Hedgehogs Class 2022 - 2023
Welcome to our Class Page!
This is the Hedgehogs Class Page. Here you will find information about what your child is learning, photos to show you the experiences your child has been taking part in, as well as top tips to support your child at home.
Please check back here regularly to see what we have been getting up to!
Miss J Smith (Class Teacher), Mrs S Asghar (Teaching Assistant), Mrs H Musa (Teaching Assistant) and Ms Z Aspinall (Special Needs Teaching Assistant).
Our Class Photo
PE
PE will take place every Friday. Please send your child into school with their named PE kit in a bag every Friday.
See below for trips, visitors and events that are coming soon!
Forest School happens every Tuesday. If your child is taking part this half term you will have been informed via letter. Please send your child into school with their Forest School clothes and appropriate footwear, such as wellies.
Coronation Party - Friday 12th May (We will celebrate with a picnic, music and dancing on the field!)
Smithills Farm Trip - Friday 9th June (A letter for consent will be sent out shortly).
Phonics
Reading Packs
Every week your child will bring home a QR Code for their phonics video and sound writing sheets. These are matched to your child's phonics ability and will help build your child's phonic skills and their confidence. Please return the sound writing sheet by the following Thursday.
Reading - What are we reading this term?
Every term we will focus on a different traditional tale. This term we are learning the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' in our storyteller corner.
In Autumn and Spring 1, we focused on 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', 'The Three Little Pigs' and 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. We spent time learning how to retell the story using actions and puppets to help us!
Curriculum Overview - What are we learning this term?
Please see below for our Termly Overview. This gives you a brief look at the areas of learning that will be taking place in Reception.
Reception Documents
Little Lancashire Village
We had the most exciting time on our most recent trip to the Little Lancashire Village in Darwen. We were ready to use our imaginations and there was so much to discover! There were different shops, cafes, a spa, a dentist, a launderette, airport and even a safari hut! We visited the role play centre for an entire morning and we were clearly worn out as lot's of us fell asleep on the minibus back to school, where we arrived back in time for lunch!
The Little Red Hen
Continuing our 'Tell us a Story!' theme has brought us to a wonderful traditional tale - The Little Red Hen! We couldn't believe it when we found out all the animals had been so unkind to the poor Little Red Hen. We are always kind and help our friends. We discussed whether we agreed that the hen did the right thing not sharing her bread after all her work. We learnt lots of new vocabulary and, the best part of all, was making our own bread using wheat flour, just like the hen! Miss Smith and Mrs Asghar were very impressed with how the bread rolls turned out!
Commando Joe - Spring 2
We have been really engaged in Commando Joe as we used our communication and teamwork skills to travel on the plank. We had to order ourselves from shortest to tallest which was very challenging but we managed it with a little help from the adults. Then our favourite part was passing the coloured balls along the line to put it into the correct tub. We had to use our teamwork skills to pass it down as quickly as possible so that we could be the winning team! The children started to speed up as they realised it was a race and they used their speaking skills to communicate with each other.
Planting our beanstalks!
We have been really enjoying learning the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. We have been retelling the story as part of our 'Tell us a story!' theme and this week we planted our own beans. First, we looked at different types of beans and worked out if we recognised any of them. Then we worked in groups to plant our own beans. We were very excited for them to start growing straight away but we remembered we had to be patient. We are continuing to look after our plants, keeping them on the windowsill and making sure the soil stays damp.
Gingerbread Baking!
Hedgehog class have had a brilliant time today continuing their learning about 'The Gingerbread Man' story as part of our 'Tell us a story!' theme. When we arrived to school there had been a delivery...a rolling pin, mixing bowl, scale and a big bag full of ingredients! We decided the only person it could have come from was the Gingerbread Man himself! We used our listening skills to follow the recipe and did an amazing job of sharing, turn taking and being careful with the equipment and ingredients. We quickly took the biscuits out of the oven because we were worried they might run away. We enjoyed decorating them, using our fine motor skills to carefully place on buttons, eyes and a smile with the icing. Afterwards the best bit was of course eating them!
