Amazing first full week in Oak Class

Welcome to a wonderful year for our brand new Oak Class. It has been an amazing start to the year and it is wonderful to see all the children playing together in our amazing new environment. 
This week, we have been settling in and getting to know each other and our new space. While we have still got many new exciting additions to the building to come, including our covered veranda and new equipment, the children have enjoyed being able to play and learn in both the Acorn and Oak learning spaces and choosing their own learning during independent choosing time. We have also been able to spend so much time outside in our woodland space and also visiting the "Blue Area" as well as playing on the "Big Play ground" with the year 1s and 2s at Lunch Time- seeing the children able to play and learn together after a strange and difficult start to school with all the changes they have seen has been magical and they have certainly been enjoying the novelty and freedom they now have!

We started our Read Write Inc phonics this week in Oak class and have been refreshing our memories on all the sounds and beginning to blend some sounds together to make words. The children have all got their first reading book, picture book and sound blending books to practise at home and next week we will be sending home a set of sound cards for each child too. 

In maths, we have been learning about the numbers 1-5 and working on counting and Number Formation. Next week we will be continuing with these numbers and thinking about which numbers are bigger and smaller, thinking about "1 more" and "1 less" than them and counting things in our environment. 

While we have been outside a lot this week, next week we will officially be starting Forest School. Please make sure children have clothes and shoes in school that you are happy to get muddy and messy and also have long arms and legs to protect them from any bramble scratches. The children don't know this yet, but in our first week of Forest School, we will be starting with den building to make our own shelters in the outdoors (and maybe even making some mini dens for the creatures that share our forest space too). 

If you have any boxes/bottles/tubes etc., we are hoping to develop our making corner so that we can create lots of things with box models this term so please feel free to send the children in with anything you think is useful!

I think that's everything for now but watch this space (and Dojo) for lots more updates and pictures of our adventures in Oak Class. You should be very proud of the start the children have made and how beautifully they have settled in- I know Mrs Grant and I certainly are. 

Have a lovely weekend,

​Miss Prince