Spring 1 Week 4

We’ve had a wonderfully busy and engaging week in Class 1, with the children immersing themselves in rich learning experiences across many subjects.

KS1

World Religions – Hinduism

As part of our whole‑school focus on World Religions, the children continued exploring Hinduism. We revisited how the religion began, the importance of The Veda, and key beliefs about Brahman and the forms God can take. We also learned about worship in a Mandir and at home, helping the children understand what it means to live as a Hindu. It was lovely to see the whole school learning together.

A Journey to Kenya – ‘Lila and the Secret of Rain’

The classroom was transformed into a exciting Kenyan village, complete with warm air, dimmed lights and the sound of a slow drumbeat. The children discovered a box of clues and a message from Lila, sparking thoughtful predictions and discussion. Through drama, they imagined life in a hot, thirsty landscape before being introduced to the story Lila and the Secret of Rain.

Outdoor Geography – Seasons and Physical Features

Outside, the children played Season Corners, matching weather words to the correct season and explaining their choices. They then completed an Interactive Image Hunt, identifying physical features and using geographical vocabulary confidently.

Other Learning This Week

Alongside these larger projects, the children have been working hard across the curriculum:

• RE: They explored the idea of good news and reflected on what it means in their own lives.

• PSHE: The class learned about taking on new challenges and created beautiful paper flowers to represent growth and perseverance.

• Dance: They continued developing their pirate dance, adding their own creative movements and working brilliantly as a team.

• Music: The children practised keeping a steady beat and moving in time, showing great focus and enthusiasm.

• Maths: We have been strengthening our skills in multiplication, addition and subtraction, with lots of opportunities to reason and explain our thinking.

  
  

Reception have had a wonderful week full of music, stories, movement and lots of creative learning. The children have been curious, enthusiastic and eager to explore new ideas.

Music Around the World – Kenya and England

The children learned that Kenya and England are different countries and explored how music from each place can sound and feel different. They listened carefully to rhythms that were fast, slow, loud and quiet, and moved their bodies to match the beat. Afterwards, they sorted movement cards into “Kenya” or “England,” thinking about which music each movement suited. We finished by talking about how the two styles of music were different.

Storytelling – Tales from Kenya and England

We continued our learning by exploring stories from both countries. The children listened to Anansi and the Golden Pot, a traditional Kenyan tale, and Room on the Broom, a familiar English story. We discussed the characters, settings and the beginning, middle and end of each story. A special story bag filled with objects helped the children guess which country each item belonged to. Using vocabulary such as story, characters, retell, country, beginning, middle and end, the children compared the two tales and talked about how stories can come from all around the world. They then became storytellers themselves, retelling one of the stories set in either Kenya or England.

Outdoor Geography – Seasons and Weather

Outside, the children played Season Corners, running to the season they thought matched weather words like frost, heavy rain, warm sunshine and windy. They explained their choices beautifully. They also used seasonal picture sheets to create their own scenes, helping them understand how the world changes throughout the year.

Other Learning This Week

Reception have been busy across the curriculum:

• World Religions : The children took part in our Hinduism focus and in RE learned about the creation story.

• PSHE: They made thoughtful cards for people who help them, showing kindness and appreciation.

• Gymnastics: The class worked hard on new movements and showed great control and confidence.

• Phonics: We learned new sounds and practised blending them into words.

• Sand Play: The children enjoyed creating their own Kenyan desert landscapes in the sand tray.

• English: They compared Room on the Broom with a Kenyan story and wrote some lovely sentences in their books.

It has been a fantastic week of imagination, curiosity and hard work. The children should be proud of themselves.