St John
and St
Francis Church School 
Reception - Robin
Magdelen Farm Visit : July 2024
As a finale to our topic on growing, we had a day at the farm! We began the morning by helping to feed the animals. We fed hay to the cows, pellets to the pigs and seeds to the chickens. We also visited the goats. After lunch we helped to harvest some black currants that will be made into blackcurrant jam. We also tasted borage flowers, nasturtiums, basil and home grown cucumber. Finally we made our own magic potion, picking different flowers and herbs to go inside. They smelt wonderful!
Magdalen Farm
Positional language and mapping : July 2024
We played some of our favourite traditional tales on the trim trail and used positional language to describe our journey. We also set up some story scenes using the deconstruction role play and loose parts.
We then had a look at and different maps and thought about what we could see. We identified the things on some simple maps (school, car park, road etc) and spoke about their position in relation to one another. We also looked at maps for Crealy, Pennywell farm and Brean Theme park. We then drew our own maps on large pieces of paper and spoken about the things we put on them.
Finally, we used the bee-bots, programming them to follow a route around our maps!
Positional language, mapping and bee-bots
Spatial reasoning : July 2024
We have been using shapes to create pictures. We had to think about the shapes we needed and how to rotate them to position them correctly. This is helping us to develop our special reasoning. We had to replicate pictures from chosen cards, manipulating the shapes, rotating them into the correct positions and talking about the shapes used and the rotations or turns.
Spatial reasoning - shape pictures
Clay : July 2024
We have looked carefully at the parts of a flower and then used clay to make our own flower, carefully manipulating it and using tools to make petals, sepals and seeds.
Clay Flowers
Class Pets! : July 2024
We have been very lucky to have had some class pets this half term! Some garden snails! Do you know that snails only have one foot and make slime to help themselves move along? Do you know that snails have lots of teeth but they are not sharp so they will not bite you? Do you know that if a snail is threatened by a bird (which might want to eat it), it will make lots of bubbles around itself to deter the birds?
The girls enjoyed holding our class pets and squirting them with water. They observed as the snails came out of their shells and looked around. They decided to name them Mrs Legg, Mrs Aston and Mrs Weller!
Snails
Sports day : July 2024
Our first school sports day! What fun!
EYFS Sports Day
Circus skills : June 2024
This afternoon we had an amazing workshop with Steve, learning all sorts of circus skills, such as walking the tight rope, using flower sticks, ribbon twirling and plate spinning! A lot of perseverance was needed but we all improved…. We think we might even be better at it than Steve!
It was lovely to see so many parents coming to watch our showcase, and I’m sure they will all agree that it was fab!
Circus skills
Planting : June 2024
This half term, our topic is ‘plants and growing’. We discussed what we knew (or thought we knew) about plants. We looked at some packets of seeds and saw that there were instructions on the back. We shook the packets which were unopened to see if we could tell what size they were. We looked at some sunflower seeds and two varieties of beans. We also saw the seeds inside of a tomato. We then used some of our ideas discussed to set up some experiments. Thinking that seeds need soil, sun and water, we planted 4 seeds; one will have all of the things it needs, one will have all except sunlight, another will have all except water and another will have all except soil. A final pot had a seed planted in sand to see if this could be used to replace soil. We also planted some flower bulbs, noticing how they were different from the seeds. We checked on the tomato plants that we had planted at the end of last half term and rubbed the leaves, smelling our hands and noticing how the leaves made them smell of tomatoes!
Planting
Wellbeing afternoon : June 2024
Robin class and Wren class joined together for some well-being activities. We began by reminding ourselves of why our mental health and well-being is important and ways to look after it, including using our fingers to breathe in and out. We then split into groups to try 5 different activities; animal exercises with Miss Weatherby, mindful colouring of inspirational words with Mrs Compton and Charlie (a student who was helping us today), cosmic yoga with Mrs Weller, a mindful scavenger hunt with Mrs Curtis and The floor is Lava yoga with Mrs Legg! It was a very busy afternoon but a great way to end our health and sports week.
