Archive - Reception 2025/6
Teddy Bears Picnic - 10th June 2026
This half term, our Reception children had a wonderful time taking part in a Teddy Bear Picnic on the school field. They walked sensibly to the field, showing excellent listening and road safety skills, before enjoying a range of fun games with their favourite teddies.
The children loved sharing their special friends with their classmates and were excited to have their lunch outdoors together. As the rain began to arrive, we had great fun trying to beat it back to school! It was a fantastic experience that created lots of smiles and special memories for everyone.
May 2026
Reception class have spent this half-term exploring the fascinating topic of Minibeasts. The children learnt about many different types of minibeasts and discovered interesting facts about them.
They investigated how many legs different minibeasts have and compared insects and spiders. The children also enjoyed searching for minibeasts in the garden and were excited to see what they could find. Throughout the topic, they created lots of lovely minibeast crafts using a variety of materials. In writing, the children completed descriptive pieces all about their favourite minibeasts. They also learnt many new facts and vocabulary linked to the topic.
To finish the half-term, Reception went on an exciting trip to Call of the Wild Zoo. During a workshop, the children learnt the difference between insects and arachnids and even got to see some minibeasts up close, along with many other animals. The children were extremely well behaved throughout the trip and absolutely loved the experience.
March 2026
This half term, our Reception class has been learning about the season of Spring. The children enjoyed spotting signs of spring and describing what they could see in pictures.
They explored their creativity by painting spring flowers using templates and creating their own designs on cardboard boxes. We also learned about animals seen in spring, making colourful butterflies and linking this to our story, The Hungry Caterpillar, to understand the caterpillar lifecycle.
The children learned new vocabulary such as “cocoon,” “daffodil,” and “tulip,” and showed great enthusiasm throughout the topic.
Reception and Year 3 also took part in a special buddy activity to celebrate the start of the St Francis Jubilee Year.
We focused on the word “Compassion” and explored how we can show kindness and care to others. The children created heart-shaped cards, each with a thoughtful and kind message written inside. They then decorated their hearts beautifully before gifting them to someone as an act of compassion.
It was a lovely opportunity for the children to work together across year groups and spread kindness within our school community.
February 2026
Reception class have recently begun their exciting new topic all about Pirates. The children have been really engaged and have enjoyed learning lots of new pirate-themed vocabulary, such as Jolly Roger flag and cutlass. They have taken part in a wide range of fun and creative activities linked to the topic. In writing, the children described pirate pictures using their imagination and new vocabulary. In Maths, they combined two amounts of pirate treasure to practise their number skills. They also made pirate ships and decorated their own pirate hats, which they were very proud of.
We also looked at the word 'Compassion' and showed compassion to other people by making a heart for them with something nice wrote in the middle. The children then decorated their hearts and gifted them.
December 2025
This half term, Reception’s topic has been all about Castles, Knights and Dragons, and the children have truly embraced the magic and adventure it brings. They have enjoyed exploring images of different kinds of castles, noticing their shapes, towers and features, and using these ideas to inspire their own creations. Both at home and in class, the children have designed and built their own castles with great enthusiasm, showing wonderful imagination and creativity.
The topic has also inspired the children to design their own dragons, knights, princes and princesses, each one unique and full of character. A highlight of the term was their trip to Maldon Library, where they discovered a range of stories about castles, brave knights and mythical dragons. The children loved listening to and exploring the books, and they even had the chance to make their very own crowns to take home. It has been a fun, engaging and inspiring topic for everyone involved.
October 2025
Our Reception class have been exploring the wonderful season of Autumn this half term. The children enjoyed going on an exciting autumn scavenger hunt, searching for signs of the changing season. They created beautiful paintings of autumn trees, using warm, vibrant colours. The class also used crayons and leaves to make colourful leaf rubbings, capturing the textures and patterns of nature.
