Hello everyone,
Once again, an enjoyable week in Reception 2.
Maths
Double the Number
This week we have been looking at doubling. We used multi-link cubes, Numicon and our fingers to visualise numbers doubled. We also played a ‘Double the Number’ game. Below is variation of the game which you can try at home.
You will need:
- Dice.
- Counters – two different colours eg. 10 red and 10 yellow. If you do not have counters at home, use two different coloured pens. The idea is that each player will be marking off their numbers with the same colour counter or pen.
- Draw a simple number grid – an example is shown below.
What to do:
- Each player chooses one colour counter/pen.
- Take it in turns to roll a dice – double the number – put your counter on the number.
- If the number has already been covered you miss a go.
- The winner is the player with the most counters (or marked off numbers with a pen) on the board.
Variation
Create two grids with different numbers on each grid. Each player has a different grid. Play a ‘bingo’ version of the game.
Further challenge
- What numbers do we have left?
- What number do you need to roll on the dice to mark off that number?
Support
If your child needs a little support, use objects to show your child what the numbers look like when doubled.
Board games
Board games, such as Snakes and Ladders, support your child’s mathematical understanding enormously. Once your child is confidently playing a board game, introduce two dice to develop doubling numbers.
Letters and Sounds
This week we have been revisiting the following digraphs (two letters/one sound).
ar – car, bark, hard, shark, park, market
or – for, fork, sort, born, cork, cornet, storm
ur – fur, burn, hurt, surf, turn, burp
ow – cow, now, down, how, town
We have also been writing sentences to include tricky words and some of the sounds revisited so far.
The teeth of sharks are sharp.
Come and see the storm.
The cat has a fur coat.
I like to go to the town.
To encourage independent writing we made books together. We used card, hole punch and split pins to create the outside cover. The children provided me with their ideas, I made the front cover and they began writing their own simple stories. A challenging time for Mrs Palmer drawing and creating alien, horse, dog, castle and rocket front covers.
Science
Invisible Ink
The children are still really interested in science experiments. This week, our story time inspired a discussion regarding the concept of visible and invisible. We decided to make invisible ink. Here is a short video of the experiment we tried at school:
Physical Development
Obstacle Course
The children collaborated together to create an obstacle course. Throughout the process, I observed excellent team work with the children listening to ideas and agreeing how the course can be used. In particular, I was impressed by the discussions and adaptations to ensure the course was safe and not wobbly.
Expressive Arts and Design
Stick puppet story art
It is always wonderful to see the children motivate and teach each other. One member of the class created a story show. The process involved drawing a background scene, sticking a strip of paper across the scene and creating cut out characters on lolly sticks. The characters moved along the strip of paper acting out a story within the scene. The children were excited to learn a new skill from their friend.
Mrs Palmer