Our chain of kindness in Maple Class – 17.11.21
We have been thinking about kind words and deeds as part of our Anti-Bullying Week learning. The children have had some lovely ideas and they have shown a lot of kindness this week to one another. They have been busy writing kind words and sentences to one another on brightly coloured paper and today we turned these into a very long paper chain.
Here are a few of the messages children have been writing.
We have also been discussing different acts of kindness and have decided that these take very little time or effort but make such a positive difference.
Here are a few things the children feel they are good at.
We received a recorded message from the friendly alien that crash landed on our playground at the beginning of term. He asked us to email his friends and family to let them know he is alright. We learnt how to compose and send an email. We even decided to invite his friends to come and visit us on planet Earth.
We were then so inspired to create our own aliens so we used a painting program on the iPads. Have a look at some of our creations. They are quite scary!
This year we have made a sculpture for the art trail in Teignmouth. The sculpture features a piece of artwork from each class, Forest school, breakfast and after school club, and Little Acorns. Each class had a school value to represent on their piece and we are sure you will agree they did a fantastic job! All the children and staff, joined in by leaving their own mark or fingerprint on the artwork. Please pop down to the seafront and take a look, the sculpture is in the flower bed close to the pier. Please remember to vote for our sculpture once the voting opens. As soon as we get the voting information, we will pass it on to you.
We had a great time on Tuesday in an extra PE session on orienteering. We learnt how to work together as a team to find numbered and coloured markers. We started the session with a fun warm-up. On hearing the word ‘red’, the children had to stop, freeze and pull a silly face. I’m sure you’ll agree, after looking at these pictures, that they are highly skilled at pulling silly faces! Although the bad weather cut short our time on the field, we will definitely be playing this orienteering game again once the sun comes out.
This week Year 1 have have been focusing on using precise mathematical language to describe patterns in addition and subtraction calculations. We were absolutely amazed by how they were able to use their maths language to describe a pattern! For the grown-ups reading this, the minuend is the number they are subtracting from, the subtrahend is the number they are subtracting and the difference is answer. By using this language, the children were able to explain the patterns really clearly. Well done Year 1, you have worked really hard this week.
In PSHE at the moment, our topic is Rights and Responsibilities. We have been learning about taking responsibility and have been tasked with caring for some plants. We have planted some lettuces and some green bean seeds. We have been researching how to be good plant carers and realise we need to keep them watered and in a sunny spot.
We will keep you updated on their progress.
The Maple Class children had so much fun at Forest School on Wednesday. The sun was out and the sky was blue so they stayed outside for the whole morning, walking through the wooded area, collecting different materials to make hedgehog pictures, playing with bubbles and making bug hotels and daisy chains.
To finish, many of the children decided to roll down the grassy, and very muddy, bank. They had such a wonderful time.
Here are some great photos from the children who were at home learning on World Book Day.
It looks like you all had a great World Book Day!
Around the School in 13 Bubbles!
I was lucky enough to take a socially distanced journey around the school to take some photos of the children dressed up for World Book Day. There were some fantastic costumes from all year groups. Thank you to everyone who joined in both at school and at home. Photos of the children who are currently home learning will be added to the blog at a later date.
We have had a wonderful day in Year One today. The day started with a very important invitation to a Queen’s tea party. Luckily, we were all in our smart clothes and dressed for the occasion.
We then spent the morning doing a ‘posh’ Phonics lesson, making sure we pronounced every sound correctly and clearly, following a set of instructions to make jam sandwiches and making decorations for the tea party.
Just before the tea party in the afternoon, we spent our Wellbeing Wednesday time making placemats. We then practised balancing books on our heads to ensure correct posture and learnt how to curtsy and bow. The tea party was wonderful with the children showing beautiful manners. They made sure their napkins were on their laps and remembered their pleases and thank yous. We listened to classical music and the children even had the chance to dance. We have heard that the children learning remotely from home also had the most wonderful time as well.
We have loved learning about the weather and had great fun today learning about Sir Francis Beaufort. He was responsible for inventing a wind scale to help sailors. We were wind detectives and looked for clues in a series of pictures, working out whether it would be safe at sea. Have a look at a few of the pictures and see what you can spot.
