Friday 10th May 2024

Dear Zoo was our focus story for the week and the children were able to read this independently by Friday. The children enjoyed thinking about what pet they would like from the zoo and why. This inspired them to have a go at writing a letter all by themselves. Throughout the week the children enjoyed creating zoos, playing 'what am I?' by hiding animals in different packages and retelling the story using our story sack puppets.

In our maths learning the children have been learning their number bonds to 10. The children have enjoyed playing 'Don't burn the sausages' In this game the children use a double dice frame and show the cooked sausages using yellow counters and burnt sausages as red. The children can then visualise the different ways to make 10 as there are always 10 sausages sizzling in the pan. The children have also been using their fingers to work out the pairs of numbers to 10. The children can fold down different numbers of fingers and then add them to the fingers still standing knowing the total will always be ten.

In our topic sessions this week we continued to look at different types of animals. This week we looked at animals from the polar regions. We learnt facts about polar bears, penguins, reindeer, seals, walrus and orcas. We discussed which animals would live in the arctic and those that would live in Antarctica. We looked on a map to discover where these places where and why they were the best places for the animals to live. We compared hot and cold places and talked about the animals that live in these places and why.

In our outside area this week the children have really enjoyed filling up the large sand tray. This has been a real hit with the children! The children have also enjoyed taking part in an animal hunt and cooking up all manner of concoctions in the mud kitchen.

The weather has been glorious this last week, please can you remember to send your child with a hat and sun cream applied on sunny days. Could you also check that your child's jumper or cardigan is clearly labelled with their name.

Reminder - Fridays are book change days we have a lot of children not returning the reading scheme books which means they are going extended periods of time without a book. Tuesdays are our library book changing day and your child can only change their book if they return it.

You can also use Oxford owl or visit the RWI blog to support your child's reading: https://www.westbury-inf.wilts.sch.uk/News/Friday-10th-May-2024/