Jack and the Beanstalk Show and World Book Day
For World Book Day, we dressed up in fancy dress representing different characters from books. We then went on a trip with Year 1 to watch a performance of Jack & The Beanstalk. We had been working hard in school, practising the songs so that we could sing them together during the performance. There were lots of other schools watching the performance and our behaviour was excellent - well done Hedgehog class! Our favourite song was the giant's song "Fee, Fi, Fo Fum!"
Fun in the Forest!
Hedgehog class love their fun in the forest and they get to explore and learn in very different ways! Have a look through the gallery to see what they have been getting up to.
Wiggle Worship
This week in Wiggle Worship we have enjoyed learning about all the lovely things we can think about if we are ever feeling sad, lonely and angry. We learnt that some people believe that if we think of nice, lovely and happy things during sad or angry times that it can bring us closer to God! We thought about the lovely things in our life like rainbows, our families, bubbles and racing cars!
Aqua Explorers Visit
We were very excited to have a visitor to school today - Aqua Explorers! Two ocean rangers visited us and taught us about the different types of creature we might see in the ocean. We learnt that there are many more than sharks and fish! We also talked about the dangers that many of these creatures are facing, due to pollution and litter. The children had an opportunity to experience some of these ocean creatures up close in a rockpool! We observed hermit crabs, shore crabs, anemone, sea urchins and different species of star fish! The children were very brave and touched many of the creatures with confidence.
Visit to Bolton Library - February 2023
Hedgehog Class loved visiting Bolton library, travelling altogether on the minibus! We enjoyed choosing different types of fiction and non-fiction books with our friends and teachers. We chose a comfy spot in the library and enjoyed some relaxing, quiet time. The children then chose a story to read altogether before we got the minibus back to school.
Animal Crackers - Spring 1
Our new theme is a Science based theme, where we will be finding out all about animals. We will learn about big and small animals, unusual animals, on the farm, and baby animals! This week we have found out about large animals. We have been painting them in the creative area, labelling them in the writing area and singing animal songs.
Stay and Play - Spring 1
We've had a lovely morning showing our parents around our classroom and exploring our learning and activities together! It was wonderful to see so many parents attend our 'Stay and Play' session. We explored the continuous provision and completed animal related activities, such as matching mother with their young, labelling animals and creating our own animal prints with pastels! We hope you enjoyed it as much as the children.
Come Fly With Me to Asia - Spring 1 and Autumn 2
We continue our theme 'Come Fly With Me to Asia' as we move into Spring 1. Through this theme so far, we have been developing our understanding of other cultures and countries and increasing our early geographical knowledge. We have been talking about the differences that we have noticed between them and our cultures and countries. We are beginning to recognise some similarities and differences between life in the UK and life in other countries. So far we have found out about Chinese and Indian culture. We have learnt about the culture in Pakistan and found out about the landscape of the country. We enjoyed tasting foods that many people in Pakistan may eat, such as roti, mango lassi and vegetable samosa! It has been very interesting to talk about our own traditions and cultures at home.
Wiggle Worship
We have started taking part in Wiggle Worship every fortnight and we loved our first session! The sessions are delivered by Steph from the Children Changing Places Project at Manchester Diocese. We met Wiggle the Worm, listened to a story, sang songs and joined together in prayer. Check back soon to find out what else we have been reflecting upon in our next Wiggle Worship session!
Commando Joe - Spring 1
Hedgehog class have been taking part in Commando Joe sessions with Lewis on a Tuesday morning and they have been so engaged and involved! We have listened carefully and tried hard to follow instructions. We needed to try to use our developing skills of perseverance, resilience and team work in order to complete the challenges. We can't wait for our next session!
