Toy Stories

This term, our topic is ‘Toys’ and we have a lot of exciting activities planned.

In history we will be looking at how toys have changed over time. This will include comparing toys from the present day to those in the past, learning about toys our grandparents played with and finding out about toys from the Victorian times.

In DT we will continue with our focus on toys by exploring how sliders and levers work in moving picture books. We will then be designing and creating our own books to share with the reception children.

In art we will start the first part of the term by doing some printing work based on Japanese cherry blossom. This will involve looking at the work of artists Katsushika Hokusai and Damien Hirst. For the second part of the term we shall be doing some observational drawings of toys.

Science

In science we will be learning about everyday materials and their properties. We will be working scientifically to;

• distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made

• identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock

• describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials

(hard, soft, strong, weak, absorbent, heavy, light, solid and runny, smooth and rough)

• compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties

Reminders

PE Kits: Please bring PE kits into school on Monday mornings and take them home to wash after school on a Friday. We will have a mixture of indoor and outdoor PE lessons so please ensure your child's PE kit is appropriate for all weathers.

Water bottles, reading records and reading books should be in school everyday.

Please ensure that all items (including lunch boxes, spare clothes and water bottles) are named as this will help us to know who they belong to and return them to their owners. In Year 1, children might have occasional toileting accidents, this is why we encourage you to put some spare clothes in your child’s bag.

Home learning project

For your home learning project this term I would like you to choose 1 of the activities below to complete and then bring into school by Friday 27th May.

• Option 1- Can you write a story about when your toys come to life? Think about ‘Toy Story’ for inspiration. What do your toys get up to while you are at school?

• Option 2 - Interview a grandparent or older relative/friend about toys they played with when they were younger. E.g. toys they played with, their favourite toy, how it worked, what was it made from. Write down what they told you to share with the class.

• Option 3 - Design your own board game or toy. Take a picture or bring it in to show the class.