St John
and St
Francis Church School 
Reception - Robin
Portraits - October
We have learned what a portrait is. We looked at the self-portraits that we drew when we first started school. We asked the question ‘are portraits always drawn or painted?’ Most of us thought ‘yes’. Mrs Legg then showed us some portraits by the Artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, that were made using other materials such as fruit and vegetables, and books. We also looked at some portraits by unknown artists, using pebbles and other loose parts! We spoke about whether we liked them or not, and why. We used Sketch.io to make digital portraits using fruits and vegetables, in the style of Arcimboldo. Then we had a go at making a portrait using various loose parts. Don’t you think they look fab!!!
Portraits by Robin Class
Carnival carts - October
We used the construction materials to build our own carnival cart. We spoke with Miss Stacey about the themes and what she does when working on the cart with her carnival club. We worked together so had to share and compromise! Once built, we had a photo taken and then had to deconstruct our cart. That means, take it apart. That is what happens after carnival, ready for the carts to be rebuilt for the following year. It’s a very long job that takes a lot of hard work.
Carnival carts
Carnival - October
What a fantastic carnival celebration at St John and St Francis Church School. Thank you to those of you who attended, and here are some photos for those of you who couldn’t make it. I’m sure you’ll agree that it was colourful, loud, exciting, and had the magical buzz of our own Bridgwater carnival. 😊🎆🎇 Here are Robin Class with their 'Firework' entry!
Robin's Carnival
Leaf necklaces - October
Today we took our learning outside. We went on a leaf hunt, collecting leaves of different shapes, colours and sizes. We then threaded our own needle. Mrs Legg was very impressed that most of us did it independently! We then either made holes using a hole punch, or pushed the needle through the leaves to thread them on, making a beautiful autumn necklace.
leaf necklaces
Parts of the body - October
Robin class have been learning to name body parts and thought about whether all people have the same body parts. They looked at some photos of people with disabilities and discussed how they overcome these, to join in with the things that able bodied people can do, like running, swimming and playing basketball ball.
Naming parts of the body
Gruffalo Crumble! - October
As we have been listening to stories by Julia Donaldson, today we have made some Gruffalo Crumbles! (Please note, no Gruffaloes were harmed in the process!😂).
First, we had to chop up some apples. Next we boiled the apple to make it soft. After that we made the crumble mix by rubbing flour and butter together. Finally we put them together, the base of apple first and the crumble mix on top.
We have discussed whether we will have it with custard or ice cream! What would you have with yours?
Gruffalo Crumble
Maths - Super subitising! - October
This week, we have been ordering numbers and matching quantities to numerals by subitising (recognising quantities without counting). Perhaps you could make and play a matching game with numbers up to 5 at home!
Ordering to 5
Firework shakers - October
We have been very busy, designing and making our firework shakers for next week’s carnival celebration!
We are very much looking forward to Thursday’s procession!
Firework shakers
Forest School; whittling and hammering - October
This afternoon we went on a big leaf hunt around the school field. We found leaves of all different shapes, sizes and colours. We used them, along with some pinecones, conkers, sticks and bark, to make a piece of art, similar to that of Andy Goldsworthy.
After this, we each had a turn to do some whittling, using a vegetable peeler on some sticks and carefully peeling the bark off to whittle. We also had a go at hammering nails into wood. We had to hold the nail between our thumb and forefinger, and go very careful so that we didn't hurt ourselves. We found this great fun!
Forest School - whittling and hammering
Harvest Festival - October 16th
We had a lovely Harvest festival this morning at St Francis Church. The children behaved impeccably and their singing was wonderful. A truly lovely celebration of this special time of year, when we give thanks for our food.
It was great to see so many parents there to join us and thank you to those of you who helped keep us safe when we walked over.
Carnival - October
This afternoon we had a special visitor, Mr Radford, who came to talk to us about the local tradition of carnival. He has been involved in carnival for 30 years and his family for much longer! This year is the 177th year of Bridgwater carnival! Mr Radford spoke to us about all the special jobs that people have to do, to get the carnival ready for us to watch. He showed us some of the props and costumes that have been used and we saw him and Miss Stacey on a video from last years carnival. At the end of Bridgwater carnival there is a special display called squibbing. We saw a cosh. This is the big stick that is used by the squibbers. It has a firework attached and this is set off and held up high, as we remember Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. Carnival is an important part of our local heritage and sees the community come together in celebration. Will you be going to watch the carnival this year?
EYFS Carnival Visitor
Forest School - October
This afternoon we were nature detectives. We were shown how to use magnifying glasses properly. We know not to hold it to our eye like a pirate, but to hold it away so things look bigger. We found patterns on leaves and on tree trunks, snails and even a baby frog!!!