Christmas Party 2022
We had a wonderful time at our Christmas Party on Monday 19th December and it was so lovely to spend this time together celebrating! It started very excitingly with a visit from Father Christmas! We played party games such as musical bumps, musical statues and pass the parcel. Lots of us hadn't played these games before so we learnt the rules and tried hard to be resilient if we did not win! We had fun in the hall singing and dancing together with nursery. We then came back to our classrooms and had some delicious party food. The children were so kind to each other and shared their food and treats with one another.
Parents Stay and Read
We had a lovely treat on Thursday 15th December when our parents were invited to read with us in our beautiful library. It was so lovely to share stories with them alongside our friends from Hedgehog class. The children loved showing our parents how to look after the books carefully and we always enjoy spending time in this lovely space. We can't wait to have more events in the New Year.
A Little Bird Told Me Nativity
On Tuesday 13th December, Reception class performed their wonderful nativity 'A Little Bird Told Me'. They had all worked incredibly hard learning the songs and actions as well as their lines for the performance. Miss Smith and Mrs Asghar were absolutely amazed by how confident everyone was and how far we have come this term! The children loved it, and were even singing the songs again after the performance. We enjoyed a lovely treat of hot chocolate the next day, as a big 'well done' for our amazing and confident nativity.
Christmas at Bolton Garden Centre
On Monday 5th December Hedgehogs class went to visit Bolton Garden Centre to support our learning in RE and as part of our 'Come and Join the Celebration' theme. The children were so amazed with all the beautiful scenes and decorations that we saw at the garden centre. We saw a wonderful nativity scene and we were able to name all the different characters and recognised them from our Christmas performance! It was lovely to see the lights, look at all the trees and see what different things we could spot.
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Come and Join the Celebration - Autumn 2
We began this half term with our new theme 'Come and Join the Celebration'. We have been learning about different celebrations that we may have taken part in with our families, such as birthday parties and weddings. We learnt about how people in different cultures celebrate these traditions. We enjoyed looking at Mrs Musa's wedding photographs and discussing the traditions. We talked about what a birthday celebrates and discussed how we change over time, each year, as we grow older! We also found out about some other celebrations, including Bonfire Night and Diwali. We have been enjoying playing together in the home corner, acting out birthday parties and even making our own model 'cakes' in the creative area! We have been painting firework pictures and making firework patterns in our tuff tray.
Help is at Hand! - Autumn 1
This term our theme is 'Help is at Hand'. The children will find out about the jobs that need to be done at home, and how they can help. We will discuss who works at our school and how these people help us. We will identify ways in which the police, ambulance and fire service help within the community and we will have an opportunity to meet people who work in these job roles. We will learn about how doctors and nurses help us and will find out about the ways we can stay healthy and safe. We will identify wider job roles in the community and how these people contribute to our society (e.g. builders, electricians etc). We will learn about how we can be helpful citizens too!
Autumn Walk
Hedgehog class have been looking at the seasonal changes around us. Tina the puppet went on her own autumn walk and spotted lots of signs of seasonal change. The children then enjoyed going on their own autumn walk using clipboards and checklists to help us identify the signs. We learnt lots of new vocabulary such as acorn, squirrel, conker and pinecone. The children were so engaged with the autumn walk that they have continued to collect autumn leaves on the playground and on their journeys to school! We made leaf rubbings with the autumn leaves we found and enjoyed exploring an autumn sensory tray.
Firefighter Visit
The children had such a wonderful treat when the firefighters came to visit! We learnt all about the role of a firefighter and what they do every day. We had a look at their special uniform and how this keeps them safe. Next, we got to do something very exciting...see the fire engine! We learnt about the different parts of a fire engine and what it is for and then we had a turn of spraying the hose!
Therapy Farm Visit
We had a fantastic afternoon visiting Lever Park Therapy Farm. The children had lots of new experiences such as stroking some farm animals, feeding them by hand and getting up close to them! We got to meet sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, ferrets, rabbits and guinea pigs. We handled some smaller exotic animals too including a snake, lizard, a sugar glider and lots more! The children were really excited to meet the hedgehogs and we saw them enjoying some tasty worms. The children have learnt lots of new vocabulary and there were lots of smiles and laughs!
