Elf

Week 15 Home Learning

Good morning and welcome to your final week!

We have had a strange summer term but well done on all your fantastic home learning!

Elves who are leaving have been sent a special task to do - please check your emails.

We have planned a few activities for this week linked to the Scarecrow Trail which is starting in Gateford next month. 

See you all on Wednesday!

xxx

Good morning Elves!

This week is all about o! We have lots of fun things planned and hope you enjoy them! 

Here is a link to Geraldine Giraffe, to help you pronounce it and also to share some objects that begin with o.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIQQo9eYVqk

Parents:

Please check your emails for an invitation for Evidence Me. This is the new app which will replace 2 Build A Profile next academic year. This is for children who are staying in Elf Class, and for the children who will be moving up to Gnome Class.

Also, if you haven't already done so, please can you confirm that you will be coming up to school next Wednesday (22nd) at your specified time slot. You can drop us an email on schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk or aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

Children who are moving up to Gnome Class will be emailed a special task this week, please keep an eye on your emails :-) 

Have a fantastic week!

xxx

Home Learning Week 13

06/07/2020

Hello everyone! 

We hope you have all had a lovely weekend. 

Here are some clue's about this week's letter:

*Foods beginning with this letter are: nectarine, noodles and nut

*Animals beginning with this letter are: newt, narwhal

*The noise a horse makes begins with this letter - neigh

*Names beginning with this letter: Natalie, Nelly and Nicky.

Have you guessed what they all begin with? Yes it is n! Well done!

Here is a link to Geraldine Giraffe learning how to pronounce n:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQsCAyq-axU

We hope you enjoy this week's activities!

Grown ups of children staying in Elf Class - please read the letter below regarding school reopening in September.

Thank you xxx

Week 12 Home Learning 

29th June

Good morning and welcome back to your home learning! We hope you have all had a lovely weekend.

This week we are learning about pants, paints and positional language so our focus is p! Here is a link to a short video which shows you how to pronounce it properly and some other things beginning with p.

https://youtu.be/q0akp_j1nbc

Can you think of a colour, a food, a name and an animal beginning with p.

We love receiving your photos, please keep sending them to us, even if it is something different to the activities we set, we love to see what everyone is up to and how much you have all grown! 

Have a positively perfect week!

xx

Hello!

It's Monday and time for some new activities!

Here are some clues to help you guess our focus letter:

*Monday begins with this letter

*Mummy has this letter in her name 3 times

*Marshmallow, melon and mango all start with this letter

Can you guess?

That's right, this week our learning all links to 'm'. Can you rub your tummy and make a 'mmm' sound? 

Have a marvellous week! Don't forget to send us some photos by Friday evening, we love seeing what you have been doing!

xxx

Week 10 Home Learning 

15/06/20

Hello everyone!

We hope you have had a lovely weekend!

Miss Chappell went strawberry picking this weekend and that inspired us to choose 's' as this week's home learning letter! Can you make a noise like a snake - ssssss - that's how the sound the letter s makes. 

We hope you enjoy all of the activities this week. Try and spot the letter 's' in any books you read and maybe have a practise at writing it too! Remember to send us a couple of photos of your learning by Friday evening so we can pop them on the website on Saturday. 

Have a super special week!

xxx

Home Learning Week 9

8th June

Hello, hello, hello!

We hope you have all had a lovely weekend! Thank you for sending in all the photographs of things you have been doing, both the activities we set and your own home learning. You have all grown so much and learnt so many new things! 

This week our learning is all about d. Do you know anyone whose name begins with d? Can you think of a food beginning with d? How about an animal, place or something to wear?

Please remember to send your photos by Friday for us to put on the website on Saturday.

Have a great week!

xxx

Home Learning Week 8

w/c: 1st June

Hello Elves!

We hope you have had a lovely half-term and are ready for some more home learning activities!

This half-term things will be a little different, we have planned 5 activities for each week, all based around a letter of the alphabet. This week is all things linked to the letter 't'. If you click the link below, you can see all of this week's activities.