We then went on a scavenger hunt and found different sized sticks and coloured leaves. We then collected lots of leaves and threw them up in the air!!
Forest School Nature Detectives
Mental Health Awareness Day - October
Today it was mental health awareness day and we were invited to wear yellow to school. We listened to the story of The Colour Monster and decorated our own monster. We also made monsters from playdough and colour monster puppets, talking about what each colour represented; happiness, sadness, fear, calm, anger and love. At playtime, we used chalks to draw things that make us happy on the playground. We thought our mummies and daddies might like to see them! We also made a worry bracelet. We added beads for the members of our family, so that when we are worried, they can help take our worries away. We watched a short extract from Tom and Jerry. It made us laugh. It is important to laugh. Finally, we finished the morning with some cosmic yoga, helping to relax our body and mind.
Robin Mental Health Awareness day
Patterns - October
This week we have been learning about repeated patterns. We began by extending a pattern that was made for us. We then had to spot a mistake that had been put in a pattern. Finally we had a go at making our own AB pattern.
Robin AB Patterns
Autumn welly walk - October
This afternoon, we went on an Autumn welly walk around the school grounds, looking for signs of the changing season. We noticed that the leaves were beginning to change colour and some had fallen off the trees. We tried to find two leaves that were different colours and noticed that they were also different sizes and shapes! While on the playground we spotted some sycamore seeds. These are often known as ‘helicopters’. We threw them in the air and watched as they spun like the blades on a helicopter. After that we went to the orchard area and saw apples and pears, ready to harvest. Mrs Aston spotted a spider web between two trees and we carefully observed the spider, going careful not to break its web! We found some mushrooms growing on the field, in the damp. Mrs Legg and Mrs Aston told us not to touch them as some mushrooms can be poisonous. Finally we found an oak tree and went hunting for treasures…..acorns! Amazingly we found quite a few that the squirrels had not yet taken for themselves.
Robin welly walk
Kandinsky concentric circles - October
We have been learning a little bit about the famous artist Kandinsky, who lived a long time ago. We looked at some of his paintings and learned the word ‘abstract’. This means that they do not look like ‘things’. We noticed that he liked to use bright colours and different shapes. We had a go at creating our own painting, in the style of Kandinsky’s concentric circles. We mixed our own colours of paint and made circles, starting from the centre and moving outwards.
Robin Kandinsky
Shortbread biscuits - September
We have been baking shortbread biscuits. We weighed out the butter and sugar and mixed them together. We then added the flour and rubbed it into breadcrumbs. After that, we kneaded it into a dough. Finally, we rolled it out and cut it into circles ready to bake. Today we got to decorate our biscuit with icing and sweets. We made it look like a friendly face!
Robins shortbread
Our first Forest School - September
We had the most amazing time at Forest School this afternoon. We did so well getting ourselves ready with welly boots and coats and we went for a walk around the school grounds. First we went for a splash in the puddles and walked across the field to the Forest area. We found conkers, worms and other bugs. We then walked across the field and found apples and pears growing on trees and dens to build and play in.
Robin Class first Forest School
Day of Languages - Spain - September
We have been learning a little about Spain. Some of us have been there on holiday. We looked at where it is on a world map and talked about how we would get there. We found out about a traditional Spanish dish called paella, which is made of rice and sea food. Some of us thought it looked tasty but some of us thought we wouldn’t like it. We watched some flamenco dancers, a traditional Spanish dance, and some of us dressed up in a dress which Mrs Legg brought in. Others of us played the castanets. We had an opportunity to paint a Spanish flag and to make a fan, decorating it in the same colours as the Spanish flag.
Robin Class Spanish day
Art - September
Robin Class have been busy this week designing Christmas cards/winter notelets. We had to build up our art work in stages, waiting for the paint to dry so that the colours didn't mix. I think you will all agree that they look absolutely fantastic!
Robin paintings
Physical development - September
This morning, we had some time playing on the jungle gym. We were very excited to practice our climbing, balancing and jumping! We listened carefully for the whistle and then lined up smartly to come back into class. Now we will know what to do at play times!
Jungle gym
Our first week at school - September
The children of Robin Class have had an amazing first week at school. They have all had fun, discovering all that the classroom has to offer, playing inside and outside, and making new friends.
We spoke a little about friendship and what it means to be a good friend. Mrs Legg said that in Robin Class we are ALL friends! We watched the story of The Rainbow Fish. He had to learn how to be a good friend. We then worked with a friend to make the wings for a butterfly (which will go up in the classroom). We each chose a colour and Mrs Aston painted our hand….it tickled! First we printed our own colour. We then rubbed hands with a friend to mix the two colours into a new colour and made our handprints again. We tried to guess what colour was made. It was a bit like magic!
Friendship butterflies
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
