Reception - The Hippos: Blog items
Planting, by Mrs Upton
Date: 30th Apr 2026 @ 3:33pm
We have made a planting area outdoors - let's see if anything starts to grow next week! Enjoy the bank holiday and we will see you on Tuesday 😊
Parents in Class, by Mrs Upton
Date: 28th Apr 2026 @ 3:40pm
It was lovely to see parents and grandparents in class today, sharing a history lesson. We learned that history is things that have happened in the past. We read a story 'Once There Were Giants' and talked about how we have gone from being a baby, to a toddler, to now being a child. We learned that looking at photographs is one way of peering into the past.
A Visit from Farmer Holly!, by Mrs Upton
Date: 28th Apr 2026 @ 3:36pm
Farmer Holly cam yesterday to show us some bank chicks and lambs. We learned about what they could do straight away and what they needed help from their mummy for. We loved holding the chicks and stroking the lambs!
The Life Cycle of a Frog, by Mrs Upton
Date: 23rd Apr 2026 @ 3:51pm
We have had a fun filled week and enjoyed a bit of sunshine!
This week, we have learned about the life cycle of a frog. We enjoyed drawing our own lifecycles and had fun activities in class to help us remember it.
Outdoors, we loved problem solving with the water. We had to figure out how to move the water, to get the boats from the water tray to the bucket.
We have also read 'The Dot'. This story helped us to see that if we want to get better at something, it takes practice!
Homework will be sent out tomorrow. Have a lovely weekend!
Butterfly Lifecycles and More!, by Mrs Upton
Date: 16th Apr 2026 @ 3:48pm
As part of our 'Round and Round the Garden' topic, we have enjoyed planting cress seeds- we can't wait to see them grow!
We have continued focusing this week on The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We changed to story to make it about us and tried so hard with our writing.
We have also enjoyed making the butterfly lifecycle using different types of pasta - see if we can tell you about the different stages!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Mrs Upton
Date: 14th Apr 2026 @ 4:19pm
This week, we are sharing the story 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. We have enjoyed making repeating patterns with beads to make little caterpillars, used playdough to make caterpillars of different lengths, practiced our pencil control, and wrote lists of the different food the caterpillar ate. We have learned a song about the caterpillar lifecycle - see if we can sing it for you at home!
Easter Bonnet Parade, by Mrs Upton
Date: 26th Mar 2026 @ 3:46pm
What a great effort from our hippos! Thank you to everyone that got involved in the Easter bonnet competition - they were all fantastic!
Happy Easter!, by Mrs Upton
Date: 26th Mar 2026 @ 3:42pm
What a lovely week we have enjoyed! We have learned about the Easter story and made our own booklets about it to share with you at home. We loved taking part in the Easter bonnet parade. We've made crispie cakes and Easter cards and this afternoon, we took part in a lovely Easter service at the church. Well done on a busy but fun week...Happy Easter everyone!
Journey Sticks, by Mrs Upton
Date: 19th Mar 2026 @ 3:43pm
As part of our Geography, "Exploring Maps', we made journey sticks. On our way to the park, we picked up things we found and stuck them on our sticks. We had a great time and it was a perfect day for the park!
London Landmarks, by Mrs Upton
Date: 17th Mar 2026 @ 3:02pm
This week, we have read Katie Goes to London. We are going to look at how London is different to Longton. If you or your child have visited London nd have any photos of you sight seeing, please send them in so we can discuss them!
Thank you!
Mrs Upton
Marvellous Maths, by Mrs Upton
Date: 11th Mar 2026 @ 12:23pm
This week, we are exploring the composition of 7. We have worked out which 2 numbers we can add together to make 7. Understanding number bonds is crucial to support calculations as we get older!
World Book Day, by Mrs Upton
Date: 5th Mar 2026 @ 3:37pm
What a fun day we have had! We loved creating a whole school story about Winnie the Pooh and drawing and writing about our favourite Winnie the Pooh characters.
Our costumes were amazing - what a great effort from everyone!
Outdoor Badge, by Mrs Upton
Date: 4th Mar 2026 @ 3:32pm
We have been working towards our Outdoors badge this afternoon and enjoying the sunshine! We have made decorations for our outdoor area.
Mary Anning, by Mrs Upton
Date: 12th Feb 2026 @ 3:44pm
Today we learned about Mary Anning and the incredible fossils she discovered. We have made our own dinosaur eye fossils using clay.
The children have their All About Me books ready in their bags ready for their half term news to be shared. I hope you all have a lovely break.
Mrs.Upton 😀
100 Years of Longton Primary School, by Mrs Upton
Date: 10th Feb 2026 @ 3:52pm
Yesterday, the Hippos enjoyed celebrating our special birthday by playing traditional childhood games. We enjoyed Stuck in the Mud, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Hopscotch, hoop games, skipping ropes, chalk boards, dominoes and Duck, Duck, Goose. We were especially good at congratulating others when they won. We also looked at photos of our school and Longton, from many years ago. What a fun day!
Note for Parents, by Mrs Upton
Date: 4th Feb 2026 @ 3:23pm
Just a reminder it is Hippo's class assembbly tomorrow morning in the hall. Please drop your child off as normal, then make your way round to the office. Please remind your child how excited you are to see what they have been learning about and remind them how important it is to sit smartly on the stage!
We are working hard on working as a group to tidy up and how important it is that we all play a part in doing it. Please could you support us by encouraging good tidying up at home and please send in some WOW cards about this if they are doing a good job so that we can celebrate it - it needs some attention at the minute!
Thanks so much for your continued support.
