At the beginning of the month many local children started ‘big’ school for the first time – a significant milestone that we all remember. Marlborough.news was invited to Preshute Primary to meet the reception children to find out how they were settling in and what they had been learning.
Reception children at Preshute are in Bumblebees Class, a name which reflects all the ‘busy bee’ activities they have been engaged in as well as tying in well with the first topic the children are following – ‘What can we find in the woods?’
Reception class teacher, Charlotte Coulson, explained, “The children are learning about the local environment. We went on a very exciting Gruffalo hunt in the playground and then collected blackberries so we could make a Gruffalo crumble. Of course we wanted to get a black tongue like the Gruffalo! The children also looked at an aerial view of Manton to see what they could identify.”
The reception classroom is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. The children’s self-portraits decorate one wall and there are plenty of materials for finger painting and bead threading. Charlotte explained, “These activities all help to develop fine motor skills. We have also started phonics with single letter sounds.”
The reception children also engage in plenty of outdoor activities. Last week, the children were in the mud kitchen using lavender to make calming potions. There’s even a quiet garden, dedicated to an ex-pupil Bobby, where there’s a box full of books for the children to use.
It’s all so very different and so much more engaging than what many of us can remember of our first days in school!
Newbury Show this weekend, sponsored by Ramsbury
