<![CDATA[Roebuck Academy Blog Feed - Reception Blog]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk%2Fblog%2F%3Fpid%3D44%26amp%3Bnid%3D4 Juniper Education Content Management System (CMS) Version: 4.5 (junipereducation.org) Sat, 21 Mar 2026 19:00:44 GMT Sat, 21 Mar 2026 19:00:44 GMT <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4257 This week in Reception we have been learning all about the celebration of Eid. As Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims all over the world will be celebrating Eid al-Fitr. Eid marks the end of a month of fasting from dawn to sunset, as well as spiritual reflection and prayer.
We know that Eid is celebrated in lots of different ways. The children enjoyed lots of different Eid activities such as having some designs drawn on their hands with henna, colouring some Eid cards and decorating a moon and stars. The children also had a visit from Zarghaam's mum to learn all about this special festival. Well done everyone!

]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 19:00:44 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4257 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4251 This week, we have been excited to meet the ducklings! They came to school as 5 eggs and hatched over the last few days. We looked at their different features and learnt why they have webbed feet. They were very cute and made tiny cheeping sounds as they can't quack yet! It was very exciting, but we were all very gentle when handling them.

]]> Sat, 7 Mar 2026 16:46:56 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4251 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4243 This half term, Reception have had great fun exploring lots of different traditional tales. We have been exploring different characters and even trying to write our own stories! We are improving our phonics and writing skills every week! Please have a look at some of our wonderful writing!

 

]]> Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:41:18 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4243 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4229 This week the children have been busy making their own fairytale castles. We used different colours and sizes of shapes to make the castles. The children practised their fine motor skills to carefully cut out the shapes that they needed to add doors, windows and towers to their castles. Well done everyone these look amazing! 

]]> Sat, 17 Jan 2026 12:48:01 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4229 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4221 In the last few weeks, Reception have been very busy! We had lots of rehearsals for our Nativity Play which led to 2 very sparkly performances! We also baked mince pies as a special treat afterwards!

We have been writing to Santa (a very important job!) and preparing Christmas cards and decorations. We are definitely feeling in the festive spirit and can't wait to celebrate with all our loved ones in the coming weeks!

]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:36:20 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4221 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4213 In reception, preparations are well underway for our Christmas production of Baarmy Bethlehem! The children are very excited and have been singing their hearts out!

We have also been practising writing sentences and captions and are beginning to use a full stop. We know lots of sounds now!

In Maths, we have been practising making 5 and also sorting objects into groups.

We can't wait to see you at our performances!

]]> Fri, 28 Nov 2025 22:25:31 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4213 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4205 We have been exploring different festivals in Reception. Firstly, we looked at Bonfire Night and the Gunpowder Plot. We made fireworks pictures and counted fireworks. After that, we looked at the Festival of Remembrance. We have been making poppies from loose parts and thinking about fallen soldiers. We also explored these festivals in Drawing Club.

]]> Sat, 15 Nov 2025 11:37:11 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4205 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4202 This week we have been learning about Black History. We looked at some books that have black characters in. We talked about what makes people different.

After that, we researched Alfred Cralle who invented the ice cream scoop. We learnt a song about ice creams and talked about our favourite flavours.

At Roebuck, we are historians!

]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:41:27 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4202 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4195 Reception have been exploring Creature Corner as part of our Forest School sessions. Working in pairs, the children went to the forest to collect natural items. Using playdough as the body, the children used twigs to create the spikes and the stones for eyes and noses. At Roebuck, we are artists. 

]]> Sun, 5 Oct 2025 16:56:30 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4195 <![CDATA[ Welcome back ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4182 We have had a fantastic start to Reception!

We have been learning how to use the different areas in our environment and trying really hard with our tidying up!

This week, we had our first PE lesson where we pretended to be dinosaurs. We practised taking our shoes and socks off and putting them back on.

We can't wait to see what else Reception has in store for us!

]]> Sat, 20 Sep 2025 16:19:35 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4182 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4162 On Thursday, we had a lovely time at our Fathers Day Event!

