Over the last few weeks in our “Wise Wednesday” crew sessions, Crew Hamilton have been thinking all about our mental health and having a positive mental attitude. This morning we spent our crew session filling each other’s cups with compliments. Some highlights included:
“You work really hard”
“You are very funny”
“You always help people”
“You show courage”
“You are caring, helpful and kind”
It was lovely to see all the amazing things that the children had noticed in each other.
There are moments in school life that remind us why community matters so much.
This week, our Community Meeting was one of those moments.
We gathered together to share the beautiful and thought-provoking picture book The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. It’s a gentle but powerful story about Brian, a quiet boy who often feels unseen by his classmates. Through simple illustrations and subtle storytelling, we watch how small acts of kindness begin to bring colour into his world — quite literally.
Why This Story?
In our setting, we place huge value on belonging. Before children can truly thrive academically, they must feel safe, valued and visible. The Invisible Boy gave us a shared language to explore:
What does it feel like to be left out?
How do small actions make a big difference?
What does kindness look like in practice?
How can we notice those who might feel “invisible”?
The story created a calm, reflective atmosphere. You could have heard a pin drop.
Respectful Conversations in Action
What made the meeting so powerful wasn’t just the story — it was the discussion that followed.
Children spoke with honesty and empathy. They listened carefully to one another. They disagreed thoughtfully. They built on each other’s ideas.
At one point, as we reflected on how Brian was treated, a child confidently said:
“Well that wouldn’t happen at our school.”
Another child added simply:
“They aren’t being kind.”
Sometimes the clearest insights are the most powerful. The children recognised unkindness immediately. They were able to name it. They understood it.
Some children reflected on times they had felt invisible. Others spoke about moments when someone had made them feel included. Many identified simple actions they could take — inviting someone to join a game, noticing who is alone at lunchtime, using kind words.
From Words to Action
Stories give us a mirror and a window — a mirror to see ourselves, and a window to understand others. This Community Meeting reminded us that creating a culture of belonging is not about grand gestures. It is about noticing. Inviting. Including.
If we want every child to feel seen, it starts with each of us.
A smile. A kind word. An invitation.
Sometimes the smallest actions bring the brightest colour.
The last two weeks have seen the children in Early Years making large scale models of vehicles towards their final product for our expedition, “We are on the move – Would you travel by wheels, wings or other things?” Each child designed their own eco-friendly vehicle and the designs were judged by Miss Tunney. There was one winner from each crew and the children of that crew have began to work collaboratively to create and make their chosen design. The children have worked so hard to make decisions together, exchanging and suggesting ideas of how they could make their vehicles the best that they can be. Carefully choosing which materials would be the best to make their model out of, giving special thought to the eco friendly parts, such as batteries, solar panels, turbines, tanks, sails and propellers! They even took part in a simple vote to help make decisions, by placing a lolly stick on the materials of their choice.
Today as a hook to continuing to finish our vehicles the children took turns to look at each crews model. That crew presented what their model was, how it was powered and why it was good for the planet? The other crew offered critique of what they liked about the model firstly and then suggested what the model was missing to be complete. We had some lovely ideas to help enhance the models, suggestions included, “ A control panel”, “A steering wheel”, “A door”, “seats for the pilot”, “A tank” (to hold the power source), “a button to open the door”, “Windows”, “More wheels” and much more! This is an advanced skill for such young children and with careful scaffolding the children were beginning to understand the concept of critique – Well done Nursery.
To help the children understand this big idea, Mrs Chadwick took on a very special role — she pretended to be the world! She spoke to the children about the things that can make her feel poorly, such as smoke from cars, pollution, and waste. The children listened thoughtfully and showed great empathy, considering how their actions can impact the planet.
After hearing from “the world,” the children eagerly shared their ideas about how we could help. They suggested simple but powerful actions like walking more, using bikes and scooters, and putting our rubbish in the bin. It was wonderful to see their growing awareness of how small changes can make a big difference. The children enjoyed sharing their fantastic eco-vehicle designs. The children spoke beautifully and confidently about their creations, explaining how solar power and wind energy are much better choices because they help to keep our planet clean and healthy. Many designs included solar panels, wind turbines, and even imaginative new inventions. Their creativity and understanding were truly impressive!
Alongside our learning, we have also been making the most of our beautiful world by spending lots of time outdoors. We have enjoyed the sunshine, told stories together, and played fun games in the fresh air. Being outside has helped us appreciate exactly what we are working so hard to protect.
This week, the children have also begun building their eco-vehicle design models! They have been working collaboratively, sharing ideas, listening to one another, and discussing which materials might be best to use. There have been thoughtful conversations about recycling materials, choosing strong structures, and how to include features like solar panels and wind-powered parts. The teamwork and creativity on display have been fantastic. Watch this space for the finished results!
