Crew White Science Investigation

Today, Crew White began an investigation into the affects of exercise on heart rate and the time it takes the heart to recover after exercise. We made predictions, wrote a method and then went outside to test our hearts. We completed moderately intense exercise followed by intense exercise and had recovery breaks in between and afterwards. We took our pulse rate at different times to check how our heart was coping with the increased workload.

Next week, we will present our findings and write up our conclusions.

Fine motor building

One day each week in Crew Frost, we spend time focusing on developing our fine motor skills through activities such as using scissors to cut along lines and around shapes. Cutting is an excellent skill to master in the Early Years, as it supports so many of the important skills children need as they begin their writing journey.

The children are learning how to separate and strengthen the muscles in their fingers and hands whilst carefully controlling the scissors. They are also developing their hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills as they work out how to move the paper and scissors together whilst trying to stay on the lines. This takes a huge amount of concentration, control, and perseverance.

Alongside this, we have been practising our “ready to write” positioning by sitting with our tummy to the table and all six chair legs on the floor. Developing core strength, balance, and posture is a very important part of early writing development, helping children to gain the stability needed for mark making and pencil control in the future.

Although cutting may look simple, it is actually a very tricky skill that requires children to coordinate many different movements at the same time. We are so proud of the resilience, determination, and focus Crew Frost have shown whilst practising these important skills. Well done, Crew Frost — it is much harder than it looks!

Interventions

During our choosing time, Crew Frost have been developing their early mathematical skills through a range of practical, hands-on interventions linked to the EYFS Development Matters guidance. This week, the children have focused on recognising, extending, and creating their own two-part patterns, as well as organising and comparing objects by size from biggest to smallest.

The children showed great curiosity and engagement as they explored pattern and shape through play. They were encouraged to use mathematical language to describe what they could see, including words such as pointy, corners, sides, stripy, and edges. This supported the children in talking about and exploring shapes and patterns around them.

These activities help to build strong foundations within the Mathematics area of learning, particularly in noticing patterns, comparing size, and developing spatial reasoning. Crew Frost have worked incredibly hard to explain their thinking, solve problems, and apply their learning independently during provision.

We are so proud of the progress Crew Frost are making as they continue to grow in confidence and prepare for their transition into Reception. Well done, Crew Frost!

5 x Readers In KS1!

Here are our magazines all lined up ready to go for Friday’s assembly! If your child has read 5 times at home this week – and it is recorded in their reading record – they will get a raffle ticket for our VERY EXCITING raffle in Friday’s community meeting!

2 winners will be chosen each week at random and they will be invited to select a comic book from this gorgeous range!

This week there will be 4 winners due to last weeks assembly being cancelled.

We cannot wait to see who our first winners are!

You’ve got to be in it to win it: 5 reads, over 5 days, recorded in planners.

Work to be proud of✨

Dallas has been building up her resilience to work independently on the challenge table. She has been answering abstract questions independently in maths, with concrete support if needed. You are a superstar!! ✨

Maths

Crew Farrow have been using number lines to solve subtraction questions. Well done for recording your equations on the squared side of your whiteboards!

Learning all about blood

In Crew Gray, we have been discovering all about blood and what it is made of! During an exciting hands-on lesson, we explored the four main components of blood and uncovered the important job each one has to keep our bodies healthy.

We used water mixed with yellow food colouring to represent the plasma, which gave the liquid a realistic look. Marshmallows were used to show the white blood cells, which help the body fight infections. Cheerios represented the red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body and give blood its red colour. Small pieces were also added to represent platelets, which help blood clot when we get a cut. As we carefully added each part to create our own “blood model”, we were amazed to see how these components work together to help our bodies function every day.