Here is a snapshot of our week in Pre-Prep!

Last week, the children in FS1 learnt about Diwali, the festival of light. They made rangoli patterns with coloured rice, used clay to make Diwali lamps and used chalk to make firework pictures.

A small group of children visited the Owl’s Den where they made leaf crowns and made an observational drawing of the tree.

The children have been ‘shape detectives’ in a shape hunt around the school, looking for everyday objects that were the same as the 2D shapes that they had been studying in class.

Over in Foundation Stage 2, the Christmas fairies and elves are beginning to sprinkle their magic as it is Christmas production time and the rehearsals have begun. The children have been learning their lines, songs and dances in preparation for the performances. This excitement follows hot on the heels of a special invitation for parents to join us in the Owl’s Den, our purpose built Forest School area, for an Outdoor Learning Workshop . We made clay animals and dens for a woodland creature. It was fantastic to share with our families the benefits of Outdoor Learning, in building independence and resilience in the children.

Year 1 had a fantastic end to their week of learning when they welcomed Dan-Tastic Education to school as part of their current ‘Castles’ topic. They took part in an immersive workshop, where they were able to become a page, a squire and a knight. This informative workshop brought our topic to life, embedding our learning and being able to see and touch some of the items that we have been learning about, such as armour and weapons.

In Year 2, we welcomed Alana Brook, Assistant Director of music at Wakefield Cathedral, into school to deliver a workshop to teach the children ‘Lord of the Dance’ and a few fun warm ups. She hopes that they will be inspired to join the Byrd song choir for aspiring choristers.

As part of the Year 2 topic, Heroes and Heroines, the children learnt about Emmeline Pankhurst and whether she could be considered a heroine due to raising awareness of equal rights for women. Also in literacy, the children have completed story maps for the story of Mr Fox and his bag. They have written their own version of the story, using innovation skills, displaying some very creative ideas.

In maths, the children have focused on subtraction, using a range of strategies and practical equipment to work out their answers. Topic lessons have focused upon the anti bullying week theme for the week, commencing with odd sock day on Monday. There have been some excellent class discussions about the theme and how to resolve conflicts with our friends.