Wellbeing afternoon
Road Safety : June 2024
We learnt about ‘Road Safety’. We began by watching a short video and discussing how we should keep ourselves safe when riding our bikes or scooters, when travelling in a car, and when we are near the road. We were reminded of how to cross a road safely, that we should look and listen before and while crossing, and we should always hold the hand of an adult.
We then went outside to practice crossing the road. Mrs Legg had made a car!
When we were back in the continuous provision, we carried on playing in the car and we also made traffic lights. We were able to identify whether a picture showed something safe or unsafe happening and talk about why.
Road Safety
Mondrian : June 2024
We looked at some of the early works of art by Piet Mondrian. We spoke about how they were ‘abstract’ and what this meant. We then had a go at painting our own abstract trees and gave our paintings a title like, ‘rainbow tree’ or ‘red tree’.
Mondrian
Robin Class composers
This half term we have been composing our own music and playing along with glockenspiels and Boom Whackers! We are getting much better at keeping a steady beat and playing along.
Robin Class composers
Voice 21 Oracy project
This half term we have been learning facts about Africa and African animals. We each made an ‘Africa’ poster, with a fact file of an animal, a labelled animal, a map of Africa and our own camouflage/African animal paper plate. We laid out our poster as we wanted, adding a title that we produced on the computer. Finally, as part of our voice 21 oracy project, we shared our poster with a friend from year 2. We had to begin by introducing ourselves and then told them all the information we had found out, speaking with clarity, in full sentences and using the new vocabulary introduced during the topic. The year 2 children listened carefully and asked appropriate questions. We all enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to doing it again!
Voice 21 Oracy Project - Africa
Obstacle course - May 2024
We used the play pod resources to make an obstacle course. We tried to name the shapes used and thought about the properties of each shape and how they could be used. Perhaps you could make your own obstacle course at home….or look at the shapes of the equipment at the park!
Obstacle course
Repeating Patterns - May 2024
Robin class have been extending their knowledge of repeating patterns, building more complex patterns and identifying the unit of repeat. This week we looked at AABB, ABC and AABBCC patterns. We identified mistakes in patterns, built our own patterns with loose parts and practised copying and extending patterns using vocal sounds, body movements and the djembe drum.
Repeating patterns
African Drumming - May 2024
In Robin Class, we had a look at a djembe, traditional African drum. We learnt that it has three basic notes; the base, tone and slap. The base is the lowest note, the tone is the middle register and the slap has the highest pitch.
We listened to the story of ‘The leopards drum’, accompanied by the djembe (and the help of 5 robins). We then all had a go at playing the djembe and made repeated patterns linked to the animals in the story.
A version of the story can be found at the following link:
African Djembe
Flight to Africa! - April 2024
Last week, we all received a very special ticket for a flight to Africa! We packed our cases and brought them into school, ready for our exciting adventure! First, we all had the opportunity to share our cases with our friends. We spoke about the things we had put in and the reason for taking them. Nkosana and Layla packed some African currency so that they could buy themselves a meal or a present in Africa, and George packed a rope as he would like to climb a mountain! Then this afternoon we went to the airport and waited for our flight to be ready.
We learnt that the planes are directed from a flight tower. (Perhaps you could look out for one next time you are near an airport). We watched a suitcase going through a scanner and tried to identify the things inside. Our teachers explained that there are some things that we can not take on an aeroplane.
We then went through the body scanner. It beeped if we had something we shouldn’t! 😂
Finally, we were called to board our plane. It took a while to get everyone on, but we were soon settled. We did up our seatbelts and watched the safety demonstration before our flight took off. We could see the fields below and even spotted some vehicles moving along the road. We then flew over Bristol. There were lots of buildings!
During our flight, we had a movie and an inflight snack. Before we knew it, it was time to begin our descent into Africa. We passed through the clouds and watched as the wing of the plane changed, to slow us down. Africa looked quite different from Bristol, with land of a single colour and quite a lot of buildings. It was a very smooth flight and we clapped as we landed!
Everyone was ready to go to their hotels and very excited about what they might see! Let’s hope they’re all 5 star resorts!
Trip to Africa!
Our Museum visit - March 2024
What an amazing time we had today at the museum. First we had a look around the museum at the artefacts. We spotted some dinosaur fossils as well as lots of other curiosities.
