We’ve had a fantastic start to the new term in Barn Owls, full of creativity, exploration, and teamwork!
We began the term with Helen Cooper’s delightful story Pumpkin Soup, where Duck, Cat, and Squirrel learn that friendship matters more than routine. This tale sparked our pumpkin-themed activities.
Inspired by the story, we made our own “soup” in the garden kitchen using orange water and lentils — a sensory treat! Indoors, we crafted playful pumpkin faces with playdough and shapes, building fine motor skills and imagination. To continue with their fine motor and maths skills, the children hammered wooden golf tees into pumpkins to create shapes with elastic bands stretched around them.
To launch our new topic, the children worked together to create a vibrant rainbow display. It’s now brightening up our classroom and reminding us of the colours all around us.
There has been Maths in the Garden We’ve been busy with number recognition and matching games, hunting for numbered conkers and pairing them with tiles.
The children enjoyed a walk around the school grounds looking for signs of Autumn and having lots of fun playing and exploring with all the different leaves.
It’s been a brilliant first week, and we’re so proud of the Barn Owls for their enthusiasm and teamwork. Here’s to a colourful and curious term!

Week 2  Remembrance and Fireworks

This week the class have been learning why we wear poppies on Remembrance Day. We made our own handprint poppy paintings. We also created a class poppy wreath, which we sat around as we observed the two minutes' silence. Using a medal template, we designed our own medal and decided who we thought we could award them to for being brave and kind, just like the soldiers.

Lots of the Barn Owls had seen firework displays over the weekend. Using cardboard tubes dipped in paint, we made a firework picture, then added glitter on top for the explosion of sparklers!  Using 2D shapes, we created rockets and fireworks. Outside in the garden, with chalk, we made more firework pictures! 

Week 3 It Was a Cold Dark Night

This week in Barn Owls we’ve been reading 'It Was a Cold Dark Night' by Tim Hopgood, following Ned the hedgehog’s search for a winter home with help from woodland friends. Then he can hibernate. Inspired by the story, the children created their own animal homes and explored the world of nocturnal creatures.

Our creative activities included collecting and drying autumn leaves to design hedgehog artwork against a night sky. We also developed fine motor skills through peg-matching games and crafting hedgehogs by hammering golf tees into potatoes—skills that support writing, fastening coats, zips and using scissors.

Outdoor learning continued despite the chilly weather. Children sorted hedgehog-friendly foods (using plastic minibeasts) and enjoyed balancing games with bucket stilts, bats, and balls.