Friday 11th July 2025
Someone Swallowed Stanley, Seaside Adventures & Summer Fun!
This week in class, we explored the story Someone Swallowed Stanley as part of our Drawing Club. The children listened with great anticipation as they discovered what might happen when Stanley, a plastic bag mistaken for a jellyfish, was swallowed by a sea creature. Thankfully, the boy in the story came to the rescue, saving the turtle just in time — a moment that delighted the children.
Throughout the week, the children responded to the story in creative ways. On the first day, they drew their favourite characters, with many choosing Stanley himself. On the second day, they created settings inspired by the story, often choosing the beach or the sea. By the third day, the children’s imaginations were in full swing as they thought about who might eat Stanley next — ideas ranged from dinosaurs to sharks, and the classroom was full of excitement as they shared their suggestions. Alongside their artwork, the children learned and used some fantastic vocabulary, including rubbish, pollution, harmful, environment, grapple, responsibility, squirm, and soaring.
In maths, the children have enjoyed using games to practise their understanding of doubling and addition. One game involved rolling a dice and collecting cubes until they reached 20. To make it even more fun, they could ‘steal’ cubes from their friends or collect more from a central pot — leading to lots of laughter and friendly competition! In the doubling game, children rolled the dice and worked out the double, covering the correct number on a grid. The first to get four in a row was declared the winner. These games have not only supported their learning but have also been so engaging that many children continued to play them independently during their child-initiated learning time.
As part of our topic work, the children have been learning about beaches in the past. They explored photographs from Victorian times and compared them with images of modern-day beach holidays. We also watched a clip from Magic Grandad, which showed what a seaside trip looked like many years ago. The children were fascinated by the differences and similarities and enjoyed discussing how things have changed. They also learned and recited a poem about collecting shells, and continued to sing ‘Over the Deep Blue Sea’ during our music sessions.
In PE, the children have been developing their ball skills through our weather-themed sessions. They practised throwing, catching, rolling, kicking, bouncing, and aiming at targets. These activities helped the children to improve their coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and ability to work both independently and with a partner. They’ve shown great enthusiasm and teamwork as they played a variety of fun games.
During child-initiated play, pirate ships have remained a firm favourite. This week, the tuff tray featured a campsite and pool scene, which inspired wonderful holiday-themed storytelling. The role-play area was transformed into an ice cream parlour, where children served up all sorts of imaginative ice cream creations. In the creative area, many children chose to make their own kites, inspired by the ending of Someone Swallowed Stanley, where the boy turns the plastic bag into something beautiful.
It’s been another fun-filled, busy week in class, full of learning, laughter, and creativity. With just two weeks to go until the summer holidays, we’re looking forward to making the most of every moment.
Wishing you all a lovely, restful weekend