We went out onto the field and enjoyed challenging our male (and female) carers to lots of different sporting activities. These included running races, a beanbag stamp, target throws and more! Everyone had a great time and the competition was high!

Thank you for attending. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

]]> Sat, 14 Jun 2025 14:48:18 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4162 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4142 This half term Reception have been very busy developing their fine motor and writing skills. The children have really enjoyed the different books we have focused on for Drawing Club this half term. We have looked at different Traditional Tales including Jack and the Beanstalk and Chicken Licken. The children have drawn some amazing pictures as well as some great sentences. We have very proud of all the hard work the children have done. Well done Reception. At Roebuck we are Authors

]]> Mon, 7 Apr 2025 13:03:21 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4142 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4134 This week in our Reception classes we have been reading the text 'The Gingerbread Man'. The children have all taken part in a fun science experiment involving gingerbread. In this experiment the children observed what happened when they placed a gingerbread man in water, milk, oil and vinegar. We learnt lots of tricky scientific concepts like buoyancy, absorption, and material changes in a fun and engaging way. We also acted like scientists and made predictions about what we thought would happen. Some of us thought the gingerbread man might explode, change shape, change size, dissolve or sink. We had great fun observing the changes in the gingerbread man over the day and at the end of the day we found that the gingerbread man in oil changed the least, and the gingerbread man in water changed the most. This one lost most of its colour and became very soft. Well done Oak and Willow class for another busy week of learning. At Roebuck, we are scientists!

]]> Sat, 22 Mar 2025 11:31:07 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4134 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4128 This week in Reception, the children enjoyed a visit from the ducklings. Each of the children got to hold a duckling. We talked about the different features that we could see. The children also enjoyed World Book Day, it was great to see everyone dressed up in some amazing costumes. Finally, in Forest School this week, we learnt all about Spring and some of the different things we might see and hear. The children then worked in groups to plant some cress, which we hope to see grow over the next week. Well done everyone for a brilliant week in Reception. 

]]> Sat, 8 Mar 2025 18:00:17 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4128 <![CDATA[ Lunar New Year in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4114 This week in Reception, we have been very excited to learn about the Lunar New Year and welcomed in The Year of the Snake. On Monday, we had an experience day when we took part in lots of different activities based on the Lunar New Year.  The children were very creative and made their own lanterns, which they decorated and put up in our classrooms. We also learnt about the different types of food eaten during the Lunar year and throughout the week the children made their very own noodle stir-fry. At Roebuck, we are Chefs!

]]> Sat, 1 Feb 2025 14:00:12 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4114 <![CDATA[ Lost and Found ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4106 This week in Reception the children have really enjoyed the story Lost and Found for our Drawing Club. The children have loved thinking about different ways to get to the south pole and the animals that they might find there. We have also been learning about winter, with the weather being so cold. The children used their art skills to mix different shades of blue. They then used cotton buds to carefully create their snowflake pictures, which look amazing on display in class. Well done everyone!

]]> Sun, 19 Jan 2025 12:36:14 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4106 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4100 This week the children in our reception classes have performed for their parents and carers in our Christmas show 'A Snowman at Sunset'. The children were all truly entertaining and made everyone so proud with their wonderful singing and acting. The children learnt a number of songs about wanting it to snow, making snowmen and even being angry. Every child took part and showed such confidence. It is quite daunting standing on stage in front of a hall full of people, but our reception children did brilliantly. Thank you to everyone that was able to watch our performance, and we hope you left feeling in a festive mood! Well done Oak and Willow Class!

]]> Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:15:58 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4100 <![CDATA[ Elmers special day in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4094 This week in our reception classes, we continued our topic on celebrations by reading the book 'Elmer's Special Day'. In the story, it is time for the annual Elmer's day celebrations. All the elephants noisily paint themselves with wild colourful patterns in preparation for the parade. The children have all enjoyed designing their own Elmer ears using a variety of different resources. The children looked closely at the patchwork designs in the book and made sure that all the squares on their ears were decorated differently. The children then all enjoyed wearing their ears for a class parade. The book is a wonderful way to not only celebrate Elmer but to also celebrate friendship, kindness and inclusivity. Well done Oak and Willow class.

