Bears
Welcome to Bears Class!
Class Blog 25th May 2023
On Wednesday, the children spent a cultural day in Italy. The children learnt that ‘Ciao’ is ‘hello’ in Italian. They all answered the register with Ciao instead of hello.
We looked at the map of Italy in an atlas and could see that it is in Europe. We also learnt that the map of Italy looks like a boot. The children all agreed they would love to eat in Italy as they all love pizza and pasta.
The children had a cooking experience when they made their own pizza using pizza bases, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and basil leaves. They tasted delicious!!
Here are some of the drawings from the day... the leaning tower of Pisa, a pepperoni pizza, a fast red Ferrari car, and a map of Italy (the boot country).
Class Blog 19th May 2023
We have been busy gardening in Bear's Garden this week. The children weeded flower beds and refreshed them with new compost, ready to sow wildflower seeds.
We planted an extra special packet of seeds that were sent to us to commemorate King Charles III Coronation.
The children enjoyed watering the seeds and will now work hard to look after them and watch them grow over the coming weeks.
The children have been recapping on their learning about space this week, producing some amazing pictures to represent the new vocabulary they have been learnt. I can see planet Earth, a rocket and even the solar system!! Amazing pictures for our classroom wall.
Class Blog 12th May 2023
We have been very active in Bears class this week.
On Tuesday we had the opportunity to take part in a skipping workshop. The children were amazing, and they all enjoyed the session. Some children amazed themselves that they could actually skip!!
In PE this week we played the game ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’. This game is great for getting the children moving, and it also allows them to develop listening and turn taking skills. This is becoming a firm favourite in Bear’s Garden.
Class Blog 5th May 2023
This week the Brilliant Bears had to move classrooms for the day whilst our normal classroom was used for the polling station. The children were all amazing and really enjoyed being in different surroundings for the day. They particularly enjoyed being in Tigers Garden.
We celebrated the King’s Coronation in school on Friday. The children came to school wearing red, white and blue, and throughout the day enjoyed learning about the Coronation, and making different crafts. We even had a King and Queen at our Royal party!!
Class Blog 28th April 2023
In maths we have been learning about ABAB patterns and how to make them. The children have been practicing all week with different patterns and finding out how to continue the pattern themselves. They used their fingers to paint their own ABAB pattern on lollipop sticks.
We have continued our learning theme 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 blast off and this week the children were marble painting their own planets. They all enjoyed this activity and have made some lovely planets to put on our display wall in class.
Class Blog 21st April 2023
In maths this week, we have been learning that when we count a small set of objects, the last number reached tells us how many there are in total. The children matched the correct number of cubes to the numbers on their rockets.
Our new learning theme for this half term is 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Blast Off! We have been learning about the moon and sun this week, learning a new fact about both, something the children did not know before. We have also started to learn a new space themed song.
Class Blog 31st March 2023
This week, Reverend Andy came to visit the school. He spent some time in Bears class talking to the children about the story of Easter. The children were interested in the plate and chalice he shared with them. They learnt about the importance of sharing and spending time with friends and family.
We have been very busy this week making lots of Easter crafts that your children will be bringing home. They have been potato printing to make Easter chick cards, decorating eggs for our Easter egg hunt, and making lots of other lovely Easter crafts. We hope you enjoy them!
Class Blog 24th March 2023
This week, the children have been learning about the four stages of the lifecycle of a butterfly. I’m sure the children have been telling you all about the caterpillars in our classroom. They are getting bigger now, and will soon be ready to turn into the next stage of their life, a chrysalis.
We can’t wait to see what happens next!
Outside the children have been combining maths learning alongside developing their gross motor skills. We have been playing hopscotch which all of the children have really enjoyed.
Class Blog 17th March 2023
It was Bears class assembly yesterday, and the children did a fantastic job sharing lots of their learning with their grown-ups.
We played one of our Little Wandle phonics games, as well as sharing our knowledge about 2D shapes, Arctic animals and their features, and some new knowledge from our learning theme Let’s Grow.
Well done Bears, you were super!
In our learning theme this week, we recapped on our learning so far. The children were split into two groups completing sequencing activities, to see if they could remember firstly how to plant a seed, and secondly the parts of a plant. The children rose to the challenge and worked really well together, getting their sequencing cards in the correct order, so well done!
Class Blog 10th March 2023
This week the children have all planted their own seeds as part of our learning theme Let’s Grow.
