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Reception Class Page 2025-2026

Reception Class Topics and Activities 25-26
 
Welcome to Reception!
Watch this space for updates on topic overviews and activities children have enjoyed taking part in throughout the year!
Summer 2 Topic Map YR Magnificent Machines 2026.pdf
Growing and Changing
Reception have enjoyed another busy half term with lots of creatures visiting the class this month. Everyone loved starting the term with our 'Living Eggs' project and were delighted to watch first-hand as they grew and changed enormously over just two weeks. Our exploration of 'life cycles' has continued with the arrival of tadpoles, caterpillars and even planting our own seeds and 'magic beans'. In PSED we even had fun sharing photos of ourselves as babies and toddlers to see how much we have grown and changed over time! We've recorded the changes we've seen in diaries and through Art and enjoyed retelling a range of stories through drama, small world play and story maps. We were delighted to end the term by releasing our newly hatched butterflies back into the wild, ready to start a new life cycle all over again.
 
Shepreth Wildlife Park
Reception enjoyed a fantastic trip out to Shepreth in the last week of half term and had great fun spotting a whole variety of animals around the park. We were lucky to see the Armadillo running in and out of his home and delighted to spot the Red Panda out and about alongside the Capybara enclosure (complete with babies)!! We learnt about all the different foods the animals like to eat and enjoyed spying the fruit bats nibbling on a bit of lunch (although it was a bit dark!!). We were also interested to see how so many different animals, just like us, grow and change as they get bigger! It was important to read - and follow - the signs around the park to keep us safe, but there were lots of maps (and grown ups!) around to help us too! During our 'welly walk' with one of the park keepers we were excited to be able to touch some of the fur from lots of different animals that he'd collected from around the park whilst cleaning out their homes - it felt just like we were stroking the real animals, they were so soft! Lunchtime and playtime in the park were popular times too and gave us just enough energy to visit our favourite animals one last time before heading back on the coach to school. Well done everyone!!
Chick Watch 2026
For updates on our 'Living Eggs' project, please take a look at our 'Chick Watch 2026' page here. 
Summer 1 Topic Map YR Growing and Changing 2026.pdf
Shelford Holy Week
Throughout Shelford Holy Week Reception have enjoyed learning about how different people mark and celebrate Easter. We enjoyed taking part in our own Easter Egg hunts, games and trails, then used a variety of art techniques including 'shaving foam marbling' to create our own cards, gifts and baskets. A highlight of the week was a trip to St.Mary's church for a workshop led by Victoria Goodman where everyone was entranced by a beautiful retelling of the story before engaging in some more craft activities to remember the different parts of the story. At the end of the week Reception were accompanied by their Year 6 buddies to walk to All Saints church in Little Shelford for our annual Easter service led by Year 5 and were able to follow the story told after everything they'd learnt during the week. 
Shelford STEM Week
To celebrate Shelford STEM Week this week, Reception have been finding out about lots of different STEM related jobs and exploring how they can develop their skills to be just like them.
On Monday we were creative, collaborative and resilient CIVIL ENGINEERS designing and building 'elephant islands' after sharing a focus story called Elephant Island by Leo Timmers where the island was destroyed by a big storm!
On Tuesday we observed over time whilst engaged in a 'Skittlescope' experiment to discover how ARTISTS can also be scientists by mixing colours and water to create patterns and designs then recorded what we saw using words and pictures.
At Forest School we worked like ARBORISTS to investigate the trees in our woodland and used them to work collaboratively to complete a range of different challenges. We were careful to take notice of what we saw and shared our ideas through art, construction work and role play.
On Wednesday we were fascinated to learn more about the job of DENTISTS and all about how to keep our teeth healthy. Afterwards we used our senses to look closely at our own teeth and record what we saw by creating our own playdough 'teeth' models, finding things which were similar or different between each other.
On Thursday everyone had great fun becoming MAGNET ENGINEERS and demonstrated how curious they were exploring how magnets can be used in different machines (like No-Bot the Robot!), creative when they used magnets in their designs and observant as they looked closely at what magnets can do.
