Our new topic, “Growing,” has really taken off in Reception, and the children are absolutely loving it! Over the past week, we have been learning about how plants grow and what they need to stay healthy.

The children have been very busy little gardeners. So far we have planted sunflower seeds, cress, carrots, lettuce, basil, thyme and rocket. The class has enjoyed getting their hands in the soil and talking about what plants need to grow, such as sunlight, water and care. We are very excited to watch our plants change over the coming weeks and see which ones grow the tallest!

Baby Photos

A big thank you to everyone who sent in baby photos. The children absolutely loved looking at them and trying to guess who was who. It sparked many wonderful discussions about how we change as we grow. Next week, we will continue our learning around how we have changed and grown, thinking about the things we can do now that we couldn’t do when we were babies.

Developing Our Scissor Skills

Across the class, we are currently working hard on developing scissor skills. This helps strengthen the muscles in the hands and fingers, which are very important for writing.

When using scissors in class, we remind the children:

• Thumb at the top

• Elbow tucked in

• Move the paper, not the scissors

If you would like to support this at home, here are some simple ideas:

• Let your child cut along straight lines, zig-zags or wavy lines drawn on paper

• Encourage them to cut pictures out of old magazines

• Try cutting playdough “snakes” into small pieces

• Make simple collages by cutting and sticking shapes

Short, regular practice helps build confidence and control.

Water Bottles

A small request please: water bottles to be kept out of book bags. Unfortunately, some bottles have been leaking and this has left several reading books very soggy. If possible, please keep water bottles separate from book bags when bringing them to school.

Thank you for your continued support. It has been wonderful to see the children so excited and engaged with our new learning.

We are looking forward to another busy week in Pufferfish!

See you Monday,

Mrs. Mackett