Please continue to send us photographs of the learning you are doing by clicking 'REPLY ALL' on the Home Learning email thread we set up for you, so that all 3 of us can see what you have been up to. If all photographs could be sent by Friday evening please so we can put them on the website on Saturday. As staff will soon be in school more often, we may not be able to respond to emails as quickly, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Enjoy this week's home learning!

Miss Chappell, Mrs Spencer and Mrs Foulkes xxx

schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

bfoulkes@gateford.notts.sch.uk

Happy Half Term Elf Class 

We would like to wish all of the children, and their families, a very happy and restful week off. We will look forward to resuming home learning and email correspondence on Monday 1st June 

Week 7 Home Learning

Hello Elves!

We hope you have had a lovely weekend. 

This week our theme is The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

We hope you enjoy the activities! We have uploaded the activities for the whole week so you can do them in a different order if you like. 

Keep sending us photos of what you have been up to. All photos received by Saturday will go on the website on Sunday, any that come after will be uploaded the following week.

Keep smiling and hopefully see you soon,

love Miss Chappell, Mrs Spencer and Mrs Foulkes xxx

Monday 18th May

Today we would like you to read or watch the story. Here is the link to watch it on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75NQK-Sm1YY

Did you enjoy the story?

Can you talk about the changes that happened to the caterpillar?

He started as an ______, then hatched into a _________. The caterpillar built a _________ around himself and then he popped out as a ___________. This is called the life cycle of a caterpillar. 

You might want to have a go at this caterpillar life cycle activity sheet too! Try and cut the pieces yourself, using your scissors carefully.

Tuesday 19th May

On Monday the caterpillar ate through 1 apple.

On Tuesday he ate through 2 pears.

On Wednesday he ate through 3 plums.

On Thursday he ate through 4 strawberries.

On Friday he ate through 5 oranges.

Let's do some more counting today!

Below are the links for 2 activities. 

1. Do some finger painting to add the right number of body segments to each caterpillar. If you don't have a printer, you can just ask mummy or daddy to write the numbers down for you.

2. A butterfly colour by numbers page.

Happy caterpillar counting!

Wednesday 20th May

Let's have some fun with food!

Can you make a caterpillar or a butterfly out of food?

Think about the shapes that you will need. Can you cut the food (with help from your grown-up)?

Once you have made your caterpillar or butterfly take a photograph and then eat it all up, like you are the Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Thursday 21st May

Let's do some Hungry Caterpillar phonics today!

Can you clap out or tap out how many syllables are in the word caterpillar?

cat - er - pill - ar

That's right there are 4 syllables in the word caterpillar.

Using the food items from the story, can you count how many syllables are in each word? You can use your hands to clap, tap your knees or even bang on a drum or a pan.

Our older Elves might like to listen for the initial sounds in each word.

Friday 22nd May

Today we would like you to be creative and make a caterpillar or butterfly out of anything you choose.

Some examples of things you could use are:

• paints
• boxes
• leaves and sticks
• clothes

Be as creative as you like! And don't forget to send us a photo!

Home Learning Week 6   11.05.2020

We hope that all of our families have enjoyed the sunny bank holiday weekend and VE Day celebrations. Thank you for sending in so many wonderful photos of your week 5 home learning - we are extremely proud of you all 

Week 6 is all about ..........

We will post an activity below, every day this week, all based on 'Elmer' by David McKee. If you want to get involved and have a go at the activities, that's brilliant. If you want to take your home learning in another direction, based on your child's own interests and fascinations, that is equally fantastic. We would love to hear from you, via email, and see some photos of what the children have been up to. We miss them all, so much!

Keep busy, keep smiling and keep in touch

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk

bfoulkes@gateford.notts.sch.uk 

Monday 11th May - Elmer The Elephant

Share the story 'Elmer' with your grown up. Maybe you have the book at home, to look at. If not, you can follow the link below, to watch the author David McKee, reading it. 

