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Timberley Academy

Reception

Welcome to Reception's Class Page.

We will post any information you need to know on here, throughout the year, along with photographs of the wonderful work we are doing in Reception.

Extreme Heat - Tues 23rd, Weds 24th & Thurs 25th June 2026

Here are some 'mini missions' that we are asking you to have fun and complete at home due to school closing early.

Mini Mission 1 - Make a paper fan

To help keep cool during the hot weather, children can complete the paper fan activity sheet that has been sent home.

Children can enjoy colouring and decorating the fan template before carefully folding it along the marked lines to create their very own paper fan. Once folded, they can use it to make a gentle breeze and keep themselves cool!

This activity encourages children to:

Develop their fine motor skills through colouring and folding.
Follow simple instructions.
Express their creativity by decorating their fan with colours, patterns, and pictures.
Talk about ways to stay safe and comfortable in hot weather.

We would love to see your finished fans – please share any photos with us through the school app if you wish. ☀️🌈🪭

Mini mission 2 - floating and sinking

Can You Be a Floating and Sinking Scientist?

This week we have been learning about floating and sinking. At home, become a scientist and investigate which objects float and which objects sink!

What You Need

A bowl, washing-up bowl, or bath filled with water
A selection of safe household objects, for example:
- Spoon
- Cork
- Toy car
- Leaf
- Coin
- Plastic bottle lid
- Small toy
- Stone

What to Do

Look carefully at each object.
Make a prediction: Do you think it will float or sink?
Place the object gently into the water.
Observe what happens.
Talk about your findings with an adult.

Challenge Questions

Which objects floated?
Which objects sank?
Were any of your predictions correct?
What do the floating objects have in common?
Can you find an object that surprised you?

Share Your Learning

Draw a picture of one object that floated and one object that sank. Can you label them and write a simple sentence such as:

“The cork floated.”
“The coin sank.”

Remember: Always complete this activity with an adult and take care around water.

EYFS Learning Link

This activity helps children develop their scientific thinking by observing, predicting, exploring, and talking about what they discover.

Super Challenge: Can you design a boat from recycled materials and see if it floats? How many coins can it carry before it sinks? 🚢✨

Mini mission 3 - program a beebot online

Home Learning – Beebot Programming Challenge

This week we have been learning about giving instructions and programming a Beebot.

For home learning, children can practise their coding skills using the online Beebot simulator:

🔗 Beebot Online Simulator

What to Do

Open the Beebot simulator using the link above.
Explore the different buttons:
- Forward
- Backward
- Turn left
- Turn right
- Go
Choose a destination on the mat and plan a route.
Press the buttons in the correct order to programme the Beebot.
Test your instructions and see if the Beebot reaches its target!

Talk About Learning

Encourage your child to:

Predict where the Beebot will go.
Explain the instructions they have chosen.
Identify and correct any mistakes (debugging).
Use positional language such as forwards, backwards, left, right, next to, and behind.

Challenge

Can your child create a route using five or more instructions? Can they guide the Beebot to different places on the mat without making any mistakes?

This activity supports early computing skills, problem-solving, sequencing, and language development in a fun and engaging way. 🐝💻

Mini mission 4 - Design your own ice cream

To continue our learning at home, children can use the activity sheet to design their very own ice cream!

Encourage your child to be as creative as possible by choosing different flavours, colours, toppings, and decorations. They might like to add sprinkles, chocolate flakes, fruit, sweets, or even invent a brand-new flavour!

This activity encourages children to:

Develop their creativity and imagination.
Strengthen their fine motor skills through drawing and colouring.
Talk about their ideas and preferences.
Practise descriptive language by explaining what their ice cream would taste like and why they chose their design.

Challenge

Can your child name their ice cream and tell an adult what ingredients it contains? They could even write a simple label or sentence about their creation.

We look forward to seeing your delicious designs! 🍦🌈✨

Mini mission 5 - Tricky Word Song

To support your child's reading at home, we would like you to practise some of our tricky words using this fun song:

🎵 Tricky Word Song

Tricky words are words that cannot always be sounded out using phonics because some parts of the word are not fully decodable. Learning these words by sight helps children become more confident and fluent readers.

What to Do

Watch and sing along with the song together.
Encourage your child to join in with the words and actions.
Pause the video occasionally and see if your child can read the tricky words by themselves.
Practise spotting these words in books and around the home.

Why Is This Important?

Learning tricky words helps children to:

Read more fluently.
Recognise common words quickly.
Build confidence when reading independently.
Develop their phonics and early literacy skills.

A few minutes of practice each day can make a big difference. Have fun singing and learning together! 🎶📚✨

School closure because of snow - Friday 9th January

We hope you have a super day at home and are able to enjoy some fun in the snow.

If you can, have a look in the snow - what footprints can you see? Do they belong to an animal? What patterns can you see?

Can you build a snowman? What natural materials will you put on the snowman? Can you give the snowman 5 buttons? How do you know you've got 5?

Can you build another snowman that's taller/shorter?

Can you make a snowflake?

We hope you have a lovely day and we will see you all next week.

Superhero day

We will now rearrange our Superhero dress up day for Friday 16th January.

School closure - Wednesday 7th January

Due to school being closed because of the burst water pipe, below is some work that children can do at home:

Over the next half term we will be thinking about Superheroes (Our Superhero dress up day is on Friday 9th January). It would be amazing if the children could draw a picture of their favourite superhero and write down some of their superpowers. If you are feeling really imaginative, you could draw your very own superhero and give them an awesome superhero name and write down what their special powers are too. We will give 2 Green Points to the children who bring their drawings to school.

We have got some other activities that you could try out online too:

Geraldine the giraffe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCRqtFBQ_2k

Fred games

http://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/4trZAiIz/rRWgxHKI

Go Noodle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ9q4U2P3ig&list=RDBQ9q4U2P3ig&start_radio=1

Subitise to 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSlA-u_ABmU&list=RDPSlA-u_ABmU&start_radio=1

Scarf tracing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsHoLGk0ETc

Days of the week song