We then went outside to the pirate ship and re-enacted how we might stand and move if the wind suddenly became stronger when we were at sea. The children worked hard at using facial and body expressions to show how they would feel.
In Maths this week, we have been working out strategies for finding the difference between two numbers. We have used a number of resources. One method is to use a 20 frame and counters. We took the first number and lined up that number of counters on the top row, then we took the second number and lined up that number of counters on the bottom row. This helped us to clearly see how many more there were and find the difference between the two numbers. Have a look at some of the children using this method.
We then looked at how we could use a number line as an alternative strategy. We circled both numbers and then drew in the jumps it takes to move from one number to the other.
The children in Maple class are getting much more confident now at choosing which resources support them best. Keep up the good work, Maple!
We have had a very creative afternoon this afternoon in Maple Class. As part of our mini topic, Are Eggs Alive, we watched footage of baby chicks hatching. The children were squealing with delight as they watched the egg slowly crack and a tiny chick finally emerge. We then looked at other animals that hatch from eggs and made our own hatching animals.
We also added more leaves to our giant tree and some of us made our own number lines which will be laminated so we can use them as a resource. We had so much fun.
We have been keeping fit in Maple Class with some daily physical activities. Today, we practised a space dance which we all love. After that, we followed a workout where we stretched, bent, lunged and jumped. We were out of breath afterwards but loved every minute of it. Watch us in action!
We have been looking at how adjectives can improve sentences. The children came up with some wonderful ideas to make Mrs Maguire’s boring first sentence about a car more exciting. They then wrote their own sentences. All the children worked so hard. Look at what they did.
In Year 1 this week, we have taken in turns to take a trip down to our new pond. It is full of life and we Mae sure to take advantage of this and research all of the tiny creatures we could find.
We had fun identifying them and watching them all swim around in our own mini tubs.
Take a look!
Maples have been very in school this week.
In Literacy they have been working hard on adding conjunctions to sentences to up-level them. They have also been looking at sentences that have no spaces in them, the children have had to identify where the words start and end to make the sentence make sense – this has made them realise how important finger spaces are! We have also started looking at verbs and nouns and how to identify them in a sentence.
We have been working hard on reading this week as well, we have looked at reading comprehensions about The Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, The Gingerbread Man and The Rainforest.
Every morning the children have been practising their handwriting, they have been really concentrating on their letter formation.
In maths they have been focussing on bar models and learning our number bonds to 20. They have also been identifying the variety of number sentences that go with each bar model! Some have been rather challenging! They have been using number lines and 100 squares to help them.
Then of course we also leave time for a little bit of fun! Collecting Crickets is still a favourite pass time but this week paper aeroplanes have also been a firm favourite.
From learning about turns, directions and positional language in Mathematics to Victorian dunces hats in SOLE; our home learners are certainly keeping busy! Great to see some extra fun photos too of activities they are enjoying whilst at home. Thanks Year 1!
The Maple children in school have been working really hard. Today, we spent time learning like Victorian school children. We did our 3 Rs, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. We practised our neatest handwriting on blackboards using chalk, we read a book together and we even practised chanting our 2 and 5 times tables. Mrs Maguire did have to become quite strict at times and was checking that the children were clean and hygienic, just like Victorian teachers would have done.
We also had fun outside working out how to do whole, half and quarter turns. We drew our own chalk circles and drew lines to quarter them. This really helped. We also discovered that if you do a whole turn, you always end up facing the same way you started. When we started off facing the wall on the lower playground and then did half a turn, we ended up facing the sea, a much nicer view. We hope you are having as much fun with your learning at home.
Over the last few weeks, children at Hazeldown have had access to resources and activities surrounding the Zones of Regulation. We understand the anxiety and worries surrounding our current strange times and also the possible returning to school. We want to help children better understand their feelings and emotions around these times.
Over the last week, we have been focusing on these ‘Zones’ within our Literacy and completing various tasks to help the children better understand these and talk about their emotions/feelings.
Some of the children at home have very kindly sent in some lovely pictures displaying the work they have been up to around this topic. Well done guys!
We have had a great first week back in school in Maple class and we are leaving today with big smiles on our faces. We are all in GREEN ZONE because it is the weekend!!
We made posters to show the different emotions of each zone, a fabulous hay den was built at break time and lunch time on the field and then we ended the day with a bit of rainbow colouring.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Our little Maples have settled back into school really well and have been working really hard as well as having fun.