We read a book called Sam Plants a Sunflower, and the children had to remember from the book what they needed to plant their own seeds – pot, seeds, soil and water. The children will tend to their seeds every week, and watch them grow over the coming months.
We have a new digging and construction area in Bears Garden, and this has been enhanced with new digging and building equipment such as spades, buckets and wheelbarrows.
This has proved very popular with all the children, and it is lovely to see their creative minds developing new ideas.
Class Blog 3rd March 2023
Our new learning theme Let’s Grow started this week.
The children have spent time exploring different plants, learning about where plants come from, and what they need to grow. The children really enjoyed talking about the different plants and what they could see and smell as they rubbed the leaves of the basil and mint plants.
It was World Book Day on Thursday and we celebrated this throughout the day. The children brought their favourite books to school, and we shared these with the class throughout the day, as well as making book marks, and playing games.
The theme was Alice in Wonderland, and so we made rabbit ears to wear at our Mad Hatter’s tea party. The children enjoyed making their own sandwiches, spreading the butter and jam themselves. They enjoyed eating them even more!!
Class Blog 16th February 2023
In phonics this week, the children have been working together in pairs which they have really enjoyed and managed brilliantly, demonstrating excellent listening skills.
In their pairs the children were each given a sound we have been learning over recent weeks, and they had to explore in our classroom to find an object that began with their chosen sound. Every pair successfully found an object that matched to their sound.
We had P – playdoh, T – till, S – socks, C – cat and A – apple.
We have been revisiting our learning from over the last six weeks on Snow and Ice. The children have been remembering facts about the Arctic animals we have learnt about, and have been drawing and painting pictures of some of these animals. Others have been making paper snowflakes, developing their cutting skills.
Class Blog 10th February 2023
Tuesday 7th February was Safer Internet Day. The theme of the day was: 'Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online.'
In class 8, the children had a discussion about what they might use the internet for, and the importance of staying safe on the internet.
We have been making bird feeders this week in class 8. We thought about how birds get their food during the winter months when many insects hibernate. We were kindly gifted some bird food and pinecones. The children mixed bird seed with lard, and then molded this mixture into the gaps in pinecones. We have placed them in trees and bushes around our class garden.
Class Blog 3rd February 2023
In class 8 this week, we have been learning about the Arctic, the area around the North Pole and some of the animals that live there.
We have learnt about the Arctic hare, Arctic fox, polar bear, walrus and orca, and how these animals are able to live in such cold conditions. For example, the Arctic fox has a thick, long, bushy tail it wraps around itself like a blanket to keep warm when it is sleeping and resting.
In Aspiration group, the children were learning about sled’s and husky dogs, linking to our learning theme Snow and Ice. The children looked at how there are no roads in the Arctic and if people want to move around, they need to use a sled which is pulled by husky dogs.
They learnt that Husky dogs are strong, and they can run very fast and for a long time. They wear a harness that attaches them to the sled, and the driver of the sled can steer the sled.
The children had a go at making their own sled out of a television box, and pulled by our reading corner soft toys. The children had a great time visiting lots of imaginative places. One child told me “I’ve been to Scotland on the sled.”
Class Blog 20th January 2023
This week the children experienced a day in China. Throughout the day they had a lesson in Chinese dancing, learnt about Chinese New Year, panda bears, and got to eat some Chinese foods including: prawn crackers, noodles, egg fried rice and lychees. In our classroom, the home corner was transformed into a Chinese restaurant and the children practised using chopsticks.
We have enjoyed painting with ice this week. The children loved the ice paints, making marks, and the cold weather kept them nice and frozen whilst outside, so we got to use them for longer.
Class Blog 16th December 2022
This week the children enjoyed exploring outside in the cold, wintery weather. We discovered some animal footprints in the snow in our garden, so we took some photographs, and then used the computer to identify them. We discovered they were the footprints of a fox and an owl.
The children have been reviewing their learning about dinosaurs with ‘dinosaur land’. We have created this over the last few weeks. The children can recall where dinosaurs lived, what they eat, and that they are now extinct.
Class Blog 9th December 2022
We are continuing with our learning on dinosaurs, looking at how they were born from eggs. We had a dinosaur nest set up in class. The children have had fun creating ‘dinosaur-land’ which we are building with cardboard, toilet rolls, and newspaper.
Today we celebrated Christmas Jumper Day. The children all looked festive and cheerful. The Christmas countdown has started!
