Heatherlands Primary School
Enjoying Learning Together
Early Years
Welcome to Early Years!
To contact the year leader please email:
heatherlands.office@coastalpartnership.co.uk
Please phone the office if you have an urgent message or enquiry.
Wow Moment
The Heatherlands Way
PE days: Monday (outdoor) & Friday (indoor) - Children to come into school dressed in PE kits.
EY Sports day 2025!
EYFS Update This half-terms topic, 'Cracking the Egg Mystery' has been a stomping success! The children have really engaged with the dinosaur learning and have used lots of rich vocabulary in their play. A big thank you for supporting with the home learning, which we have loved sharing in class. It sounds like there are lots of fossil hunting trips planned for half-term.
EARLY YEARS - What a surprise! The surprises keep coming in Early Years. Last week we found a mystery egg and then this week we watched the 'CCTV' footage of a Stegosaurus stomping through the Outside Classroom, over the weekend. This led to some interesting conversations about how the children thought dinosaurs are extinct and where this one had come from. We were relieved to find out a Stegosaurus is a herbivore and won't want to nibble us! In the Outside Classroom, we have made some refreshing herbal spritzes and harvested some of the sprigs. The chocolate mint was a firm favourite. During a very sunny Forest Schools, each class found a safe place to put the mystery egg, in case the Stegosaurus comes back to find it. The orders keep on coming in the pizzeria role play. There have been interesting combinations of pizza toppings! In maths, we have been learning to recognise numbers to 20 and how to build teen numbers using a ten and a one.
What a surprise!
'Cracking the egg' knowledge organiser Summer term
At Forest School, the Early Years children have been observing the birds and bugs and making rubbings of the bark and leaves in the forest. They have been following the safety rules when moving sticks and used team work to move sticks and logs to make a log pile for the bugs.
Spring is in the air in EYFS Early Years children have been busy making Easter shaped biscuits. They are available after school today- 2 biscuits for £1. They look delicious and an inviting aroma has filled the base this week as the biscuits have baked. Thank you for all your support this term. The money raised goes back into the base and any money we make from the sale of the biscuits will be spent on plants for the children to grow in the Burrow, some resources for our next exciting theme and some new fishy friends for the fish tank to join Larry the Loach. Wishing you all a lovely break filled with sunshine and chocolate eggs! EYFS Team
EYFS Brushing Up on Dental Hygiene!
As part of their learning about oral hygiene, the EYFS children had a visit from Adele, a dental nurse from Charminster House, and Ms. Levene, one of our parents who is an Oral B Representative.
The children learned about what to expect during a visit to the dentist and what the dentist and dental nurses wear as part of their uniform to stay safe. They also discovered that they should have 20 teeth, though their estimations varied widely!
The children were taught that they should brush their teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time. Adele demonstrated the correct brushing technique using a giant set of teeth to show how to keep our teeth and gums healthy.
A big thank you to Adele and Ms. Levene for their time and for generously providing every child with a ‘goody bag’ full of treats to help maintain healthy teeth. These were kindly donated by Charminster House and Oral B.
This week Early Years met some of our Heatherlands Forest School friends. Sarah the Squirrel and Helen the Hedgehog. During Forest School this week the children went bug hunting, made their own land art and were introduced to the new Fairy tree and post office. The children were very excited to write and leave notes for the fairies. We can’t wait to see if they write back!
'Meet the future me' knowledge organiser
'Love is in the air' in Early Years! This week we have been thinking about being kind! When we do a kind thing, we show that we care and respect each other. In the Outside Classroom, creating love potions was huge success, along with the sensory playdough and transient art in the Creative Area. The children have been busy making cards for their families and each other. Today, Hudson was waiting patiently for his 'special' person and was prepared with a card and rose! The recipient was very smiley and thanked her not so secret admirer! 😉 Hoping you are all showered with kindness on this special day! The Early Years Team
Early Years were very excited today to see their new Forest School trolley thanks to Friends Of Heatherlands. The children wanted to show their gratitude by making some thank you cards. As the weather is starting to brighten the children will be able to enjoy Forest School weekly again, they have already started the growing season by chitting potatoes ready for the potato challenge. How many potatoes do you think we will get this year?
Guess which habitat we are exploring this week?
We have been intrepid explorers and visited the hot and steamy jungle! Lots of animals live in the rainforests and we had fun listening to the different animal noises!
We found out about what some of the animals eat and whether they are omnivores, carnivores or herbivores. None of us want to bump into a meat eating tiger!
Look at some of our fantastic writing and artwork!
In the maths area, some of us made double butterflies. We are remembering lots of our double facts.
What a busy week we are having in EYFS!
EARLY YEARS
This week it is Chinese New Year and we have been learning about lots of ways this is celebrated. In the Outside Classroom, the children have been making pretend dumplings, using cloud dough, lemon grass, Chinese cabbage leaves, beansprouts and different herbs and spices.
There has been super teamwork when constructing Chinese temples and The Great Wall of China. The children have been busy making lanterns and lucky money wallets and trying to write some Chinese symbols. This year it is the Year of the Snake and its's been fun finding out which year our EYFS children were born, either the Year of the Pig (2019) or the Year of the Rat (2020).
Gung Hei Fat Choi! This means Happy New Year in Chinese.
Our Fishy Friends
The fish tank in EYFS has had a 'spring clean' with some new additions added, including Larry the Loach.
