Jack and the Beanstalk

We started our topic, 'Ready, Steady, Grow' by reading the fairytale of, 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. The children have loved re-telling the story in the Small World area and had great fun adapting the story and characters in 'Drawing Club' where we created our own Giants and castles with secret written codes.

In Science, we have been planting our own bean seeds to see if we can grow some tall edible plants, just like Jack. Afterwards, the children worked as a team to write a set of instructions to tell other people how they can plant their own seeds. 

In DT, we are going to make our own beanstalks strong enough to hold a Giant! We started off the project by playing with existing construction kits to explore different shapes and heights for the beanstalk. 

Counting to 20

In Maths, we have been practising counting objects accurately to 20. Some children chose to draw a picture, others chose to use small objects to count. Some children also chose to use tens frames and number lines to support their learning. 

Jack and the Beanstalk measuring

We have been learning how to order objects by length and height, before measuring them with non-standard measures such as using; hands, footsteps and cubes. The children have really enjoyed measuring themselves against an animal height chart as well as drawing around each other on the playground with chalk to see how many hands tall they are. Lots of children took on the challenge to write down the number of cubes long the objects were, while concentrating on their number formation. 

Continuing our DT project....

We have been working in groups to design our beanstalks which we will make using junk modelling materials. We started off by sorting different materials according to their properties. Then we thought about which materials would be good for the different parts of the beanstalk structure. 

Plant Parts

We have been  learning about different parts of a plant. We have read the story, 'The Tiny Seed' and have been watching our own seeds grow into bean plants. We also planted some seeds in cotton wool and hung them on the window so we could see the roots grow. After digging up some weeds we discovered that the roots usually grow underground, then we talked about the purpose of roots. The children enjoyed making their own plant parts using playdough and small parts to share what they have learnt. 

Forest School Fun

This half term, we have been developing our fine and gross motor skills in Forest School. We have been making nature wands and necklaces, climbing trees, balancing on wooden beams and playing hide and seek. We have also been on a scavenger hunt to see which natural objects we could find, relating to Spring. Next, we used the objects to make collections of objects on tens frames and make imaginative potions. 

Visit from the Dentist

We were so lucky to get a visit from Sandygate Dentist as we have been learning about the importance of oral health. The children were great at sorting foods into which foods are good or bad (if you eat too much!) for your teeth. They also learnt how to brush their teeth correctly and tips on using a timer while brushing their teeth. Finally, we had a pretend visit to the Dentist as they showed us their tools and equipment which they use in an appointment. We even got stickers and free toothpaste just like going to the real Dentist!

Tadpoles!

We have borrowed some tadpoles from a local pond. We have learnt all about the life cycle of a frog and we have been watching closely to see when our tadpole will start to grow into froglets. Although it may be a few weeks yet, we are very excited!