]]> Sun, 1 Dec 2024 10:45:16 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4094 <![CDATA[ Drawin club in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4079 This half term, Reception have started their Drawing Club journey. Each week we explore a new book and draw a picture daily. This week we have looked at the text 'The Ghost Train' and had a wonderful time drawing skeletons, trains and ghosts. We are beginning to give meaning to our marks and writing initial sounds to words and writing simple cvc words. We are thrilled with the progress the children have made so far with their writing. At Roebuck we are writers!

]]> Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:43:44 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4079 <![CDATA[ Artists and explorers in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4071 This week in Reception we have been very busy learning all about Autumn. At forest school this week, the children were collecting different leaves and then sorted them according to their size. The children have loved joining in with lots of Autumn activities, including washing pumpkins, painting pumpkins and using their fine motor skills to hammer golf tees into a pumpkin. We have also used our artist skills this week to explore autumn colours, and the children have painted a picture of an autumn tree which looked amazing on display this week. Well done everyone for another fantastic week!  At Roebuck, we are artists and explorers!  

]]> Sun, 13 Oct 2024 14:46:58 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4071 <![CDATA[ Welcome to Reception! ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4054 Oak and Willow class have settled really well into routines at Roebuck Academy.

This week has been the children's first full week in Reception, and everyone continues to look very smart in their new uniforms. We have shared stories, sang nursery rhymes and become familiar with our new classrooms. The children have played beautifully with each other and are starting to make new friends as well as re-establish old friendships. Lunchtime has been a new experience for the children, and they have coped with it very well. The children eat in the hall and are learning to become more independent by clearing away their lunch items themselves. We also enjoyed our first PE lesson with our sports coach Mr K and showed our artistic skills by drawing our own self-portraits.

The EYFS team really enjoyed welcoming the children and getting to know them. We are all looking forward to the year ahead learning about lots of wonderful and exciting things together. Well done Oak and Willow class.

]]> Sun, 15 Sep 2024 19:33:25 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4054 <![CDATA[ Marvellous Me in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4046 In Reception, the children have been learning all about our senses as part of the topic 'Marvellous Me.'  We learnt all about the 5 different senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing and sight. The children were then given a challenge to identify 5 different foods or drink by their smell. These included vinegar, hot chocolate and coffee. The children made a prediction before finding out if they had identified the smell correctly. The children have also been busy observing as our caterpillars have continued to grow. We have been talking all about the different stages of the lifecycle. We are now watching carefully to see when our caterpillars spin their cocoons. At Roebuck, we are scientists!

]]> Sat, 15 Jun 2024 09:40:54 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4046 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4038 This week in our Reception classes, the children have been busy working on their handwriting. Every day, the children in Reception get a visit from Marvin the Monkey.  Marvin is a friendly, stripey monkey who teaches the children to write cursive letters. Each letter he teaches them has a story and a picture to help them remember how to write the letter correctly. Marvin has two golden rules - start on the line every time and start with a little smile. Every day, Marvin looks at the children's handwriting and if he is really pleased with the children, he gives them a special Marvin clap. Look how quickly and beautifully the children have learnt to form their letters. At Roebuck Academy we are writers. 

]]> Wed, 29 May 2024 11:20:06 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4038 <![CDATA[ Minibeast hunters in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4030 This week, the children in Reception have helped their teachers build a bug hotel for our outdoor garden. The children have spent a long time collecting various natural materials like leaves and sticks to create a home for minibeasts. We have also planted wildflowers to encourage lots of visitors to our bug hotel. The children are now very busy looking after the seedlings and of course hunting for minibeasts. At Roebuck we are minibeast hunters!

]]> Sat, 11 May 2024 07:55:15 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4030 <![CDATA[ Splash in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4022 It has been a busy start to the Summer term with lots of amazing learning happening. This half term our topic is called 'Splash'. We have been busy learning all about water, how we use it, where you would find it and how you can travel on it. We decided to focus our learning this week on finding out about different sea creatures. We loved watching different video clips of amazing sea creatures and used non-fiction books to find out about different sea creatures. The children then put their artistic skills to work by creating their own individual sea creature which we added to our class display. At Roebuck Academy we are artists!

