This week in Reception, the children have been exploring frost and ice like little scientists! They built on their learning from our Winter Walk last week, touched ice, and talked about how it feels cold, slippery, and solid. They experimented with melting ice using warm hands, water, and salt.  It has been fabulous to see them describe what happens to water when it freezes and melts while having lots of hands-on fun in the classroom!

This week, our Reception children enjoyed a Winter Walk, exploring the changes that happen outdoors during the coldest season of the year. Wrapped up warm in coats, hats, and gloves, the children were ready to spot the signs of winter all around them. As we walked, the children noticed bare trees, crisp air, and the sparkle of frost on leaves and grass. We even saw Mr Slater gritting the car park to keep us safe!  We talked about why some trees lose their leaves in winter, and wondered how the ducks would stay warm when their pond was frozen. The children used vocabulary such as cold, ice, frost, freeze, and winter sun as they described what they could see and feel. 

​Our Reception children were amazing in their nativity, A Very Special Birthday, today. They retold the Christmas Story with confidence, excitement and joy. We are so proud of how hard they had worked to prepare, and everyone played their part beautifully. It was a joy to watch them shine on stage, and we hope all their families enjoyed their fantastic performance.
We would especially like to thank our wonderful Year 6 Narrators for helping us tell the story—what true Wellgate Stars you are!

​This week in Reception we learned about changes over time by looking at the children’s baby photos and talking about how they had grown. We compared what they could do as babies with what they can do now, helping them understand that all people change as they get older. Our key vocabulary for this learning included: baby, grow, change, past, now, then, similar, different, and older. Thank you for talking with your child at home about how they have changed as they’ve grown—it helped to deepen their understanding.

​This week, the children learned how to create their own self-portraits using powder paint. They explored the features of their faces by looking closely in mirrors and learned how to mix colours to create different skin tones and details. The children also developed important vocabulary such as “portrait,” “features,” and “shade,” and practised using paintbrushes with control. The children used their creativity, fine-motor skills, confidence, and understanding of what makes each of us unique.