Dental Nurse Visit
We had a lovely afternoon learning all about oral hygiene and how to look after our teeth. We talked about all the things we use our teeth and mouth for, and the things we can do to protect our teeth, such as brushing them twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, drinking milk and water and eating healthy foods. We acted out a role play where we had a patient, receptionist, dental nurse and a dentist! Then the children got to use their toothbrushes for the first time. We brushed our teeth for 2 minutes: the children were really good brushing their teeth and Miss Smith and Mrs Asghar could see that we all brush our teeth at home! We then met some special characters who talked to us about how they looked after themselves and their teeth.
Police Visit
The children were so excited to meet a police officer and find out all about how this very important part of the community helps us. They listened carefully and the children tried hard to ask questions about how police officers keep us safe. We loved wearing the police officer uniforms and we learnt lots of new vocabulary, like handcuffs, baton and radio!
Litter Picking
As part of our 'Help is at Hand' theme we have been learning about the contributions we can make to help our community and school. The children met Mr Bailey our caretaker and found out that one of his important job roles is to keep the school grounds clean and tidy! We decided that this is something we could help with. The children sang a 'litter picking' song and used the litter pickers to help tidy up our school. The children decided that they would always put litter in the bin.
Road Safety
A visitor came to see the Hedgehogs to teach us all about road safety. We found out all about lollipop people and how they work hard to keep us safe on the roads! The children listened really attentively to our visitor and were thoughtful about the ways we can keep ourselves safe. We had lots of fun playing with the lollipop person outfit and we practised our road safety rules 'Stop, Look, Listen!'
PE
PE will take place every Thursday. Please send your child into school with their named PE kit in a bag every Thursday. This term our unit of work is 'Ballskills'.
Our First Week in Reception - September 2022
The Hedgehog class have had a wonderful start to their life in Reception at St Matthew's! We were so brave when leaving our families and we were all excited to visit our new classroom. The children had fun exploring and learning in all areas of the provision. Miss Smith is so proud of how we came into school and how quickly we are settling into life in Reception.
Reception Class 2021 - 2022
Have a look at all the wonderful, exciting things Rec S Hedgehogs Class of 2021 - 2022 got up to!
Summer Term (2) in Hedgehogs Class
This term we are learning all about the animals we might meet at the zoo! We have learnt key vocabulary including their names and words to describe them. We learnt about the habitats they live in. We have listened to key texts including Dear Zoo, Monkey Puzzle and Giraffes Can't Dance!
Little Lancashire Village
We have loved visiting Little Lancashire Village in Burnley and the children played and behaved amazingly! We enjoyed it so much, and some of the children said it was "the BEST time". We used our imaginations, acted out in role and explored the different shops, cafes and occupation role play areas in the pretend village. It was so much fun, and we shared and took turns beautifully.
James Naughton - Artist Visit
We have been very lucky to meet James Naughton this week and the children thoroughly enjoyed our experience, learning how to paint using his techniques. They loved it so much that when we went to play in the provision we created our own pictures in a similar style, but this time using watercolour paints of chalk! The children listened really well and were not afraid to have a go at this new form of painting.
Knowsley Safari Park
On Thursday 23rd June Reception visited Knowsley Safari Park! We have been counting down the sleeps for over 3 weeks and so we were very excited that it was finally today! The children behaved beautifully on the double decker bus and even though it was a very warm day we listened so well. We enjoyed viewing the giraffes eating leaves with their really long tongues and we even managed to glimpse the tigers! They looked very hot and were having a big stretch in the sun. After we had our dinner it was time for the safari ride. We saw rhinos, camels, baboons, deer, antelope and ostriches! One cheeky ostrich was having a sunbathe in the middle of the road. We have learnt lots of new vocabulary and enjoyed the experience of being 'on safari'.