What does the word 'patchwork' mean?

Why did Elmer roll in the berries?

Was Elmer happy when he turned grey?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrD18XLmlM

If you have time, you might like to have a go at Elmer's  'spotter poster' activity too (printable downloads attached below). Can you look closely to find all of the small pictures within the large picture? Can you listen carefully to instructions to help you find specific objects?

Tuesday 12th May - Making Patterns

Look again at the last page of the Elmer story and discuss all of the different elephants and their colourful patterns. Can you see an elephant with spots/ stripes/ stars/swirls ? Can you find an elephant with only 2 colours? Can you see an elephant with a repeating pattern of green, purple, green, purple, green, purple on him?

Activity 1

Print a blank elephant outline (attached below), or draw your own elephant outline, and have a go at colouring it in with a pattern. Before you start colouring, think about which colours you will use and the shapes you will draw. Will your elephant have stars, stripes, spots, hearts or something different?

Activity 2

Recognising and being able to create repeating patterns is a very important skill to learn. Spend some time, with your grown up, playing with repeating patterns, talking about what you can see and creating your own. You can make patterns with almost anything and you can do it inside or outside.

Start by letting your grown up make some simple patterns that you can talk about together e.g. spoon/ fork/ spoon/ fork/ spoon/ fork.....

Move on to predicting what will come next in your grown up's pattern e.g. red/ blue/ red/ blue/ red/ blue ..... can you find the next coloured block we need?

Try some slightly trickier patterns e.g. leaf/ conker/ stick/ leaf/ conker/ stick/ leaf/ conker..........    or    car/ teddy/ teddy/ car/ teddy/ teddy/ car/ teddy......

Finally, have a go at creating your own repeating pattern. Can your grown up work out what needs to come next? 

Have fun!

Wednesday 13th May - Elephant Ears Listening Walk

Phase 1 (early) phonics is all about developing speaking and listening skills. Children need to be very secure in Phase 1 before learning any sounds formally. Phase 1 will continue through all of the other phases. Today’s activity will help to develop these very important listening skills.

• Make some large elephant ears and attach to a headband.
• Go on a walk.
• Stop, close your eyes and listen carefully to the different sounds that you can hear.
• Talk about the sounds. You could also record the sounds you hear in a table (attached below for printing, or create your own)
• You could repeat this activity on a different day or different location and talk about similarities and differences in the sounds that you hear.

Thursday 14th May - Get Squiggling

Today we are going to have a go at drawing an elephant, just like Elmer. In Elf Class we sometimes watch 'Get Squiggling' and follow the instructions to draw our own picture. Follow the link below for the elephant episode and give it a go! Remember that you need to be sitting comfortably with your paper and pencil ready, while you are watching. Your grown up may need to pause the programme to give you time to draw.  It is also helpful to have some extra pieces of paper so that you can practise the shapes a few times, if necessary. Maybe your grown up can draw an elephant too. Good luck!

Friday 15th May 

Hopefully you have enjoyed the suggested learning tasks, so far this week. There are so many lovely Elmer activities that it is hard to squeeze them all into one week. We will list some more ideas, below (and attach links, where necessary). Have a look and choose one (or more) to have a go at, today. Have a super day 

• Elmer 'colour by numbers'
• Make Elmer stick puppets
• Bake Elmer biscuits
• Make an elephant model out of playdough
• Sing some elephant songs / rhymes. Can you move like an elephant too?
• Paint a picture of Elmer or one of Elmer's friends
• Read, or watch, some of the other Elmer stories (there are over 40 of them!)
• Decorate a stone with a picture of Elmer then hide it for another Elf to find
• Make a 'milk bottle Elmer' (Heidi has already tried this - her photo is below.)

Don't forget to email us to let us know how you have got on with this week's Elmer activities. We would also love to hear about some of the other things you have been doing to keep busy. Who's been remembering to practise their name writing, counting, singing, phonics, physical play? What else have you been doing and discovering? 

