The Explorers were great at walking to the church and back and listened carefully to the adults to stay safe.

We have been finding out about features of a church such as a font, cross, candle and lectern and so the children were brilliant at spotting them during our visit.

 Highlights of the visit included Rev Dave's story, followed by a sheep hunt; a lively song 'This Little Light of Mine' and a pretend wedding ceremony! Thank you to Rev Dave for  making it such a  memorable morning! 

The Explorers were excited to receive a surprise parcel. Inside were some very tiny caterpillars. Their arrival prompted lots of discussion and curiosity about living things and what might happen next. 
We introduced our new scientific word metamorphosis, which describes the amazing changes the caterpillars will go through. We are looking forward to observing their life cycle over the next few weeks. 

The children had great fun drawing and making their own odd and even monsters. We thought carefully about how many eyes an odd monster would have and how many mouths an even monster might have.   We also enjoyed reading the story 'One Odd Day' by Dani Sneed and Doris Fisher and spotting all the odd things in the pictures! 

The children demonstrated great skills and teamwork to earn points for their house teams while taking part in a range of fun activities. A big thank you to the Year 6 house captains for all their help with each station and for supporting the younger children! 

We placed eggs in cups of coke, juice, vinegar and water. We then introduced the new word 'predict' and the children predicted what they thought would happen to each egg over night. The next day the children were excited to see if their predictions were correct. We used a toothbrush and toothpaste to see if we could clean the eggs. It was a great experiment to highlight the importance of brushing your teeth and avoiding sugary drinks.

This week, we have been exploring the book ‘A Superhero Like You’. The children have been discovering the real superheroes in our community and learning that not all heroes wear capes - many of them help us every single day in all sorts of amazing ways.

During independent learning time, some of the children decided to make their own superhero masks. Building on their developing technology skills, they learned how to safely make holes in paper so they could cut out the eye shapes. They then used these skills to create their own hats, masks and shields. It was fantastic to see their resilience, problem solving and team work skills shine.

The Explorers had great fun sharing their favourite books and dressing up as space themed or book characters! They particularly enjoyed turning the book corner into a rocket! 

The Explorers could hardly contain their excitement as they began their first specialist music session this year.

From the moment they each picked up their tambourine or bongo drum, the room buzzed with energy and curiosity. Mrs Wall showed them how to tap, shake and beat in time, and soon the Explorers were creating bold sound patterns and lively rhythms together. Everyone was fully engaged, watching and listening carefully. Well done Explorers.

We have been exploring big dreams and bright futures! 
This term we are finding out about people in our community and how they help to keep us safe, happy and healthy. 
Through play and discussion, the children are developing teamwork, communication and problem solving skills - the very skills they’ll use as they grow and think about their own futures.

The children have had a brilliant day and are excited about their new learning this half term.

A special mention to our parents and careers for supporting us by providing costumes and resources, making it a memorable day. 

Making porridge was certainly a highlight of the week for the children, sparking both excitement and a great deal of curiosity. As we worked together to read our instructions, the children quickly discovered that following a set of instructions is like solving a problem and that the order of the steps is crucial. Finding our way to the staffroom to locate the microwave was a great opportunity to hone our language of direction.

Back in the classroom, we observed how the microwave changed the texture of the oats from dry to creamy.
We finished our session by enjoying a bowl of yummy porridge with the addition of a few different toppings. 

How do you make your porridge? What is your favourite topping? 

The Explorers were brilliant at sharing their knowledge about AI. We discussed how we use AI to help us search for our favourite songs, to ask questions and even to control our hoovers!

Through the use of Alexa, we have been comparing the differences between humans and AI.

Much fun was had sorting different everyday activities and tasks. The Explorers had to think carefully about how to give Alexa clear instructions. We found out that Alexa can play our favourite songs, give instructions for how to brush your teeth, but they don’t have feelings and show kindness.

We also agreed that as children, we would always ask an adult before using the Internet and that if we saw or heard anything that made us sad we would tell a trusted grown up. 

The children loved bringing their teddies to school to share in their learning. During the day the children showed great enthusiasm when talking about their special friends. There were lots of opportunities to sort, count and measure their bears during learning time too.
Lots of amazing Explorasaurs in action as the children used the charcoal sticks to draw their bears. Exploring with charcoal is great to support fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and to understand tone and pressure. Let’s just say there were lots of dirty paws after the children explored the skills of smudging and blending. Such a valuable experience. Well done Explorers! 

