Welcome to Puffins!

Our intention... At Wymondley School, we believe that the Early Years Foundation Stage plays a crucial role in securing solid foundations that children will continue to build upon.  We believe that all children deserve to be valued as an individual and we are passionate in allowing all children to achieve their full, unique potential. We understand that children begin their learning journey from different starting points and are therefore working at different stages in their development. We believe that the Early Years Foundation Stage offers a truly unique opportunity to both celebrate and build upon this.  

At Wymondley our aim is to create a learning environment and build relationships which support, enhance and invite a child’s curiosity, confidence and individual competency to flourish regardless of backgrounds, circumstances or needs. We aim to work collaboratively with parents and carers to encourage independent, enthusiastic learners who thrive and reach their full potential. It is our intent that children who enter our EYFS begin their lifelong learning journey by developing physically, verbally, cognitively and emotionally whilst also embedding a positive attitude to school and a love of learning.

Please also makes sure that you are checking your emails for current information and that you are logged into Tapestry, as this will be our main platform for communication this year and will be where you will be able to find more details on remote learning as and when it is needed. You will also be able to contact the teaching team directly from there with any individual issues. Please also feel free to approach a member of the team for a conversation, from a safe distance, at pick up time or to pass on any information at drop off time.

For information on The Hungry Little Minds initiative click Activities | Words for Life. For further information on  activities that you can do at home with your child as well as information about apps that are suitable for your child to use at home, please click here.

As the term progresses, the children's learning will be added below for you to enjoy and discuss with your children at home...

Harvest Learning in Puffins!

This week we have been reading Oliver's Vegetables and we decided to make our own version and call them Puffin's Vegetables. We visited the school garden and saw Mrs B, who looks after the garden and makes sure everything grows big and strong! Following this we all became chefs for the day, complete with our very own aprons. We all chopped the vegetables to make our very own soup and what a delcious soup it was!

Minibeast hunting!

As part of our 'Come Outside!' topic we went on a minibeast hunt with our buddies. We found so many exciting creepy crawlies - we examined the minibeasts with magnifying glasses and also did some observational drawings. We then carefully returned the minibeasts to their habitats. Now that we have learnt the different names of lots of creepy crawlies we will start thinking about how we can sort the minibeasts according to different features.

Sandwich Making

In Puffin Class we enjoyed learning to make jam sandwiches! We talked through the process, sequenced the steps, had a go at making our own jam sandwiches - we even got to take our teddy bears on a picnic to eat our sandwiches! We finished off by writing our own set of instructions and having a go at giving verbal, step-by-step instructions.

Potion Making

We really enjoyed making potions in Puffin Class mud kitchen area - we explored the smell, colour and texture of lots of different ingredients before creating our own recipes. Then we had to pour, measure, stir and strain our potions! Puffin class made potions that could make you grow to the size of a giant, shrink to the size of an ant and even turn invisible! 

Forest School Fun!

We linked our learning about 'The Gingerbread Man' to our forest school this week. We started the week by reading the story of The Gingerbread Man, then we followed a recipe to make and decorate our own gingerbread men. We finshed the week by designing and building a raft that could transport the gingerbread man safely across the river - we put our rafts to the test in forest school. We had to use so many different skills this week: following a recipe, rolling dough, designing rafts, joining materials together,making predictions and working as part of a team...what a busy week!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

As part of our 'Traditional Tales' theme we made some porridge to try...but somebody ate it all up! This reminded us of the story of Golilocks and the Three Bears. We made some posters to put up around the school to ask if anyone had seen the porridge thief. We then had to make some more porrdige (we made special signs this time warning people to 'Do Not Touch!') Finally we got to try some of the porridge that we had made...it was tasty!

Some of our memories from last year...

Fishy Fun

Puffins have had a very busy and rather fishy week! We have based our learning around The Rainbow Fish, talking all about sharing.  We have also had great fun doing a colour mixing science experiment. The children really enjoyed watching the magic happen, as the primary colours mixed to make secondary colours.  Towards the end of the week we had some real fish to explore and investigate. Some children were keener than others!

Wymondley Woods

Puffins had a fantastic day at Wymondley Woods.  We explored the woods, built dens, created nature crowns and even toasted marshmallows for some delicious smores!

Welcome Back

What a wonderful first day back! The children were very excited as they arrived through our transformed conservatory, complete with a fish and chip shop and lots of ocean surprises!  We are looking forward to learning all about oceans and the seaside this half term.

We also released the first few butterflies.

Minibeast Celebration

Puffins had a wonderful afternoon as we celebrated and shared our learning with a family member this afternoon.  It was lovely to welcome parents onto the field in the sunshine.  The children were delighted and proud to show you some of the things they have been up to. Parents thank you for joining us and the fantastic costumes!  

Have a lovely half term and we look forward to seeing you soon for another fun filled half term.

New Books

Last week some Puffins wrote to Mrs Nowland, who is in charge of the school library, to see if we could have some new books for our classroom.  Well she didn’t disappoint and arrived with a big box full of new and exciting titles for us to enjoy and explore. Thanks very much Mrs Nowland.

Busy Week

This week we have had a real focus on number…. inspired by our Minibeast book of the week Spinderella by Julia Donaldson. We have learnt lots of new rhymes to help us form our numbers properly and the excitement is building for a Minibeast end of topic tea party. Puffins also enjoyed writing the invitations and they cannot wait to share their learning with parents next week.  Fingers crossed for sunshine!

New Home

Today we carefully moved the chrysalis’s into their new home.  We are ready, waiting and very excited for the next phase!

Frogs Galore!

This week has been all about ‘Frogs.’ Puffins have been learning about the frog life cycle and have enjoyed creating it using different mediums.  We visited the pond to see if the tadpoles we spotted a few weeks ago were any bigger. Unfortunately, due to the rain, the water was a bit murky so we will be visiting again soon!  Singing has also been on the agenda along with lots of other fun frog related activities.

Growing Caterpillars

The excitement is building as our caterpillars are getting bigger and bigger!  The children are checking regularly to see if any cocoons are being spun. Fingers crossed we don’t have much longer to wait.

Tuesday PE Sessions

Puffins have really been enjoying our extra PE sessions and have demonstrated great strength, balance and co-ordination when using all the equipment.