]]> Sat, 27 Apr 2024 16:19:05 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4022 <![CDATA[ Easter in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4014 It has been extremely busy in our Reception Classes with so much going on. A few highlights from the last two weeks have included learning about bubbles as part of science week. We wanted to find out if bubbles are always round. We had so much fun experimenting with water, washing up liquid, glycerine and different types of bubble wands. We even made our own wands out of pipe cleaners! We have also been learning about Easter and in our classes discussed how we celebrate Easter with our families. At Forest School we went on an exciting Easter egg hunt! Our teachers had hidden lots of different coloured easter eggs around the forest for us to find. We had so much fun finding them. We ended our Easter themed week by looking after real-life chicks! We found out how to look after them and the life cycle of a hen.

Well, done to all our children for another great term. We hope you all have a wonderful Easter. In Reception we are superstars!

]]> Tue, 2 Apr 2024 13:14:00 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4014 <![CDATA[ Amazing animals in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4003 It has been a wild week in our Reception classes! The children have been very excited about our new topic 'Amazing Animals'. The children were amazed to receive a letter from Shepreth Wildlife Park explaining that some wild animals had escaped from the park and were last seen heading to Roebuck Academy! We found lots of animal prints in our outdoor area and were very surprised to watch a video of wild animals stampeding through our Reception garden. We have found out about the continent of Africa and some of the wild animals that can be found in Africa. We enjoyed finding out lots of interesting facts about different African animals and all the children have contributed to a class display on animals. Their artwork looks fabulous in our classrooms. At Roebuck we are zoologists!

]]> Sat, 2 Mar 2024 14:39:24 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=4003 <![CDATA[ Lunar New Year in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3994 This week in Reception, we have been very excited to learn about the Lunar New Year and welcomed in The Year of the Dragon. On Monday, we had an experience day where we took part in lots of different activities based on the Lunar New Year. The children learned dance moves using features of the Lunar New Year such as fans, fireworks and lanterns. The children were very creative and made their own lanterns which they decorated and put up in our classrooms. We also learned about the different types of food eaten in China and throughout the week the children made their very own noodle stir fry. At Roebuck we are Chefs!

]]> Sat, 10 Feb 2024 17:39:07 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3994 <![CDATA[ All aboard the London bus in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3987 This week the children have been exploring London through the text, 'All aboard the London Bus!'. Each day, the children have role played boarding a London bus, including having their ticket punched by the conductor and travelling to a different part of London. The children enjoyed exploring Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Underground, London Bridge and finally The Tower of London to see the crown jewels. As part of our learning, the children have created their own London Bus and wrote independent sentences about travelling on a London Bus, remembering to use capital letters, finger spaces and full stops! Well done, Reception. At Roebuck, we are writers!

]]> Sat, 27 Jan 2024 17:24:58 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3987 <![CDATA[ Let's explore in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3978 This week the children have been very excited about our new topic 'Let's Explore'. We began our new topic by exploring our local area and created a mind map of what makes Stevenage special. We identified lots of places including, the football stadium, the cinema, the shops, the theatre, Marks and Spencer's, Fairlands Park and many more! We then looked at photographs that had been taken in and around Stevenage and tried our hardest to recognise where they were taken. We also used Google Earth to zoom into the school and different places around Stevenage. The children all enjoyed contributing to a class display of our local area and made different types of homes, shops and buildings. During our Child Initiated Learning time, some children have been busy writing independently about what they see in our local area. What a fun week it has been! At Roebuck we are geographers! 

]]> Tue, 16 Jan 2024 13:11:45 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3978 <![CDATA[ Delicious in Reception Classes ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3970 Our topic this half-term is 'Delicious' and in our literacy lessons the children enjoyed looking at recipe books and learning about the features of non-fiction texts. We have been writing a set of instructions for a Chocolate Mug Cake and of course once we had done this, we had to make the Mug Cake! The children were fantastic at following a recipe and all agreed our cake was delicious! At Roebuck we are chefs!