Today we carried on preparing to write our own hunt story!
We revisited what adjectives, verbs and onomatopoeia are and why they make our writing more exciting. Then we split into three teams, each focusing on one type of word. As we listened again to We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, we became word detectives, spotting examples in the text to add to our anchor chart.
Next, we helped Mrs Parsons up level a very simple sentence. We added powerful adjectives, exciting verbs and even some onomatopoeia to make it come alive! Some of us even realised we could use commas to make our sentences flow even better — very impressive!
After that, we used our steps to success to improve our own sentences. We became “feature finders”, highlighting where we had used each writing feature — and adding more if we thought we could make it even better.
We now have lots of exciting new vocabulary and brilliant up-levelling skills ready for when we start planning and writing our own Doncaster hunt story! 🐾
Today we built on our learning about length and height by moving on from centimetres to metres!
We explored our classroom to measure different objects to the nearest metre. We had to think carefully about how long a metre really is and decide which tool would help us measure accurately.
Some of us even challenged ourselves further by measuring more precisely, working out the exact height or length in metres and centimetres. That took lots of careful reading of the scale and brilliant teamwork!
We’re becoming real measuring experts — one metre at a time!
This week we have started thinking about writing our very own story!
To help us, we are using a story we already know really well — We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. We were so impressed with how brilliantly everyone remembered the story from Reception. The actions, the repeated phrases, the order of events — amazing!
First, we worked together to practise our sequencingskills, making sure we could put the story in the correct order. Then we really challenged ourselves with a reading comprehension to test our understanding. We had to think carefully and look back at the text to help us.
Finally, we zoomed in on some of the powerful vocabulary in the story — words that might help make our own writing exciting and descriptive.
Now we are getting ready to plan our own hunt story… but this time it will be set in Doncaster, using all the landmarks we have been learning about!
The big question is… I wonder what animal might be in our hunt? 🐾👀
This week we started our brand new maths unit all about length and height — and we’ve had a great first lesson!
We practised using rulers carefully to measure and draw lines. We had to remember to start at zero, line the ruler up straight and read the numbers carefully. It was a bit tricky at first, but we didn’t give up!
There was lots of resilience in the room and some brilliant teamwork, with children helping each other to check their measurements and fix little mistakes. We love how everyone kept trying, even when it felt challenging.
A huge shout-out to Tiny the turtle, who showed fantastic determination and got his measuring question right — we were super proud! 🐢✨
We can’t wait to keep growing our measuring skills over the next few weeks!
This week, we revisited one of our big guiding questions: What is a game?
The children began by thinking deeply about what makes a game a game. Is it the board? The rules? The players? The competition? The challenge? Together, we explored the component parts of games and generated a long list of materials we might need — boards, dice, counters, cards, questions, instructions and packaging.
Then came a lovely moment of realisation: when all of those parts come together successfully, they create one very important outcome — fun.
Explaining Our Learning
We were proud to welcome Chris Backe in to work with us. The children confidently explained what our board game is about and why we have been learning so much about Doncaster’s landmarks, geography and history. It was wonderful to see them articulate the purpose behind their learning — not just what they had done, but why it mattered.
Having a real expert in the room helped to reinforce that this work is authentic. The children are not just completing a task; they are designing something meaningful for a real audience.
Making Thoughtful Design Choices
Next, the children designed their own game cards and carefully placed them into plastic pouches. This wasn’t just a practical step — it was a design decision.
We discussed:
Durability — game cards need to last.
Protection — they will be handled many times.
Material choice — why plastic, rather than paper or fabric, would be most suitable.
It was fantastic to see the children thinking like designers and manufacturers, considering the properties of materials and the long-term use of their product.
Creating, Testing and Adapting
The children then moved on to designing their own boards. This involved creativity, teamwork and — importantly — adaptability.
As they began to play their games, they quickly realised that rules sometimes need refining. Some games were too easy. Some were too tricky. Some needed clearer instructions. Rather than seeing this as a problem, the children embraced it as part of the design process.
They:
Tested their ideas.
Adapted their rules.
Improved their layouts.
Refined their thinking.
This kind of iterative design process is exactly what real game designers do.
Learning with Purpose
We were incredibly lucky to spend the morning refamiliarising ourselves with Doncaster landmarks, supported by a real expert guiding our thinking. This helped the children ensure their questions, illustrations and gameplay accurately reflected the place we call home.
Throughout the session, the children demonstrated:
Collaboration
Critical thinking
Creativity
Pride in their local area
Most importantly, they showed that when knowledge, skill and imagination come together — it really does create something special.
We can’t wait to share the finished games with you soon! 🎉
