Welcome to Hound Tor Class

Miss Aldridge is our EYFS teacher and Mrs Atkins is our teaching assistant. We have a lovely classroom and outside area where we can do all of our learning. We love to read, play, explore and have an adventure. Please take a look at all of the things that we get up to each week. 

Spring

Week Ending 30th January

Hound Tor have had a great week full of learning and excitement. In phonics, we learnt the new sounds ear and er, and have been working hard to read our new tricky words sure and pure. The children really enjoyed using the Beebots, developing their early programming and problem-solving skills as they gave instructions and worked together to make the Beebots move in different directions. This was a lovely opportunity to practise turn-taking, teamwork and resilience. We also started our new book hook, Percy the Post Penguin, which captured the children’s interest straight away. This inspired lots of imaginative play and purposeful writing in provision, where the children wrote their own letters, talked about who they were for, and posted them into our post box. In RE, we have been learning about Easter and exploring the idea of new life. The children looked closely at Easter eggs and discussed what they represent, making thoughtful links to growth, change and new beginnings.

Week Ending 23rd January

We have had a very busy and exciting time in Hound Tor Class! In phonics, the children have been learning the sounds ur, ow, oi and ear. We have also been practising our new tricky words my, by and all. Please continue to practise these sounds and words at home to help build your child’s confidence and fluency.

As part of our learning, we have been explorers, going on our own journeys with our bags, compass and tent. The children have enjoyed exploring and learning about the continents and planets, sparking lots of curiosity and discussion. We have also been learning about animals that live in cold environments, focusing on the Arctic and Antarctic. The children have enjoyed discovering how different animals survive in these extreme climates.

Week ending 16th January

This week in Hound Tor, our learning has taken us to the Polar Regions! The children have been exploring the icy landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctica and learning about life in these extreme environments. In phonics, we have been practising the new sounds ar, or, oo (long) and oo (short). We have also introduced our new tricky words: was, they and you. Please continue to practise these at home by spotting them in books. The children have been learning all about the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton. They enjoyed discovering who he was, where he travelled and why his journey to Antarctica was so challenging. In maths, we have been developing our number skills by ordering numbers to 5 using practical resources. Keep up the fantastic work, Hound Tor.

Week Ending 9th January

This week, Hound Tor class have been busy learning the phonics sounds ai, ee, igh and oa. The children have been practising recognising and using these in their reading and writing. We have also started our exciting new topic, Explorers, where the children have been enjoying learning about what it means to explore. In Maths, we have been focusing on subitising, recognising amounts without counting. The children have practised this by matching numbers to actions, such as rolling a 5 on a dice and clapping 5 times, helping to build strong number sense in a fun and active way. Don't forget to read with your child as much as possible at home to support their learning and progress.

Autumn

Week Ending 5th December 2025

Hound Tor class have been very busy this week learning lots of new tricky words, counting objects to 5, retelling the story of Binny’s Diwali, thinking about what present Jesus would like and much much more. The children have really enjoyed the arrival of Sally, our classroom Elf. The children have been writing lots of lovely letters for Sally and Santa.

Week ending 27th November 2025

Hound Tor have had a lovely week learning new digraphs, tricky words, finding different ways to make 4 and going on a walk around the community looking for evergreen and deciduous trees. We collected some leaves and we used them in the provision. We also looked at our book hook text Binny’s Diwali. We drew a story map to help us remember the text.

Week Ending 21st November 2025

Hound Tor have been looking at their new book hook, Binny’s Diwali. We started the week looking at different materials, lights and patterns. The children really enjoyed the experience. In Maths, we have been working on wholes and parts. The children have been thinking about what is a whole and what is a part. For example, the whole is a cow and a part is the legs. We then looked at numbers to 5 and discussed our whole and parts. In Phonics, we have been learning lots of new tricky words and understanding why they are tricky as well as some new digraphs. Well done Hound Tor, you are working so hard.

Week Ending 14th November 2025

Hound Tor have been very busy this week learning all about AB patterns. The children have been using colours, shapes and natural objects to create an AB pattern. We have learnt lots of new tricky words and new sounds. We have been learning all about Remembrance Day and the meaning of the different coloured poppies.