]]> Sat, 9 Dec 2023 20:25:58 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3970 <![CDATA[ Nature explores in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3963 This week in Literacy, we have been reading the text 'Jack and the Jelly Beanstalk'. Grandma Fantastic has been giving the children some tricky words, but the children have been using their robot arms to sound them out amazingly. We have been describing the taste of jellybeans and was even able to taste some to give us some ideas. The children came up with words like 'sticky, sweet, tasty, yummy, gooey'. We based our Forest School session on their Literacy book this week and made our very own nature-inspired beanstalk. The children were brilliant at following instructions and working together and were pleased with their finished creation. We look forward to seeing if anything travels down the beanstalk at next week's Forest School session! At Roebuck, we are nature explorers! 

]]> Sat, 25 Nov 2023 10:43:33 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3963 <![CDATA[ Fireworks in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3954 We have had another busy week in Reception. This week we have been talking all about fireworks. They were very excited to share all about the fireworks that they had seen over the weekend. We watched some videos of fireworks and thought about the colours and sounds that we could hear like pop, fizz and bang. We then created some firework artwork using toilet rolls and paint to create the shape before adding glitter to make our fireworks sparkle.  For an extra challenge we then had a go and writing some of our firework sounds using our phonics to help us. Our artworks look amazing! At Roebuck we are artists!

]]> Sat, 11 Nov 2023 12:30:07 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3954 <![CDATA[ Pumpkin Painting in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3946 This week has been another busy one in our Reception classes. The children enjoyed completing a set of 'choosing' challenges. These challenges included painting a picture of a pumpkin, tapping golf tees into a pumpkin and using paint rollers to paint the floor with water. All these challenges are designed to develop the children's fine and gross motor skills, which are vital for writing. This week, the children visited Forest School again and learnt about hibernating animals and pretended to be squirrels and hid acorns in the forest. The children also enjoyed collecting objects such as leaves, sticks, and plants to create a picture of a hedgehog. At Roebuck, we are Adventurers!

]]> Sat, 14 Oct 2023 19:40:00 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3946 <![CDATA[ Dinosuars in Reception!!! ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3939 It has been another busy fun filled week in Reception with lots of wonderful learning going on. We started our week off with a bang with a surprise visit from a pair of dinosaurs! After discovering that two of our dinosaur eggs were missing, we all went on a dinosaur hunt. The children were surprised and amazed to find two dinosaurs in our EYFS garden. Luckily, they were friendly dinosaurs and the children enjoyed playing chasing and running games with them. The children have also been looking for signs of Autumn and went on an Autumn scavenger hunt at Forest School and learnt how to paint Autumn trees. These paintings look wonderful in our classrooms. At roebuck we are artists!

]]> Fri, 29 Sep 2023 16:29:15 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3939 <![CDATA[ Dino-tastic week in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3934 First of all, we want to congratulate your wonderful children on an amazing first two weeks at school. It has been a pleasure getting to know all the children and they have all settled in brilliantly and been such a joy. Well done to each and every one of them! The children have had a busy two weeks in reception. They have settled really well into their classes and have enjoyed exploring the environments. This week has been particularly exciting as we began our ‘dinosaur topic’. We looked at non-fiction books about dinosaurs, watched interesting video clips and enjoyed listening to fiction stories about dinosaurs. The children also created their own dinosaur silhouette skeleton for our class book areas. Our ‘dino-tastic’ week even included a dinosaur egg hunt at Forest School. The children were amazed to find dinosaur eggs hidden  in the bushes. We are now observing the eggs very closely for a sign of hatching! I wonder what will happen next. At Roebuck we are dinosaur egg hunters!