We then had a circuit of activities including being palaeontologists, digging for fossils and carefully brushing them clean, painting ammonites and making our own dinosaur stick puppets or colouring.
We were all very well behaved and respectful of the other adults at the museum, and the museum curator was very impressed with our knowledge of dinosaurs, in fact she was amazed!!!!!
Dinosaur Museum visit
Fencing - February 2024
We were very lucky today to have the chance to have a go at 'fencing'. What an amazing experience! We learnt how to hold our foil and to move sideways to prod our opponent’s tummy!
EYFS Fencing
Oh What a mess! - February 2024
This morning we arrived at school to find a terrible mess! There were leaves, twigs, footprints and even some rather smelly poo in our classroom! We think we have been visited by some dinosaurs 🦕 🦖
Here are some photos of the evidence, which we wrote as a list of clues.
Oh what a mess!
The Royal Ball - February 2024
Well, what a fabulous morning was had by all at our Royal Ball! Each Prince chose their princess and escorted them to the Ball where they were met by the King and Queen and a royal fanfare. There was a photo opportunity, followed by some ballroom dancing, including a waltz and the cha cha cha! Our royal guests were then wined and dined as the banquet began. We finally finished the morning with a little more dancing before finally our ball came to an end.
Here are some photos to show you our action packed morning. I’m sure you’ll agree that they all look fantastic!
The Royal Ball
Gingerbread Man Experiments - January 2024
We listened to the story of the gingerbread man again and thought about why he couldn’t get across the river. We then conducted some experiments. First we wanted to know if he would have made it across if the water wasn’t so deep. We put a gingerbread biscuit in different sized bowls, each with a different capacity (linked to our maths) and filled them with water to see what happened. The one in the least water wasn’t so crumbly and the one in the most turned to mush! We then thought about the length of time in the water so we put gingerbread biscuits in water and timed them using a sand timer. The one that was in the longest changed the colour of the water and we couldn’t scoop it out! Finally we thought about whether it would be different if the river was not made of water. We placed one gingerbread man in water, one in juice and the third in milk. Although they all went mushy, we could see that the one in milk wasn’t quite so mushy. He still had his legs!
Gingerbread man Experiments
Fairy Tale Visitors! - January 2024
This morning, on arrival to class, we found that there had been lots of strange items left in our classroom! There was porridge on the table, a giant axe and some beans and a basket of cakes to name but a few items. Who could have been here?
Mrs Legg told us that the police needed our help, so we wrote a list of the items left behind. I wonder if they will be clues as to who has been here! We think we might already have an idea!
Fairy Tale Visitors
Our Tradition of Carnival - November 2023
This week has been Carnival week for SJSF. We were lucky enough to have Mr Kunc, who has a history of working on the carnival, from being on the carts to judging Bridgwater Carnival, who was happy to bring in and share some artefacts and memorabilia with us.
Mr Kunc told us how the carts are made out of a trailer base and built up with wood and metal. They are painted and modelled and then have thousands of lights fitted. The children understood that as the carnival takes place at night the lights are needed to be able to see the carts! These carts are then pulled by tractors which are decorated in a similar fashion to match the theme of the trailer. We found out that Bridgwater is the largest illuminated carnival in Europe!
We watched a video which showed Mr Kunc dancing on the front of a cart. The children noticed how loud the music was. This is so everyone can hear it. They also spotted people in high visibility jackets walking alongside the carts. Mr Kunc explained that some Marshall’s walk alongside the carts to keep the people on the carts safe, while others stand by the crowds to help keep them safe.
Mr Kunc then shared some of his costumes and accessories with us. We learnt that the people who make these clothes are called seamstresses. Mr Kunc showed us the tiger that he helped to cut out and add to one of his costumes. Some children were chosen to try them on and we guessed what the theme might have been.
When we were back in our own classroom we played an oracy game in small groups. We had bags with some carnival props in them and we had to talk with and listen to a partner, to try to work out what the theme might be, explaining why we thought this. We were encouraged to look at our partner to show active listening, understanding how to listen carefully and why it is important, and to articulate our ideas and thoughts in well-formed sentences. We particularly enjoyed trying out some of the costume props!
EYFS Carnival Traditions