The Explorers have been great at  representing each number through practical activities and we have enjoyed meeting the Numberblock characters for each of the numbers! Can you find representations of 6,7 and 8  around your home? 

This week we learnt about Adam naming all the animals and the children went onto create their own Garden of Eden using the small world resources! They also drew their favourite animal and used their phonic skills to write it It's name. 

During our Jigsaw time we have been developing our learning skill of persevering. Stickatops, one of our Achievosaurs, has been supporting us to to think about the skills that might be needed to complete our daily learning challenges. We discussed that everyone finds different things tricky, it is often difficult when we are learning to do something for the first time. Throughout our day, we have reflected on our challenges, agreeing that it may have been difficult to start with but with practice and never giving up, we can achieve new things. Lots of the children agreed that working with a friend, sharing ideas and developing our independence skills really helped us to achieve. Well done Explorers! Are you a Stickatops in your learning? 

We discovered some of our penguins had become trapped in ice and we had great fun problem solving to try and release them! "Put it in hot water", "crush it with a knife", "use the radiator" and "leave it in the sun to melt" were just some of the ideas the children came up with to try and set the penguins free!

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The children had a great time with their adults, making a range of crafts such as reindeer hats and paper chain snowmen and they were super stars when singing their Christmas songs with actions! 

An unusual snoring sound could be heard from across the classroom. The Explorers investigated to find an exhausted Mr Bear, deep in sleep! 

After several attempts, the Explorers managed to stir Mr Bear and explained that the construction area was not a comfy, ‘peaceful’ place to rest.

During our Drawing Club, the children immersed themselves in the story of Peace at Last! They were great at using their imaginations and drawing skills to create and label characters and new adventures.

Developing oracy and learning new vocabulary underpins our literacy learning. It has been so lovely to hear the children confidently use our new vocabulary during play and interactions. 

Through construction and small world activities, there were lots of Solveadactyls, designing and adapting new beds and comfy places to rest.

This week, the children have been learning to orally retell the story through repetitive phrases and actions. We have been impressed with their expression when changing their voices to become an exhausted Mr Bear. 

The Explorers certainly had lots of fun competing in their first Inter House competition this week.

During the session, the children took part in a range of activities: including crazy throws and super sprints! 
They showed great resilience when presented with new skills and challenges, and collaborated as a team to earn lots of house points.

Special mention to our wonderful House Captains who demonstrated strong leadership skills and a positive commitment to the well being and success of each team.

Much fun was had during our first music session.

In small groups, the children joined in with action rhymes and songs as well as exploring a selection of percussion instruments. 
We really value the role singing can play in boosting language development, recognising sounds, improving vocabulary, and understanding rhythm. 

Super Explorasaurs in action! Do you have a favourite  action rhyme?

The children were great at making masks to act out the story of Rama and Sita and created Rangoli patterns using a variety of resources.

In RE (Religious Education) as part of our focus on 'Being Special; where do we belong' we also learnt about how Hindu brothers and sisters show their love for each other at a festival by exchanging Rakhis. The children used strips of paper to decorate and make a Rakhi (bracelet) for a friend!

The Explorers have been working hard to blend and read the sounds in simple words with a focus on saying the phonemes (sounds) correctly.

Through a range of mediums we have enjoyed learning to form the graphemes (letter shapes) by using our handwriting phrases. Well done to all the Explorers for being such Tryatops! 

The children were great at noticing patterns in our environment and making their own repeating patterns using a variety of resources! 

Through our daily phonic sessions we have been learning the phonemes (sounds) s,a, t and p. We have been playing games with objects  to tune into words to hear the initial sound. We have been using a variety of ways to practice forming the graphemes (letter shapes) such as writing them in the air, in sand, in paint and on whiteboards. Can you go on a hunt around your house to find objects beginning with this week's  sounds? 

The children were amazing at exploring the forest school areas and making potions, waterways and bird feeders. Some children cut open the apples they found and planted the seeds while others had fun hunting for bugs. The session ended with a hot chocolate and biscuit! 

Our Forest school leaders, Ruth and Clare, provided a range of exciting activities including apple bobbing, bug hunting, a mud kitchen, potion making and the opportunity to make bird feeders!  Another popular activity was scaling a steep slope to explore the wooded area. We can't wait for next week's session with our second group of Explorers! 

The children have continued to be super stars at following new routines and taking part in their first PE lessons! 

Explorer parents can find all this week's class information and photos on our weekly blog on Tapestry.

