Welcome to Yellow Class!

Mrs Watkins, Mrs Frattaroli and Mrs Barker would like to welcome you to Yellow Class.

Take a look at what we have been doing in our first year at school!

Term 6

Roll up!  Roll up! Come to the Circus!

Rico the Circus Performer

On Friday we had a circus performer visit the school to entertain both the children and the adults.  First he walked on stilts whilst making giant bubbles in the playground.

Then he performed a circus show for the whole school.  During the show he juggled with scarves and clubs,  spun plates,  performed tricks with rugs and toothbrushes, rode a unicycle and clowned around making everyone laugh!  Everyone enjoyed the show and thought he was very funny!  

The children have been inspired to perform their own circus tricks in the garden!

Pond Dipping

Yellow and Orange class have enjoyed visiting the school pond area to discover wildlife that live in and around the water.    They used the nets to carefully sweep into the water and then looked to see what they had caught.  Some children were lucky enough to catch a goldfish!

On Friday Mrs Barker even found a frog just outside the school fence and managed to catch it so that the children could observe him up close.  Once everyone had seen him she released him back into our pond area.

Term 5

Giants!  Friend or foe?

Outside Plan Do Review

As the weather was so nice, Yellow and Orange class had plan do review outside in the big playground.  It was quite windy so they were able to fly the kites.  Activities included the stomp rockets, bubble blowers, construction and small world, a writing table and story books to read in the quiet area.    Some children explored the planting areas with Mrs Barker.

Race for Life 2017

The children did an amazing job and ran 1 mile!  Well done Yellow class - great effort! 

The Cardboard Box Giant!

Yellow and Orange class worked together to plan how to make a giant using the large cardboard boxes.  With the adults, the children had to decide what he was going to look like and how to make him.  Once the design was drawn, all the children participated in painting part of the giant and then he was assembled together.  He was so tall that he couldn't even fit through the classroom door! 

Maths

This term Yellow class have been practising adding and subtracting using lots of different methods including Numicon, objects, number lines or working it out in their heads.   The children have been practising counting on and back from a number using number tracks, number lines and objects.  They have enjoyed using the new double dice to made up their own number sentences and challenging themselves and each other.

Jack and the Beanstalk

"Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum

I smell the blood of an English man!

Be he alive or be he dead,

I'll grind his bones to make my bread!"

Over this term the children have enjoyed listening to different versions of the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' story; we have read 'Jim and the Beanstalk', 'Jack and the Jellybean stalk', 'Jasper's Beanstalk' and a play version of the story.  The stories have inspired the children to retell the story, write their own versions of the story and to create alternative ideas of what Jack might find at the top of the beanstalk.  Some children have been using different resources to create their own giant models. 

Beach Beanstalk Competition

The children took part in a challenge to make a 'beanstalk' using the stones, shells and seaweed on the beach.  At first the children tried to make the beanstalks upright by stacking the stones and shells but this became too difficult the taller they got, so the children adapted their work and laid them down.  After fifteen minutes the children stopped and Mrs Watkins used her tape measure to find out who had made the longest beanstalk.  The winning group has made their beanstalk over six metres long!

Beach Art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy

Maths

This term Yellow class have been learning about length and height.  The children have been walking around the school environment with metre sticks to find things that are taller/ longer or shorter than the metre stick by using direct comparison.  Some children tried to find things the same length/ height as the metre stick but found it really tricky!

The children then decided that they wanted to find out who was the tallest/ shorted child in Yellow class as they had already found out that Mrs Frattaroli was the tallest adult and Mrs Watkins was the shorted adult in Yellow class.  First the children chose five children who they thought was the tallest/ shortest in Yellow class.  Then Mrs Watkins and Mrs Wright use a measuring tape to measure how many centimetres each child was. 

For the active maths the children had to try and order themselves in a line with the tallest one end and the shortest the other end. 

Pottery

The children have been learning different clay techniques with Vicki.  First they made a thumb pot and then they created decorations by pushing different tools, stamps or fabric onto the soft clay for different effects.  The children have recently glazed these using special paint and are looking forward to seeing how they look after going into the hot kiln!

Dead Horse Morris Men

The Morris men visited school and performed a few dances for us in the hall in preparation for the May Day celebration.  There was even a giant tree called 'Jack-in-the-Green'!  The children enjoyed tapping and clapping along to the music. 

