Maple Class - Summer 2, week 2

Date: 13th Jun 2025 @ 1:49pm

This week we have been reading the book Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae.  We have focused looking at animals which live in the rainforest.  We also introduced children to The Play Project this week, where, each week, we give ideas to children on what they can create, construct, draw and write, surrounding a topic.  This then gives children ideas of what they may choose to do during Explore and Learn time – wow!  What amazing constructions, art work, drawing and writing they have produced – great work Maple!

Tuesday saw us board the coach for our school trip to Bristol Zoo Project.  We had a wonderful day and we were glad the rain stayed away!  All the children were so well behaved and enthusiastic.  On arriving at the zoo we met our workshop leader Ben, who took us on a flying adventure to Africa.  We looked at where Africa was on a globe and looked at the size of it compared to the UK.  This of course prompted the children to sing the 7 continents song that we learnt last week, which we sing in order from largest to small.  Therefore we know that Africa is the second largest continent in the world.  We then went on an adventure to see the giraffes and zebras and then did some animal yoga on the platform overlooking them.  We followed this with a trip to the workshop classroom where we got up close to some items from different animals and we had to guess what animal they were from and what sort of habitat they live in – the rainforest, grasslands or desert.  We saw a shell from a tortoise, fur from a zebra and leopard, a tusk from an elephant, ostrich feathers and a snake skin.  After this we were in need of a snack!  We were then able to explore the zoo and see the other animals such as a red panda, ostrich, lemur, meerkat, several variety of birds and monkey.  We also did the bare foot trail, if we wished, so we took our shoes and socks off and got to experience different sensations on our feet.  What a busy, but wonderful day we had!  There were lots of tired children, and teachers, on the coach on the way home!

In phonics this week we have continued learning our phase 4 phonics, concentrating on learning to read and write polysyllabic words – these are words which have 2 or more syllables.  We have learnt to clap out the syllables in words and then break it down for reading and writing.  We have been writing words such as starfish, driftwood, limpets, sunflower, sailing and sunset.

In math’s we have been looking at distributing objects equally by sharing into two equal groups, by sharing into more than two equal groups and grouping objects equally.  We have then done this during Explore and Learn in lots of ways, such as sharing out lego, animals and having a ‘picnic’.

We have been thinking about our Daddy’s this week and all the wonderful ways they help us in the run up to Father’s Day on Sunday.

In RE we have continued to think about stories which are special and discussed which stories are special to Christians.

On Thursday afternoon there was a yellow warning of thunderstorms, so we brought the Forest school learning into the classroom.  We looked at Andy Goldsworthy’s stick art and created our own amazing stick artwork, and artwork using other natural materials such as conkers, shells and pine cones in the classroom.  We also printed spider webs using paint and sticks.

Well done to Alice, Loris, Alfie, Felix and Woody who stood up confidently and shared their special things in Show and Tell in Willow Class to the current year 1’s and Miss Jackson.

Congratulations to Bunny, Della, Loris and Sophie who all received awards in our celebration assembly this week.

Things we have enjoyed doing this week:

Alfie – I enjoyed doing my show and tell

Sophie – I enjoyed playing with my friends

Felix -  I enjoyed gardening club today

Bunny – I enjoyed playing with my friends

Frankie – I enjoyed the school trip

Alice - I enjoyed creating my jungle scene using the Play Project

Leone – I liked the school trip

Loris – I loved the school trip and seeing the giraffes and zebras

Daisy-Mai – I enjoyed going on the school trip

Woody – I enjoyed working with my friends and problem solving how to get water into the big tub