They have been trying really hard with learning how to cut shapes into halves and quarters as well as how to share in quarters as well. Sometimes they have had to find the whole and other times they have to find a quarter.
They have also been leanring to use vocabulary such as less than, more than and exactly. Here is one of the questions we had a go at.
My little Maples have also been working really hard at recognising their feelings, learning about the Zones of Regulation. We have been identifying our feelings in each zone and thinking about examples of when we have been in those zones. Then we have talked about how to get ourselves back into the green zone. They have come up with some excellent examples.
The children who have been in school did the Maths quartering quiz today. To help us understand quartering, we practised folding a shape in half then in half again to make a quarter. We challenged ourselves to quarter the shapes in different ways.
Did you know that when you quarter a square, each quarter can be either squares or triangles. Why don’t you practise at home.
We have set our children the challenge of making mini woodlands in a tray using twigs, sand, flowers and anything they find from their gardens or from woodland walks. Look at some of the wonderful pictures we have already been sent.
Noah has been doing leaf rubbings of oak leaves.
Lucas has been taking inspiration from the artist, Andy Goldsworthy, and has used pebbles and seaweed from the beach and fir cones to create his artwork.
Don’t forget to send us your photos. We love seeing what you have all been up to.
Our children have been busy using their senses to explore their surroundings to help them write setting descriptions. We have been focusing on using adjectives to add interest. As always, we are so impressed with the work the children have been doing and wanted to share some. Well done Maple Class and keep up the good work!
Our children have certainly been keeping busy and showing amazing resilience. Just look at these pictures. Elliot has learnt how to ride his bike without stabilisers, Florence spent ages completing her Lego model and Isabel has been helping build a castle in the back garden. We are very impressed.
Our Learning Journey, ‘Enchanted Woodlands’, has inspired many of our children to get creative with leaves, flowers and twigs. Here is a selection of some of the crowns children have made.
Can you spot the child wearing his woodland crown in this next photo? You’ll have to look carefully, he’s very well camouflaged!
We have also loved looking at other work the children have been doing at home on the same topic. Look at this poster all about an apple tree. There is so much information on it. Well done!
Once again, you all continue to impress us so much with the level of work you are producing at home. We wanted to share some of the Big Writes our Year One children have been doing. They were re-telling the well-known traditional tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. Look out for the adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions they are using.
Some great Maths and SOLE learning here! We love seeing how our planning is transferred into learning at home. You are all doing so well, keep up the good work and keep sending us photos. Even if it’s not based around your learning, it might be some cool lego model or picture you have made, we would love to see what you are up to!
Down in Year 1, it has been great to see everyone’s Home Learning and all the different unique ways the children have decided to present their work. From pictures to posters, Pic collages to 3D models they’ve all been amazing.
This week we are going to take a closer look at 2 examples of how you could present your work.
Welcome to the Hazeldown News!
The weather may have changed since the lovely sunshine we had last week but we wanted to share with everyone all the wonderful, sunny photos that have been sent to us by our Year 1 children. We continue to be so proud of all your efforts in doing school work and of how you are keeping busy.
We miss you all very much.
We are all so impressed. This photo was sent to us by a child in Maple Class and all this wonderful work spread out across the table shows what he has achieved in one day. Wow! His brother has done the same too and they have let us know how much they are enjoying all their learning. This is what we love to hear.
Our Learning journey, Enchanted Woodland, has been focusing on flowers and plants. Look at these photos taken on a walk in the woods.
It’s so lovely to see some happy smiling faces enjoying their learning at home! What lovely tree boggarts River has made as part of our Enchanted Woodland learning journey. Well done to all of you that have had a go at this at home, keep up the good work in these tough times! Don’t forget to send your photos of any fab learning or any lockdown activities you are doing at home and we can add them to our blog.
We thought you would like to see some of the things our wonderful Year One children have been busy doing at home recently. We have loved looking at all their online work and are so proud of how hard the children have been working.
It has been lovely to see how so many of them have been taking up new hobbies as well. Those chocolate biscuits look delicious.
Don’t forget to keep sending us your photos. You could end up on our school blog.