On Friday lots of children enjoyed being a VOLCANOLOGIST when we worked together to see what happened when a volcano erupted by re-enacting the explosion using our very own volcano designs and vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. We couldn't believe how they just kept on erupting over and over again (just like some real volcanoes) and can't wait to repeat the experiment at home!
World Book Day 2026
Reception enjoyed a wonderful first 'World Book Day' at Shelford school today and had fun dressing up as their favourite characters and parading around the field to see everyone else in the school too. Throughout the day we had lots of fun engaging in a range of story activities from reading with our Y3 buddies to storytelling on the field, recreating some of our favourite book characters in Art and cooking up a host of delicious treats for a World Book Day picnic in the mud kitchen and outdoors. What an exciting day we had!
Yuck or Yummy?!
This half term Reception have enjoyed engaging in a variety of activities based around the theme of 'food'. We have explored stories like 'Handa's Surprise', 'The Runaway Chapatti' and 'The Gingerbread Man' and had fun tasting different food from around the world as well as exploring which types of food are healthy or unhealthy choices. We've also had fun making our own food (both real and imaginary) with our 'Giant Jam Sandwiches' being a firm favourite for lots of the class!
During PSED and Science week we linked our healthy eating focus to 'healthy bodies' and focused hard on learning about our teeth and how to look after them. 
Spring 2 Topic Map YR Yuck or Yummy 2026.pdf
Wellbeing Week
Reception enjoyed marking Shelford Wellbeing Week by taking part in daily activities for each of our 5 steps to Wellbeing.
Be Active - We always enjoy our weekly PE sessions and activities
Take Notice - We enjoyed looking for signs of spring at Forest School
Keep Learning - We had fun learning about how to stay safe when using technology
Connect - We welcomed children from Rainbows and Year 3 into our classroom to connect with others across the school.
Give - We ran super hard to raise money in our Shelford Laps challenge and enjoyed making cards and presents for friends and family.
Our Library Trip
Reception enjoyed a super trip out to the local library today. We enjoyed exploring all the different areas of the library and learnt where to look for our favourite books and resources. The librarian read us a super story and then we had fun sharing and choosing some stories of our own to check out and take home. 
It's Freezing
This half term we have had lots of fun learning about The Arctic and Antarctica and comparing life in these 'freezing places' to our own experiences at home. We loved sharing what we'd learnt about polar animals through art, sculpture and stories and enjoyed pretending to be explorers ourselves getting ready for expeditions to the Polar Regions. 
When it's been a bit chilly outside, we've found lots of ways of 'keeping warm' and looking after the environment by engaging in a variety of activities including making 'bird feeders' at Forest School to help look after wildlife during the winter months. 
Take a look below to see what else we've been up to!
Spring 1 Topic Map YR It's Freezing 2026.pdf
Christmas at Shelford
We had lots of fun learning about and celebrating the Christian festival of Christmas by taking in part in assemblies with the whole school as well as inviting visitors in to teach us more. Everyone was intrigued to learn about how different people across the world celebrate Christmas and enjoyed taking part in a range of activities to mark this special time of year. Take a look below to see what we got up to!!
Tell me a Story
This half term Reception have enjoyed exploring a range of stories, some new, some old to explore a range of different festivals at home and around the world. We learnt about lots of different festivals of 'light' including Hanukah, Diwali and Bonfire Night and had fun developing our skills to retell the tales we shared through art, role play and writing. What busy bees we have been!!
Autumn 2 Topic Map YR Tell Me A Story 2025.pdf
Settling in
We are very proud of the way our new Reception children have settled into school so quickly, well done! Everyone has been hard at work exploring all the different areas of our classroom, having fun playing indoors and out, with the paints, marble run, train track, home corner, cars, dressing up and much much more!!!
Take a look below at some of the fun they had getting to know each other during their first few days at school. At the end of the week, the children had the opportunity to meet their Year 6 buddies, share a book and play some games together to get to know each other in preparation for them helping Reception children when staying for lunch! 
Autumn 1 Topic Map YR Marvellous Me 2025.pdf