Summer Term (1) in Hedgehogs Class
This half term our theme is 'Once Upon a Time'. We have enjoyed learning all about the story of 'The Billy Goats Gruff'! We have retold the story using our puppet theatre and in our small world area. We used the Beebots and in small groups we made maps with a bridge then programmed the Beebots to cross the bridges! We listened to the story of 'Cinderella' and used puppets to retell the story. We talked about the characters in the story and in our talk partners we thought of words to describe the ugly sisters and Cinderella. See below to see photographs of us in action in the provision.
Moss Bank Park
On Tuesday 24th May we travelled on our minibuses to Moss Bank Park! We went through the walled gardens and looked at all the beautiful flowers and plants - we smelled and touched them and recognised some plants from our own garden at school! After that we enjoyed a walk around the park looking at the trees and wildlife. To finish our trip we went to the playground and had so much fun in the sand, on the climbing frame and on the swings! Some children had never experienced a swing before and they were all brave and determined to try!
Zoolab Visit
On Tuesday 17th May we had a very special visitor come to school…Zoolab! We have been eagerly awaiting this day and have made predictions about the animals we might meet. We decided it wouldn’t be big animals like lions or elephants! We thought about the little animals that would be safe to come into school.
The children were all really brave when handling the animals and they were all so gentle and calm. First of all we got to meet Sheldon the African land snail who had over 10,000 teeth! Next we met Max the hissing Madagascan cockroach. His sticky feet tickled our hands. We learnt that they can eat almost ANYTHING – apart from glass, metal, brick and plastic! Then we met Athena the tarantula! She was very special as she had a pink patch on her body – we were very impressed with the web she had made too! Finally we got to meet our favourite creature, Milton the millipede who can grow up to 30cm long and live to 5 years old. Well done Reception, you were very brave today meeting all the unusual animals!
Road Safety Visit
Mrs Tinker came to visit Hedgehogs class to teach us all about how to stay safe when we are near or crossing roads. We learnt about the different vehicles we might see and how to cross the road safely, holding onto our adults hands or onto a pram. The children enjoyed seeing our own little lollipop man too!
Visiting Bolton Garden Centre
On Monday 9th May we travelled on our school minibuses to Bolton Garden Centre! This was to support our learning about plants, growth and change. We were eager to look at, smell and feel the different plants. We saw smooth, prickly and even furry leaves on the different plants! We enjoyed smelling the different varieties of lavenders. We spotted a bridge over a little stream and decided to 'Trip Trap' over the bridge, just like in the story of 'The Billy Goats Gruff'. After spending time looking around the garden centre we chose some plants that we thought would look beautiful in our Reception garden. We even paid for them at the till ourselves!
Eid Party 2022
We had so much fun celebrating Eid 2022 together. We enjoyed lovely party food, danced and celebrated together. Lots of children could share with their peers about the celebrations that they would be taking part in with their families.
Eid Mubarak!
Spring Term (2) in Hedgehogs Class
This half term our theme was 'On the Farm!' We learnt all about life on a farm, naming animals and finding out about their habitat. See below for photographs from our visit to Smithills Farm!
We also learnt all about the seasonal changes of this time of year. We found out about growth and spent time planting beans, which supported our learning of Jack and the Beanstalk. We also planted in our Reception garden and found out about the ways to grow and look after bulbs and plants.
Spring Walk
The children have been so excited to explore our school grounds and look for signs of spring! We had to wait until the weather was nice and bright and finally, on a sunny afternoon we headed out with our clipboards and checklists on the hunt for signs of spring. The children have learnt lots of new vocabulary including bud, shoot, blossom, daffodil and snowdrop!
Visit to Smithills Farm!
On Friday 18th March Hedgehog Class went on the bus and travelled to the farm! We have been doing lots of work in preparation for our trip and have been learning about the animals, jobs, buildings and vehicles on a farm and our learning really came to life on our trip! The children enjoyed handling different baby animals, riding a donkey, going on a tractor ride, feeding the animals and watching the cows get milked. We were all very brave for these new experiences.
