Our year 1 children finished and celebrated the end of a very successful term in style with their very own 'Beach' Party!  Miss Newens and I were so impressed with the children’s enthusiastic approach to the Geography topic, ‘Barnaby Bear at the Seaside,’ that we invited our classes to a themed party!  However, as we have very high expectations of the children, we allowed the children to tailor their very own party, as they planned the food, party games, music and decorations within their literacy lessons. 

We were delighted with the actual party day and felt that the children did is all proud!  I think you will agree, we know how to have fun in year 1 and the ideas/views of our children are always celebrated and noticed! 

The party organisation was taken care of throughout the week during our Literacy lessons.  One particular lesson was a ‘chefs master class’, where the children all made their very own ‘little fishy’ cake to eat on the party day!   By following and listening to instructions carefully our 5-6 year olds, created a tasty treat to be proud of!

The dress code for the party was ‘Bright and Bold’ colourful clothing!  Our children had the sense to realise during their planning that flimsy beach clothing was not really appropriate/practical so late in the term.  What a smart bunch of children!

Our classrooms looked spectacular after the children had set to work creating bright paper chains, fish collages and an assortment of ‘seaside’ decorations!

Party games included: pin the tail on the donkey, a treasure hunt, musical beach ball, a mermaid piñata, musical statues and a surf/dancing competition.

Following the party games the fantastic ‘spread’ of food was a real hit with the children.  The table of food not only looked amazing, it also tasted scrumptious!

In line with the children’s idea, we organised chips to be delivered from the chip shop and they were served wrapped in paper in order to provide an authentic feel!  Many thanks to our amazing team of T.A.’s who helped to fetch the chips and supervise throughout the party celebrations.  We are truly lucky to have such a dedicated team, who go that extra mile to make year 1 an enjoyable experience for the children.  

But it was not just the year 1 team who contributed to our special day.  A huge thank you is also reserved for Miss Newens’s mum who arranged a surprise cake for the children.  We were delighted with the special treat and it really heightened the party spirit!

Thank you for a wonderful start to year 1!  We are looking forward to the prospect of our new topic, ’How are toys different from those in the past?’  We will certainly keep you posted on the activities we complete!

Mrs Vaughan