This half-term we have combined storytelling, movement, and mindfulness in a magical adventure: Bear Hunt Yoga! with the help from Mrs Bathgate. Our little explorers embarked on a journey that stretched both their imaginations and their bodies. Each part of the story became a different yoga pose.
Not only did this activity help develop gross motor skills, balance, and coordination, but it also encouraged listening, sequencing, and emotional expression. The children loved acting out the story and were fully immersed in the adventure.
We ended our session with a calming moment, lying down and imagining we were safe and warm back home, just like in the story.
What a lovely blend of literacy and physical development – and a reminder that learning can be active, joyful, and full of wonder.
Today is World Mental Health Day — a day that reminds us how important it is to take care of our emotional wellbeing. For our youngest learners in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), supporting mental health often starts with something very simple: creativity.
On World Mental Health Day — and every day — creative play is a powerful way to support little minds and big feelings. At BRW, we’re committed to nurturing not just early learning, but early emotional health too.
Today the children have been keeping their bodies and minds active outside; creating collaborative drawings whilst listening to some calm music and also using a range of natural objects and small world toys to create pictures together.
What a fun day!!
EYFS Adventures: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt!
Today we brought the magic of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” indoors!
Despite the rainy weather outside, nothing could stop us from going on an adventure. Here’s a look at some of our exciting indoor bear hunt activities and all the learning that took place along the way.
We read the story aloud, using actions and sound effects to bring each part to life:
- Swishy swashy grass,
- Splash splosh through the river,
- Squelch squerch through the mud,
- All the way to the deep, dark cave!
The children enthusiastically joined in, building confidence in language, sequencing, and storytelling skills. Some even started to create their own versions of the journey!
The children then explored our natural objects such pinecones, stones, wood, and conkers. Using these, they created their own bear faces – look how creative they have been!
And finally – using a variety of small construction materials, the children worked both independently and in small groups to design and build the perfect cave for a bear to live in. This hands-on, imaginative activity sparked so much creativity and collaboration.
WOW! What a busy Friday they have had!
Here is the song tune and lyrics for our assembly on the 14th October. Ensure you’ve learnt this as part of your homework – it’s going to sound fantastic!
This week in our EYFS classroom, we had a deliciously exciting activity: making our very own Fairtrade banana milkshakes! Not only did we get to enjoy a yummy treat, but we also learned about where our food comes from and how we can help others around the world.
A big thank you for all the donations – we raised £76 – to be split between CAFOD and buying educational resources for your children to use in the EYFS Unit.
🌍 What is Fairtrade?
Before we started blending, we talked about the Fairtrade logo and what it means. The children discovered that Fairtrade helps farmers and workers in other countries earn a fair price for their crops—like bananas! We looked at pictures of banana farms and talked about how choosing Fairtrade helps families live better lives.
💛 Raising Money for CAFOD: Small Acts, Big Impact
When it comes to making a difference, you don’t need to move mountains—you just need to move hearts. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing in our EYFS Unit as we raise money for CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), a charity that brings hope, dignity, and practical support to people living in poverty around the world, together with using some to provide educational resources for our classroom.
Over the last two weeks our young FS2 mathematicians explored numbers in a fun and practical way through a Counting Collections lesson. The classroom was buzzing with excitement as children worked together to count, sort, and explore a variety of objects.
After counting, children recorded their totals using marks, numbers and/or drawings. This gave them a chance to practise number writing and explain their thinking.
This week at Forest School, our EYFS children embarked on a magical journey inspired by the beloved story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. With imaginations running wild, we brought the story to life through hands-on outdoor learning and creative play.
In the nest, we have been learning about ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and created our own ‘Wild Thing’ pizza! We developed our communication skills to indicate which toppings we wanted and followed the visual instructions to make our pizzas. Take a look at our fun afternoon!
The children in FS have had a wonderful morning in our very own Forest School. They were managing risks, finding places to climb and using some wonderful imagination as they played.