Scooter Workshop

Yellow class participated in a scooter workshop.  The children were kitted out with helmets, elbow and knee pads and special gloves to protect their bodies.  They learnt about how to ride the scooter safely and importantly how to stop the scooter, especially when crossing a road with a adult.  Then the children got to have a practise riding the scooters and having a go at some tricks!

Ducklings

The children have been very excited in school since the arrival of the duck eggs and incubator.  Yellow class were very lucky as one of the ducklings actually hatched out of the egg whilst they were visiting the incubator. It was very egg-citing!  Once all the ducklings had hatched out and dried off they were moved across to their special duckling home.  Yellow class enjoyed visiting the ducklings daily to say hello and watch them jump around cheeping!  Everyone was surprised at how quickly they grew.  The ducklings even came to visit the classroom and the children got to watch them play in the tray of water.   They made even more mess than the children!

Easter Egg Hunt

Yellow class enjoyed moving around the school, search for the hidden eggs and solving the clues to find the eggs.  When the children arrived back into Yellow classroom there was a big bucket of eggs there! 

For Yellow class's marble treat they also got to make chocolate nest cakes and added some chocolate eggs inside them. 

Term 4

Above and Beyond

NASA

Molly and her mum told Yellow and Orange class about their visit to the NASA space station in America.  They explained how the rockets are moved using a giant rolling machine to positioning it on the launch pad ready for take off.  The children saw photos of different parts of the rocket and were surprised how big the rocket boosters actually are!

Relatives Afternoon

On Friday 24th March a relative of each of the children were invited into school for the afternoon.  Once the adults had had their refreshments, they came into the classroom and decorated a plant pot with the children using a variety of sequins, glitter and pens.  Then they went outside and planted a little flower into the pot.  There was even a little time for the children to enjoy sharing their favourite stories and books with their adult.  It was a lovely afternoon!

Balance Cake

Yellow and Orange class made some balance cakes.  Each of the ingredients added to the mixture had to balance with 3 eggs!

Beach Walk

For the beach walks this term, the children have been exploring weight and sizes of stones.  The children worked with their partners to find stones that were heavier/ lighter than their partners or the same weight.  Once all the stones were laid out the children decided that the larger the stone, the heavier it was!  Yellow class bought a few stones back to school to use on the balances and check if they were right.

Gruffalo Workshop

On Wednesday 15th March the children took part in a Gruffalo workshop.  During the workshop the children got to see real animals that would live in woodland like the one in the Gruffalo story.  First Yellow class got to look at a snail and a centipede using a very powerful microscope on the computer.

Then they used the little magnifying equipment to take a close look at the top and underneath of their own snails and snails.  The children learn to tickle the snail or slug with the paintbrush to lift it off the glass carefully.

The children got to meet a turtle and a little mouse.  The turtle's shell was hard and bumpy.  Although he was slow to move on the floor, once he was put in the water he moved very fast!  The little mouse enjoyed scurrying across the children's hands and arms, and felt very soft and furry.  The little mouse even tried to jump in the tank with the turtle which everyone thought was very funny!

Maths

Yellow class have enjoyed participating in Maths of the Day and engaging in active maths activities both in the classroom and outside on the playground.  They have been practising the skills of counting, estimating, adding and recognising numbers up to 20.

Roaring Rockets!

Yellow and Orange class have enjoyed designing and creating their own rockets using a variety of resources.  Some of the rockets the children could sit in, whereas others were just for either a small world person or little alien.  The children started to add their own signs and labels to their models too.

New Planting Area

Mr Penfold has been helping Yellow and Orange class to create a new planting area outside in the Reception garden.  Once he had moved the planters into position, the children all helped to move the soil from one end of the garden to the other.  They worked together as a team to shift the soil using buckets and spaces, helping the adults to carefully move any of the plants that were already growing there. It was hard work but the new area is now looking great and ready for all the vegetables!

Space Journey

After reading the story 'Whatever Next' the children were inspired to go on their own space journey.  First they put on their space boots and space suits and then climbed into their space rockets ready to launch into space.  Once the children were in space they visited lots of different planets;  a rocky planet, a windy planet, a hot planet, a soft and grassy planet, an icy planet, a volcanic planet, a spongy planet and a shady planet.  As the children landed, they used their different senses to explore what they could see, hear, feel and smell.  Everyone was very hungry after an epic journey in space and glad we arrived back just in time for lunch!