]]> Sat, 16 Sep 2023 23:11:51 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3934 <![CDATA[ Designing in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3926 This week the children in Reception have taken inspiration from a text called ‘On Sudden Hill’. In the text, two best friends make amazing objects out of cardboard boxes. The children have enjoyed listening to the story and being creative! The children have made some amazing objects out of recycled cardboard boxes and other recycling. They began by first designing their model and labelling it and then set about building it using all the skills they had been taught this year. They impressed their teachers with their designs and how well they joined different materials together. Once completed the children wrote sentences about their creations. So far, the children have made some fantastic models including a bus, a jet pack, cars and even a helipad and helicopter! We are looking forward to seeing some more creations next week. Well done, Reception! At Roebuck we are designers!

]]> Sat, 8 Jul 2023 11:29:50 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3926 <![CDATA[ Caterpillar find in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3923 At the beginning of this half-term the children were very excited to find caterpillars in their classrooms! The children have been fascinated to watch the caterpillars grown ten times their original size! We then observed the caterpillars form a chrysalis and waited patiently for our caterpillars to finally emerge as butterflies. We have spent the last few days observing the butterflies in their tent, and today we set them free. We had a lovely time watching the butterflies leave their tent and fly away to start their life cycle all over again! At Roebuck, we are scientists!

]]> Sun, 25 Jun 2023 10:36:13 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3923 <![CDATA[ Marvellous Me in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3917 This week in Reception the children have been introduced to our new exciting topic 'Marvellous Me!' The children have shared with one another photos of themselves as a baby and enjoyed guessing who the baby photo belongs to. We have discussed the human life cycle and reflected on how each of them has changed since they were a baby. We also drew self portraits and wrote sentences about how we have changed since we were born. These are all proudly on display in our classrooms.  Another highlight this week has been the delivery of our own caterpillars. We are very excited to learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly and watch the change first hand.  What a super busy week it has been! In Reception we are super learners!

]]> Sun, 11 Jun 2023 13:38:13 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3917 <![CDATA[ New water topic in reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3911 This week the children in Oak and Willow class have learnt about the importance of looking after the world's oceans and its many sea creatures. As part our 'Water' topic, we have explored what pollution means and how pollution has a negative impact on the environment and sea creatures. We have learnt that when the ocean is a happy place, sea creatures thrive and grow but when it is a dirty place sea creatures may die out. The children have enjoyed sorting different types of recycling and finding out how plastic is ruining our oceans. The children have also created their own individual 'Seascapes' and used a variety of different art techniques. At Roebuck we are environmentalists and artists!

]]> Thu, 11 May 2023 20:54:12 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3911 <![CDATA[ Splash in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3904 This week the children in Reception have started to think about our new exciting topic for this half term 'Splash!' On Monday we kicked off our new topic by learning all about water, how we use it, where you would find it and how you can travel on it. We decided to focus our learning this week on finding out about different sea creatures. We loved watching different video clips of amazing sea creatures and used non-fiction books to find out about different sea creatures. The children then put their artistic skills to work by creating their own individual sea creature which we added to our class display.  At Roebuck Academy we are artists!

]]> Sat, 22 Apr 2023 15:35:55 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3904 <![CDATA[ Latest news in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3900 It has been another busy week in Reception. The children have been preparing for our Mothers Day assembly, singing songs and practising their lines. The children have been learning all about planting sunflower seeds and have planted their very own sunflower seed to give to their mummy's for Mothers Day. Thank you to all the parents that attended our assembly, we could tell the children were super excited to share their special gift with you and tell you why they loved you so much. At Roebuck we are grateful! 

]]> Fri, 24 Mar 2023 23:24:22 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3900 <![CDATA[ Science day in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3889 This week in Reception is Science week. The children took part in science experiment where we placed gingerbread man into different substances and the children observed how they changed over time. The substances included cooking oil, vinegar, water and milk. The children made a prediction about what would happen to the gingerbread man in each substance. We measured our substances to pour over the gingerbread man. Using a timer, we made observations every ten minutes and recorded the results. The children were very excited to watch the changes over time. At Roebuck we are Scientists! 

]]> Sun, 12 Mar 2023 19:53:37 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3889 <![CDATA[ Exploring London in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3879 This week the children have been exploring London through the text, All aboard the London Bus! Each day the children have role played boarding a London bus, including having their ticket punched by the conductor and travelling to a different part of London. The children have enjoyed exploring Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Underground, London Bridge and finally The Tower of London to see the crown jewels. As part of our learning the children have created their own London Bus and wrote independent sentences about travelling on a London Bus, remembering to use capital letters, finger spaces and full stops! Well done, Reception. At Roebuck we are writers!

