Pioneers Class

Pioneers children are Reception aged (four or five years old). Children enjoy a range of creative and engaging play based activities, as well as formal inputs, to support their development and growth. Children in Pioneers are taught by Mrs Hann, Mrs McGill and Miss Greaves.

Learning begins the minute they walk through the door. The classroom is a carefully curated collection of wonderful things to allow the children to flourish. The classroom is theirs and everything in it is there for a purpose. What they chose to do may be completely different for each individual. This is when the learning happens. The resources are ready to use and accessible and the team work together to create, to communicate, to count and to grow 

Each day starts with exploration of the resources and suggestions for learning set out around the room. The Pioneers will come together for teaching. This will happen in small groups, as a whole class and often one to one. Across the day we will gather for mathematics, reading, writing and phonics sessions, to share stories and to learn about the world.

PE kits are in school all week to allow us to do PE at any time. This term, the Pioneers have dance on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Mrs Gurney teaches computing on a Thursday morning.

We are rolling with phonics and children will bring a book and their reading record home each day. Please read little and often and write a message in the reading record. All reading is good reading. This is such an exciting time.

Please look out for a text message to let you know when we will go to the forest. We will use our wonderful outdoor space as much as we can and this will not always be on the same day each week. 

Children’s progress and activities are recorded in their own Learning Journeys. These act as a summary of the journey children embark upon during their time in Reception and demonstrate the progress and success that has been achieved, as well as the next steps that may need to be taken.

A Bigger Sandwich

The last lot of sandwiched were fine but not really big enough so we tried to upscale. The rolling pins were big and heavy and very nice to roll. We needed quite a lot of jam and a fair spread of butter. The children were very good with the tools,using a spatula and some big spoons,a knife and a fish slice.

The finish product was enjoyed on the steps of Explorers Classroom. It was so nice that the children chose to sit together to eat.

No wasps attended.

A Not So Giant Jam Sandwich

One of the children said that their favourite book was The Giant Jam Sandwich. After reading it we decided that it would be a good idea to make our own one. No wasps were invited. Fingers were sticky. Lots  of discussions followed about size and shape and comparisons were made. Some liked lots of jam while others opted for less. Lots of talk and lots of learning. We made a story map to help us remember what we did. 

Happy Learning

A Whole Lot Of Building Going On

Building with big and small bricks and other random items is very popular with the Pioneers. Through this construction work we have been discussing the names of 2D and 3D shapes,using positional language and learning to play in a small space with our friends. This takes a lot of skill. The children have found ways to solve problems,building chairs for themselves and for their toys. The team work has been fantastic. Some children have built towers and then compared their height with the height of the tower. Others have experimented with balancing and given consideration to the size and the shape of the surfaces they are using. 

Such purposeful learning.

It’s Lovely Outside

So much discovery and learning goes on  outside. We have so many different little corners and open spaces to explore. The apple tree is dropping apples and they have been used to fly through some pipe pieces. Others have explored the floating and sinking of natural materials-apples,leaves and sand mainly. The big building materials are always popular and the Pioneers have been creating homes and towers and some complex slides. Turn taking and following rules are always useful skills to work on and a big group sorted out there own game of searching for hidden items. This was beautiful to watch. Digging continues in one small corner and I am told that it does wonders for upper body strength and developing muscles and flexibility in the wrists and arms-all good for developing writing…and it makes a mess.

Happy Learning

Our Green and Pleasant Land

To l.aunch our new topic, we started with art. What a fantastic day. All the children have used pastels and danced on paper to “I like to move it,move it” Mark making was a full body work out. We went to the forest and collected a selection of green things. On our return to the classroom we printed with plungers and mashers,whisks and cogs. It was clear that everyone was focussed and had a plan. Please pop in to see more photographs of the process.