Rocket Launch

The children have enjoyed climbing in the rockets outside and in the classroom and preparing to launch off into space.  Before they left, they had to write in the space log where they planned to go and what they think they would find when they got there.

Book Week

On Monday 27th February 2017 the school started their Book Week with a special assembly by Mrs Lambirth, where she shared her favourite stories.  Over the week there was lots of fun activities involving books, including a book fair, adults from other classes reading their favourite stories, an author visit and a book competition.

During Book Week the author Denis Bond visited all the classes in school.  Yellow and Orange class shared his book 'The Monster Who Couldn't Scare Anyone' prior to his visit, creating their own versions of the monster and thinking of ideas of how the monster could become scarier.  The children shared these ideas with Denis Bond who really liked them!  They enjoyed listening to Denis talk about what is does and created their own little story about a sheep in the session using their own ideas.

In the afternoon of World Book Day the children's adults were invited in to share their favourite stories.  The children enjoyed listening to a range of stories read to them.

Pancake Day

On Pancake day Yellow and Orange class made and ate pancakes with lemon and sugar.  The children had to follow the recipe and whisk all the ingredients together to make a batter.  Then Miss Elms and Mrs Frattaroli cooked the pancakes.  They were delicious!

In the afternoon the children went outside and had pancake races on the astroturf.  First the children had to run along whilst tossing the pancakes with the frying pans. Then the children had a relay race in teams, balancing the pancake on their heads.  It was lots of fun!  During the races the sea gulls sat on the school roof ready to fly down to grab the bits of pancake off the floor!

Term 3

'Magic and Mayhem'

Horsebridge Exhibition

Yellow and Orange class visited the Whitstable Horsebridge art gallery to view the exhibition by all the Whitstable and Herne Bay schools.   The children looked at the artwork carefully, choosing their favourite pieces and explaining why they liked it.

"I like the spades because it reminds me of building sandcastles on the beach."

"I like the octopus.  It has really long arms!"

"I like the fish because they look pretty."

"I like the colours on the wall with all the little pictures on it."

Chinese New Year

On 28th January 2017 was Chinese New Year - the year of the Rooster.  Yellow class found out that Mrs Watkins was born on the year of the Rooster and Mrs Frattaroli was born the year of the Rat.  Yellow class children were either born the year of the Rabbit or the Dragon.

The children listened to the Chinese New Year story and then went outside to act out the different animals having a race across the river.

Yellow class enjoyed trying some Chinese stir fry, egg fried rice and prawn crackers. 

The children attempted to use chop sticks to try and pick up different objects.  Some objects were easier to pick up than others and some of the children challenged themselves to try and pick up the tiny beads!

Witch recipes

'Hubble bubble at the double,

Cooking pot stir up some trouble!'

Yellow class have been reading the poem "The Witch's Brew".  This has inspired the children to create their own witch's potions/ spells and make lists of ingredients to mix into their witch's cauldron.  This has included rotten nappies, mouldy bananas, blood, a king's heart and even poo!  YUCK!

PE

In PE the children have been moving and balancing in lots of different ways.   The children had to use their muscles to create strong shapes and show good control and coordination. 

Magical stories

Yellow class have really enjoyed reading all the different magical stories in the book corner about witches, wizards, fairies, dragons and monsters in the mornings!  Some of the children chose to read quietly on their own whereas other children enjoyed retelling the stories with their friends.

Hansel and Gretel

We have been reading the traditional story 'Hansel and Gretel'.  The children have been exploring the characters, acting them out and using interesting words to describe them.  Some children think that the stepmother may have been the witch in disguise!

The children were inspired by the house covering in sweets and icing in the story, and have been using different construction and collage material to create their own Gingerbread houses.

An interesting bag of objects

A bag of very interesting objects was left in Yellow class one morning.  Yellow class unpacked the bag, then discussed who may have left them and decide what to do with all the things!  They eventually found out that the objects belonged to Wanda the witch - a good witch!   The thing that the children most enjoyed was the book 'Smell and Spells', which kept making all sort of funny things happen whenever the children or the adults read out the spells.     