Have a relaxing weekend Elf Class  xxx

Home Learning Week 4 27.04.20

We hope you have had a nice weekend in the sunshine and are all staying safe.

This week we are going to get our fingers moving!

Below is a little activity for you to complete at home with a grown-up each day. Please email us some photographs of your learning so we can see what you have been doing! We have loved receiving them, your little smiley faces make our day!

Missing you all,

Miss Chappell, Mrs Spencer and Mrs Foulkes xx

schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

bfoulkes@gateford.notts.sch.uk

Monday 27th April - Action Songs!

Sing some familiar songs and use your fingers to do the actions.

• Incy Wincy Spider
• Finger Family
• Wind The Bobbin Up
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Can you think of any other finger action songs? Which is your favourite?

https://youtu.be/DmBPFrm2nJE

https://youtu.be/Q1tsPkWAKpo

https://youtu.be/wR9HI9IkmH8

https://youtu.be/fvhvntsK6sY

Tuesday 28th April - Construction Time!

Using some construction toys that you have at home (Lego, Duplo, wooden blocks, Sticklebricks, K’Nex, etc) can you build something? It can be anything you like. 

Can you describe your creation to your grown-up? Is it tall/short? Does it have windows/doors? What colour pieces did you use? Who might live in/use your creation?

Email us a photo of your creations!

Wednesday 29th April - Peg Fun!

Create a mini washing line and use pegs to hang up your socks OR Get a plastic bowl and put pegs round the edge.

You will be using Peter Pointer and Tommy Thumb to open the pegs. Do you use your left or right hand? Try using your other hand too!

Thursday 30th April - Secret Writer!

Ask your grown-up to sit in front of you. Using your finger, write a number on their back. Can they guess which number you have written? You could also write letters (perhaps the ones in your name). Let them write on your back too!

You can also practise writing letters / numbers in a tray of salt/sugar/sand too!

Remember to use your name card to help you practise your name, forming the letters properly. If you have misplaced yours, send us an email and we will send you another.

Friday 1st May - Dough Disco!

We all love Dough Disco! Get your dough and copy Shonette doing the disco moves! Once you have practised, ask a grown-up to play your favourite song and get them to do a Dough Disco with you, with you choosing which moves to do! You could send us a short video of this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-CQrjI0uY#action=share

Home Learning Week 3 - Friday 24th April

Elf Class love playdough! Today's challenge is to have a go at making your own. The recipe below is for 'cooked' playdough, however if you would prefer to try the 'non cook' method, simply use the same ingredients but add boiling water. 

Once your playdough is made and cooled, be creative with it. You could roll, squash, squeeze, pat, mould, stretch and shape your dough. Use cutters, if you have them, to make 'biscuits'. Model the dough into shapes - can you make a person, animal, cake, or something else? Maybe you could use the dough to make letter or number shapes. 

If you don't have all of the ingredients in your cupboard, pop them on the shopping list and save this activity for another day. 

Have a lovely Friday and don't forget to send your photos and messages to us, via the 'home learning' email thread (by Saturday for including in this week's photo slide show, please) 

Home Learning Week 3 - Thursday 23rd April

Let's play shops! Today we are going to be looking at money and making our own shop to spend our pennies in. Try some of the following activities :

• Sort a collection of coins. Make sets of coins that are 'the same'.
• Talk, with your grown, about the shape, size and colour of the different coins. Can you sort them into  circles/ not circles,  big/ small, silver/ gold/ copper etc.
• Look for numerals on the coins. Which numbers can you find? Talk with a grown up about the value of each coin. Older elves might be able to put some coins in order of value i.e. 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p. 
• Using just 1p coins, count out different amounts i.e. can you give me 4p? Can you put 3p in the purse? Older elves could think about how many coins there would be if there was 1 more or 1 less i.e. How many coins are in the purse and how many would there be if you spent 1p in the shop?
• Make your own shop and play in it with your mummy/ daddy/ brother/ sister. We have done this activity before, at school, so hopefully you will know what to do. It doesn't need to be fancy - just homemade price tags (let the children have a go at writing the numbers on) and some items to 'buy'. Let the children select an item and 'pay' by counting out the correct number of 1p coins.
• Which item costs the most/ least in your shop?
• Can you buy more than one item with the coins in your purse? 