What a wonderful day we’ve had at Paignton Zoo to kickstart our new learning journey ‘Paws, Claws and Whiskers’. The rain held off, the sun shone and lots of the animals were out and about too!
Here are some of our favourite pictures:
We have become London experts since starting our Bright Lights Big City learning journey. To showcase our knowledge of London landmarks, we designed then made a fridge magnet souvenir.
The children did a couple of drafts of their picture then decided which shape it was best suited to. They carefully coloured and made a border for their magnet. They decided it should be strengthened so we laminated the paper and then the children cut and stuck a suitable sized strip of magnetic tape to the back.
We think they’re good enough to go in any London shop!
We have already created fire artwork using oil pastels and today we used a different medium, paper. We put the scissors to one side and ripped red, yellow and orange paper into different sized strips before layering them to get the effect of flames. Some children used a pencil to curl the strips of paper.
We have been learning about the events of The Great Fire in 1666 and know that the diary of Samuel Pepys provided lots of information. If you follow the link below, you can learn more about the events and play a few Fire of London games along the way.
In Year 1, we have been looking at how members of the Royal Family might speak, walk and sit.
We discussed how we could improve our etiquette, posture and manners to be more like The Queen!
We had to walk and sit with straight backs, ensuring we spoke with correct pronunciation for every word. We even played a game trying to keep bean bags on our heads for as long as possible.
Hopefully all the children were able to come home and show you everything they had learnt!
After performing so well in our final Christmas performance, the children in Maple Class loved being set this challenge. Using only letters that appear in the word Christmas, how many other words can you find?
They used their phonic knowledge to great effect and soon realised there were two s, meaning they could turn some words into plurals. We came together at the end to share each other’s lists of words. They had managed to find some words I hadn’t even considered.
I wonder if there are many more?
We had great fun in Literacy today, exploring the sounds different instruments make. We have been looking at poetry to do with our senses and were playing instruments and then writing down words to describe each sound.
We generated our own word bank which will support us when we come to write our own senses poems.
In year 1, we began exploring our senses to describe different objects! We used our mouths to taste, ears to listen, nose to smell, hands to touch and eyes to look.
We described each object using adjectives before exploring how they made us feel.
Our favourite part was during our tasting sessions were we got to try a lot of new foods, describing the taste and smell to our friends.
I think the popcorn was Mr Capell’s favourite!!
In Year 1, we continued our look into the different ways the part-whole model helps us learn.
Using a number line, we worked through a set of missing number problems before identifying how this would be represented on a cherry diagram.
We had to keep reminding each other that the biggest number had to be the whole!
In Maths today, we were looking at different ways to solve addition problems and methods we can use to prove we are correct. We spoke about two parts making one whole. Some of us even attempted writing a story to go with the number sentence.
Three children, who had worked incredibly hard to solve the problem, were then appointed experts for the lesson to support others in their understanding. They were so helpful. Well done!
Today the children were introduced to ten frames in Maths. We worked out that we could represent different numbers by drawing dots. We also worked out that a number can be represented in a variety of ways.
We challenged ourselves to find different ways to represent the same number. We then applied our reasoning skills to solve a problem.
Willow and Maple class are really getting into our new Literacy story – “Traction Man”. They sequenced the story using pictures and were great at explaining their choices to each other and the rest of the class. If you want to watch a reading of the book at home, please find a YouTube link below.
This week in maths we have been looking at comparing groups of objects.
We used the language of ‘more than’ and ‘fewer than’ to compare our objects with our friends.
We were able to use a range of resources and collaborated with our partners to help develop our understanding further.
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Unbelievably, we managed to get a little bit of outdoor PE time today before the heavens opened!
Continuing with our Superhero theme, we were stringing together a series of actions. We leapt, held a superhero pose for 5 seconds, stepped forwards to punch the air then completed our sequence with a pretend throw.
The most challenging part was holding a pose as still as we could for 5 seconds. Some of us wobbled a little!
Whizz! kerpow! Zoom!
We leapt into action today dressed as superheroes. We have had a wonderful day, measuring our long leaps, practising our superhero poses, making superhero gadgets and going on a superhero hunt. We found the mighty Thor hiding between the shed and the wall, we found Ironman under the brick wall next to the bin and we found the Incredible Hulk buried beneath a pile of leaves!
Why not ask your children what their favourite superhero moment has been.