They even carried on some Art learning – using wax crayons to do some nature rubbings. They used lovely language such as ‘bumpy,’ ‘rough,’ ‘smooth,’ and hard,’ to describe texture. What a fun morning they had!
A warm welcome to both Year 4 and parents alike! I am very much looking forward to a term full of joyful learning. The children will have many opportunities for learning in the classroom and beyond in the next few months running up to Christmas. So far the children have been a joy to work with and I have every confidence the Autumn term will be a chance to create memories and learn skills that will stay with them as they move through school. This year’s annual theme at BRW is ‘The Treasure Within’ (Matthew 6:21). The children are encouraged to think about what they value most as this is what our hearts are drawn to and what we treasure will become our life’s focus. This year and beyond, we will focus on our spiritual treasure within: our own qualities and the qualities of others.
In RE, the children’s first topic will be ‘Creation and Covenant’, with a focus on our big question ‘Why is Abraham seen as a model of prayer?’. This will encourage us to explore the historical context of Abraham and the cultural and religious context out of which he was called. By the end of the topic the children will be reflecting on the challenges and blessings Abraham experienced and how their faith played a part in how they reacted as well as reflecting on how faith and love can help them to be a good neighbour. After this we will be looking at our second topic ‘Prophecy and Promise’.
In English we will be delving into Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’, with opportunities for exploring techniques for describing villains in stories and writing in the style of the author. We will continue to expand our vocabulary and navigate language through spellings and learning new words regularly. The children will also be writing descriptive poetry about the witches from the book! We will also be exploring ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ later in the term.
Mathematics will see us focused this term on Place Value, Addition, Subtraction and fluency with numbers. In the lead up to Christmas, we will move on to Multiplication and Division. All units will provide problem solving opportunities and encourage children to use mathematical language to explain their answers both verbally and through their written work.
Our first History topic will focus on the Indus Valley. We will be looking at who the Indus Valley Civilisation were, who discovered it and finishing off the unit with understanding how it impacted the world we know today.
In Geography, we will be looking at mountains both in the UK and across the world. We will be learning about how they’re formed, how they can affect the weather. The topic will be finished by directly comparing the mountains in the UK with the Himalayas and the impact they have on the economy.
In Science, we will be learning all about Electricity. We will be working scientifically to understand how we get our electricity. We will be using our knowledge of electricity, circuits and DT skills to make some creative torches.
In PE, the children have brilliant opportunities this term for varied and beneficial learning. Year 4 will have Basketball, Multi-sports and fundamentals. The children will learn essential skills in fundamentals that will inform their approach and expand their skill set in future PE units. PE days are currently on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
In French lessons, children will be learning language skills relating to food (which is always useful!), family and friends.
How you can help:
You can check homework reminders, which will be shared in children’s diaries on a weekly basis, starting this Friday. Homework will aim to consolidate learning in class and also provide opportunities for project work with a view to display and celebrate creations throughout the year! There will be reading, spellings, Times Table Rock Stars and Maths/English homework every week. Please use the green Homework diary to record daily reading with your child and to communicate with school about any queries. These must be brought into school every day.
The children will receive logins for Times Tables Rock Stars and NumBots and can use Mathletics alongside this to practise their times tables. Encouraging regular use of these will help your children master recall of their times tables facts up to 12×12. To support your child in the lead up to the times table test in May, it is vital they practise their times tables up to 12×12 for 5 minutes each day.
Support your children in ensuring they are engaging in their expected daily home reading during the week and ask them questions about what they are reading to support their understanding of the text.
Correct PE kits are needed in school every day (black shorts, white t-shirt and black trainers or plimsolls). During colder weather, children can wear a dark-coloured tracksuit over their kit. Your child also need a painting apron/old shirt in school to protect their uniform during art and DT lessons. This should remain on their peg in their bag all week.
Please check the Year 4 web page on the school website for updates. We’re also on Facebook and X @BRWSchool.
If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to speak to me!
Thank you for all of your support already!
Miss Lawler