Have fun with your shopping and enjoy this sunny day!

Home Learning Week 3 - Wednesday 22nd April

Can you draw or paint a picture of one of your favourite story characters? Talk with your grown up, before you start, about the shapes you will need to use for the body, head etc. What will they be wearing? What will they be doing in the picture? Think carefully about the colours you will need to use. Will there be other characters with them? Remember, also to hold your pen/ pencil/ paintbrush correctly, just like we do in Elf class at school. 

Perhaps, some of our older Elves would like to have a go at writing a caption to go with their picture.  Say what you want to write, out loud, first. Think of each word, in turn. Can you hear the initial sound, any of the middle sounds and then the end sound? 

We will look forward to seeing some photos of your wonderful art work. 

Home Learning Week 3 - Tuesday 21st April

Today, we will be carrying on from yesterday with the 'stories' theme.  We will be dressing up, making props, re-telling familiar tales and creating our own storylines. Have a go at one or more of the following :

• Dress up as one of your favourite characters. Will you need to make some parts of your costume? Maybe a hat? Can your brother/ sister/ mummy/ daddy dress up as a different character? 
• Re-tell a story, in your own words, to a grown up, sibling or even your teddies. Can you remember all of the main events in the story and tell them in the correct order? Use your best storytelling voice!
• Get into role and act out a story. It could be a traditional tale, a more modern story or one that you make up yourself. You might need to gather/ make props as part of this activity. 

Good luck and have a fun filled day everyone!

Welcome Back

Welcome back to the new term and a very warm welcome to our new starters - Jude, Finley, Georgie, Natalia and Laken, and their families, we hope  you will be very happy with us.

Thanks for sharing some of your photos via email and Facebook, during the holiday, it's been lovely to see your Easter bonnets, decorated stones, Easter baking and so many more wonderful things too. Well done everybody!

We will resume our home learning this week (we are now on week 3). A new challenge will be posted on this page, every day. Please also remember that there are lots of 'general' ideas at the start of the home learning section (scroll down) and you can also keep an eye on our Facebook page, where we will sometimes share photos/ links to other activities. 

Remember that the most important thing is for the children to enjoy their play so please follow their interests and dip into our suggested activities as and when you feel it is appropriate for you and your child. 

We always love seeing what the children have been up to and how their learning is progressing, so please send us a message and share some photos, whenever possible (using 'reply to all' on the home learning thread email.) We will collate the photos and share them on this page at the end of each week. 

If we can help you in any way or you have any questions regarding home learning, please don't hesitate to contact us using the email addresses below.

Stay safe everyone and we hope to see you all very soon 

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk

Home Learning Week 3 

Monday 20th April 

Do you know any traditional tales such as 'The Three Little Pigs', 'Jack and the Beanstalk' or 'Goldilocks'? Have you got any of these story books at home? Share some traditional tales, with a grown up (I have attached some powerpoint versions below, if you need them). Talk about the characters - are they good or bad? Who is your favourite? Discuss what happens in the story and why? Can you predict what will happen at the end of the story before reading it? 

Happy Easter Holidays!

Well done to all of our lovely little Elves (and their mummies and daddies) for all of their hard work during these last 2weeks. We are so impressed by all of the fantastic work you are doing at home and have loved seeing your photographs. We are very proud of everyone 

We think you all now deserve a break for the Easter holidays to enjoy some family time and have lots of fun (teachers included) so we won't be posting any new activities (or responding to emails) until 20th April when the new term was due to start.

