked as a team to spoon the mixture into their feeders. They have been exploring mixing paint to make different shades of cold colours and using their scissors skills to cut and make snowflakes.

With Mrs Moss, at the snack table, we have been exploring the changes that happen to bread when it is heated and have thought of some lovely describing words.

STAR Mathematicians Hannah Thomson and Lily Johns STAR Writers Adam Rogerson and Oliver Russell Our next news letter will be on Friday 23rd January and will give details about all the fun activities we have planned for the new term.

Any questions please don’t hesitate to ring, email or come and see us.

Staff email: Mrs Claydon l.claydon@carletongreen.lancs.sch.uk Mrs Catterall m.catterall@carletongreen.lancs.sch.uk

OUR LEARNING Winter and Recycling Week Next week in Literacy we will read a non-fiction book about the changing seasons, also reminding ourselves about the features of an information book. Then we will read a set of instructions for how to make a snowman. As a part of our writing for the week we will write our own step by step instructions or labels for making a snowman.

As part of recycling week and Comenius Creative day we will using our creative talents to help write Jack Frost poems and songs and put all of our fabulous recyclable materials to good use making 3D Jack Frost sculptures. We will also use our recyclable materials to make frosty winter collages.

In Mathematics we will begin to look at taking away and making less, practically by taking objects away and counting how many are left, using dice to take away, playing skittles and singing subtraction songs and rhymes, also doing some winter themed subtracting.

We will continue to explore how materials change exploring melting ice in lots of different creative ways and finding out what happens to chocolate when it melts, using this to make a tasty treat for us to bring home to have after our tea!.

Our Toys The following week we shall leave winter behind and start out topic about toys, reading ‘Kipper’s Toy Box’ by Mick Inkpen and other toy stories, talking about the toys we have in our own toy boxes. We will write lists of our own favourite toys and it would be lovely if you could send in a photograph of your child with their favourite toy.

In Creative development the children will learn some new songs and dances about different toys.

In PE we will be using the book “Kipper’s Toybox” for inspiration to move and dance like toys, to practise kicking and throwing with increased accuracy and skill. Vital skills to help with writing, believe it or not! On a Wednesday afternoon we will be continuing the physical development and starting a “Dough disco” along with other “Funky Fingers” activities to help develop our fine motor skills which include; pencil control, cutting skills, drawing and painting, cutlery use amongst others. We started this week singing the song “Tommy Thumb” some of us were great at controlling our fingers but some of us found it very hard. Have a go at home. It really does help. Mrs. Catterall has the words if you don’t remember them.

REMINDERS Water Bottles Please can all children bring a bottle of water to drink during the day?

Spare Clothes Please can any spare clothes, in particular socks and underwear, be returned to school?

Toy Photographs If possible, could children bring a photo of themselves playing with a favourite toy for our writing display? Any donations of old toys for our toy shop would be much appreciated.

White Plastic Recyclable Junk We would like as much of this as possible ASAP please- yoghurt pots, milk bottles, bubble wrap, plastic tubs, etc. to make junk model Jack Frosts!

Collage Materials To make our winter collages we need any spare tin foil, polystyrene pieces, bubble wrap, white wool, cotton wool, pie trays.

Also any large cardboard boxes so the children can pretend to be a Jack-in–the–Box. Wonderful Wednesdays If your child hasn’t already returned their PE kit could they do so as soon as possible?

Also any puddle suits that are still at home are very much needed back in school with this weather! Thank you.

Term Dates Mathematics in the Ducklings’ Class Wednesday 21st January 9-10am Come and have a coffee and find out about the mathematics which your child learns.

All about me at home and out and about Please return the booklet about your child at home and out and about by Monday 19th January.

Thank you.

Half term Friday 13 February School Closes at 3.30pm Monday 23rd February School reopens at 8.50am th

TALK HOMEWORK Talk for Numbers Count out some objects/toys at home. Ask your child to count them then tell them you are going to take some away.

Count the ones taken away and the total of toys left. Verbally say the number sentence, Eg. 3 – 2 = 1 Find 1 less than a group of objects or a given number.

Practise counting back from 20. www.ictgames.com/numeracy

Talk for Reading and Writing Practise the new sounds and tricky words sent home.

Look for and read stories about Toys.

Please try to read your reading book every night. www.phonicsplay.co.uk Physical development Gross Motor Read “Kipper’s Toybox” by Mick Inkpen and practise moving about like all the toys he finds in there; a robot, spinning top etc. Move like toys of your own; Spiderman, tinkerbell, jack-in-a-box. Great for controlling movements and helping your child development spatial awareness and body control.

Fine Motor Practise singing the rhyme “Tommy Thumb” find each finger and make it move. A great work out for your FUNKY FINGERS and helps brilliantly when your child comes to write, cut, draw and paint!

TALK FOR TOPIC Talk about the different toys you have at home and talk about old toys and new toys. Ask the children if they can put their toys into these two groups. Think about why toys are made out of different materials and why. Speak to grandparents and older family members about toys they used to play with.

Make a bird feeder at home and watch the birds that come to feed from it.

Do some baking or cooking together and talk about the changes to the ingredients as they bake.

Talk about everything!

Have fun!