Class Blog 2nd December 2022
This week the children have continued to look at bigger and smaller amounts in Maths. We explored this using building blocks and the children each built two towers – one bigger and one smaller. The children then had to count how many blocks in each tower, developing their numeracy skills.
We have started a daily dough disco this week. This is where each child is given a ball of play dough, and whilst listening to music, they complete various movements with the dough in their hands such as rolling, patting, squeezing and passing behind their back. This is great for developing fine motor skills to support pencil grip for writing.
Class Blog 25th November 2022
This week the Brilliant Bears performed our class assembly in front of their grown ups and the whole school, and they did an AMAZING job!!
They showed enthusiasm, confidence, and above all great teamwork, working together to put on a fantastic performance. Well done Class 8, you should all be super proud!
We had great fun through exploration and imaginative play, creating our own version of the song ‘Five Little Speckled Frogs’.
The children lined up some cardboard blocks, and used the carpet as a blue pond. We sang the song, and each child took it in turns to jump into the pond like a frog. From this activity, the children developed their communication and listening skills, numeracy skills, and physical development skills.
Class Blog 11th November 2022
This week the children have been creative, making their own paper plate dinosaurs. They had lots of fun painting and printing with sponges, creating some wonderful, colourful dinosaurs.
In maths this week we have been looking at sizing – bigger and smaller. We explored with dinosaurs at the start of the week, sizing different dinosaurs in order from biggest to smallest. The children then had a go at sizing themselves in a line.
Class Blog 4th November 2022
This week we have started our new learning theme, Dinosaurs. We have started our learning with a book called ‘Harry and his bucketful of dinosaurs’. In our classroom, we have a basketful of five different dinosaurs we have been learning the names of – Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor and Pterodactyl.
The children have enjoyed exploring dinosaurs, from looking at where dinosaurs might live, to painting them outside and washing them clean. Lots of dinosaur exploration fun has been had this week.
Class Blog 21st October 2022
This week the children enjoyed a learning experience all about a day in India. The children had their passports stamped with the Indian flag, and enjoyed many different Indian themed experiences, including Bollywood dancing, and tasting Indian foods.
It has been lovely to see so many children in Class 8 this week reading for pleasure, simply enjoying the reading books in our classroom, and developing their literacy skills.
Class Blog 7th October 2022
This week the children have enjoyed exploring in our new ‘Story Suitcase’ that lives in our reading corner and supports the children’s learning about our focus Author – Eric Carle.
The story we are looking at is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the children have been learning new vocabulary through the story, and having a go at sequencing the story themselves with picture cards, all supporting their development in literacy.
This week in maths, the children have been practising their counting, and learning to recognise numbers. With a large dice we have played maths games where the children have to try and fast recognise the number without counting. This is known as subitising, and will support the children in developing their maths skills.
Class Blog 30th September 2022
In class 8 this week, some children got to meet a special visitor that Mrs Deffley brought into the classroom.
Chum is a 4-year-old tortoise, and the children were fascinated by him! They loved the patterns on his shell, and enjoyed watching him walk around the carpet, with some children giving him a little pat on his shell!
The children have been learning new sounds in our daily phonics lessons this week, with a focus on the sounds – S, A and T.
To support this learning, we have played a game called ‘What’s in the Box?’ Inside the box, were different objects beginning with these sounds. On Thursday we played a sorting game with these objects, and the children had to match the object to the sound. They all did a great job!
Class Blog 23rd September 2022
This week Class 8 have continued with our learning theme ‘The Birk Hill Way’, continuing to learn about Ruben Respect.
The children have decorated their handprints, and these are ready to go on the wall in our classroom to create a respect tree. During circle time, the children gave small sentences about what respect means to them.
We have been playing team games this week, which has been great fun. The children have been listening to the rules of the games and following instructions, all part of developing their communication and listening skills. They have enjoyed playing ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’ and ‘Stuck in the Mud’.
Class Blog 16th September 2022
This week the children have been busy painting their self-portraits for our Brilliant Bears class display. The children used mirrors to observe their own features, looking carefully at the colour of their eyes and hair. I’m sure you will agree they have captured themselves beautifully!
The children have been introduced to Ruben Firefighter this week. Ruben is one of our Birk Hill friends and he always shows respect. We have been talking in class about respect and what this means. Being kind to our friends, sharing, and looking after the things we play with in school and at home. The children have learnt a song about Ruben which I am sure they will be able to sing for you at home.