If you are stuck for ideas you could have a look at your Adventure Books, there is a list of 25 things to do before you leave Elf Class. Put any of these activities inside your Adventure Books so we can share them when we are back in school. If you can't find your Adventure Book I have popped a link below.

Have a lovely break and stay safe xx

Home Learning Week 2 

We hope you have had a nice weekend and are all staying safe. 

This week's theme is Easter! We have a little activity for you to complete at home with a grown-up each day. Please send us some photographs of your learning so we can see what you have been doing! 

We are missing all our Elves and only an email away if you need us :-)

Miss Chappell, Mrs Spencer and Mrs Foulkes 

schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

bfoulkes@gateford.notts.sch.uk

Home Learning Daily Challenge 

In addition to the general ideas listed below, and links shared via Facebook, we will be posting a 'Daily Challenge' here, for the children. This may be something linked to our topic, an activity we would have shared at carpet time, something we might have completed as a focused task or simply a fun idea/ something new to try.

We would love to see photos of Elf Class enjoying their home learning challenges (or any other activities). Please email them to us or send via 2BuildAProfile. We will add them to the website, at the end of each week. Thanks. 

Friday 27th March

It's another sunny day so let's get outside and get active! What can you do in your garden or while you are out, walking? Here are a few ideas to try :

• Ride a bike, tricycle or scooter
• Play with balls, bean bags etc. Can you throw into a bucket? Can you catch and kick?
• Explore different ways of travelling - jumping, hopping, skipping, sliding, leaping. I'm sure you will think of lots more.
• Build your own obstacle course. Make parts where you must go over/ under/ to the side/ through the obstacles. 
• Use a sand timer or digital timer  to see what you can do within a certain amout of time e.g. how many star jumps can you do in one minute?

I'm sure you will think of so many more ways to get active, have fun and enjoy the great outdoors. I will look forward to hearing what you've been up to.

Thanks to Olivia's mummy for letting us know that Chester Zoo are holding a 'live virtual day', today. I'm sure that will be brilliant, so don't miss it! (Link shared on our Facebook page)

Happy Friday everyone! 

Thursday 26th March

Build a den!

We know that Elf Class love building and constructing, so today's challenge is to build a den. Your den could be outside or inside, big or small. There are no rules - use whatever you can find....... old sheets, blankets, upturned chairs and tables, cardboard boxes, pieces of wood. Think about how you will hold things together ..... pegs, string, tape . Be inventive! Maybe you will make changes to your den, later in the day, to make it even better. What will you do in your den? Maybe you could read some books in it, play a game, do some colouring or even eat a picnic lunch. Is it big enough to share with your soft toys or your brother/ sister? Will your grown up fit in?

We would love to see some photos of your dens.

Good luck 

Wednesday 25th March

Today is all about numbers! Let's write numbers and do some counting. Can you write the numbers to 5, or 10, or even higher? Can you write them on paper, outside with chalks or paintbrush/ water or even in sand/ mud/ flour? You could find sets of objects and make number labels to show how many. Help your grown ups with the correct number formation by teaching them our rhymes:

Start at the top and down we run, that's the way we make a 1.

Around and back on a railroad track 2,2,2.

Around the tree and around the tree, that's the way we make a 3.

Down and over, down some more, that's the way we make a 4.

Down and around then a flag on high, that's the way we make a 5.

Down we go and make a loop, number 6 makes a hoop.

Across the sky and down from heaven, that's the way we make a 7.

Make a 's' and do not wait, when its joined up we have an 8.

make a loop and then a line, that's the way we make a 9.

Have fun :)

Tuesday 24th March

https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/webcams/penguin-cam/#penguincam

We're carrying on with the animal theme today, with a visit to Edinburgh Zoo! Copy and paste the above link into your browser and you will be transported to the enclosures, where you will be able to see tigers, penguins, koalas, pandas and many more animals, live. Watch how they move, see what they do. Talk about the different animals with your grown up. Maybe you could draw or paint a picture of your favourite animal in the zoo. You could even have a go at writing a list of the animals you have seen.