Sleeping Beauty Pantomime

The whole school had the chance to watch the pantomime 'Sleeping Beauty'.  There were lots of different characters, including the Princess Aurora and a very naughty (and a little bit scary) Maleficent!  Everyone really enjoyed the show, joining in with the singing and dancing at the end.  

Term 2

A long time ago

School Christmas Dinner

Yellow class enjoyed their first school Christmas dinner!  In the afternoon Yellow and Orange class played some party games in the hall including musical bumps and musical statues.

Postcards home

Every child in Yellow and Orange class wrote a postcard to their family with a photo of them in their costume from the Nativity.  The children practised their letter writing ready for their Father Christmas letters.  Once all the postcards were placed in envelopes, the children added their addresses and a stamp on the front and walked down the road to post it into the nearest post box.  On the post box it said that the next collection was the following day, so would arrive at the houses over the weekend.

Year R Nativity Performance

Yellow and Orange class worked hard to rehearse all their words and songs for their Christmas performance.  They retold the story of the Nativity that even included the number counters!  The children enjoyed dressing up in their amazing costumes and performing their show to different audiences. 

Father Christmas

Father Christmas came to visit Yellow class because he had heard that all the children had been good boys and girls.  Everyone got a special gift and remembered to say 'Thank you'.

Christmas Craft morning

Yellow class had lots of fun enjoying the different Christmas activities in the hall.  There was biscuit decorating, making snow globes, decorating a clay shape, throwing the hoops on Rudolf's antlers and a chance to pose for a funny Christmas photo!

Thanksgiving Day

On Thursday 24th November Molly's mum came to talk to Yellow class about Thanksgiving Day, a special day that Molly and her family were celebrating.  The children found out about why America celebrate Thanksgiving, some of the special traditions and parades that happen in America and what people eat for their Thanksgiving meal.  Molly's mum kindly baked us some corn muffins and pumpkin muffins to try.  They were yummy!

PE

This term the children have been learning about travelling in a variety of ways, moving safely and carefully in a space.  The children went on a journey in a time machine, visiting a land of dinosaurs!  They went on boats, cars and aeroplanes until they reach the safely of a mountain.  The children had to practise stopping and standing still whenever they heard the dinosaur coming so that they didn't get eaten!

Children in Need - Pyjama Day!

On 18th November all the children at Westmeads came to school in their pyjamas to raise money for Children in Need, including the adults.  Yellow class had a very relaxing day!

Number work

Yellow class have been exploring numbers up to 20 and counting in lots of different ways.   The children created number rockets by matching the number with the correct number of objects.  Outside the children have ordered the number cards and number birds in the correct order.  On the computer, they have been counting the number of objects and matching it to the correct number.

Quantum Theatre show

Yellow class enjoyed watching the show Quantum theatre show 'Shapes and Desperate Measures'  based on Star Wars.  The show covered lots of different maths concepts including 2D and 3D shape, length and time.

Remembrance Day

Bonfire Night and Fireworks

After watching a firework display on the screen, the children have been inspired to create firework art using paint and glitter, scraping the paint across the paper using lolly sticks, glue spreaders  or the end of a paintbrush.

In the hall the children made different body shapes and movements inspired by the firework pictures and sounds.

Diwali

Yellow class have been learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali, which is celebrated this year on 30th October 2017.   First the children listened to the story about how Prince Rama defeated Ravana the Demon King and his army so that he could save Princess Sita.  Then the children acted out the different characters from the story.  Their favourite character in the story was the evil Ravana!

Term 1

Safe and Sound

Road Safety

For National Poetry Day on Thursday 7th October Yellow and Orange class learnt a poem about road safety:

Stop, look and listen

Before you cross the street.

Use your eyes and use your ears

Before you use your feet!

Yellow class read a book about how to be safe when walking along the road.  Then the children went outside to practice crossing the road safely.  Half the class were pedestrians whilst the others rode the bikes as the traffic along the road.  The children on the bikes has to look out for children crossing and make sure they rode safely and carefully.  The pedestrians wore special yellow jackets so the traffic could see them clearly when they waited at the zebra crossings.  The children crossed the road very safely, remember to stop, look both ways and listen for traffic before they walked across the roads.

Write Dance

In Write Dance we have been learning the volcano dance.  First we practiced the big movements in the air using our whole body and then used the same movements to draw on paper with a crayon in both hands to mark make onto the paper.