Livingstone Primary & Nursery School WK3 MAY 2026

This week in Nursery, we have been reading and retelling the story We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. The children thoroughly enjoyed joining in with the repeated phrases and actions from the story.

We have been very creative with our artwork, using natural materials such as potatoes and pears to make bear footprints. The children have also been developing their vocabulary by using exciting language from the story, including phrases like “tall wavy grass” and “thick oozy mud” to describe different elements from the adventure.

The children became little explorers this week by creating their own binoculars using junk modelling materials. They loved using their imaginations during our role play activities and adventures.

Although we have said goodbye to our real butterflies, the children have continued their fascination with them by exploring how our metal butterflies can “fly” using magnets. We have also continued investigating minibeasts and discovering where they live.

During our discussions about seasons and animals, the children learned that bears are no longer hibernating because it is now springtime. They are awake again and looking for food!

In Phonics, we have been learning the sounds /g/ for girl and /p/ for pirate.

Talking homework

Go on your own “bear hunt” walk and talk about what you can see, hear, and feel outdoors.

Look for minibeasts together and discuss where they might live.Practise the sounds g and p by finding objects beginning with these sounds at home.

Talk about springtime animals and discuss why bears no longer hibernate in spring.

On Monday, the children arrived to discover that a giant beanstalk had appeared in the classroom over the weekend, along with some huge glittery footprints leading from the beanstalk and out of the room! This created lots of excitement and sparked plenty of discussion about who — or what — could have been there.

This led us perfectly into our new fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. Throughout the week, the children have enjoyed writing stories and captions based on the story, planting their own beans, and observing a bean growing roots in a glass jar. We have been learning about what plants need to grow big and strong and how we can help take care of them. Some children also shared all the wonderful fruit and vegetables they are planting and growing at home — it sounds like there will be lots of fruit salads over the summer!

We have also been looking at real castles in the UK and the children have enjoyed building their own castles using the construction resources in the classroom. Some children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their own experiences of visiting castles, including the Tower of London. Sophie even taught Mrs Feshias something new when she explained that she had visited Corfe Castle in Dorset — she taught us that this was the inspiration behind the mighty Kirrin Castle in the Famous Five books!

In maths, we have been exploring measuring using non- standard units. We measured beanstalks, giant footprints, different items around the classroom and even ourselves!

We are looking forward to next week when we will be reading the alternative version, Jack and the Jelly Beanstalk. I wonder what adventures this story will lead us on!

Due to SATs week, our phonics sessions have looked a little different this week. Because of this, the children have not yet had the chance to read their new phonics books in class, so we will change these next week.

Talking Homework Ideas:

• Talk about what plants need to grow and see what plants you can spot.
• Retell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk together. Can your child remember the beginning, middle and end?
• Count and compare different objects at home using non- standard units, such as “How many blocks long is the sofa?”
• Talk about foods that grow from plants.
• Imagine you found a giant beanstalk in your garden — where do you think it would lead?

This week’s awards go to Varian for his fantastic plant knowledge and for describing oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange as “trading” between plants and humans!

And Sophie for teaching us that Corfe Castle in Dorset inspired Kirrin Castle in the Famous Five books!

This week in Maths, we have been continuing with our learning about fractions. We have identified the meaning and difference between a unit fraction and a non-unit fraction as well as recognising that a half is equivalent to two-quarters. In English, we have been writing our own versions of the traditional tale The Three Little Pigs by changing key features such as the characters and an alternative ending. In the afternoons, we have started our Science unit about Plants and how they grow from seeds and bulbs. We also went on a hunt around the outdoor pond area for minibeasts and we presented our results using a tally and a bar graph.

Homework

Maths - pages 93 and 94 (Optional extra page 95)

Grammar/Spelling - see photocopied sheets

The first achievement award is to Leo for his participation in exploring nature to find a variety of mini beasts in science.

The second achievement award is to Melisa for writing an excellent alternative version of a traditional tale in English.

Our week began by dissecting lilies to identify the different parts of the flower, which the pupils found fascinating. We then continued to learn about the pollination process and the life-cycle of a plant. In maths, we used several strategies to add and subtract pounds and pence. We really enjoyed looking at all of the different currencies your children brought in, so thank you! We continued to learn the features of an informal letter in our English lessons and look forward to our long write next week.

Homework:

Maths: p.94 and 95 (96 is optional)

English - finish off the Progress Check in comprehension - p.34 and 35

Our achievement award this week goes to Isaac for his excellent description of a beach in our English lessons. Well done you!

This week in Maths, the children learned about translation, symmetry and reflection. Some of them found it difficult, so I recommend this White Rose Maths video to help if your child needs it: https://vimeo.com/434627078

In English, they practised writing speech and complex sentences with -ing/-ed subordinate clauses ready for writing narratives next week.

In Science, they learned about the reproductive parts of flowers and different ways a plant can be pollinated (including insect and wind pollination).

Homework due by Weds 20th May

Maths: pages 100 and 101 (reflection and symmetry)

Grammar: pages 62 and 63 (punctuating speech)

Brain Boosters (optional): summer 1 tasks due

This week's awards go to Milo for always being hard- working, sensible and an excellent role model for his peers, and to Renee for excellent direct speech in English. Well done, you two!

This week in Maths we have been learning all about fractions. We have been developing our conceptual understanding of something being divided into equal parts. We have explored this through visuals and practical resources.

In English, we wrote simile poems based on Summer. We tried hard to think of comparisons that would help build descriptions for the reader. We enjoyed performing these for our class.