Monday 23rd March

'Rumble In The Jungle' by Giles Andreae. Do you have this book at home? If not, you can find it being read aloud on YouTube.  Share this book with an adult. Listen for the rhyming words and rhythm in the words. Talk about 'the jungle' - What is it? Where is it? Which animals live there? Can you describe each animal? Which animal is your favourite? Why? 

Home Learning - General Guidance

As we find ourselves in the unfortunate situation of having to close the school, here are some suggestions for 'home learning'...…...

Above all, early years education is all about PLAY! Be a good role model by following your child's interests and playing WITH them. 

We also like these TV programmes.....

• Alphablocks
• Numberblocks
• Story Bots
• Topsy and Tim
• Andy's Adventures
• Go Jetters
• Do You Know
• Show Me Show Me
• Something Special

In addition to this, please check our Facebook page (Gateford Park Nursery), where we will share some useful links.

Please feel free to email us, any time, if you have any questions or concerns or would like to share photos etc of your child learning at home.

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

schappell@gateford.notts.sch.uk

lwilliams@gateford.notts.sch.uk

19/03/20 Update  (In response to a parent request) -  Please find below a brief outline of our normal daily  routine, should you wish to stick to a more structured day. 

8.50-9.00 - Register. What day is it? What is the weather like today?

9.00-9.15 - Carpet time structured input (e.g. reading and discussing a story/ information text, Maths activity or similar - generally linked to our topic)

9.15-10.00- Outdoor learning (sand, water, mud kitchen, construction, role play, outdoor maths, outdoor mark making, bats/ balls/ hoops/ bean bags, bikes/ scooters, den building etc)

10.00-10.10 - Milk and snack time

10.10- 10.25 - Phonics 

10.25- 11.20- Indoor learning (puzzles, construction sets, art/ craft, role play, dressing up, writing, maths activities, playdough, sand, water, painting, phonics games etc)

11.20-11.35 - Story time and singing

11.35 - Lunch 

In the afternoon, the structure is the same, with the following timings:

12.30-12.45 - Register. What day is it? What is the weather like?

12.45 -1.00 - Carpet time structured input

1.00-1.45 - Outdoor learning

1.45-1.55 - Milk and snack time

1.55-2.10 - Phonics

2.10-3.00- Indoor learning

3.00-3.15 - story time and singing

At school, we provide a variety of resources/ activities for the children to use in their 'child initiated learning' both indoors and outdoors. The children also work one-to-one and in small groups with an adult, at various points throughout the week on 'focused tasks' such as baking, craft activities, name writing, painting tasks, maths challenges, writing/ phonics challenges, speaking and listening activities, construction challenges etc)

Obviously, this will look quite different in the home environment, but hopefully this information gives you an idea of the structure that the children are used to. 

Again, please don't hesitate to contact us if you require any further help or guidance. 

Spring 2nd Half Term

'Animals Around The World'

This half term, our topic is called 'Animals Around The World', and it's going to be a very busy one! We kick start the topic with a visit, in school, from 'Kilton Pet and Raptor Rescue Centre'. The children will have the opportunity to learn about , and handle, all kinds of different creatures. How exciting! We will be joining in with the whole school 'Science Week' in March and are already looking forward to our much loved 'Forest School' trips later in the term. 

There will, of course, be lots of other activities and learning taking place in class every day. Please take a look at Parent Overview, attached below.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to pop in and see Mrs Spencer, Mrs Williams, Miss Chappell, Mrs Foulkes or Mrs Knowles, any time. Alternatively, you can email, using the address below.

aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk 

Spring 1st Half Term

'Who Am I?'

Happy New Year and welcome to all of our new Elves and their families – we hope you will be very happy with us.

This half-term, our topic is called ‘Who Am I?’ We will be learning all about ourselves, our bodies, families and how to keep healthy. We have  lots of amazing learning opportunities planned!

