A Busy Start for Our Squirrels, Badgers and Hedgehogs!

What a busy time we have had in Reception since the beginning of term! The new Squirrels, Badgers and Hedgehogs have been busy working hard and finding their way around the school. The girls have enjoyed their swimming and ballet lessons and are already learning songs for their forthcoming Harvest celebration.

One thing everyone in Reception looks forward to is our special ‘Golden Time’ on a Friday afternoon. Teaching staff use this time to plan and provide activities that follow the interests of the children. We look to see what has really inspired and interested the girls during the week and  provide opportunities to extend their learning with activities they can really engage with. The three classes come together to play and learn together, which enables the girls to make new friendships across the year group. Staff observe the  girls playing and know when and how to interact in order to support and extend their learning.

This week we created a whole city from Lego. The girls had to work out how to fix the base panels together with bricks, plan what they were going to build and find the correct bricks to do this. There was some great counting as girls looked for different size bricks with, two, four and six dots. We had to work really hard to make a house big enough for a crocodile! In the role play area, girls planned a party; writing invitations, counting out cups and plates, sharing party food and even making up party games. Over in the ‘making area’ a group of girls were busy cutting with scissors to make their own birthday cards and crowns.

We are always so impressed with how much the girls learn when they are given the opportunity to follow their own interests. They benefit academically, as they use their literacy and number skills to solve problems, and socially as they start to take turns, share and listen to each other.