As scientists, the children began exploring what they already know about space. We talked about the night sky, planets, the moon and stars, and shared lots of thoughtful ideas and questions. The children enjoyed looking at space images, watching short clips and using new vocabulary such as planet, Earth, star, moon, rocket and astronaut. They were especially interested in learning that astronauts are real people and discovering why they float in space due to gravity .

As communicators, the children listened carefully to one another, took turns to speak and confidently shared their own ideas using full sentences. They drew pictures of what they think is in space and explained their drawings, helping us to capture their thinking and develop their language skills.

As mathematicians, the children practised counting and recognising numbers, explored shapes, and began comparing sizes as they talked about big and small planets. These discussions linked beautifully to our space learning and helped children make connections across their learning. The Pre-Schoolers focused on naming, matching and sorting colours.

As artists, the children explored a range of creative materials to represent space. They experimented with collage, cotton bud painting and star-themed artwork, creating wonderful space pictures inspired by the night sky. The children showed great focus and pride in their creations.

As explorers of the natural world, the children had lots of fun earlier this week when they discovered ice and snow in the garden. They investigated what happened when they smashed the ice, launched snowballs and talked about how the ice felt and changed. This hands-on exploration encouraged curiosity, teamwork and scientific thinking while having lots of fun outdoors.

As movers, the children developed their fine motor skills through dough disco, pen disco and story dough activities, helping to strengthen their hands for writing and mark making. They travelled to space for a yoga adventure and created a range of movements as part of our mindfulnessm session.

We are so proud of how well the children have settled back into routines and embraced our new topic with such excitement. We are looking forward to continuing our Outer Space learning over the coming weeks, including finding out more about astronauts, planets and life in space.

Looking ahead to next week…

As scientists, the children will be learning all about astronauts. They will find out who astronauts are, what their job is and why they float in space. The children will explore the idea of gravity through simple investigations, dropping objects and comparing how they fall on Earth.

As thinkers and investigators, the children will begin to explore how astronauts move differently in space and discuss what might be tricky about floating all the time. They will be encouraged to ask questions, make predictions and share their ideas using new space vocabulary.

As artists the will be creating wax relief paintings of the night sky. 

As communicators, the children will continue developing their speaking and listening skills by describing what they notice, explaining their thinking and speaking clearly so they can be heard and understood. They will use space vocab as they create naratives with space toys. 

As readers and writers, the children will enjoy space-themed stories and poems, take part in daily phonics sessions and Reception will practise blending sounds to read and write simple words.

We are so proud of how well the children have settled back into routines and embraced our new topic with such excitement. We are looking forward to another fantastic week of learning and exploration.

As independent learners, we are continuing to support the children to take responsibility for their own belongings. At this time of year, children often bring additional items into school such as hats, gloves and scarves. We kindly ask for your support in helping children to recognise their own belongings and practise looking after them. This includes learning simple routines such as putting gloves inside coat pockets, placing hats inside hoods, and checking they have everything before moving on.

We do our very best to remind children and help them keep track of their items; however, with over 50 children in the unit, this can be quite challenging. Being able to manage their belongings independently is an important life skill and supports children’s confidence and self-care. Some children are already excellent at this, while others simply need a little more practise — thank you for supporting this at home as well as at school.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Have a lovely weekend
The Barrier Reef Early Years Team