On Thursday 6^th February, we will be going on a bus ride to Worksop, where we will visit a real dental practice. We will have the opportunity to take a look around and learn all about how to look after our teeth. More details to follow soon!

Reminders:

• If your child is going to be having a school dinner, please let one of us (or a member of staff in Breakfast Club) know, when you arrive in the morning.
• Please ensure all clothing is named, and that your child has a bag of spare clothes on their peg at all times.
• Snack money is 10p per session (£1 per week for full time children) – payable weekly or termly, directly to Elf Class, please.
• Please ensure your child wears a suitable coat and brings a hat, scarf and gloves to school as we go outside in all weathers!
• This half-term we will definitely use our wellies for outdoor play so please leave a pair in school.

As always, please come and speak to Mrs Spencer, Mrs Williams or Mrs Foulkes if you have any questions or concerns. Our door is always open 

Email Contact -  aspencer@gateford.notts.sch.uk

Autumn 2nd Half Term

'Amazing Autumn'

Welcome back! We hope you have had a lovely break and are all ready for the next half-term in Elf Class!

This half-term we are learning all about Amazing Autumn, the children are already enjoying lots of fun, seasonal activities!

On Tuesday 12^th November, we will be taking part in the sponsored ‘Wheelathon’. How exciting! If you have mis-placed the original letter and sponsor form for this event, please ask us for another one.

There are lots of important Christmas events to pop in your diary too:

• 11th Dec - Christmas dinner and Christmas jumper day
• 18th Dec - Nativity performance 9.30 a.m
• 19th Dec = Christmas party

Reminders:

• If your child is going to be having a school dinner, please let one of us (or a member of staff in Breakfast Club) know, when you arrive in the morning.
• Please ensure all clothing is named, and that your child has a bag of spare clothes on their peg at all times.
• Snack money is 10p per session (£1 per week for full time children) – payable weekly or termly, directly to Elf Class, please.

As always, if you have any questions, please pop in and speak to Mrs Spencer, Mrs Williams or Mrs Foulkes. 

Autumn - 1st Half Term

'Beside The Sea'

Welcome to the first half term of this new school year. It’s lovely to see our ‘old’ elves back with us again and we are delighted to also be welcoming many new families. We know that it’s going to be another fantastic year in Elf Class!

We are excited to have moved across into our new classroom, which is looking fantastic after being fully decorated and refitted during the summer holidays. Work is underway and ongoing now to develop our outdoor space, to make it the best possible learning environment for Elf Class. We will keep you posted!

Our topic for this half term, will be ‘Beside The Sea’. We have lots of fun activities planned. The attached ‘overview’ will give you an idea of some of the things we will be learning about.

On Wednesday 16^th October we will be hosting a Harvest themed ‘Stay and Play’ session at 10.30 a.m. You can join your child in class for some fun Harvest activities and snacks.

We go outside in all weathers! Please make sure your child has an appropriate coat and a pair of wellies on their peg so that we can enjoy playing outside in rain, snow and hail!

We hope that you will enjoy receiving (via email) the observations and photos of your child playing and learning in Elf Class. If, after the first few weeks, you haven’t received any of these or are having any problem viewing them, please let us know. 

Reminders:

• Lunch club is for children attending for full days and costs £2 per day. This is payable directly to the school office
• If your child is going to be having a school dinner, please let one of us (or a member of staff in Breakfast Club) know, when you arrive in the morning. Also, please tell us which choice of dinner they would prefer. A copy of the menu can be found on the school website /from the office.
• Please ensure all clothing is named, and that your child has a bag of spare clothes on their peg at all times.
• Snack money is 10p per session (£1 per week for full time children) – payable weekly or termly, directly to Elf Class, please.
• We will be using the cloakroom door for entry/ exit at the start and end of the day (8.40 and 3.20). We will enter/ exit directly from the classroom and into our outdoor area at all other times during the day (11.40 collection and 12.20 arrival)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to come and see Mrs Spencer, Mrs Williams or Mrs Foulkes.