Visit to Bolton Library & Aquarium
On Friday 11th March we were very lucky as we headed out of school, all got on the minibuses and went to Bolton Library! The children were all extremely well behaved as we left school; we listened to the adults and were polite and respectful - well done Hedgehog Class! First of all we went to the aquarium and we saw piranha, catfish and stingrays! After that we visited the library and spent time enjoying the fiction books with our friends. We were careful to look after the books as we have been learning how precious they are!
World Book Day
Hedgehog class had a wonderful time on World Book Day. We enjoyed dressing as different animals ready to learn all about one very special and very colourful elephant...Elmer! The children started the day by speaking aloud in front of their peers explaining what they were wearing for World Book Day. The children enjoyed listening to the story of Elmer in our beautiful library and then we created our very own patchwork Elmer's using bright collaging materials!
Spring Term (1) in Hedgehogs Class
Our theme this term was 'Winter Wonderland'.
We have also been very lucky to meet a real cycling champion Matt Rotherham and we even got to hold his paralympic gold medal and learn all about his sport! We listened so attentively and tried hard to ask Matt some interesting questions. Matt told us we need to work very hard at school so that maybe one day we might win a medal too!
Bikeability
Hedgehogs Class took part in a cycling proficiency course called 'Bikeability'. We developed our basic cycling skills including starting and pedalling, stopping, manouevring and using basic gears! We had a wonderful week and it was fantastic to see the children's confidence in their own cycling abilities grow over the course of the sessions!
Values Day
To celebrate our Values Day in Reception we learnt about 'FRIENDSHIP'. We talked to our partners about the qualities a 'friend' has and came up with excellent ideas. The children said "friends hug", "play together", "listen", "don't tell lies", "look after each other" and "cheer each other up". Wow - you are all such super friends! We then made friendship bracelets and gave them to our friends to symbolise our never ending friendships!
Christmas in Hedgehogs Class
Elf Run!
We had so much fun on our Elf Run. Due to poor weather we completed our Elf Run in the hall. We were wearing our beautiful Christmas jumpers and elf hats while we danced, jogged, walked or ran around the hall to raise money for Bolton Hospice. Well done Hedgehog Class!
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Children in Need
The children enjoyed raising money for Children in Need by coming to school in fancy dress! We had a fun day, completing Joe Wicks workout and learning about this fantastic charity.
Autumn Term in Hedgehogs Class
In Hedgehog Class we love to play and explore freely. We enjoy lots of new experiences and have opportunities to investigate new things. See below to have a look at just a handful of the things we have been doing.
Autumn Walk
We went on an Autumn Walk and explored the environment of our school. We hunted for signs that Autumn is here and found lots, using our checklists to guide us. We also learnt an Autumn Leaf song all about the changing colours we see at this beautiful time of year.
Communication is key to all that we do in Reception. We work so hard on our communication skills, including our speaking, listening and concentrating.
You can help your child at home by reading and following the '5 Golden Rules of Communication'.
5 Golden Rules for Communication
Reading in Reception
Reading is an essential part of each and every day in our Reception class! Each week your child will bring a reading book and reading record home which has been matched to their specific reading ability. Please read with your child as often as you can. Please return your child's reading book every day. Below you will find some tips for parents to make reading at home a success!
Reception Reading Documents
Your child will take part in a daily phonics session. They will learn to read letters by saying the sounds they represent. They can then start to read words by blending individual sounds together to make words, e.g. c-a-t... 'cat'.
Your child will also take part in daily story times where we share stories together as a class, in groups or individually. We love reading and we want your child to love reading too!
Every Friday your child will take home a library book - this might be a fiction or non-fiction book for your child to share with you and enjoy at home. Please return your child's library book each Friday so that they can choose a new one.
Learning Links
Below are some links to websites which will support the learning taking place in school. Click on the picture to visit the website.
Previous Learning
Please have a look at our previous learning.
Previous Half-Termly Overviews
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