The children have been busy exploring their new classroom and learning new routines. They were very excited to go out for their first playtime and to stay for their first lunchtime this week. We are  really looking forward to a fun filled year ahead! 

The Explorers looked amazing in their pirate costumes and had a fun filled day of activities including a Shipshape fitness challenge and a Treasure hunt to find the hidden ice lollies! We danced to sea shanties and learnt to talk like a pirate, shiver me timbers! 

They listened to a variety of pieces of music and thought about how it made them feel. They then experimented with making their own music digitally. Once they had finished their creation they shared it with the class! 

The children enjoyed a singing session, a role play Wedding and Baptism and a parachute game!

A big thank you to Rev Dave for his time and for making the visit so fun and interactive. 

Garden Club, Flower Club, Craft activities and Pom Poms are just some of the brilliant activities that the Explorers have been enjoying at the Village Festival.

A massive thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of these activities which the children have loved taking part in! 

The children were great at identifying pattern rules in repeating units of 3 (blue/red/green/blue/red/ green...) and extended their learning by creating their own patterns according to colour,  shape or size for a friend to continue! 

The children worked hard to earn house points for their teams throughout the 6 activity stations and were great at cheering each other on. The Y1 children acted as brilliant mentors when demonstrating skills and the Y6 House Captain's help was invaluable. Thank you to all the parents who were able to come along and support and to FOBS for the much needed ice lollies afterwards! 

This exploratory play has numeracy  benefits, including the development of fine and gross motor skills, sensory exploration and language development. It's also lots of fun!  

Jacks Patch kindly donated several packs of wild flower seeds which we used to create a pollination station for our outdoor area.  The children then made posters to raise awareness of the importance of bees and thee need to protect them.

After our hunt the children painted their own pictures of a favourite mini beast and then chose a photograph of a habitat to mount their painting on. We're looking forward to them being shown at the community centre during the village show this year! 

The children drew a sea creature onto fabric and used wet coloured chalk to 'dye' their fabric. They then used their weaving skills to weave different materials through a mesh  and placed it over their fabric to represent the polluted sea, as described in the story. 

The children should be really proud of their hard work and fantastic results! 

As part of our RE topic about Special Places we visited St John's church to find out more about what happens in a church and why they are special places for Christians. We have been finding out about features of a church such as a font, cross, candle and lectern and so the children were great at spotting them during our visit! A big thank you to Rev Dave for making the morning such a fun and memorable experience. 

We planted our sunflower seeds individually and in house teams to see which team can grow the tallest flower!  We read the book from 'Seed to Sunflower' and thought about how to care for the seeds to help them to grow. We also planted cress seeds in teams and the children were excited to see the seeds growing after a couple of days!

The children had great fun finding out about bees and their behaviour, trying on bee suits and looking at a real hive (a display one - the bees could not get out!)

The session started with a talk about materials which can be recycled and which foods we can compost.  The field became a compost bin and the children were great at pretending to be mini beasts and saying which foods they were eating. A big thank you to Lou, the Devon Waste Education Officer, for making the session so informative and fun! 

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We read the stories 'The Messy Magpie' and 'Greta and the Giants' to explore ways we can help to protect our earth.  The Foundation Stage children sorted materials in our recycling centre while the Year 1 children thought of lots of way to be creative and reuse our junk modelling materials!  The children had lots of ideas about how they can do their bit to help the environment including switching off lights, turning off taps and recycling our paper. 

The children enjoyed trying on the uniform and asking questions to find out more about the role of the police. A highlight was looking at the police van and equipment and hearing the siren, which was so loud we had to cover our ears!

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We have been finding out about events from Palm Sunday to Easter Day and  this week we explored signs and symbols linked to the celebration. We have talked about why these symbols and celebrations are important for believers.   Can your child tell you about any of the key events of Easter?  

Before our investigation we made predictions about which colored 'worms' would be easiest and hardest to find.  Most children thought the brown and green worms would be hardest because the field is made up of mostly these colours.  We thought the red worms would be easiest to find because they are really bright. The children were great at working in pairs and using their noticing skills to spot the worms around the field and forest school area. It was actually the black worms which were the most camouflaged as the children only found 3! Our prediction about the red worms was correct as the children found the most of these! 

The children were great at cheering each other on to earn points for their house teams today. They took part in different activities at 3 stations and were brilliant at listening to the instructions before trying their hardest to complete the activities in the given time!