Unicorn Class Blog                    Term 3 Week 3             Week Commencing 19th January  2026

This week we have been learning about Lunar New Year, which is a celebration marking the start of a new year on the Lunisolar calendar. We learnt that the date changes from year to year depending on the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar. This year it is on the 17th of February, this is when we will be on our school holiday. We enjoyed learning about how different families celebrate Lunar New Year, such as cleaning and decorating their homes, getting together with family and friends, having special meals, giving red money envelopes and sometimes presents. Some children made comments comparing this to Christmas celebrations. We used our careful cutting skills to make lanterns to decorate our classroom. We enjoyed trying prawn crackers and spring rolls. We used salt dough to make prawn crackers, dumplings and spring rolls and made noodles out of wool for our home corner. 

We enjoyed listening and discussing the Chinese Zodiac story of the great race and how the 12 animals got a year named after them. We learnt that this year it is the year of the horse. We enjoyed using the small world to recall the key characters and events. The stickle bricks and junk modelling were used to make boats for some of the animals. On the playground and during our hall time we had fun taking part in a range of races. 

Outside we have also enjoyed playing in the mud kitchen, using flowers and rainwater to make soups, potions and special drinks. We have also enjoyed using the rain water to wash vehicles, finding sticks to make boats and explore sinking and floating. We enjoyed playing ‘Hide and Seek’, ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’, climbing on the climbing frame and making dens. 

Our maths focus this week has been counting, ordering numbers and linking numerals to amounts. We did this during counting songs, during snack, using five and ten frames and using the animals from the ‘Great Race’ story.

During phonics this week we have continued to enjoy looking at and noticing rhyming in books, making silly soup, making voice sounds, learning the words and actions to our Alphabet chant. We have been learning the letters ‘t’ (Tap the tall tower) and ‘p’ (Peek at the proud parrot). The patter we use when writing the grapheme ‘t’ is ‘Down the tower, lift and cross’ and ‘p’ is ‘From head to tail and then right round the parrot.’ We practiced writing ‘t’ and ‘p’ letters using chalks, pens, pencils and our magic fingers.

This week we enjoyed creating another story during our Tales for Toolkit time. This week the story involved a little pig called Monster Truck, short spikey green grass, a big dinosaur who had sharp teeth, sharp claws and big horns, and a little bottle that saved the day. 

Painting, sand and water play, using the home corner, building with magnetic tiles, Mobillo, marble run, stickle bricks, and making roads and ramps have all been popular this week.

Next week we will continue to learn about Lunar New Year, make a dragon’s head, musical instruments and take part in a dragon dancing parade.

If you have any empty yoghurt pots or small containers please may you be able to bring these in.

If you have any pants or socks that have outgrown your child please may we have these for spares as we are very short on these. 

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

Best wishes

Mrs Fenwick