Week Ending 7th November

Hound Tor class have come back to school really well this week after a lovely rest during half term. We have started to learn some new digraphs and tricky words. Please keep practicing their reading and phonics at home. We went on a community walk around Cornwood and had a little play in the park as a little treat. The children have been working really hard with their Maths and showing me all of the different ways to make five using their fingers.

Week Ending 24th October 2025

Hound Tor class have had a lovely week. We started the week dressing up. The children explained to the class why they chose the clothes that they did and what makes ‘me, me’. We also harvested the apples from our school garden and then made a very scrummy apple crumble as well as making a scarecrow. The children had fantastic ideas of what we would need to make the scarecrow and worked together as a team extremely well. The children have been practising their letter formation, phonics and subitising to five. Have a lovely half term. Keep up your reading and phonics.

Week Ending 17th October 2025

Hound Tor class have been working really hard on consolidating their new sounds, reading their reading books, creating a portrait, forming their names correctly and subitsing to 4. Thank you to all of the parents who attended the phonics workshop. I hope that you will agree that the children are working very hard. Please keep reading at home and don’t forget to keep practising your sounds and tricky words.

Week ending 10th October 2025

Hound Tor class have been very busy this week. We have finished all of our sounds for this half term and we will be revising them over the next two weeks. The children had a new tricky word this week which was ‘the’. We have been practising writing our names, drawing story maps and finding objects that are 3 or 4. The children are using fantastic vocabulary when they are describing the shape in their maths lessons. Keep up the great work, Hound Tor.

Week Ending 3rd October 2025

This week, Hound Tor Class have been very busy looking at photographs of themselves as a baby and seeing if they can see any similarities or differences between how they look now and how they did look in the past as a baby. The children were fantastic at guessing who was who! In Maths this week we have been  looking at some new vocabulary such as between, under, over and through. We went on a bear hunt and had to use some of these words to see if we could find the bear. The children have been working really hard this week in Phonics and have learnt some more sounds.

Week ending 26th September

Hound Tor Class have been very busy this week learning their new sounds. I am so proud of how much they have learnt in a short space of time. They really enjoy their phonics lessons and are so keen to tell other adults our tricky word of the week - I hope you have heard it at home! The children have started their reading groups reading wordless books. We have been working really hard on their comprehension skills, oral blending and vocabulary. Please make sure that these books are kept safe and that they bring them to school every day. Keep up the great work EYFS!

Week ending 19th September

What a brilliant week Hound Tor have had! I am so proud of the way that the children have settled into school life. This week we have learnt some new sounds, identified different facial features to help us with our portraits and loved learning in our new outdoor areas. Next week, we will be looking at our baby photos. Please could you send in a picture of your child as a baby. This can be physical or digital. Please send to our class email cornwoodhoundtor@moorsway.devon.sch.uk

Week ending 12th September

This week, Hound Tor have been working very hard learning four new sounds in phonics. The children have taken it all in their stride. We have been playing lots of oral blending games, learning to recognise three in different ways and creating our class rules. The children have been superb this week and so mature. Well done Hound Tor, I am very proud of the way you have settled into school.

We have had many people help with making improvements to our EYFS outdoor area. Our amazing PTA have put in drainage and over 8 tonnes of gravel. Big shout out goes to, Tom Wotton, Robert Wotton, Millie Jackson, Alex Jackson, Tim Foulkes, Hayley Foulkes, Hannah Foster, Martyn Aldridge, Ali Karvosky, Lou Karvosky, Fiona Munford, Jay Fox and multiple members of staff who spent the weekend digging. Thank you all so much for all your efforts, we couldn’t have done it so quickly without you.  The area will now be used by our children to dig, grow herbs and make potions at the potion palace station. Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for a video of all of our areas.

Week ending 5th September

Wow, what an amazing first few days we have had in EYFS! The children have settled into the school life incredibly well. We have had a great time exploring our classroom and are really looking forward to the term ahead. Keep going Hound Tor, I can’t wait for all of the fun we are going to have together this year.