The children are always curious to find their scaly friends, often spotting Simone and Jacques, our shrimps.
A big thank you to Miss Harvey for maintaining the tank and for promoting awe and wonder for the children, who can often be found gazing at the underwater world!
Last week we learnt about animals in the coldest tundra and this week we are learning about animals that live in the warmer grasslands.
The children have been busy making boats and then testing them out to see if they float or sink. They showed a lot of resilience in their problem-solving skills when things didn't go according to plan. We have been impressed by the art work created so far, including the dot technique animal paintings, using Australian Aboriginal artwork for inspiration. The children have also been drawing their own grassland animals freehand and displaying them around the classrooms.
Creature Teachers Visit This week, Lisa and Jade, from Creature Teachers visited Early Years at Heatherlands. The children met and handled a variety of feathered, scaly and furry friends. These included Thistle the Owl, Steve the Skink, Fernando the Python and Luna the Corn Snake. We also handled hissing cockroaches, named Chardonnay and Tarquin but the definite favourite was Zeus the Chinchilla. He had the softest fur and when we all stroked him, we couldn't help but pull a 'chinchilla face'. The children showed resilience and respect when encountering all the animals and Lisa and Jade from Creature Teachers were patient and friendly, making the children feel at ease. What an amazing, fun learning experience with the children remembering lots of interesting facts from the visit. A big thank you to Lisa and Jade and we have already booked Creature Teachers for next year! Who knows which creatures might visit us next time?
Crazy Creatures knowledge organiser
EYFS CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT Last Friday, Early Years ended their busy week of nativities and a festive Let's Learn for parents, by singing carols by candlelight in the outside classroom. The children had created stunning lanterns and Friends of Heatherlands kindly donated 90 individual battery operated tealights to add to the sparkle. It was magical and we saw a few adults shed a tear! A big thank you to Friends of Heatherlands and everyone who was able to attend. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!
The Great EYFS Festive Bake Off EYFS have been busy decorating festive cupcakes to sell in the outside classroom on Friday after school. There are tasty snowmen, reindeer and bauble cupcakes as well as bags of 'magical' reindeer food for sale for £1. We look forward to seeing you at our mini Christmas stall. Ho Ho Ho!
Starry Night This week we are learning about the artist Vincent Van Gogh and his famous painting 'Starry Night'. The children were inspired by the curiosity cube and were then busy creating their own pieces of art work inspired by the original. In the Outside Classroom, the children were excited to make their own reindeer soup for Rudolph and his friends. There was lots of peeling, cutting and mixing going on!
Early Years Space Mission
EYFS have had the most exciting day on their mission into space. Their first part of the journey was to board the space ship and buckle up, before we counted down and blasted off into space.
Our first stop was the moon and we watched the moon landing. Then we had a whistle stop tour of the different planets and watched the astronauts on the International Space Station. It was funny to watch them make a sandwich or brush their teeth.
Back in class we were quite hungry and had our intergalactic space snacks. We tried freeze dried strawberries, banana crisps and made star constellations using pretzel sticks and marshmallows.
After this we were busy in our Let's Learn, creating the solar system, making straw rockets, junk modelling and constructing space crafts as some of the provision. We have learnt lots of space facts we are keen to share.
There are definitely some budding astronauts in the making as the children dream big. We have had the best day and a big thank you to all the parents for the creative costumes. The children looked fab!
Children in Need fun run 2024
On Monday 11th November, we observed the 2 minute silence for Armistice Day.
In Early Years the children learnt about the significance of the poppy and showed respect and gratitude when joining in the silence.
As half-term draws near, the children have shown growing independence and resilience, especially as they are becoming tired.
Phonics Thursdays have continued to be well supported by our parents and the children have now been taught all the Phase 2 single sounds. It has been a pleasure to see them practising their segmenting skills when writing in their Child Initiated Learning, in particular when making a list of what Goldilocks would need to make her own porridge, rather than eating the bears' breakfast!
The children have been keen to share their Once Upon a Time home learning projects which are proudly displayed in our classrooms and all the baked gingerbread goods are making our tummies rumble.
Next half term we will be exploring space in our theme 'Star Gazers'...
Autumn 2024 Workshops
This morning our Early Years children followed the clues and finally caught the Gingerbread Man! In fact, we caught 90 of them at Greggs Bakery on Ashley Road. Once back at school the tasty treats were quickly devoured. A big thank you to Greggs Bakery for helping us catch the Gingerbread Men and to the parents and carers who helped us walk there and back.
A big thank you to United Taxis who kindly donated 90 water bottles, one for every child in Early Years, which we have sent home today.
The EYFS children had quite a surprise when they arrived in school after the weekend. Some cheeky Gingerbread characters had come to life and created chaos in the base. The children had lots of ideas about how to catch them and were keen to start our new topic 'Once Upon A Time'.
The EYFS children have settled well into school life and have quickly become familiar with their classroom environment. Funky Fingers is proving to be a big hit with the children. After lunch the children take part in a variety of fine and gross motor activities. These include spiders in jelly, Zumba, threading on skewers, collecting pompoms with tweezers and dough disco.
What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a guide for parents
Reception Baseline Assessment Privacy Notice:
https://www.nfer.ac.uk/media/4554/rba_pupil_data_privacy_notice.pdf
Please follow the link below for classroom tours