]]> Sun, 12 Feb 2023 14:26:31 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3879 <![CDATA[ Chinese New Year ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3868 This week in Reception, we have been very excited to learn about the Lunar New Year and welcomed in The Year of the Rabbit. On Monday, we had an experience day where we took part in lots of different activities based on the Lunar New Year. The children learned dance moves using features of the Lunar New Year such as fans, fireworks and lanterns. The children were very creative and made their own lanterns which they decorated and put up in our classrooms. We also learned about the different types of food eaten in China and throughout the week the children made their very own noodle stir fry. At Roebuck we are Chefs!

]]> Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:02:29 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3868 <![CDATA[ Let's Explore in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3862 This week the children have been very excited about our new topic 'Let's Explore'. We began our new topic by exploring our local area and created a mind map of what makes Stevenage special. We identified lots of places including, the football stadium, the cinema, the shops, the theatre, Marks and Spencer's, Fairlands Park and many more! We then looked at some photographs that had been taken in and around Stevenage and tried our hardest to recognise where they were taken. We also used Google Earth to zoom into the school and different places around Stevenage. The children all enjoyed contributing to a class display of our local area and made different types of homes, shops and buildings. During our CIL time, some children have been busy writing independently about what they see in our local area. What a fun week it has been! At Roebuck we are geographers! 

]]> Sat, 14 Jan 2023 18:57:27 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3862 <![CDATA[ Christmas in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3857 It is officially Christmas time in Reception! We have been busy over the last few weeks getting ready for Christmas. The children have all performed in our Christmas Nativity, Whoops-A-Daisy-Angel and all excelled at learning their lines, songs and actions, including how to sign using Makaton. We are so proud of all the children and applaud them for all their hard work and enthusiasm in making our Christmas Nativity such a special one. The children also made the most of the snowy weather this week. We wrapped up warm and worked together to build a fantastic snowman. The children also enjoyed making patterns in the snow using sticks and loved making snow angels. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the parents and carers for attending our Nativity and for all your support this term. Happy Christmas from all of us!

]]> Mon, 19 Dec 2022 11:26:03 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3857 <![CDATA[ Jack and the Jelly Beanstalk in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3849 This week in Literacy, we have been reading 'Jack and the Jelly Beanstalk'. Grandma Fantastic has been giving the children some tricky words, but the children have been using their robot arms to sound them out amazingly. We have been describing the taste of jellybeans and was even able to taste some to give us some ideas. The children came up with words like 'sticky, sweet, tasty, yummy, gooey'. We based our art lesson on their Literacy book this week and made our very own beanstalk. The children were brilliant at following instructions and were really pleased of their beanstalk artwork. 

]]> Sun, 4 Dec 2022 12:44:02 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3849 <![CDATA[ Delicious in Reception. ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3840 Our topic this half term is 'Delicious' and in our literacy lessons the children have been looking at recipe books and learning about the features of non-fiction texts. We have been writing a set of instructions for a Chocolate Mug Cake and of course once we had done this, we had to make the Mug Cake! The children were fantastic at following our set of instructions, and all agreed our cake was delicious! 

]]> Mon, 21 Nov 2022 18:25:30 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3840 <![CDATA[ Bonfire night in Reception ]]> https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3831 This week has been a busy one in Reception with lots of different activities going on. A highlight this week has been learning about Bonfire Night and when it is celebrated. We learnt that we celebrate Bonfire Night because in 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes and his friends decided to try and blow up the English government, along with King James 1. We celebrate to remember his plot failed with fireworks. We made our own firework pictures and challenged ourselves to use our phonics to write 'explosion' words like 'bang, fizz, twirl and pop'. In Reception we are 'writers!'

]]> Sun, 6 Nov 2022 17:54:46 GMT https://www.roebuck.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=44&nid=4&storyid=3831