Mrs Upton
Taboo the Dinosaur, by Mrs Upton
Date: 3rd Feb 2026 @ 4:28pm
We were very excited to welcome a new visitor today into Reception. His name is Taboo. He had a note with him, he is lost!
Whilst we find out where he belongs, we need to look after him. The children had so many good ideas about how we should look after a baby dinosaur - see if your child can tell you what they were!
We found out that he was a tricerotops and that they are herbivores, so some of the children went to forage food for him, whilst others took care of him with lots of strokes and cuddles.
Lets see what tomorrow brings!
Lost and Found and Lots of Learning!, by Mrs Upton
Date: 22nd Jan 2026 @ 3:49pm
We have been reading Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers this week. The children have been drawing and labelling what they would pack in their suitcase if they were travelling to the South Pole.
In Maths, we have been focusing on the composition of 5. It's so important to help them understand how we can make 5 in different ways - it really supports their Maths fluency as they move through the school. We have used the stem sentence '5 is made of ___ and ___'. See if your child can tell you different ways they know of making 5! Their homework is further work on the composition of numbers to 5.
To support their Maths, we have been building homes for the animals using sugar cubes. The children have seen how many animals they can fit inside. This is great for developing spatial awareness and of course, for counting. It also develops fine motor skills, as well as being lots of fun!
In our PSHE, we have talked about what we put into our bodies. We focused on safety in the home, including medicines and cleaning products. The children were so sensible and really helped Harold the Giraffe to understand that he should always ask a grown up for help.
How Can We Melt The Ice and Free The Animals?, by Mrs Upton
Date: 20th Jan 2026 @ 4:23pm
Today we were scientists, trying to find out the best way to melt ice and free the animals!
We had such amazing ideas. We decided to try out 6 different ways:
- Hot water (have no fear, it was only warm)!
- Put it on the radiator.
- Put it in the sun.
- Shine a torch light on it.
- Pour salt on it.
- Smash the ice to pieces.
Ask your child which one worked the quickest!
Homework, by Mrs Upton
Date: 15th Jan 2026 @ 4:55pm
This week has been such a special lmilestone for the school. We would love for you to share your school stories with your children - what do you remember from your school days? What about other family members? The children might choose to share these stories with us during circle time.
Please could we also have your support in practising name writing. Please help your child to form each of their letters correctly, they write their name so many times and it's great to get them in good habits! As a challenge for those who already can, try writing their surname too!
Thanks to all the parents who let us know how they were getting on with post-it notes and rainbow words!
Amazing Animals Fun!, by Mrs Upton
Date: 15th Jan 2026 @ 4:14pm
What a lovely week we have had!
We shared the story 'Owl Babies' with the children and have enjoyed a whole host of learning activities with it. We have made nests with playdough, created owls using 2D shapes and enjoyed reading books with torches in our dark den.
In phonics,we have moved onto Phase 4 and are looking at cosonant clusters. The children are trying so hard and they are making super progress!
In Maths, we have been focusing on what 1 more looks like, using the numberblocks and we have created our own 'staircase' patterns using coloured squares.
We looked at what is safe to put on our bodies in PSHE and the children offered great suggesstions as a group.
We have also enjoyed a lovely afternoon celebrating a very special milestone...100 years of Longton Primary School! The children sang nursery rhymes in front of the school and our local MP, Paul Foster, alongside our school governors. They were amazing and we are very proud of our Hippo Tribe!
You can now read our Spring 1 letter on our class page, which will give you all the information about what we are learning this half term.
Christmas is coming!, by Mrs Thomson
Date: 14th Dec 2025 @ 7:57pm
I thought I would share some of our Christmas special moments! I hope you enjoy sharing these special pictures with your hippo super star!
We will be sending home lots of art and craft projects this week. Some items are very fragile so we will send things home a little at a time each afternoon so they arrive home in one piece.
All about me books - please add one or two pages over the Christmas and New Year break (some ideas - a photograph, a special christmas card or a picture with a label of their favourite gift)
Thank you
Barrister Lois Norris visits Longton, by Mr Pearson
Date: 9th Dec 2025 @ 10:40am
Ex pupil Barrister Lois Norris visited Longton on Monday 8th December to tell us about her journey to becoming a barrister and her exciting career. Lois informed the children and staff all about the court system and the differences between solicitors and barristers.
Lois inspired the children who asked a range of different questions.
The Heads Team then gave Lois a tour of the school, with Lois recalling find's memories of her past.
Thank you Lois for giving your time up to visit us and celebrate Longton Primary School's Centenary.
Super Scientists!, by Mrs Thomson
Date: 13th Nov 2025 @ 9:14pm
Today the children have been scientists exporing different objects in water. They have been looking at sinking and floating. We predicted but also tested each object and then created a log of our results.
If you have a spare minute please encourage the children to help with the washing up and test different materials and objects.
Thank you for your help and support with homework, reading, wow cards and phonics.
The children come in from their lunch time play each day to a quiet reading session (10 mins) where they can have a drink and relax after a busy playtime. They have been doing this now since the start of October and we are very proud of how well they are doing.They are enjoying their new books each day.
Every other Friday the Hippos meet with their year five buddy in the afternoon. The Hippos read their reading book to their buddy and look through their sound cards together. Our year five buddies also brought their reading books to read too. A lovely calm time together!
Happy Half Term!, by Mrs Thomson
Date: 28th Oct 2025 @ 8:46am
Some highlights from the final two weeks!
I wonder if your hippo can chat about what they were doing in the pictures?
(Diwali dancing, spooky writing den, hopscotch with numbers up to 10, story massage, story time with books and story maps, Diwali firework painting, creating a colour wheel, Diwali diva lamps, phonics, looking at my body and bones, visiting the library,Squigle and a wiggle)
